Three-Bedroom Church Conversion House Plans

Having gained confidence from the experience of completing her first home building project in the Scottish Borders town of Kelso in 2019 (you can read this story here), Christine Stewart decided to do it all again two years later when she arrived at an important crossroads. “I was in the process of a big change,” says Christine.

“When my mum retired, we decided to sell the childcare business that we had run together since 1993. I felt that giving up work would allow me the opportunity and finances to take on another building project, this time as a full-time project manager, rather than juggling it with my job running the company.”

Christine didn’t have to look very far for her next opportunity; it was literally on her doorstep, or rather adjacent to her previous project, in the shape of a former 1930s church hall. The building had been the premises of the family’s childcare business up until 2019, when they moved to a different location in the town.

see the home

It was at this point that Christine converted the front part of the single-storey hall into a two-storey, three-bedroom home for herself. The undeveloped, 112m²-long back part of the hall, which was being rented out as a commercial storage premises at the time, was originally earmarked as an accessible home for her parents to retire to. But this plan changed when they decided to stay put in their home in the Borders countryside.

Christine was keen to bring in the same architects, Edinburgh-based Chambers McMillan, which was responsible for designing her first home next door. (Chambers McMillan have now evolved into two practices: Studio McMillan Architects and Mind the Gap Inclusive Design Consultancy). Christine was looking for a similar design approach for her new house – namely a future-proofed, adaptable and accessible home.

Locating the master bedroom, ensuite and separate WC on the ground floor, alongside the open-plan living areas, was a big priority. This would create a future-proofed house over one level, thereby ensuring that Christine and Robert could stay in their home should mobility become an issue.