The couple behind an unbelievable church conversion that has withstood the devastating bushfires of 2019 and 2020, floods and the worldwide coronavirus pandemic have revealed how they introduced their dream challenge to life, regardless of the chances.
Simon and Marie Partridge, from Cronulla, had been eager to purchase and renovate an ‘attention-grabbing church’ for years earlier than they stumbled throughout The Church at Tantawangalo in December 2017.
The church is located round 40 minutes inland from Merimbula on the New South Wales south coast, and it seemed to be the right challenge to renovate and switch right into a guesthouse.
The couple behind an unbelievable church conversion that has withstood the devastating bushfires of 2019 and 2020, floods and the worldwide coronavirus pandemic have revealed how they introduced their dream challenge to life (The Church at Tantawangalo pictured)
Simon and Marie Partridge, from Cronulla (pictured with their daughter), had been eager to purchase and renovate an ‘attention-grabbing church’ for years earlier than they stumbled throughout The Church at Tantawangalo in December 2017
The church is located round 40 minutes inland from Merimbula on the NSW south coast, and it seemed to be the right challenge to renovate and switch right into a guesthouse (pictured now)
‘The Gothic revival constructing was nonetheless functioning as an Anglican church when it got here up in the marketplace, and it was in superb situation once we checked out it in early 2018,’ Marie informed FEMAIL.
‘It nonetheless had its authentic stained glass home windows, pointed-arch doorways and gorgeous eight-metre herringbone ceilings.’
What it did not have, nonetheless, was working water, energy factors, heating or a bathroom.
We needed to mainly bush camp and put tents up within the church whereas we re-did it, utilizing a pan rest room out the again
The couple beat out 120 different folks at an extremely fashionable public sale to safe the distinctive property, and so they set to work in remodeling it right into a visitor house like no different.
‘I am certified as an inside designer and Simon has expertise with landscaping and carpentry, however the church nonetheless required numerous work to get it functioning with water and energy,’ Marie mentioned.
‘We needed to mainly bush camp and put tents up within the church whereas we re-did it, utilizing a pan rest room out the again.
‘We thought we had mice for some time through the renovation, however later realised they have been bats.’
The couple have stored lots of the authentic options of the church (pictured now), together with the stained glass home windows, pointed-arch doorways and gorgeous eight-metre herringbone ceiling
The couple beat out 120 different folks at an extremely fashionable public sale to safe the distinctive property, and so they set to work in remodeling it right into a visitor house like no different (the church pictured)
The couple spent the subsequent 18 months and near double the sum of money they anticipated they might spend renovating the church.
‘We in all probability might have finished it sooner, however we needed to take our time with it and primarily did the work through the faculty holidays,’ Marie mentioned.
‘It took staying on the church for a bit to grasp that the solar was on the entrance steps within the morning, and that we would wish to knock down a centre wall and set up an enormous bi-fold door to let extra gentle in.’
The largest prices have been flattening the wall and putting in the floor-to-ceiling door, in addition to placing in an underground water tank, the gorgeous entrance door and an announcement tub tub.
‘We actually needed to maintain it in order that the church was the factor that had the “wow issue”, quite than some flashy kitchen with an enormous island which would not be in line with the church’s character,’ Marie mentioned.
‘We determined to provide the church a little bit of a contemporary inside feeling with brush brass within the lighting and tapware, however I believe the church constructing nonetheless speaks for itself.’
The couple spent the subsequent 18 months and double the quantity they anticipated they might spend renovating the church (pictured forward of eradicating the wall to place in metal bi-fold door)
‘It took staying on the church for a bit to grasp that the solar was on the entrance steps within the morning, and that we would wish to knock down a centre wall and set up an enormous bi-fold door to let extra gentle in,’ Marie mentioned (pictured through the renovation)
The couple and their daughter would bush camp and put up tents within the church through the faculty holidays whereas they did the work (pictured)
Whereas there have been a variety of foreseen points alongside the way in which, what the couple might by no means have deliberate for was the close by threats from a number of bushfires and floods all through 2019 and 2020, in addition to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
At one stage throughout their renovation, bushfires ripped via the close by city of Tathra, the place they destroyed 60 or extra houses.
‘The fires got here to inside 10 kilometres of us, and I keep in mind us being up there simply watching and hoping,’ Marie mentioned.
‘The neighbouring neighborhood have been so type, and actually helped out lending us water once we had none.
‘Thankfully, the wind modified and we have been so fortunate to be unaffected by hearth.’
In the present day, the church contains a dramatic entrance corridor with authentic timber double door and an expansive open-plan kitchen, eating and front room (dwelling space pictured)
Company can get pleasure from a wood-burning hearth, an expensive lavatory within the authentic sacristy with a free-standing tub and a queen dimension mattress with handmade merino wool blankets (inside pictured)
Whereas the church was mercifully unaffected by the bushfires, it wasn’t lengthy earlier than Tantawangalo was hit by the floods in 2020.
‘The worst went to about three metres above the degrees of the river,’ Marie mentioned.
‘We’re fortunate, as a result of we’re located fairly excessive up on the hill, however it was one other time which proved to be fairly scary.’
The Church opened to the general public on 1 March 2020 on Airbnb and Riparide, earlier than Simon and Marie have been promptly compelled to shut on account of the pandemic.
It later re-opened in June 2020, and has been virtually fully-booked ever since.
‘It has been one factor after one other, however fortunately we have not been as badly affected as some,’ Marie mentioned.
‘Maybe a silver lining of COVID is that the church has been virtually solidly-booked since restrictions have eased, as I believe individuals are totally different locations they will journey to in Australia, now that we won’t go abroad.’
It nonetheless boasts the eight-metre wood ceilings, authentic stained glass home windows, and a floor-to-ceiling metal bifold door – which lets the sunshine flood in when it is sunny (pictured from above)
The church (pictured from the skin) has a dramatic entrance corridor with authentic timber double door and an expansive open-plan dwelling space
‘Maybe a silver lining of COVID is that the church has been virtually solidly-booked since restrictions have eased, as I believe individuals are totally different locations they will journey to in Australia, now that we won’t go abroad,’ Marie (pictured together with her household) mentioned
In the present day, the church contains a dramatic entrance corridor with authentic timber double door and an expansive open-plan kitchen, eating and front room.
It nonetheless boasts the eight-metre wood ceilings, authentic stained glass home windows, and a floor-to-ceiling metal bifold door – which lets the sunshine flood in when it is sunny.
Company may get pleasure from a big wood-burning hearth, an expensive lavatory within the authentic sacristy with a free-standing tub and a queen dimension mattress with handmade merino wool blankets.
‘I am a giant believer with inside design that you do not have to spend 1000’s all the time to get one thing wanting nice,’ Marie mentioned.
‘Whereas there are a number of fairly costly items, there’s additionally loads of Freedom, Kmart and Bunnings dotted round the home.
‘It is all about mixing the excessive and the low to provide it a seamless end.’
To search out out extra about The Church at Tantawangalo or to guide it, you may go to Airbnb or Riparide right here. You too can observe the church on Instagram here.
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