Praise be for kirk revamp
East Church lovingly converted into home
A developer is in the final stages of completing his “passion project” renovation of the East Church at the heart of Strathaven.
The landmark building has been converted into a seven-bedroom home by Craig Smith and is set to be completed this month.
Craig, a 30-year-old from Stonehouse, estimates that the famous church next to the Allison Green will be sold for around £700,000 when put on the market.
However, it’s the sentimental value that first attracted Craig to the project.
Having completed a similar project at the Congregational Church in Stonehouse, he decided to take on the church his gran attended, as well as the church his mum and dad were married in.
He said: “I didn’t want to carve it up into 10 apartments and waste its character. The way we have done it I think will do it justice.
“This is my mother’s family church, and my granny and grandpa stayed just a couple of doors away. My mum and dad were married in this church, and this is where my gran’s funeral was.
“When it came on the market, my mother’s cousin sent me the link for it. I hadn’t even heard that it had closed its doors.
“It went on for offers over £100,000. I knew I wanted to get it so I put more than half again on top of that to make sure I got it. “
He continued: “I’ve spent way more than I anticipated. There isn’t going to be a huge profit margin on it, but this had that bit of romance to it for me.
“It turned into a bit of a passion project for me. We could have spent way less and achieved something special, but I think this will blow people away. I only got one chance to do this.
“Everyone has been asking about it and is very interested in it in Strathaven, so for us it gets us better known and that is a plus point as well, potentially.”
When you walk into the three-level home you will be greeted by the main open-plan area, with the light bursting through the former church windows.
On this level there is also a bathroom and space for a potential eighth bedroom or an office space.
If you venture up the former church stairs to the upper floor, there are three large bedrooms with en suite. The master bedroom has a walk-in wardrobe.
Craig has visions of the lower ground floor being used a self-contained annex, as it holds five rooms, a utility room and a plant room.
There is a driveway, a garden and an elevator that brings you from the lower level to the main level.
Craig hopes someone falls in love with the building the same way he has.
He said: “It’s going to be a select market that come in and buy it. I think what we have done here is amazing but it’s going to take the right type of person to buy it.
“A lot of people won’t be able to afford what we’ve done here, so we’ll just need to put it on the market and see who comes chapping.
“I’ve got an idea of where I’d like it to be, and I think it’s worth way more than what we will end up getting for it, given it’s a select market.
“It’s completely unique and has its own bell tower.
“It’s probably one of the most iconic buildings in Strathaven.”