Dean Marks has dreamt of living in a church for as long as he can remember, now he and his wife Hilary are about to turn a derelict monstrosity into a family home.
After searching for the right building for years, Dean came across St Martin's near Birmingham, a huge 18th century grade II listed church which looks more like a mausoleum. The church wanted £25,000 for it but Dean knocked them down to £12,500. Now, after fighting for planning permission for four years, work can begin.
The couple both love old buildings and feel that they could never find a house or build a home with the same degree of character and beauty as St.Martin's. Inside, the cavernous space will be converted to a six bedroom home with an indoor swimming pool and gym/sauna, and a library in the bell tower. Dean has a lifetime collection of antique books that he hopes to put in the library and various original artworks to hang on the vast walls of the church. All the stained-glass windows will be restored and the old bell housing at the top of the tower will be turned into an observatory with a glass roof. As part of the deal with the church, Dean and Hilary have also agreed to maintain the gravestones and a large obelisk in their garden.
When it comes to the interior design of the church, the couple clash. Dean on the one hand wants to keep as much of the original features of the church as possible. He's been collecting reclaimed materials to use in the church and plans to recycle all the pews into skirting boards and architraves. He's aiming for an interior rich in history and period detail. In contrast Hilary wants to inject a contemporary feel into the building, focusing on bright colours and strong angles in the rooms, particularly in the children's bedrooms.
Since Dean will be doing most of the conversion work himself, he's likely to get the upper hand on the design. He is the architect, project manager, and main builder on this build, although Hilary is not afraid to get her hands dirty when necessary.
They currently live with all four children in Hilary's very small house, near to the church. Hilary's son Jonathan suffers from ADD and Asperger's Syndrome. His confidence and ability to concentrate have been stifled in an environment where everyone is living on top of each other. The couple firmly believe that the space the church provides will improve Jonathan's development. Jonathan will also be helping Dean out with the building works. Dean sees this as a great opportunity to build up a close bond with his step-son, as they work on the conversion together.
Dean is clearly a man who knows how to stretch his money to get the best value. He managed to negotiate the buying price of the church down from £25,000 to just £12,750.
As an experienced builder Dean believed he could combine the roles of architect, project manager and builder to help keep costs to the astonishingly low figure of just £80,000. Recycling original features, such as the pews, for use in the new house and scouring auctions for the best deals also helped keep the costs to the bare minimum.
However, last minute wrangles over the property meant that Dean & Hilary were not able to draw down their mortgage until after they had started work and inevitably the project started to fall behind schedule.
Despite these problems the final budget of £120,000 still represents an impressive achievement.
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