Former church on the market in Bungendore has divine appeal

A former church in Bungendore has been lovingly converted into a home with divine appeal.

With a price guide of around $770,000, the property at 48 Butmaroo Street is already drawing strong interest from a range of possible buyers who can see its heavenly potential.

Originally built as a Presbyterian church in 1875, the building has been transformed into a spacious and stylish two-level home with an adjacent chapel-style cottage in the garden.

Listing agent Katrice Velnaar of Luton Properties Gungahlin said that while many people are attracted to church conversions, they often involve a lot of work whereas with this home everything has been done.

“I’ve been inundated with inquiries. It’s attracting a lot of professional couples, small families with one or two children, retired couples and people looking at it for Air B’n’B potential.”

Ms Velnaar sold the converted church to its current owners, Suzie Bedford and Alan Shore, three years ago and said they have spent a lot of money on it since then focusing on the upgrading of structural facets of the building, drainage and repointing of the brickwork.

“They’ve kept all the original features but restored it to the point where it will stand the test of time,” said Ms Velnaar.

“What Alan and Suzie have done is finish it off completely – it’s beautiful.”

The building has operated as a church – St John’s Bungendore – for most of its history. However, it hasn’t always been in its current location.

Less than a decade after it was built, the government chose to build a rail line through the village and St John’s was relocated brick by brick to its current site.

St John’s continued to be owned by the Presbyterian Church until 1997 when it was sold and converted into a home.

However, the building retains the look, space and feel of a church that is so attractive to people in search of church conversions.

“It’s such a unique building – just something lovely to own,” Ms Velnaar said.

“It’s got high vaulted ceilings, original floorboards and this massive feeling of space.

“It’s also got a lovely calmness to it.”

Ms Velnaar described the restored home as “high-end” and said it also benefits from being right in the heart of the village of Bungendore.

The main home has two large mezzanine bedrooms, while a third bedroom is located in the separate chapel-style cottage at the rear of the property. The cottage also boasts a new bathroom and its own private deck overlooking the gardens.

Inside the home benefits from soft-hued finishes which provide a peaceful ambience.

Celery pine floorboards, original leadlight and gothic style windows, vaulted five-metre ceilings and timber panelling all add to the building’s charm.

The kitchen boasts an electric stove, pyrolytic oven, dishwasher and great under-stair storage, while the bathroom still has the original fireplace.

The grounds surrounding the former church are well-planned and include cottage-style gardens, fruit trees and a vegetable patch.

The property is open for inspection tomorrow (Sunday, October 28) at 11 am. For more information please contact Ms Velnaar on 0411 449 071 or click here.

Original Article published by Glynis Quinlan on the RiotACT.