Context
‘Officially’ built in 1868, this chapel stands on the border between Tilton and Halstead. The building was gifted to the Methodist community in 1813 for a peppercorn rent and was used for worship up to the 20th century. The building itself has been altered many times and there is evidence to suggest parts of the building pre-date any record of its construction. Bricks to the rear of the property look to be Tudor while the majority of the building seems to have been built in the Victorian period. Upon inspection it is found that the current subfloor of the building is in fact made from reused rafters and an old fireplace sits on the lower level beneath the sub-floor where the footprint of a smaller building is visible. In 2017 the chapel was purchased with an interest in converting it into a home.
The project was restricted to a small budget and aimed to create a 2-bed rural homestead from the unused chapel. While the shell of the building was intact, there were major structural defects that had to be addressed. The lintels at the rear of the property had blown and a large crack ran all the way up one of the walls inside and out. This had been caused by the surrounding vegetation becoming overgrown and sucking the moisture from the soil.
This project focused on two primary goals. Affordable housing for young people in rural locations is becoming sparse. The value of homes in the countryside has shot up due to the ease of commuting and the possibility of working from home. Not only does this price young people out of the market, but it also creates a valuable opportunity for developers to increase the size of homes in these locations in a bid for higher profits. The conversion of the chapel set out to contradict this movement and provide an affordable dwelling for young people. While doing this the project also aimed to preserve the original architecture of the building. It is believed that the best way to preserve architecture is to give it a purpose and that's exactly what this project did!
Design
Execution
Many of the construction challenges involved in this project were handled at the design stage. The building and proposals were assessed by independent engineers and cleaver solutions were developed to overcome practical challenges at an affordable price. This was achieved by using relatively new methods for repair and restoration, such as chemically fixed steel tie bars, alongside traditional methods and materials.
A brief overview of the building works includes:
The division of the main area into rooms using stud walls.
The construction of a side extension with a pitched roof.
The construction of a driveway and rear terrace.
The replacement rear lintels after the widow openings had been enlarged.
The repair of any defective structural elements.
The addition of insulation.
The installation of modern glazing products.
The installation of space and water heating systems.
Foul sewage design and installation.
A complete electrical system
The installation of modern appliances and finishes.
All of the above works complied with building regulations and the chapel was successfully coveted as a self-build project. Although the chapel is now lived in, work continues on the internal finishes and rear terrace area.
When the chapel was purchased in 2017 it consisted of a large square room divided by an archway. One corner of the room had been enclosed with stud work and this formed a kitchen. The ceilings were 4.2M from floor level apart from in a small corridor-like section of the building that ran down one side and housed a toilet. This section had a low flat roof.
The design was originally based on the average measurements of a large student flat. The bathroom and master bedroom were then increased while the guest bedroom/office was reduced. The layout of the building revolves around a central living space from which all rooms of the house can be accessed and a large hatch between the kitchen and living room creates a semi-open plan feel. While the house is designed to be small, the extremely high ceilings give it a spacious feel. Tall strip windows were added to the rear elevation to emphasize this point and draw in natural light. The flat roof section of the building was enlarged and given a pitched roof to better complement the original chapel.
