You Live In What?! 10 Creative Home Conversions And How You Can Find One Yourself
You Live In What?!
These 10 creative homes used to serve a much different purpose in life. From a lighthouse to a bank, all it took to change them into a beautiful home was some creativity and some elbow grease. Check out these 10 creative homes and learn how you can buy your own creative home.
1. Light House Home In New York.
This beautifully restored lighthouse home is located on Lake Ontario and just outside of Rochester NY. It's 5 bedrooms and 4 full bathrooms with an additional 2 half bathrooms. The lighthouse was first lit up on August 17th, 1896! That's over 120 years ago! In 2008, the lighthouse was purchased for $1.5 million and turned into a bed and breakfast by Don and Nandy Town.
2. Old Barn = New Carriage House
The barn was built in the 1840's! Almost 180 years old! You definitely can not tell with the beautiful renovations this gorgeous home has undergone. This house is currently on the market and listed at $1,295,000. Its over 4,000 square feet and has two master suites! It also has a library, office, studio space, great room, solarium and a very modern kitchen.
3. A Home That Keeps Your Safe
So, if you own a home that used to be a bank, is it acceptable to have your guests wait in line to speak with you? Well, since technically this property is still zoned for commercial business, you have to also operate a business out of this location while you live here. It has most recently served as a law office and an art gallery, however, it does have fully renovated living space as well. Constructed around 1911, this bank is lush with history and located in downtown Waterville WA (about 2.5 hours west of Spokane).
4. Water Silo Equates To Cool Living
Dutch architect firm Zecc turned this old water silo into two modern homes. The tower is divided into a bottom and top residence. This dichotomy is used to make a design that is based on the concept of two stacked houses; the lower House has a ' traditional ' character with front door and garden, focused on the outside world, while the upper, more introverted, apartment with a roof terrace that has turned inward as a garden. You can take the spiral staircase by the original ventilation opening in the roof to access the phenomenal roof terrace for a relaxing and scenic view.
5. House Of Fire
This Home in Philadelphia, PA used to be trolley maintenance garage then subsequent fire station. With 5,000 square feet of space, architect firm Onion Flats had plenty of space to utilize in converting this space into a home. They converted the former attic into a mezzanine level and an observation deck.
6. Ware-House?
This building used to be an automotive electric parts warehouse and from the outside still looks semi-ghostly. It was renovated by Brian Bell and David Yocum who own BLDG architect firm. The building is not only a place of residence, but doubles as their companies headquarters. Located in Atlanta GA, the rustic building blends with the modern design beautifully to create an office space that allows creative inspiration to flow. This property is both bold and understated. It grabs your attention but with a gentle kindness and like all good forms of art, you can't help being drawn into it.
7. Grain Silo Home
Two linked corrugated metal grain silos give 1,800 square feet of living space and are arranged to allow the largest (27’ diameter) to have the most proximate visual and aural access to the Provo River, and the southern exposure to ensure passive solar heat gain during the winter.
8. House of God
The iconic Fernwood Church has been transformed into a stylish contemporary home. What once housed the Saint Mark's Traditional Anglican Church is now a shrine to comfortable Canadian living. This house is located in a very historic neighborhood on the Victoria Historic Society Fernwood Walking Tour. Everything in the house is set to a grand scale and this is very apparent right as you arrive to the 5 foot wide Fir front door. There are 21 foot high vaulted ceilings and a 58" wide quartz countertop in the kitchen.
9. Fire Lookout Cabin
Located in the Alpine Gulch in the Judith Mountains of central Montana, this former fire lookout turned cozy cabin sits off the grid and in the middle of lush landscape. Sitting 70 feet off the valley floor, this cabin has views of surrounding mountains, forests and meadows full of wildflowers. The ground level provides cooking, washing and storage, with sleeping for two. The upper level provides the connection to the views, with windows in every direction, and a six-foot square skylight at the peak of the roof to insure even more light to the space. On the second level, there is also sleeping for two. The cabin is powered by two fifty-watt photovoltaic panels that provide twelve volt direct current power to outlets, lights, and the well pump
10. Train Station Home Designed By Federico de Vera
When Jewelry designer and art collector Federico de Vera purchased this abandoned train depot, he set out to transform it into a private and secluded oasis that highlights his eclectic style. He succeeded in every facet. The train station was originally constructed in 1875 making this property almost 150 years old! Located in Amenia, New York, the house is surrounded by pea gravel, 19th century statues, and scenic views. Inside, the house is furnished with many paintings, works of art and furniture collected from all over the world.
How Can You Find Your Own Abandoned Building To Convert Into Your Dream Home?
All it takes is some imagination and perhaps some exploration. Old warehouses, train stations, churches, fire stations, libraries, etc all exist abandoned out there. All of which could make for interesting and original homes that are not only a cozy place to rest your head, but also a work of art that is a reflection of your personality and style. You can also start over at Circa, a website about home transformations from all over the US. They can be found at www.circaoldhouses.com
Also, if you'd like to obtain information on how to finance your home renovation, we have two programs available. The Fannie Mae homestyle renovation and the 203k renovation. You can reach us in the contact section of this site.
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