Savills Portugal

With high ceilings, light and bright interiors and grand living spaces – converted churches or chapels often make an impressive place to call home.

Breathing new life into what is frequently a landmark property can be a rewarding experience.

Generally, with the right planning permission, such buildings can be cleverly adapted for domestic use, usually without an adverse impact on their significance.

However, if you decide to buy an unconverted church rather than one that has already been fully refurbished, it's important to bear the following points in mind:

Many local authorities have planning policies designed to ensure important community facilities are retained. If planning permission has not yet been obtained for change of use to residential, you may be required to demonstrate that sufficient alternative facilities would still be available in the locality if the church were to be converted as part of your application.
The challenges centre around preserving the internal volume while designing in bathrooms and ancillary discrete areas.
If it is listed, Listed Building Consent will be required for alterations, in addition to permission for the change of use. Conservation officers will need to see that the owners have an understanding of the building, or have engaged others to help research and uncover the true impact of conversion on the building’s significance.
If done carefully, the insertion of floors can often provide additional useful space without compromising the openness of the interior. However, such floors often need to be floor rather than wall-supported to reduce the impact on windows and important wall finishes.
Energy efficiency can be addressed by careful selection and use of thermal insulation, but need not necessarily mean the removal of stained glass windows.
Mains services will often need adaptation as part of the conversion, which must be approached carefully to avoid unsightly overhead cables and fuel storage.
The most successful schemes generally seek to preserve elements of old internal finishes.

The gallery below features a selection of both converted churches and those which are still in need of restoration. Whatever you’re looking for, we hope they provide some inspiration.