My only fear is that living in a school house might exacerbate those pesky dreams about showing up unprepared for a test or running late for class. I haven't been a student for 5 years, and I still wake-up in cold sweats filled with test anxiety. Does it ever go away? Will I be in my 80's, chilling in assisted living, and still dreaming about unfinished book reports? It might be worth the risk if I could enjoy the light-filled open rooms found in these converted schools.
• The open space of the school was retained by the owners of this Australian convert. Most of the original materials were re-imagined and reused in the renovation of this space, which used to be a badminton court, a recital hall, a band practice room and an auditorium.
• What was once a school built in the 1800's, is now a modern showcase in Denver, Colarado.
• This comparatively new school was built in the 1930's and is now a modern loft space.
• The owners kept the original stone walls of this school, built in 1857, but turned it into a romantic retreat for Australian lovebirds.
• This 1830's school house near the quaint village of Newcastle in the rural Clun Valley, UK has exposed beams and a triple height sitting room.
Images: 1. Sydney Morning Herald 2. Dornob 3. Channel4 4. Rochford Lodge 5. Home Away 5. Channel4
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I love the idea of taking an old schoolhouse or church and turning it into a home. Unfortunately, the usual plan these days when a school starts to get old is to tear it down and start over so you can have a "state of the art" building. They tore down my old high school the year after I graduated. It was just over 50 years old.
That green one makes my eyes bleed.
The school my grandparents attended was converted into a winery: http://www.burrellschool.com/
Thank you so much for this post! I have been pining over an old local school house for the past 3 years. Just last night I wrote a letter to the owner in hopes of learning more about it. It's in poor condition but it has so much potential.
How do you find old school houses for sale? I've seen some beautiful conversions (the best was on an HGTV show about prices across the US), but I never see them for sale.
"That green one makes my eyes bleed." LOL best comment i've read today lol
There is an empty, neglected old school building just a few blocks from where I work. It's so sad - it's in a heavily touristed area and surrounded by apartment buildings anyway; why not convert it into a home or B&B? Pity the school district would probably rather let it rot.
This is the first school conversion I have seen and am I ever impressed. The attention to detail is amazing.
@LitNerd I can tell you that teaching in an old school is incredibly difficult. The electrical systems can't handle the number of computers needed which results in dangerous electrical situations. Also, they are often not properly climate controlled. The school where my mom teaches is so old that snow actually comes in during winter and lands on the students in class.