Ex-church reno’d on Grand Designs Australia could be yours

The Church House at 25 Wirilda Way, Fish Creek, is up for sale.

A couple who rescued an abandoned, dismantled Melbourne church and transformed it into a jaw-dropping house are selling their divine creation with $2.2m-$2.4m price hopes.

Peter and Mary Riedel’s journey to resurrect the property in South Gippsland was chronicled on the popular television show Grand Designs Australia.

Mr Riedel said after seeing an advertisement in The Weekly Times for parts of an 1876-era Anglican Church that had been taken apart, he and his wife bought them at a clearing sale in 2009.

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It took two trucks to transport the ex-house of worship’s various bits and pieces to an

8.34ha site at 25 Wirilda Way, Fish Creek, with frontage to Hoddle Creek.

Mr and Ms Riedel then embarked on a massive renovation project.

Before even starting on the house, their first task was to build a 600m-long switchback road to their address.

Outdoors, they put in 8000 native plants that have since grown into mature trees.

Mary and Peter Riedel at the The Church House. Picture: Zoe Phillips.

The distinctive windows and even a pulpit feature inside.

There’s plenty of storage space in the main kitchen.

In resurrecting the church into a house, they aimed to retain its historic character.

As an engineer, Mr Riedel took inspiration from old photos of the religious building from before it was dismantled.

Named The Church House, the property nowadays features vaulted cedar ceilings, timber panelling, church windows, a ceiling that is 8m-high at the apex, multiple living zones, a sunroom that opens to a patio and four bedrooms with their own ensuites.

A self-contained upstairs suite has another bedroom plus an ensuite, kitchenette and sitting area.

Thousands of trees have been planted on the property.

The ceilings are 8m-tall at their highest point.

A self-taught interior designer, Ms Riedel sourced the main front doors from a church in Lithuania.

Indoors, a pulpit serves as a bookcase, and a blacksmith created many of the light fittings.

The abode has views across South Gippsland’s rolling hills and the Strzelecki Ranges.

Across the property, there’s a wine cellar, orchard, vineyard, olive grove, dam and walking trails.

Although the house was originally designed to host the Riedels’ six adult children and 16 grandchildren, in 2017 they decided to open it up as guest accommodation.

“Seventy per cent of our guests are international tourists with high occupancy between October and Easter – it’s like having a dinner party every night, but you’re cooking,” Mr Reidel said.

The Riedels have operated the house as an accommodation business since 2017.

Even the bathrooms have a holy sense of style.

Wilsons Promontory National Park is a 20-minute drive from The Church House and Melbourne is a 2.5-hour drive away.

Castran director Lachlan Castran said buyers inquiring about the property included those who wanted it as a home or country retreat, while other people hope to continue operating the short-term accommodation while living on-site.

“I’m a bit of a sucker for the captivating views and also the absolute privacy that the property has,” Mr Castran said.

“With respect to the dwelling itself I think that the ceilings grab me and the sense of volume within the main room is amazing.”

Green views are on display all around the home.

The project started when the Reidels saw an advertisement in The Weekly Times.

He added that The Church House had retained its unique character thanks to the Riedel’s painstaking renovation.

“The kitchen and open-plan living and dining area is quite superb, and I think it’s very sympathetic as well to the overall design,” Mr Castran said.

The Church House is being sold via expressions of interest.

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