Praise be: Pet Dachshunds inspired this conversion from Sunday School to single storey home set to star on TV

Most dog owners are in a league of their own when it comes to loving their pets and it’s completely understandable because what they get in return is unconditional adoration from their four legged friends.

For Tim and Carly Parkin that love meant moving house and fast because their dachshunds, aka sausage dogs, prone to back problems with their teeny tiny legs and long bodies struggled to climb the stairs.

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A single storey home was needed and fast for Iris, Ivy and Violet, and you could say the Almighty himself provided, for the couple spotted a dilapidated Victorian Sunday School in Hade Edge, set all on one level and with a price of £176,500 it was the answer to their prayers.

What happened next is set to be broadcast on TV’s Derelict Rescue and viewers are in for a real treat when the episode airs on the Discovery+ channel this Sunday, October 7, at 9pm.

One happy doggyOne happy doggy
One happy doggy

Aptly titled “The Sunday School Resurrection”, it sees Carly and Tim take on the ambitious conversion with gusto.

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The stone built Sunday School, also used as a pre-school nursery and polling station, had been empty for five years and rot, damp and decay had set in, which meant a host of both obvious and hidden issues had to be tackled.

The bills could and did mount up but the self confessed fanatical salvagers who love reusing and repurposing, were determined not to go wildly over their top budget of £80,000 for the conversion.

First things first, their own house went on the market and it sold fast, which gave them the funds they needed but nowhere to live so they moved into the Sunday School in a state that few would endure.

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Tim and Carly before work startedTim and Carly before work started
Tim and Carly before work started

The property was damp and the single glazed windows with rotting frames allowed the cold to blow in so they felt the chill.

While there was a toilet, a sink, a plumbed in washing machine and electricity, there was no hot water and no bath or shower so they had to mend and make do by having a stand up wash in a builder’s bucket and taking the odd shower at a friend’s house.

Talking of friends, Tim’s mate Pete helped him tackle another huge job by joining him in plastering the place.

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There were happy finds too including the beautiful original beams hidden above the suspended ceiling, which are a major architectural feature. The ceiling insulation was also reusable and Carly sourced a batch of beautiful parquet flooring for the bedroom and dressing room for £80, which was laid by Tim who worked on it for two long days.

The fabulous open plan living areaThe fabulous open plan living area
The fabulous open plan living area

Tim, a gifted DIY’er and problem solver, made the project a full time job with a staggering amount of overtime. Carly mucked in, of course, while running her business The Silly Sausage, which makes and sells everything from knitted snoods, fleece blankets, snuggle sacks and snuffle mats for pets.

There were the usual hiccups and some minor setbacks along the way, along with some things that kept them going.

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The roof needed replacing not least because the underlay was rotten, though many of the old stone slates were reusable which helped cut the cost.

“Some of the stone slates cost £30 each to replace so we were lucky we managed to reuse most of what was there,” says Tim.

The Sunday School beforeThe Sunday School before
The Sunday School before

Realising that the aforementioned beautiful arched windows were rotten and had to be remade was galling, but worth it.

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There weren’t many original features so the couple have added character with their own finds, which included a large work bench from Tim’s grandfather’s redundant printworks, which is now the kitchen island.

“I love a bargain,” says Carly, who finds inspiration on Instagram and hunts on Facebook Marketplace, eBay and at car boot sales.

The trough sink came from a bar, the Tetrad sofa was a great eBay find and there were many others, which she believes justified splashing out on some very expensive Italian gold taps for the bathroom.

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What was a porch and loo area is now a boot room leading to the most impressive space,a huge sitting/dining/kitchen area. A corridor runs through and off it is a sewing room for Carly’s work, which also acts as a second bedroom. There’s also a utility room and a bathroom plus a main bedroom and with a dressing room and a bath under the window .

“I wanted the bath in the bedroom but Tim wasn’t so sure. Now he loves it because we have a TV in there and that has solved a big issue, which was Tim dropping his phone while watching TV,” says Carly.

The project has taken two and a half years and is almost complete save for the driveway and garden. The decor is exceptional thanks to Carly’s ideas and choices, though she says: “Tim created this beautiful home for us and I’ll always be grateful and proud of what he has done. We love it here and we plan to stay. The only place we’ll be moving to is the graveyard at the back of the house.”

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The Sunday School Resurrection is shown on Monday, October 7 on @hgtv_uk and available to stream on @discoveryplus on Discovery+

Carly’s Instagram is Thesundayschool and her work Instagram is the.silly.sausage and her Etsy is www.sillysausageemporium.etsy.com. The dogsInstagram is _the_sausage_sisters_

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