by pa_friendly_guy » Wed Apr 23, 2014 7:48 pm
My neighbor tore down an old barn years ago and built his home with it. He used the large barn beams as support, The outside of the house is cement block, he finished the interior walls with the barn siding and used some of the wormy chestnut to build his kitchen and bathroom vanity. He was young and dumb at the time and had more time than money. The finished produce is a beautiful home with a lot of personality. It has evolved over the years I have know him, he covered the cement block with stucco, built a beautiful deck, put up stone walls around the place, and has done numerous improvements. The bottom line is that is can be done, and it can turn out beautiful given enough time and ingenuity. It is a lot of work, and demolition can be dangerous. It sounds like this guy is not worried about insurance on the demolition project but getting insurance to cover a demolition project can be difficult. I had a Company that would write coverage for demolition work, it was sold and priced by the job, the cost was normally about 10% of the demolition contract with a min premium of $500. Since I am guessing this church is out in the country away from other buildings and off the road far enough that traffic should not be a problem I would guess min premium would apply. Since no money is changing hands you could check with your Homeowners policy and see if it would cover you with out charge. The labor involved in removing nails from the old wood is pain staking, but you should get some very dry dimensional lumber in lengths that will work well for you. If you feel you have the man power to get it down and a way to transport the lumber to your place I would say go for it. But go in with your eyes open Lolly, Free is seldom Free, you will pay for it with sweat equity.
Never doubt that a small group of dedicated people can change the world, indeed it is the only thing that ever has.