Whaddya' think?

  • Thread starter Thread starter pdlstl
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pdlstl

pdlstl

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I operate a semi-pro studio in N. Central Texas.

I had a deal fall into my lap today that I simply cannot believe. I need you folks here to weigh in with thoughts on this.

Simply put, I have some acreage on the market with an area realtor. I called to check on it today and mentioned that I might be looking for a commercial building to buy. I currently lease an 1875 sq. ft. retail space.

He then proceded to tell me about an older church on a former military base. It's an older Catholic church and is selling exactly as you see (by following the links below). In other words, "as-is"... Everything you see goes with it.

2600 sq. ft.
Could be zoned commercial/residential.
81' long x 36' wide.
Ceiling peak (inside) around 25-30'
Central air/heat
Pier and beam (not wild about this)
Sits back from main road about 80-100'
Large hill across back of property.
Reasonably-sized asphalt parking area in rear.
It sits on 2 acres.

Utilites are already on so the electrical and plumbing have passed city code.

If you notice in the picture taken toward the rear of the church, on the right the is a confessional..comepletely soundproof! On the left you'll see two windows. Behind them is a nice size (maybe 12'x12') room known as the crying room where mothers could go with crying babies during the service. Another potential iso booth...?

What kind of potential pros and cons do you experienced folks see in this deal?

Oh, BTW, the seller (a bank who has this property on foreclosure) dropped the price just this morning to $42,500.

Thanks!

Check out the pics on these pages:

Church1

Church2

Church3
 
42,000 ? holy crap, Where I live, you can't get a condo for under 600,000.
 
42,000 dollars wouldnt get you a mid-ranged new viecle over here... i wish things like that were available around this crum hole.
 
I think that is the SWEETEST 42000$ one trick reverb unit I have ever seen! I would say buy it.
The sheer size of that thing, and sonic capabilities of a building that large make it unbeatable(you can always make a big room smaller). Also, I bet the mortgage on that place would be less than you are paying on your current lease too!


Simon
 
Do it before I put a bid in on it! :)

Is it haunted or something? :eek:
 
You only live once....Plus i wunna see what an awesome studio that place could be turned into. Especially at a price like that.
 
I agree.. I live in the wrong place. I'd by ten if there were deals like that in Toronto
 
How about I buy it and lease it back to you? :D From the pics it looks like its in excellent condition. If you bought it, you could probably sell those pews for a few $$. Man what a deal. If its been on the market for a while, and its a bank foreclosure, offer them 35K. If it was me, I wouldn't think twice about it. Don't forget that you can sell it down the road too. Great investment. Go for it!!!
 
Go for it!

Ever since I saw the Muppet Movie as a kid, I've dreamed of jammin' in an old church just like Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem!

Judging form the pics, this church would make an awesome studio! Go for it!
 
How far is it from civilization pdlstl? :D Other than that, even the pier thing would seem ok. For the price, if you needed more isolation, you could cut out a section of floor and pour an independent slab, if the existing floor height is not to high from the ground. Even if it was, you could always build an independent floor on heavy duty piers and beams and subfloor, and pour a slab for mass, and build a "room within a room" if you really needed it. Crap, at that price and square footage, I'd live in the place as well! :eek: ;) I don't think you could go wrong as long as there is a marketbase within reasonable distance. Otherwise, it might not be a good investment.
fitZ
 
Well, I made an offer of $40K and they accepted. Yeehaw!

Rick,

It's about 45 minutes east of the DFW metroplex. Because the recording is somewhat specialized, I think my clients will come to me.
 
Well, I'm sure there will be loads of updates over the next several months... :D
 
A couple of things:

First, I doubt that the confessionals are soundproof enough to be iso booths. They needed to be able to reduce very quiet prayer to inaudible levels.

The cry room is a good start of a control room. It will likely need more to be really effective.

Now, here is where I may differ with some of the recommendations: I would put all the interior furnishings, pews, altar, etc. into storage and do everything with gobos, freestanding booths, etc. so that if need be the entire thing can be put back as a perfect little church. Why? Movie and TV shoots. A perfect country church like that, with a soundproof control booth built in. would be golden to location scouts. One big week or two of production and you could have that building PAID.
 
pdlstl said:
Well, I'm sure there will be loads of updates over the next several months... :D
Click to expand...

Congratulations on the purchase of your haunted little church! :D

Only joking about the haunted bit! :)



































You Hope! :D
 
What do I think?

I think 40K for commercial space is awesome.

Before you do anything... walk inside, stand in the center, take a deep breath, and "twirl" in a 360 very slowly. Look at the stained glass. Look at the hardwood pews. Look at the moulding, trim, and architecture. There are going to be some materials in there you just cannot get anymore. If you can re-use it, consider doing so.

Wood is just a beautiful acoustic material. Natural echos, awesome tone, etc.

Awesome find, awesome price, buy two.
 
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