A family of seven have converted a 1903 church into their home, using the pews as seats at the dining room table, and even adding a slide for quick exits from the balcony.

Parents Matt and Kristen Gray, were looking to move somewhere so their kids wouldn't have to cross busy roads on their way to school, when they heard about the local church moving.

They purchased the building in Troy, Ohio, for $50,000 in December 2020, and spent five months turning it into a very comfortable family home.

After painting the exterior completely black, they built four bedrooms, three full bathrooms, and three half-bathrooms.

They also created two offices, a workout room, lobby, game room, a laundry room, and two TV rooms.

"The best thing about living in a church is absolutely everything about it," said 38-year-old Kristen. "The slide is a huge hit…the kids laugh every time they go down!

"We've never had a house where all seven of us can cook in the kitchen together but here we can and we love that so much."

"We have always loved historic restoration and reuse," added Matt. "My wonderfully creative wife, Kristen, came up with this idea-crazy at the time, yet the idea grew legs."

Matt says Pleasant Hill Church of God really appreciated the idea and the fact that the building would now house a new purpose. And, it wasn't going to be torn down to create a parking lot as previously proposed.

Decorating started as soon as Matt and Kristen received the green light from the village community.

"I fell in love and began to decorate each room," said designer and homeschool teacher Kristen.

They added a new metal roof and upgraded the plumbing and electric wiring, before painting the exterior black. They also wanted to involve their five children, ages 8-15, to design their bedrooms and other spaces like a craft room, game room, TV room and home-schooling area.

"We can spread out and have our separate spaces, yet are close to each other. It truly feels like home."

The parents added a huge master bedroom with a soaking bath and walk-in shower. Along with modern features, the couple was able to keep original items from the church to use in their design.

The pews are used for seating in the dining and home-schooling rooms, and the basin used for baptisms has been repurposed as their kitchen sink.

"To think of all the lives that were transformed in this steel tub gives you goosebumps," commented Matt, who is a contractor by trade. "We are excited that it could be salvaged and used."

They also had a run-in with a bat colony which had taken up residence in the 100-year-old church, before the Grays did.

After five months, the conversion was complete, but the family still wanted to make the building available for use by the community, for religion classes and as a food bank.

"This small town has a huge heart, full of amazing people," said Matt.

The church attendance board from the entrance hall, which once displayed numbers in the hundreds, is now in the bell tower showing a count of "7".

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