Yesterday my husband went up to the church to meet with two people, the zoning person from the township and a man from Stephenson's. The zoning person gave us some helpful information to apply for permission to put an apartment in the basement. We'll still have the ability to use the upstairs for community events, but we'll be able to live on site. We'll get that process started right away.
The person from Stephenson's (the company that did our round window) is going to give us a quote on new outside steel doors, storm windows for the stained glass, and also plain slider windows for the sanctuary if we decide to go that route. Best to know all the possibilities and numbers, so we can make a decision. If we decide to go ahead, they should be able to get it done by year end, which would be great for the propane bill this winter. I'd like to get the place air-tight and insulated enough that we can use the upstairs in winter, instead of blocking it off. If nothing else, it would be nice to be able to give the neighbourhood a place to do yoga, as right now there's a group of people using someone's back yard for that.
For the doors, we're looking at something simple but slightly modern, and perhaps in a smoky soldier blue to complement the gray-blue in the bricks. Right now the doors don't fit well and are a pretty startling pinky-red with no windows in them, so it feels a bit fortress-like. I want something air-tight but friendlier, with some windows. Sadly, all four doors in the place are a different size, so we can't shuffle or re-use any of the current doors. We'll likely donate them to Re-Store, though, as there's still some life left in them.
I looked at the Greener Homes Grants information on the government website, but much of what would have qualified is already done (bad timing!), and what is remaining likely wouldn't bring enough of a rebate to make the application/evaluation process worth the hassle. We'll still look into it, but I think we'll end up not using the program.
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