a small wedding chapel-where to start

[mrsdragnfly(Guest)]

 I was websurfing and put in build a small....to get here.:-/I am wondering if one of the designs could be altered to make a small chapel. Every site on the internet seems to want to build a 500-6000 person chapel. I just want a small one.3-20  people just a place of meditation(more like 3-7 including me). I love the designs and contest enterances .Any ideas???
Thanks

[rampage]

It's funny you brought this up because I always thought the Builders Cottage looked like small church. How much time do you have to get it up? Will you use the building for anything else? I would recomend buying the Big Enchilada plans. I have them myself. It has the plans to build the builders cottage and two other smaller buildings.

[tjm73]

First thing that came to mind for me was this.....

http://www.jshow.com/y2k/listings/33.html

Which is part of the 14'x24' Little House with a loft  http://www.jshow.com/y2k/listings/23.html which is included in the Little House Plans Kit w/ Bonus Tools located at  http://www.jshow.com/y2k/listings/29.html

Leave out the loft and you should be good.  I think you could easily hold 20-30 people in it.

[mark_chenail]

I once looked at a house that was for sale and it had a wonderful chapel in the back garden.  The house had been used as a halfway house for a youth group and they had converted what had been a simple 20x24 foot garage into the chapel. The garage door opening had been narrowed and fitted with a pair of beautiful old double doors. Over the doors they had this wonderful molded scupture of a large hand reaching out for several smaller hands.  Each side wall had 3 small square barn sash.  The rear wall had a wide niche built inside with a square barn sash on each side.  The exterior was sided with T1-11 with 5/4 corner boards and cornice and window and door trim.  Inside the first six feet was under a little loft and made a little vestibule with simple coat pegs on either side.  The interior was all done in rough stucco plaster. The floors were terracotta tile and down each side wall was a stucco banco bench with cushions.  In the end niche there was a small altar table and a crucifix.  There were two long skylights and subtle pin-lights in the ceiling.  It was all very simple and extremely peaceful.  It was the most marvelous space and I would have loved to own the house and chapel, but someone beat my bid.  Im sure you could do a similar project using any of John's basic plans as a starting point.  If 20x24 seems too big, you could do a simple  10x14 building with a steep peak roof and bancos down both sides.  A big wide door on one end and a tall wide window on the other would be sufficient.  Some simple sconce lighting would create a small peaceful space.  Sounds like a nice project to me if you have a nice setting for it.

[glenn-k]

Looks like lots of good ideas - several ways to do it.

[jraabe]

As was mentioned the Builders Cottage (part of the Enchilada set: http://www.countryplans.com/cottage1.html) has the look of a small chapel.

[Epiphany]

The Builder's Cottage popped into my mind as I was reading the post....  Great minds think alike.  

[jraabe]

I will drop in this little design done by Mark Chenail and let him comment...

[mrsdragnfly(Guest)]

 :DYou guys rock! I have so many ideas now!! I have a while before building because the county says I need a lager piece of land(don't you love the permit department). I need a builder( I can't touch tools they hate me),But I can get the plans and start dreaming....only now I have to choose.

[mark_chenail]

Thanks John for posting the design I sent you.  I couldnt get my photosite to work yesterday. I guess I was more than usually technically challenged yesterday.  The design pretty much speaks for itself.  It should accommodate 14-18 seated people with a generous middle aisle.  It wouldnt be hard to expand it for a larger group.
Easily built with off the shelf materials. Feel free to make comments or to use the basic idea.

[Guest(Guest)]

If Christian, then buy or make a cupola and stick on top of roof near the front entryway--even add a cross weathervane on top--that'd be your steeple.  (If a real-type cupola, you could stick a bell in there.)

Take up stained glass classes and make the windows.

Google for old church furniture (pews, etc.).  

Google for images of small churches/chapels.  

For a different twist, get a glass greenhouse with a gable roof--same general shape as photo above.  Basically a small version of the Wayfarers Chapel in http://www.wayfarerschapel.org/.   The more expensive greenhouses have wood beams.   Wouldn't work for all climates though.  

[mikeschn]

To me this pink house looks like a chapel...



Mike...

[tjm73]

To me this pink house looks like a chapel...



Mike...

I agree.

[jwv]

How about this one!



I think it's in Georgia. Using the car as a scale, must be small but the steep pitch to the roof and the steeple make it seem very grand, don't you think?

judy

[Amanda_931]

OK, this topic has the song going around in my head.

My mother's baby sister got married there.  From a very long ago memory, it would cheerfully hold 50 or more people--it had better if they want to get a full-time pastor.  

So, here is, the Little Brown Church in the Vale:

http://www.littlebrownchurch.org/church_photo.cfm

[hobbiest]

Song?  "you saw me crying in the cha-a-a-a-pel, those tears I shed were tears of jo-y-y-y-y"

[glenn-k]

All these old songs and I'm still stuck on The Little Brown Shack Out Back. :-/

[hobbiest]

would that be the "love shack" Glenn?