Welcome to our weekend property digest, where we bring together the best houses for sale (or rent) that we’ve unearthed across the world. Among this week’s discoveries are a converted church in Melbourne and a Swedish farmhouse that’s ripe for renovation.
Converted church in Melbourne, Australia
5 bedrooms; guide price of $3.5m via JellisCraig
Formerly the Northcote Presbyterian Church Hall, this sprawling five-bedroom home dates back to 1906 and comes with a rooftop terrace with views out over the city. Its centrepiece is a voluminous living room with 5.8-metre-high timber ceilings. It’s also got rental potential: it includes a self-contained guest house, currently used as an Airbnb. Take a closer look.
Lagoon living in the UK’s Norfolk Broads
4 bedrooms; £1,420 per week via CoolStays
Designed for the co-founder of UK practice Platform 5 Architects, this rural eco-home sits on a secluded lagoon and features a steeply gabled roofline that evokes the silhouette of a boatshed. Explore its cavernous spaces.
Rustic farmhouse ripe for renovation in Nynäshamn, Sweden
2 bedrooms; 4.195m kr via HusmanHagberg
Tucked away down a quiet country lane, this Swedish farmhouse offers would-be owners the chance to get their hands dirty and embrace their creative side… The rustic bolthole is in need of some updating, but it comes with a soaring barn – currently used as a ceramic studio – as well as workshops and a dinky guest house. See more.
Victorian church ready for conversion in County Durham, UK
£295,000 via Hunters
Looking for a project to sink your teeth into? St Peter’s in Bishop Auckland is a Grade II-listed Neo-gothic church primed for conversion into a family home. It comes with ornate stained-glass windows, carved stonework, mosaic floors and a lofty nave.
An interior designer’s Florentine townhouse, Italy
4 bedrooms; €3.8m via Italy Sotheby’s International Realty
Casa Q is the home of interior designer Erin Quieros Quinzan, who has used it as a testbed for her ideas. The historic Oltrarno townhouse has been transformed into a minimalist retreat, complete with swimming pool and central courtyard that functions as an outdoor living room.
Read next: 9 of the best Venice apartments to rent
