TOP OF THE CLASS
We bought abandoned school for bargain off Facebook – and saved thousands renovating it into dream home with savvy hacks
A MAN whose daughter bought a huge school for just £30,000 on Facebook turned it into an impressive 16-bedroom property.
Gary Gergley, 63, spent four years on the incredible project, saving thousands with nifty hacks.
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The DIY pro says he "loves" the newly-refurbished building, and claimed it's "beyond my expectations".
His daughter Kynsey bought the three-storey school in 2019 for less than £30,000 with plans to turn it into a home and office.
When she got married and moved away, Gary rescued the project and turned it into an incredible home.
The school, built in 1926, saw thousands of pupils through education until the 1980s when it was closed and turned into offices.
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Then in 2008, it was abandoned when those using the offices moved.
“In my opinion, they destroyed the building,” Gergley said of the previous owners.
"They glued, stapled, carpeted and took these big rooms and made them into four smaller ones. … The first two years were just tear out.”
The extensive project saw Gergley tear out asbestos, broken windows, walls, carpeting and ceilings.
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The structure was rebuilt with security systems and internet added, graffiti covered and original structures restored.
And Gergley managed to save thousands throughout.
He bought an impressive chandelier worth £8,000 for just £950 in New York as he trawled auctions and antique shops for special gems.
He also hired around 30 locals from areas near the school to help him with cleaning, rebuilding, installing tiles and other fixtures.
Gregerly said he helped out the workers in need, buying seven of them a car and helping four of them to get their driving licenses.
He even invited them to them live in the building when they didn't have anywhere else to go.
He said: “Working with the local people here has probably been the best.
"I lived in a very non-cultural area, so getting to know people in the hood has been great. A thief one day could be a buddy of mine the next day."
One resident who worked on the project, Crystal Daugherty, said: "It is amazing, it really is amazing".
Those involved in the innovative project have also kept an eye on it for Gregerly when he's away.
Local police reports show the previously abandoned building, which usually had at least one or two break-ins each year, hasn't been flagged on their radar since 2020.
“There has been zero crime in this two-block area,” Gergley said.
“I haven’t had any problems whatsoever.”
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Part of the huge building, renamed Canton School of Fame, is used for community events and has room for hundreds of people.
But 16 bedrooms, a kitchen, bathrooms and a game room upstairs maintain the homey feel both Gary and Kynsey tried to achieve.
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