A former Presbyterian church near downtown Wichita, Kan.,photographed Monday, Jan. 12, 2009, has been renovated into a single-family home and is now for sale for .5 million.

Wichita ? In the winter, some people get a little restless, so they pick up a new hobby or workout routine.

Matt Alter decided to start a new project in the winter of 2004. He bought a deteriorating, 9,400-square-foot church to keep him and his dad busy.

“This gave us an interesting distraction,” he said.

Alter, who also owns and operates Trailer Parts Supply, has since renovated the old Presbyterian church near downtown into a posh two-bedroom home. He put the house on the market in April with an asking price of $3.5 million.

He said even though the building was larger than what would be considered practical, he saw its character and potential. The sanctuary is now a theater room. The center row of pews was removed to make room for more comfortable seating. The pews and the organ were donated to a high school.

“They pretty much brainstormed the entire remodel themselves,” said Todd Woodburn of Plaza Real Estate, the property’s listing agent.

The property is listed as residential or commercial. Woodburn said that, commercially speaking, he could see it being used by anything from media-based organizations to law firms.

“A couple more years and it would have been falling apart,” Alter said.

Even though the home has only two bedrooms, Alter thinks it would be great for a professional couple who like to entertain and want to be near downtown.