A long dining table can accommodate large gatherings in the basement.

Need a little inspiration to tackle that daunting home improvement project you’ve been putting off? Look no further than the old schoolhouse inhabited by Steve and Shelley Fischer.

The 8,600-square-foot residence at 108 Rebel Hill in Canyon City is a genuine showplace, with brilliant crystal chandeliers in the dining room, upstairs corner library, full basement complete with hidden entrance, home movie theater and five bedrooms, each with its own bathroom. The kitchen mixes old and new, with stainless steel appliances and poured concrete countertops coupled with vintage cabinets and a brick-and-mortar backsplash behind the oven.

It wasn’t always this way.

The house has been many things in its past. Built in 1875, the structure functioned as the Canyon City School for many years before being repurposed into residential apartments.

The building was later put on the market and sat unsold for three years, falling into disrepair and eventually being condemned.

Enter current Canyon City Mayor Steve Fischer and his wife, Shelley, who purchased the former schoolhouse in 2007.

The duo had just finished selling a couple of properties when the derelict home was pitched to them by their real estate broker.

“She said, ‘Shelley’ — because we’d already sold two places, she said, ‘how about you come look at this project,’” Shelley said.

For two weeks after the pitch, Shelley said, she found herself making her way up to the former schoolhouse during her lunch breaks to look over the property and ponder the possibilities. After she did a walk-through with Steve, the couple decided to purchase the derelict structure for $50,000.

Making old new again

With both Steve and Shelley having day jobs, they weren’t able to devote themselves full-time to renovating the old schoolhouse into their dream home. So they decided they would just keep chipping away at the project over time.

How long did it take to make the place fully habitable? Try 10 years.

Two of those years were spent living outside the residence in a camp trailer before the Fischers ultimately moved a bed into the kitchen, shifting it around the home as they gradually completed the rebuild. “Every day when we got up, we covered the bed with plastic … and then we’d just pull the plastic off at night.”

Almost all of the work on the house was done by Shelley and Steve along with their daughter, Elizabeth.

And there was plenty of work to be done.

“When they turned it into apartments, they hacked so much stuff up — it was so terrible,” Steve said.

The Fischers added that the only things that are truly original and didn’t need to be redone are parts of the exterior walls and parts of the ceiling.

There were many aspects to the remodel, and the couple didn’t have all the necessary skills for the job — at first. The pair leaned on knowledge gathered from YouTube, a lot of trial and error and their religious faith to aid in the massive undertaking.

“For Shelley and I, we’re believers. We have a strong faith. Everybody looked at this in our families and friends, and just looking at what we were doing, they were overwhelmed,” Steve said.

“They’re like, ‘Two people can’t do this,’” he added. “But we were really blessed — it’s that simple.”

Back to life

The result? The old schoolhouse once again has regular residents and has been returned to its former glory — with some significant upgrades.

The basement, featuring a full bar, separate bathroom and plenty of space for large gatherings, isn’t original. The secret entrance is a nice touch (just make sure you hang your coat up before you go searching for it).

The house also comes with an 11-seat movie theater, complete with an original poster for “Napoleon and Samantha,” much of which was filmed in Canyon City — including some exterior shots of the old schoolhouse.

And you’ll find a corner library upstairs along with the bedrooms, complete with separate bathrooms.

The rehab wasn’t cheap, but the Fischers are reluctant to put a dollar figure on the work they’ve put into the place. It isn’t possible to calculate the exact amount of money they’ve put into the place due to the length of time the rehab took, Steve said.

Large gatherings have become a staple of the Fischer house as well, with weddings, the Fischer family reunion (13 times), bridal showers, Christmas parties — you name it, it’s likely happened here.

The Fischers seem to be fine with their renovated home becoming a venue for those seeking a large gathering place. “It works out pretty good for (that) — there’s not much around this area that can get a group of people together,” Steve said.