816 248 St., Langley, B.C.
Asking price: $2,750,000
Taxes: $4,904.45 (2026)
Lot size: One acre
Agents: Carolyn Glazier and Sabrina Glazier, Angell, Hasman & Associates Realty
The backstory
Most of the trappings of education had vanished from the former South Otter Elementary School when Alex and Jill Oosthoek first saw the property for sale in 2008.
The Oosthoek’s were feeling cramped in their tiny mill worker’s cottage in New Westminster, B.C., as their daughters Hailey and Jenna grew.
They had already explored the rural landscape and equestrian farms of South Langley during family outings to the area.
This one-room schoolhouse, built in 1922 to educate the children of the surrounding farming community, was expanded in the 1970s, then shuttered in 1983.
The main entryway.Evolve Media Collective
The building languished for a few years before it was converted into a private residence in 1987.
When the Oosthoek’s toured the home, some improvements had been made by the owner, who worked on sets for the film industry.
“He had a vision for what he wanted to achieve, but it was all done very haphazardly,” Mr. Oosthoek says.
The interior was rough, but the couple are both creative: Ms. Oosthoek is an artist, and Mr. Oosthoek is a carpenter who works on high-end residential projects. Together they could see the potential, despite some peculiarities.
“There were really bizarre props in the yard. And later we found out that kids had scratched obscenities into the stucco,” Mr. Oosthoek says with a laugh.
A living area in the home.Evolve Media Collective
The house today
As the Oosthoek family settled in, they were surprised at the outpouring of goodwill from neighbours and passersby who shared memories of their connection to the community landmark.
“Everyone was expecting that we were going to bulldoze it,” Mr. Oosthoek says.
In the 1970s, a reclaimed building of similar shape and size had been joined to the original schoolhouse with a smaller portion bridging the two.
Mr. Oosthoek’s first task was to rebuild and harmonize three different rooflines.
Outside, a covered playground for the students had been enclosed by the previous owner, who invited musicians over for jam sessions in the stand-alone structure.
The couple decided to transform the former play area into an in-law suite for Ms. Oosthoek’s father.
The living room has a wood stove.Evolve Media Collective
Some unexpected quirks soon turned up: The former one-room schoolhouse had been converted into three bedrooms, but they still shared the same electrical circuit. When family members turned on the lights in one room, they came on in all of them.
There was no choice but to take the interior back to the studs in order to redo the wiring and the plumbing.
“We were all living like refugees in the main house,” Mr. Oosthoek recalls. “There was quite a period of time when the whole family was camped out in the living room, around the wood stove.”
Along the way, the couple discovered vestiges of scholastic life: The burlap bags used for potato sack races were stored in the attic and lost tin soldiers were embedded in the soil outside.
In the 1970s, the addition housed the school’s offices; today it provides the kitchen, bathrooms, and areas for lounging and dining in the 2,724-square-foot home.
The couple enlisted the next-door neighbour to build the kitchen. Mr. Oosthoek looks back with amusement at the occasional disruptions in farm country.
“Some of his cows would get loose into our yard and we had to chase them around together.”
The Oosthoeks enlisted their next-door neighbour to build the kitchen.Evolve Media Collective
Once the interior became more comfortable, the couple added cedar shake siding and outdoor sitting areas to the exterior.
Ms. Oosthoek created gardens filled with lavender and perennials.
As the couple and their daughters heard more stories about the school, they learned that it was the venue for a pancake breakfast each Christmas.
The family decided to host a Christmas potluck for neighbours, former students and retired teachers.
“The school was a community hub, and it was really nice to do that again,” Ms. Oosthoek says. “We have a lot of fond memories of 10- and 12-foot Christmas trees.”
The couple has continued to gradually undertake new projects throughout their time there. The in-law suite eventually became a short-term rental, and then an art studio and gym.
“To take on a project like this you have to be really romantic and a little bit naive,” Mr. Oosthoek says. “It’s not really a renovation – it’s a lifestyle.”
Large equestrian estates surround the home.Evolve Media Collective
The best feature
The one-acre property sits within a zone designated as an Agricultural Land Reserve, which protects the area against urban sprawl.
Large equestrian estates surround the home, and no street lights illuminate the roads.
“It’s black, black, black here at night,” Mr. Oosthoek says of the peaceful setting, where they sometimes hear owls hooting from inside tall stands of fir trees.
He recalls the time not long after the family arrived when the homeowner across the road decided to nail shut the openings in his antique barn – to the vexation of five or six barn owls that roosted inside.
“The owls flew around for about a week – screeching – until he opened up the barn again,” he says with a laugh.