Chateau DIY Season 10 Episode 9
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00:00Across France there are thousands of incredible chateaux many of which lie
00:07abandoned and derelict. I don't even know where to start in here. Heroic couples are
00:13bringing them lovingly back to life. I think you got it. Facing huge challenges
00:19head-on. They mean a lot to us these pots. In an effort to turn these precious
00:25buildings. That's it. Back into magnificent homes. It's fabulous. And dream business
00:34opportunities. Well done team. There'll be triumphs. Safe to our chateaux. And
00:41tribulations. Oh it's a disaster. Sometimes we should put a bungalow at the sea instead of a 900 square
00:49meter chateaux. But all this hard work. That's so satisfying. Will reap great rewards.
00:57This is what it's about. You get covered in muck and then you come out smiling. As they get to live
01:01the dream. I've been on holiday innit. As custodians of their very own castle. Hard work but at the end
01:09of the day if you can have it like this perfection really. Well enough.
01:12Today. This is pretty nerve-wracking stuff. One couple faced difficult decisions.
01:24Do they have to like dismantle the whole chimney? They might have to find another way in.
01:28Cracks are appearing. Yeah quite a bit to do definitely. For another duo in search of a dream home.
01:36I have never been in a attic like this. And a chateau owning chef wants to expand his culinary offerings.
01:45You've got to go very slowly. But he's got to catch them first.
01:50In the tranquil setting of Limousin in central France stands the 19th century chateau de Jolibois.
02:10Living up to its name of pretty wood the property boasts 17 acres of lush parkland while inside are
02:2014 bedrooms and an extravagant vaulted ballroom. It had lain abandoned for a decade before barrister Ben
02:32his wife Vanessa a financial director and their son Max made it their home.
02:39It was love at first sight for me. It was the potential that the buildings had and the setting.
02:49The ballroom and the view just captured my heart of course as it would. I mean it's impossible to die.
02:54It's absolutely phenomenal. But I mean it was really wrecked. It was very much a question of having to
03:02see into the future rather than looking at the present. Sitting an hour's drive north of Limoges
03:11the couple bought the property in 2017 for £308,000 with grand plans to bring it back to life.
03:21The last time we saw them they had turned a run-down outbuilding into a welcoming gin bar and opened its doors to guests.
03:35Come on in!
03:37Voila! Cheers!
03:40Salute!
03:42The biggest project to date has been bringing their vast ballroom back to life.
03:51They commissioned a specialist artist to paint an elaborate ceiling fresco and spent £2,000
03:58on gilding the 80 metres of plaster with shimmering gold leaf.
04:05So that looks amazing. It's worth it isn't it now that we have this?
04:09Yeah it's fantastic. Today the artist Peter is back with eight huge hand-painted canvases
04:18to adorn the vaulted ceiling around the fresco. It's a very very exciting day. The artist and
04:26sticker are here and they're going to be installing the ceiling panels that we've been waiting
04:33two years for. Two years, yeah. It's a big deal. We've been dreaming about this day for some time.
04:39I'm nervous. I don't know about you but I'm very nervous because the panels are so over the top.
04:44I mean it's um theatrical. Theatrical. But I think you know you just wanted one room where
04:51you walk in and your heart stops for a second and I think these panels will will do that.
04:55This is my naturally worried expression. Seeing them being handled is a bit nerve-wracking.
05:05The panels even contain hidden personal touches. It's Vanessa and Ben's star signs.
05:14The old constellations and there's classical sculptures from Urania and Kaliop. It's been a long time.
05:24I mean it's been a long way, two years working on it.
05:28At nearly seven metres up, pasting the intricate panels is a job for the professionals.
05:40Not only is it a funny triangle shape, it's sloped and it bends in two different directions up in the
05:48air and then the paper's got to be cut in around each little piece of the moulding.
05:54The thing I was most worried about when it was unrolled and it was down here was the size of the
06:02of the two figures but it works brilliantly. Ben and Vanessa's grand plans are slowly coming to life.
06:10Oh I like this one. But this is not your average wallpapering job and there are still five more
06:17super-sized panels to go. There are countless breathtaking chateaux scattered throughout France
06:27that come in unique shapes and sizes. Owning one is a lifelong dream for many Brits like music producer
06:38Tim and wife Lucy who want to give up their life in Surrey for the sweet taste of the French countryside.
06:48We love it every time we come we just feel so much more relaxed don't we?
06:52I think living in a chateau it'd be like a dream come true.
06:55I realised that I can run my business from anywhere in the world and we just thought why not let's um
07:02let's do it. Lucy and Tim are looking for their forever home and have a budget of 490 000 pounds.
07:12That's a beautiful gateway. Bringing something back to life I think is is what it's about for me.
07:18My vision is a house where we can live work and just enjoy the rest of our lives. I want to get over
07:26here roll up my sleeves and uh and crack on with it. They have seen two properties so far. The first
07:33was the 19th century Chateau Le Croix on sale for 393 000 pounds. It's very basic but um it's a great
07:46size room. The second property they viewed was Chateau Marin near Bordeaux.
07:52Oh wow. That's beautiful. That's stunning. It's on sale for 539 000 pounds which is slightly over budget.
08:05I just feel like I should be here. It's beautiful.
08:11However there are two more properties to see and the next stop is near the town of Cognac in western
08:19France. The property on offer is picturesque 19th century Chateau Bassac. Set in modest grounds this
08:29huge mansion house has 10 rooms and was once the family home of wealthy Cognac producers.
08:38Wowzer. It's much bigger than I expected it to be. Really isn't it?
08:43It's on the market for just 300 000 pounds which is well below their budget. Hi Tim. Nice to meet you.
08:51Lucy, nice to meet you. Hi, nice to meet you. Welcome to Bassac. Thank you.
08:55To show them around is Agent Andy.
09:01Come on in. Oh wow. Oh my gosh. Look at this. Lovely. The stairs. Oh. Beautiful.
09:12What do you think? Large. Impressive. The ceiling's so high. Needs a bit of work.
09:23The Chateau is spread over three floors and the main salon still retains some of its charm and character.
09:32Wow. Original floors?
09:35Of course. Absolutely. And all of these fireplaces which have been removed are
09:40mainly down in the cellar. Oh are they? Okay. Fantastic. Really lovely.
09:43It's like a miniature ballroom. Never been in anything like it. Yeah.
09:48Although not everything is picture perfect.
09:52Is this water damage or something like that? There's been a fire in the roof. Oh okay.
09:58So it was open to the elements for a short period of time. Was it? Okay.
10:01Yeah, quite a bit to do. Definitely. I think the detail, albeit needing lots of work, it's very grand.
10:09Much grander than I expected.
10:12As there's the rest of the Chateau still to explore, could this end up as Lucy and Tim's dream home?
10:19Coming up, Chef Tim welcomes some new guests to the Chateau.
10:27Say hi to you. There you go.
10:31There's a lot happening today, all of a sudden.
10:33And Ben's worried. I'm just a bit nervous watching this enormous lorry back through our gate.
10:38That this huge delivery won't even make it inside.
10:42There's a very muddy slope to get down to the boiler room, which has a very small door.
10:53Located in the stunning landscape of the Dardogne is the 14th century Domaine de la Barde.
11:00With 18 splendid rooms, 10 acres, its own tennis court, and beautiful formal gardens.
11:14Today, it's home to Tim, a chef, and his wife Chris, and their sons, Owen and baby Ollie.
11:23For me, I always wanted the big house in the country.
11:26That was what led me into the Chateau world, I think. Just having land, space, big gardens,
11:32high ceilings, just having the grandeur and the room. It was a dream that I didn't think I'd ever have.
11:39We've now got our second baby, so our family is growing.
11:44It's a little hectic, but everybody's having a great time. We're all very happy.
11:49And yeah, it's the dream that we've always wanted.
11:52Situated just 100 miles east of Bordeaux, Tim and Chris bought the former hotel in 2020.
12:05They've already turned the old restaurant kitchen into a space for Tim to run as a cookery school.
12:11If I can earn a living from exploiting my passion, then I'm a happy man.
12:15And transformed bedrooms to open for B&B guests.
12:21Oh, it looks beautiful, doesn't it, Tim?
12:23Good job.
12:24Good job, Tim. Very good.
12:27The last time we met them, Tim had turned a muddy patch into an impressive chef-sized barbecue area with a Mediterranean courtyard garden.
12:40I've already lit the barbecue. It's lovely and hot.
12:43Today, Tim is thinking of more gastronomic delights and is off on a chicken run with seven-year-old Owen.
12:53Rainbow, all righty.
12:54Every single coloured egg.
12:57Every single coloured egg.
13:00Well, we'll have to see what we can do.
13:02Our neighbour, Isabel, who lives on the other side of our field, is the local honey farmer.
13:09And she also has lots of animals and chickens and she is quite happy to sell on any chickens she doesn't want.
13:16She's all part of French rural life and just part of the dream.
13:21All right, let's go find Isabel.
13:26Bonjour, Isabel.
13:27Oui, ça va.
13:29Oui, ça va.
13:35You've got to catch the chickens that you want.
13:44You've got to go very slowly.
13:46Luckily, Isabel's on hand to show them how it's done.
13:53That one, she's going to get that one, look.
13:55Look, she's going straight in for it.
13:57Oh, there we go.
14:05They're very nice.
14:06They're going to look nice in the garden, aren't they?
14:09And we'll have lots of different coloured eggs.
14:10Dalmatian.
14:11Dalmatian, yeah.
14:13In we go.
14:16Oh, puffy.
14:20They all have different coloured eggs.
14:22We've got green and blue and brown and white.
14:25Lovely.
14:25And Petit Déjeuner Deluxe.
14:32This is a good old trial rum for us.
14:34We'll have five, see how it goes.
14:37And if it's a roaring success, we'll probably end up with a lot more.
14:41Back at the chateau,
14:43it's time to show the guests their accommodation.
14:48We've deliberately got a plastic hen house,
14:51so we can hose it out quite regularly.
14:52This means we don't get any parasites
14:54and the chickens are nice and healthy.
15:00Oh, look, quick, put the lid down, put the lid down.
15:02He's a patty moth.
15:04All right, you ready?
15:05Yeah.
15:07Oh, there you go.
15:11Not too big.
15:12There you go.
15:13Richie.
15:16Say hi to your new house.
15:18There you go.
15:23Our chickens have come home to roost.
15:25It's a really nice day.
15:26I think Owen will remember that for a long time.
15:29With their feathered friends settling in,
15:32chef Tim and Owen are looking forward to freshly laid eggs.
15:42In Western France,
15:46Lucy and Tim are continuing their search for a dream home.
15:51I love the fireplace.
15:52So do I.
15:52Absolutely stunning.
15:53Yeah.
15:54They like its original features,
15:57and there's plenty more to see.
15:59So this is the door.
16:00Oh, my God.
16:01To the centre.
16:01To the centre.
16:02As underground, there are even more rooms.
16:06It's as big down here as it is upstairs.
16:08Yeah.
16:10I'm feeling this could be a really, uh, really good studio,
16:13with the concrete floors, big solid walls.
16:16Good for recording.
16:17Definitely.
16:18Yeah.
16:20It's sounding promising for music producer Tim,
16:23and there's two more floors to go.
16:27This is beautiful.
16:29The first offers more possibilities,
16:31as it boasts two huge bedrooms.
16:35Beautiful.
16:36Stunning.
16:38Oh, Tim, look at this.
16:40That feels like we're in some sort of 70s movie.
16:43Wow.
16:44Slightly out of place.
16:45Obviously, I'd be inclined to make this room
16:47into an ensuite with a lovely roll-top bath.
16:50I think Lucy can see the potential here, definitely.
16:53When she gets excited, it's good.
16:57And there's also more options,
16:59as the top floor has a huge attic.
17:04I have never been in a loft, an attic like this.
17:09You could almost put a mezzanine in, couldn't you,
17:11in some of it.
17:12Yeah, absolutely.
17:12You could have another floor.
17:13You could.
17:15This place seems to have got better and better and better.
17:18This is incredible up here.
17:20You can actually imagine us in here, yeah.
17:25With the tour over, Lucy and Tim have a lot to take in.
17:29And at a cost of £300,000, the chateau is well within budget.
17:37Wow.
17:39It's amazing.
17:40It's huge.
17:41It's got so many positives.
17:42The attic is incredible.
17:44The cellar's a real bonus.
17:47But it's a bit more work than I thought it was going to be.
17:51Speak soon.
17:51Absolutely.
17:52Thanks very much.
17:53Cheers.
17:53Bye-bye.
17:57Lucy and Tim don't have to decide just yet,
18:00as they still have one more chateau to see.
18:04Their final stop is in the Creuse d'Eparpement of central France,
18:10where nestled amongst the picturesque countryside
18:13is the delightful 18th-century Chateau Vernege.
18:20Complete with a fairy-tale turret,
18:22this impressive building is set in three acres,
18:26has 14 rooms and several outbuildings.
18:33Oh, look at the turrets.
18:35Turrets.
18:36Hey, look at that.
18:37The chateau is ready to move into
18:40and is on the market for £359,000.
18:45Enchanté.
18:46Enchanté.
18:47Bonjour.
18:47Welcome.
18:48Enchanté.
18:49Enchanté.
18:50And to give them the tour is agent Marie Pierre.
18:56Allez-y, entrez.
18:57Beautiful.
18:58Beautiful.
18:59Really lovely.
18:59Really nice.
19:00Yeah, I love the stairs.
19:01Very surround, nice and wide.
19:04Oh, we'll see.
19:05This is the living room.
19:07It's quite large.
19:09We've got lovely built-in cupboards there, which look original.
19:13Really nice fireplace to this side and a great view straight ahead.
19:17Beautiful.
19:19We can see family Christmas here.
19:21Good morning.
19:22Oh, totally.
19:22Yeah.
19:23Totally.
19:23Lucy and Tim are already visualizing being here.
19:28And with the rest of the ground floor and turret tower to explore,
19:32it's a very promising start.
19:41Deep in the countryside of Limousin, at Ben and Vanessa's,
19:45work is continuing inside on their bespoke ballroom ceiling.
19:53But Ben has just been told of an unexpected delivery.
19:57A massive boiler.
20:00I'm just a bit nervous watching this enormous lorry back through our gate.
20:03There's a lot happening today, all of a sudden.
20:08Yeah, it's a very, it's an exciting day.
20:10Hopefully, hopefully, they don't hit any snags or the gate posts.
20:16They've been waiting six months for this boiler to arrive.
20:19Bonjour.
20:20But with the artwork going up in the ballroom,
20:25and Vanessa focused on her work, its timing couldn't be worse.
20:30There's a very muddy slope to get down to the boiler room, which has a very small door.
20:36So I just trust that they took all that into account when they were specified and ordered it.
20:46I haven't even had a cup of coffee yet.
20:49The three large water tanks are unloaded first.
20:54This is not an aspect of DIY that I would feel comfortable with in the slightest.
20:59The guy's measuring the door frame right now, and doing quite a lot of gallic shrugging,
21:08and putting a bit of a face, and there's a bit of a serious discussion going on.
21:12So I'm hoping that means, ooh, it's going to be tight, but it'll just fit,
21:19and not we're going to have to take the door frame apart.
21:21The actual boiler weighs a whopping 125 stone.
21:31Apparently there's a cherry picker coming, ironically the same guy that did our roof,
21:35to come and help.
21:38There he is, back again, yet another unexpected visitor this morning.
21:44The crane makes light work of lifting, but the doorway is proving a bigger problem.
21:51There he is, back again.
21:53There he is.
22:03Now what they've got to do is they've got to lower it somehow into this pit that they've dug.
22:11Which is now the subject of some serious discussions.
22:13The team decide on a trolley jack and loose pallets to bring the 50 centimetre deep pit up to floor level.
22:28That's a good one.
22:29That's a good one, guys.
22:30Try to stretch a little to the right.
22:31To the right?
22:32Yeah, like that we'll have the left side.
22:34Oh, that's a good one.
22:36You can come right there.
22:37That's so...
22:38Those pallets don't look very strong.
22:45I've never seen anything like this.
22:46Oh, things are... things are snapping and breaking.
22:53It's been a stressful morning for Ben, but the boiler is finally in position.
23:13That just leaves a massive flue pipe to connect from the roof down the ballroom chimney.
23:23Still to come...
23:24Oh, this is the master bedroom.
23:28There we go.
23:29Will chateau shoppers Lucy and Tim find their forever home?
23:34Not quite the room for the dream kitchen.
23:36Stop!
23:38And Ben and Vanessa are almost at breaking point.
23:41This is pretty nerve-wracking stuff.
23:42As they hit a critical stage of their renovations.
23:46This is really quite stressful.
23:53Back in the Creuse département of central France at Chateau Vernege,
23:58Lucy and Tim are continuing their tour of an 18th century property.
24:03The kitchen, as you can see, is very small.
24:08Not quite the room for the dream kitchen.
24:11Not everything is to their liking, but there's plenty still to see.
24:17Ah, OK.
24:20I think this would probably be our kitchen.
24:23On a la possibilité, here, open, une autre pièce, after here.
24:31Oh, OK.
24:32If you want.
24:33It could be dream kitchen.
24:34It would be an amazing kitchen.
24:36Yeah.
24:37Work to do, but promise.
24:38You can look at the bedroom.
24:40Ah, oui.
24:41Please.
24:41Merci.
24:42Upstairs, the traditional charm continues.
24:47Here is the first bedroom and bathroom.
24:53It has got a lovely fireplace.
24:55Very gorgeous.
24:56And view for the park.
24:58Here, look.
24:59Ah.
25:01Beautiful.
25:03Stunning.
25:03I think this space, feeling like it's in the middle of nowhere,
25:06ticks a huge box for us with a lovely view, which is a bonus.
25:11And all you can hear is birds and the wind in the trees.
25:13Beautiful.
25:15I don't know.
25:17Is this the bedroom?
25:18Oh, this is the master bedroom.
25:22There we go.
25:23Here.
25:24More?
25:25That's the tower.
25:27I think this is the tower upstairs.
25:29Oh, wow.
25:31That, uh, small, uh, living, uh, living room.
25:35Living room.
25:35Yeah.
25:36This is exciting.
25:38There's still more potential outside, as the property also has several outbuildings.
25:45Here, uh, ancienne habitation, donc y'a tout, tout à refaire.
25:50Yeah.
25:51It seems that there's more rooms through that door.
25:54If there is more space, it would be a miniature cottage, kind of just need to redo.
26:00There's lots for Lucy and Tim to digest, having finished the viewing.
26:05Bonne route.
26:06Ah, bonjournée.
26:07Bon retour en Angleterre.
26:09Bon retour en Angleterre.
26:10The château is 130,000 under budget, at only 359,000 pounds.
26:19I think the house is very beautiful, and it's got so much space.
26:23I mean, the location is stunning.
26:25I think that needs an awful lot of love and attention and money.
26:28Yeah.
26:29Yeah.
26:29Yeah.
26:30We'll, we'll think on.
26:31Having now seen all four châteaux this week, Lucy and Tim need to decide if any of them
26:38will become their dream home.
26:41Two and a half hours south, Tim and Owen are off on an egg hunt.
26:51Let's go.
26:53The chickens have spent their first night at the château,
26:57and it's time for them to get to know their surroundings.
27:01You ready?
27:02Yes.
27:03Your new chicken's first day exploring Dement de Labarde.
27:06Yeah.
27:07All right, go for it.
27:11One sound progressive.
27:19Second.
27:21Very clean feeling.
27:24That's lovely, that.
27:25We've got our first eggs.
27:26The chickens look happy.
27:28They've enjoyed the night's stay.
27:31Give me a high five.
27:32Let's go.
27:35See you later, chickens.
27:36With a fistful of fresh eggs, professional chef Tim knows just what to do with them.
27:45Floating islands, you can use every bit of the egg.
27:49You can, it goes an awful long way.
27:51Lovely dessert, very French.
27:52My favourite.
27:53As it's made with both custard and meringue, Tim first separates the whites from the yolks.
28:03If you crack on a flat surface, you can then control how it breaks.
28:08Then, it's simply a matter of whisking the whites into a meringue.
28:12You can't over with egg whites, so just leave them, leave them, let them do their thing.
28:23A little caster sugar.
28:27Delicious.
28:28Now all Tim needs to do is gently poach the meringue in some warm milk.
28:34Poach them off.
28:40These are our islands, our meringue islands.
28:43Lemon curd.
28:44Put some almonds in, because you need a bit of texture.
28:48And finally, a few pieces of pink praline to decorate.
28:54Don't want to over egg it.
28:58The custard, made from the egg yolks, is flavoured with melted caramel.
29:06And topped with floating islands of tasty meringue.
29:13Chris and young Owen are in for a treat.
29:16Wow, look, Owen.
29:19Ain't this pretty?
29:20Oh, here you go.
29:21Owen, look.
29:22Oh, monsieur.
29:24Don't eat it yet, though.
29:25Wait, wait, wait.
29:27Before we eat, we have to very gently say cheers to the chickens.
29:31Cheers to the chickens!
29:34So good.
29:39So good.
29:44Merci, mon coeur.
29:47Absolute triumph.
29:48Chickens did us proud, first day on the job, and they produced big time.
29:52It's a good cause for a family celebration, and for Chef Tim, there's the prospect of lots of fresh eggs to come.
30:02Three hours north to Limousin, and Ben and Vanessa's chateau is a hive of activity.
30:15A flue pipe for their long-awaited new boiler needs to be fitted inside the 40-foot high chimney.
30:23I think they're pulling the old one out, and then they'll pull the new one back up.
30:29The boiler room lies beneath the grand ballroom, so it means work on the ornate ceiling has ground to a halt.
30:36There's a bend in the chimney, and I think the old liner has broken, so he's got to find a way to access it.
30:50Before long, Ben learns of more problems from his builder, Paul.
30:54Where it's jammed, they've broken into the chimney, but there's four flues inside the chimney, and they're not sure that they're in the right one.
31:03Ah, okay.
31:07Having finally found the right chimney, the large flue pipe is fed inside.
31:14Well, there's four blokes wrestling with an enormous silver tube, and there's two on the roof, um, pulling a rope very hard,
31:22so I don't think this is straightforward at all.
31:28But with a 45-degree kink in the chimney, they just can't get through.
31:33This calls for a new plan of attack.
31:53They're going to go down the chimney from the top with the liner.
31:57I thought once the boiler had been dropped into that pit, I thought that that was the end of the real problems,
32:07but it seemed like that was just the start of the problems for today.
32:12Financial director Vanessa is working from home, but can't resist seeing what all the commotion is about.
32:20This is not normal.
32:21No, this is not a normal day.
32:22This is an exciting day, but it's also a very stressful watch, I have to say.
32:27Which is why I've been in my office and meetings leaving Benz.
32:34Hun, they wouldn't be pulling it if it wasn't going down.
32:38Although I don't want to jinx it, because it just stopped now.
32:41They've probably hit the bend.
32:42They've hit the bend.
32:59This is pretty nerve-wracking stuff.
33:03They've got, they've just got to get this liner in.
33:12This is really quite stressful. I think I might go find another meeting.
33:18I mean, they'll have to figure a way out of doing it.
33:21But do they have to like dismantle the whole chimney or something?
33:23Well, no, but they might, you know, they might have to find another way in.
33:30After almost three hours, the flue pipe is finally in place.
33:36I really want to just go, well done!
33:44I never imagined this would be something I'd be super excited over.
33:48But it's like, yeah, I guess this is it, right?
33:51This has to be it.
33:52It's just major accomplishments.
33:54And they're, they take really long time to, to come to fruition.
33:59It's a huge relief all round.
34:01And once the new boiler has been connected, the chateau will have proper heating for the
34:07first time in over 20 years.
34:10You're not like having a combi boiler installed in, you know, two days, right?
34:15You have to order specialist equipment and that takes time.
34:18And then you have very little control over when things are going to start, which is a bit scary.
34:24It's been the good, the bad and the ugly, hasn't it, in the last few days?
34:27Um, but that's chateau life and it's, it's great fun.
34:33With one huge job ticked off, the focus can return to their grand plans for the ballroom ceiling.
34:44Coming up, have this duo's chateau dreams been shattered?
34:49That crack is quite worrying.
34:51On their hunt for a forever home.
34:54Bouncy.
34:55Oh, this feels like you're in a caravan.
34:56Yeah.
34:57And after two long years.
34:58All right, I got it, I got it, I got it, I got it.
35:01Will Ben's ballroom ever be finished?
35:04In south-west France, chateau shoppers Lucy and Tim have spent four days visiting four potential properties.
35:23Now, they need to decide if one of them fits the bill.
35:27What are you thinking?
35:29Oh, I don't know where to start.
35:31With a budget of 490,000 pounds, they've already ruled out two chateaux.
35:39Ooh, power of it.
35:43One was the 19th century Chateau Le Pen, which was 100,000 pounds under budget,
35:50but they were put off by the amount of work.
35:52That crack is quite worrying.
35:56I think there's been a bit of movement.
35:58Floor's a bit bouncy.
35:58Ooh, it feels like you're in a caravan.
35:59Yeah.
36:00Overall, it was very mixed message.
36:04Castle-y in some areas and different style house altogether in others.
36:09I think we'd have to throw so much money at it, it wouldn't be worth it.
36:14The second they discounted was the 19th century Chateau Bassac, on sale for just 300,000 pounds.
36:23Oh, my God. Look at the size.
36:28It's stunning.
36:30The attic is incredible. The cellar's a real bonus.
36:34But it's a bit more work than I thought it was going to be.
36:40But they were swept away by the 18th century Chateau Vernege that they could move into right away.
36:47I think we could see family Christmas here.
36:51Oh, totally.
36:52Yeah.
36:53Totally.
36:54It has the character they're looking for and is set in their ideal location.
36:59Stunning.
37:01Yeah, stunning.
37:02It's on the market for £359,000 and comes with outbuildings which could provide them with an income.
37:12This could be ideal, I think.
37:15And it seems that there's more rooms through that door.
37:18If there is more space, it would be a miniature cottage, kind of just need to redo.
37:24I thought that was really beautiful on entrance of the driveway.
37:28It was very pretty.
37:30There is a turret, which is a big tick.
37:35Really lovely.
37:36Very nicely done, done with love, I think.
37:37Yeah, lovely detail.
37:39The major tick was the outbuildings, a vast amount of space.
37:43I don't think we want to say no.
37:45No, it's a reserve.
37:47But yeah, keep it on the list.
37:50Another to make an impression was the 19th century Chateau Marin near Bordeaux.
37:59It's been left abandoned for over 40 years and is on the market for £539,000, so over their budget.
38:08This could be absolutely stunning.
38:11Incredible kitchen.
38:12I can already picture it, I really can.
38:15They saw massive potential, despite the work needed to make it habitable.
38:21We can have a round-top bath here and just have a bath and have a look in that.
38:24Oh, my Lord, I never even thought of that.
38:27I absolutely love it.
38:29From the minute you get to the first arch entranceway, it gives you such a great feeling.
38:35You kind of immediately want to bring the place back to life.
38:39The master bedroom had doors out onto that stunning view.
38:43Yeah.
38:43Because it was like something out of a fairy tale.
38:46It really was.
38:47No, it's stunning.
38:48But it's stretching the budget.
38:49It is over budget.
38:51It would be a bit of a head scratch on the finance front.
38:53We need to go back and see it again.
38:56But, yeah, we're definitely going to move forward on this one, aren't we?
38:59Yeah.
39:02One chateau has clearly captured their hearts, but is over their budget.
39:09With other possibilities to think over and a second visit planned to Chateau Marin,
39:15Lucie and Tim might just be a step closer to finding their dream home.
39:29Back in Limousin, in central France, at Chateau de Jolibois, with the boiler flue pipe fiasco over,
39:38the artistic work can carry on in Ben and Vanessa's ballroom.
39:45Ben is lending a hand as the last of the giant-sized canvases go up.
39:52Six out of the eight on the ceiling.
39:55I'm overcoming my anxiety about it and I'm getting very excited about seeing the overall effect now.
40:03So it's been two years.
40:05It's a far cry from his career as a barrister.
40:08It's so different that it's hard when I'm involved in something like this to think about my day job.
40:15And then when I'm actually doing my day job, it's hard to imagine standing around,
40:21moving scaffolds and looking at seeding murals.
40:25The last of the enormous panels is being painstakingly pasted to the ceiling.
40:32Closer in this corner?
40:33Yeah, yeah, South Bengal.
40:37Yeah.
40:40It's caught on the top there.
40:42All right, I got it, I got it, I got it, I got it.
40:46The artist Peter is no stranger to such grand spaces.
40:51I worked for Lord Lloyd Webber, Charlie Chaplin.
40:55I worked for the Sultan of Oman in all his palaces.
40:58When you work in a place like Windsor Castle or Buckingham Palace, you've got a certain type of work to do.
41:06And when it comes actually creatively, this is one of the best.
41:11I can use my imagination, I can do the research.
41:15It was left down to me to create it.
41:19It's a very unique interior now.
41:23We call it the symphonies of the muses.
41:25We're all done then, are we, Terry?
41:30That is all finished now, complete.
41:33Excellent.
41:35That's it.
41:36That's the final canvas.
41:38They're all up on the ceiling.
41:40Looking amazing.
41:42Looking amazing.
41:45The ballroom had always made a grand statement,
41:49but its ornate detail looked tired and lacked any lustre.
41:53Ben and Vanessa commissioned a spectacular fresco for the centre,
42:00and metres of gilding gave it opulence and shine.
42:06The same artist spent two years creating eight elegant hand-painted canvases to go around the fresco.
42:14Now the restoration is complete,
42:21and the huge vaulted ceiling has been transformed.
42:27The magnificent hand-painted canvases frame the central fresco,
42:33creating a dramatic overall vision of ornate elegance.
42:38This was the room that Ben and Vanessa first fell in love with,
42:48and even Max has come to see the finished ceiling.
42:52Oh, my goodness. It's amazing.
42:56It's like being in an opera house, isn't it?
42:58It's just unbelievable.
43:04It was two years of wondering, wondering whether we'd made the right decision,
43:09wondering whether it was going to work,
43:11wondering how it was going to get installed on the ceiling.
43:14But now we've got a happy ending.
43:19Do you see the Pisces?
43:20Just up there, where it says Urania, you'll see a bull.
43:23Oh, yeah.
43:24Then you're going to see the ram.
43:26And then there's two fish.
43:28That's Pisces.
43:29That's your star symbol.
43:31And so Mummy is the bull.
43:32She's Taurus.
43:33Oh, sorry, the ram.
43:34Oh, so the...
43:35No, you're getting lost.
43:35I'm sorry.
43:36Mummy's Aries, and then Daddy's the bull.
43:38I think that we have more than achieved a theatrical, dramatic centerpiece for this
43:48chateau, just with the ceiling.
43:50And there's more to come.
43:52I think that this is going to last, and I hope that people will enjoy it,
43:56not just us, but people will enjoy it for a very, very long time.
43:59Yes, and I think that we're going to be very proud of this room.
44:03The lavish ceiling decoration creates the undeniable wow factor they had always dreamt of.
44:13But it also sets the bar high for the rest of the ballroom.
44:21Next time, things get heavy for one pair.
44:25If we were to drop them, or if they fell over, they would break, and that would be a tragedy.
44:30A medieval-style dining room renovation hangs in the balance.
44:35This is stupid. This is stupid.
44:37And a 30-foot drop could lead to a decorating disaster.
44:42If it isn't fixed correctly, it could all just fall down.
45:00Use a deck of accessories to make a special decimal place for the time.
45:05If we weren't talking about the
45:09Then a 10-foot drop could lead to a beautiful wall in the sky.
45:11This is stupid.
45:13Now, we'll see what happens.
45:14We'll be able to take care of the wall in the sky.
45:17I'm not going to have to be a little bit.
45:18There's a long way to the wall in the sky.
45:18See, I've got to be a mad at your time.
45:20You're all getting scared.
45:21You're all getting scared.
45:22You're all getting scared.
45:23You're a little bit confused.
45:24Anyway, I can't wait.
45:25You're all getting scared.
45:26I'm not going to be the best.