Chateau DIY Season 10 Episode 10
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00:00Across France, there are thousands of stunning chateaux.
00:06Many lying abandoned and unloved...
00:10If we hit water, you run.
00:13...are now being brought back to life by intrepid owners.
00:17We need to try and get this done as quick as we can.
00:20...taking on unique challenges...
00:22Stop! Stop!
00:24This is pretty nerve-wracking stuff.
00:26...to renovate these historic buildings.
00:30It's like surgery, isn't it?
00:31...into spectacular new homes...
00:34Creating our own, like, Louis XV-style bedroom from scratch, really.
00:39...and event venues.
00:44There'll be triumphs...
00:46Ooh! I like it.
00:48...and tribulations...
00:50I think we're going to need to repaste.
00:51How are we going to do that, then?
00:53...but with great effort...
00:55The level keeps dropping back down. It looks like I've done nothing.
00:58...comes great reward...
01:00Oh, my goodness.
01:01It's amazing.
01:03...as they get to live the dream...
01:06Cheers to the chickens!
01:08...chickens!
01:09...as custodians of their very own castle.
01:15Today...
01:16Oh, blimey!
01:18...one couple face an uphill challenge with a medieval-style dining room renovation.
01:24This is stupid.
01:25This is stupid.
01:26This is stupid.
01:28I've got the giggle!
01:29A mission to create the perfect wedding setting calls for some ingenious ideas.
01:36Oh, oh, oh, oh!
01:38This is terrifying right now, because there's such a lot of work in this pot.
01:41And a 30-foot drop could lead to a decorating disaster.
01:46If it isn't fixed correctly, it could all just fall down and hell knows what would happen after that.
01:54High on the bank of the river Lot, in south-west France, stands the 14th century Chateau de Céserac.
02:08With a medieval tower, two wings, a chapel, and a Roman-inspired swimming pool.
02:21This spectacular property had lain sorry and abandoned for 14 years after being ravaged by a fire.
02:30Until in 2022, entrepreneurs John and Carmen snapped up the place for £175,000.
02:43I totally think this place was waiting for us. It was meant to be.
02:47The minute we walked down the drive, I saw the sun on the chapel. It was just perfect.
02:52The draw of the place was to be a custodian of the building.
02:58Where we are now was built over a thousand years ago. That's some real history.
03:07Located two hours' drive from Bordeaux,
03:12last time we saw them...
03:14Ah, it's on my foot!
03:17..they completed a three-month-long bathroom renovation.
03:20I can't believe we've done it.
03:23Ah, it's just amazing, isn't it?
03:30Today, they're turning their attention to the dining room in the Pirates' Wing,
03:36named after the marauding river pirates who built it.
03:39It dates back to 1450, and that's got a beautiful vaulted ceiling, all in stone.
03:46It's definitely got that sort of medieval look,
03:48and we want to try and bring that out in the way we decorate it and the sort of furniture we put in.
03:53It's going to be really lovely when it's finished.
03:57To create their medieval-themed dining room, Carmen first wants to add some colour,
04:02while John has challenged himself to build a breakfast bar in one of the alcoves.
04:08There isn't a right angle or straight wall in the place, so you've always got to work around those,
04:13but that's the beauty of doing it yourself.
04:16If you went and bought something off the shelf, it guarantee wouldn't fit.
04:24There we are, now it's a perfect fit.
04:27So what I'm going to do is lay out the top and build the structure for the front.
04:40I loved making things as a child. I made steam engines out of plastic bricks,
04:44which doesn't really work very well, because they all melted.
04:48I then did technical college and end up being a Grand Prix race engineer.
04:52All of the things I've learnt through life can be used in putting the chateau back to its original life.
04:57Since buying the chateau, John and Carmen have been working to a gruelling schedule.
05:04At the moment, we don't have any time at all spare to entertain and have friends around.
05:12So I'm really looking forward to the day that we can.
05:17Just going to put the last piece in now for the framework.
05:20This should just sit right here. It's just got to be perfect.
05:29Beautiful. And now...
05:34The big question, will it fit?
05:39No. I'm too tight. Millimetres. We still have work to do.
05:47With the breakfast bar incomplete and decorating only just begun,
05:53John and Carmen won't be welcoming guests for dinner any time soon.
06:04In the heart of the beautiful Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of Western France,
06:11stands the majestic Chateau de la Boutiniere.
06:15With 47 rooms
06:25and four fairytale turrets, the chateau sits within a 52-acre estate that includes its very own Victorian
06:34hunting lodge. It lay abandoned and defaced with graffiti for five years before interior designer
06:43Alison. Yay!
06:45And builder husband, Zion, began the epic task of bringing it back to life.
06:50Everything was right about this place.
06:53This is our opportunity to live everything we've ever wanted to design, everything we've ever wanted to experience.
07:00It's got all the potential we've ever had hoped for.
07:04Located just under an hour's drive from the city of Poitiers, Alison and Zion bought the place for
07:11£580,000 in 2021 with the aim of running it as a luxury wedding and events venue.
07:22It is very romantic and it's unique, unique to us.
07:28This year, the couple are preparing to host their first ever wedding.
07:33The danger is it's going to take all the render off and leave a pattern of graffiti.
07:37And are attempting a huge revamp of the exterior of the chateau, including the 60 shutters.
07:45This shutters looks dead.
07:49Stone staircase.
07:51You have to be very careful with this.
07:53And formal garden.
07:58Today, Alison's desperate to test out the paint they've purchased for all 60 of the chateau's shutters.
08:07This to me is the exciting bit, but it's still a bit nerve-wracking because if you get it wrong,
08:12it's a lot of expense to change all the paint tins that we bought.
08:18Here we go.
08:20There's no going back after this.
08:27It's a bit darker than I thought, but hopefully it's going to dry a little bit lighter.
08:30But I do say I like it.
08:36Seeing her design ideas come to life, Alison is in her element.
08:41This is the job and the lifestyle I've wanted for years, probably 25 or 30 years.
08:50And I tried to do it in the UK and it just wasn't happening.
08:54So to come out here and find a chateau and now have myself painting the shutters
08:58for the very weddings that I've wanted to do all these years is literally a dream come true.
09:03It's just, well, it's a fairy tale.
09:10What do you think?
09:12I think it looks amazing.
09:14It's a sort of wedge of blue, isn't it?
09:15It's really pretty.
09:16No, it's good.
09:17You happy with it?
09:18Yeah.
09:19Good.
09:20Shutter colour approved, Alison and Xeon's next task is to relay and repair
09:26the 150-year-old mosaic on the chateau's rear steps.
09:31It seems like a giant jigsaw, isn't it?
09:34There's quite a few chunks, big chunks, missing on this side.
09:37So what we'll do is we'll fill those in with concrete.
09:39We'll count how many little stones we've managed to recover.
09:43And I might have to do a bit of painting and baking just to match up the pattern.
09:48But I don't think that's going to be too difficult.
09:50It just takes time.
09:50No, no.
09:51It's only going to take a year.
09:52This is our problem.
09:53It's not too difficult, but it takes time.
09:58Lending a hand is labourer Lewis.
10:01It's very precious, this.
10:04I'll go first.
10:05Corner.
10:07Yeah.
10:08Okay.
10:09Yeah, just like that.
10:10As the pieces go in, Xeon's concerned it's not level.
10:26Everything has to go down this way.
10:31Oh, it's on my foot, that's why.
10:33Oh, the last piece.
10:39Time for Alison to fill in the gaps.
10:42I'm using individual stones because it's just easier to follow the pattern.
10:47And then I have a trowel here.
10:49I push them down so that they are even with the layer of mosaics.
10:55This is the first time I've done this particular type of work.
10:59It's rather fun.
11:01It's going to be a long job, but it looks good.
11:05It's a great start, but with 59 shutters still to paint and the garden to complete,
11:12it's just one small step towards getting the chateau wedding ready.
11:17Coming up.
11:21Is there enough room to go forward?
11:23One owner battles to build a platform 30 foot high.
11:28If it isn't fixed correctly, it could all just fall down and hell knows what would happen after that.
11:37And Alison and Xeon get creative.
11:40This is terrifying right now because there's such a lot of work in this pot.
11:50In the southwest of France, overlooking the stunning Lotte Valley, is the breathtaking 19th century Chateau de Cadres.
12:00Set in 21 acres, with 43 rooms, and two epic staircases, it's home to Paul, a builder, and keen designer Debbie,
12:16along with five dogs, two horses, and Marmite, the cockatoo.
12:22I have to pinch myself when I'm coming back from the village because I look up and you see the chateau,
12:27and I do have to pinch myself.
12:29I can honestly say the longer we stay here, the more we love it.
12:38Located between Toulouse and Bordeaux, they've spent three years transforming the chateau
12:46into a high-end wedding and events venue.
12:52With the wedding season just around the corner, Paul and Debbie have set their sights on a new challenge.
13:00We're about to embark on, as a project, the stone staircase.
13:04The walls have been very much messed up with horrible paintwork and stencils.
13:11At the top of the stairs, there's a horrible tongue and groove ceiling.
13:15Because of all the other works going on in the chateau, it's become quite tired-looking.
13:20At first, it sort of fitted in, didn't it? Because it all looked horrible.
13:24But now it's more or less, that just looks horrible.
13:30The former servant's staircase is four flights tall.
13:35And Paul's first task is to plasterboard over the old tongue and groove ceiling at the very top.
13:43With the ceiling of this height, which from the actual base to the ceiling is probably 40 foot,
13:50but you can't do it off ladders.
13:53Helped by nephew Jordan, Paul's sustainable solution is to build a temporary platform just above the top landing.
14:01If I use wood to build a platform, I can then reuse the wood to do boxing, petitioning.
14:10If I hire scaffolding, it's more expensive and my money's dead.
14:15Best to go on top for maximum support.
14:24For the supporting joists, Paul and Jordan are using four-metre-long pieces of wood.
14:30You ready up there? Yep.
14:42But working in a confined space has its struggles.
14:45Have you got enough room to move or do you want me up?
14:48I'm going to try and go behind.
14:50All right.
14:52Oh, wait, I'm a bit stuck here.
14:55With one half of the joists in,
14:59their next challenge is to fit the boards.
15:02Is there enough room to go forward?
15:07You've got to lower it.
15:09The platform will need to withstand the weight of both Jordan and Paul,
15:14as well as tools and materials.
15:18It's a project that is probably not for DIY-er.
15:24You kind of need to know what you're doing,
15:25because otherwise if it isn't fixed correctly,
15:28it could all just fall down and hell knows what would happen after that.
15:34Working with a 30-foot drop beneath him...
15:38I've only got myself to blame if I fall.
15:45Paul just has to hope his years of building experience
15:48and the future will stand up to the task.
15:58230 miles north, Alison and Zion are preparing to host their first ever chateau wedding
16:05in just three months' time.
16:08This is the start of Zion's factory.
16:12Alison has tasked Zion with making some concrete planters for the formal garden.
16:18I want to have these lovely little bauble sort of hedges in round pots and I've got lots of corners
16:24and then the grass in the middle and then the grass in the middle and I want to put a pot on each corner if possible.
16:30So, how does it go?
16:31A nut, a nut, a nut.
16:34Put it on the other side.
16:35Whilst a similar ready-made planter would cost up to £300,
16:41the couple have bought a mould online for just £110.
16:49This is actually about making us really special as a venue.
16:53We need lots.
16:54It almost needs to be over the top like a dramatic stage set
16:58and these pots really will help with that because they're very beautiful in themselves
17:03and we can fill them up and all the ivy will be overflowing from them.
17:06They're going to look really pretty.
17:13To prevent the concrete from sticking to the mould, Zion's got a nifty trick up his sleeve.
17:21I've got some cooking oil that's been used and I'm going to coat the whole of the moulding with it.
17:28It's a giant cupcake, isn't it?
17:30To create the bowl shape of the inside of the planter, he's using a bucket.
17:35I need to make sure that this is exactly in the centre.
17:40You have to close it, clamp it together.
17:42If you don't do that, the cement pushes the mould up.
17:46Ah, right.
17:46This is where he has so much patience.
17:52Because he hasn't got enough washers, he's using beer can lids and plastic bottle top lids.
17:59I think this will do the job. It's holding it together.
18:07Go on, use your stick.
18:08I need some more mix, please, sir.
18:15More? More?
18:17I'm only here to give orders.
18:20I'm here to use my stick.
18:22Carry on with your stick.
18:23A rubber tube is added to create a drainage hole before the pot can be left to set.
18:35Well, please, God, leave the sand there.
18:38A few days later,
18:46and Alison and Zion are ready to see if their planter is a success.
18:51And this is literally the moment of truth.
18:53It's, um, I don't think it might fall apart.
18:55I have no idea.
18:57Oh, oh!
18:58That's the good news.
19:00Oh!
19:01It's dry all round.
19:02Look at that.
19:06This is terrifying right now because there's such a lot of work in this pot.
19:12Oh, oh, oh, oh!
19:13The, um, mould has got so many decorations, it actually could stick and rip them off if we're
19:19not careful, so you have to be really hoping it's all going to come out with decorations intact.
19:28We're not a bit stuck in here, so that's the good news.
19:36Hooray!
19:38Three down, one to go.
19:40Look at that.
19:54But with many more pots to cast and the exterior of the chateau still very much a work in progress,
20:02Alison and Zion desperately need to pick up the pace.
20:10Down in the southwest of France, John and Carmen are progressing with their medieval dining room.
20:19The frame for John's breakfast bar is now in place, but before he goes any further,
20:25there's an urgent job that needs doing to make the room watertight.
20:31What I'm up to here is removing glass from the patio door that was damaged in the fire.
20:37The heat literally just broke it all.
20:39His next challenge is to fit a new pane.
20:43It's a very long time ago since I did glass cutting.
20:47And last time I did it, I managed to cut myself and break glass.
20:50This time I'm hoping for better results.
20:52I have a new cutting tool and hopefully I can cut this piece to the right size.
20:56It's a very narrow bit of glass to be cut off.
20:58This is where it can very, very easily go wrong.
21:00Oh, that sounded lovely.
21:05Did that sound right?
21:08If John's cut it correctly, the glass should break cleanly.
21:14I don't want to watch.
21:17Oh, shiver me timbers.
21:20Pretty good, eh?
21:21Wow.
21:22For that bit.
21:23But now we've just got to do this other bit here as well.
21:28There's just a couple of bits that still need to go.
21:30That's scary.
21:32And then we just nibble those bits off, yeah?
21:37Like that.
21:38You're brave.
21:43Question is...
21:44Will it fit?
21:45Will it fit?
21:49Door itself isn't square.
21:52It's obviously collapsed and dropped over time.
21:55I'm going to have to nibble some off this top edge here.
21:57That's rather annoying.
22:00Nothing's over easy.
22:05Meanwhile, Carmen has a restoration project to tackle.
22:09Well, this poor old fireplace needs a bit of TLC.
22:13It's in a real old state.
22:16She's hoping some furniture oil will give it a new lease of life.
22:20When the fire came through from the passageway, it licked up to the ceiling.
22:27Thankfully, this survived.
22:29There's just so much work gone into this fireplace.
22:32You'd never find anything new with all this intricate carving.
22:36It's just amazing.
22:38That's beautiful.
22:39Look at that.
22:39Let's just see.
22:44That's good.
22:45And then...
22:46Yes.
22:50That fits in beautifully.
22:54We have glass in the door.
22:56Come on, have a look.
22:57Oh, wow.
22:58That looks amazing, John.
23:01But there's still the doors to paint, breakfast bar to finish and lighting to fit.
23:07It's heavy going for Alison and Zion.
23:21If you were to drop them or if they fell over, they would break.
23:23And that would be a tragedy.
23:24Here we go.
23:26And John's got his work cut out.
23:29I should have got a bigger blade.
23:31School board error.
23:37Back in Western France.
23:40All right, guys.
23:42Muscles.
23:43Young men.
23:44We need you.
23:46Alison and Zion are revamping their chateau exterior, ready to host their first ever wedding.
23:55Well, this is our hunting lodge.
23:57And we want to move these big pots back to the garden where they first came from.
24:02You got it?
24:02I'll play it.
24:03Go on.
24:07But with each enormous cast iron planter weighing in at a whopping 150 kilograms,
24:14it's not an easy task.
24:16They're actually very fragile because they're cast iron.
24:19So if we were to drop them or if they fell over, they would break.
24:22And that would be a tragedy.
24:24You see, they give the two old boys the heavy sign.
24:27Not only are the urns 60 years old.
24:32Mind your toes.
24:32Mind your toes.
24:34They're also worth a fortune.
24:40With such precious cargo, any damage in transit would be costly.
24:50It's definitely going to need a coat of paint.
25:06One half of the nerve-wracking relocation job is nearly over.
25:12I'm holding my breath still because they mean a lot to us, these pots.
25:20About six foot between this and relaxation.
25:30Well done, guys.
25:30That's fantastic.
25:31Now, do you need a cup of tea before the next one?
25:33No, no, no, no.
25:34We'll go there.
25:36Off we go.
25:37Rinse and repeat.
25:44Ready?
25:44With both spectacular urns standing proudly in place, the unique wedding venue is beginning to take shape.
25:58We're in competition with all the other chateaux and we're constantly aware of that.
26:02So to get to where we want to, we need things like this.
26:05You can't get these anymore.
26:06And if you do, they are hugely expensive, so very few chateaux will have them.
26:10And this is going to help raise our bar just that little bit further.
26:14Fantastic.
26:15What a team.
26:16Oh, au voilà .
26:21The following day, Alison and Zion are back at work.
26:25That was graffiti there, wasn't it?
26:27Yeah, yeah.
26:28That's where you jet-washed it.
26:29Tackling an issue that's refusing to go away.
26:34This is where we had a lot of graffiti.
26:36Wherever anyone could reach with a spray can, basically there's graffiti on the chateau.
26:40And we've tried taking it off with jet wash.
26:42It's not working.
26:43Unfortunately, the pattern of the graffiti is still left etched in the render.
26:49So the couple have decided to bite the bullet and take it off.
26:54But they've no idea what lies underneath.
27:00This is interesting.
27:01It's gone deeper and deeper.
27:04As the render falls away, Zion makes an exciting discovery.
27:09These rocks here, look.
27:12You can see this one is coming to here.
27:18Soon, the original natural stones are fully revealed.
27:25Look what we just discovered.
27:26To me, that makes the whole day worthwhile.
27:29And it's been hidden.
27:30What a gem.
27:31And the graffiti's gone and the render's gone and it looks brilliant.
27:37I'll do all the little bits around the stones if you do the front render.
27:44My job is to go around the stones and release the shape of them from the render.
27:48And then, eventually, what we'll do is point them and then brush them down with a wire brush.
27:58This is really exciting.
27:59Never thought I'd be doing this earlier today.
28:02Removing the render has exposed stunning natural stonework underneath,
28:07meaning they can finally remove the graffiti and expose the original building facade.
28:13It looks amazing, seriously.
28:15Doesn't it?
28:15Yeah, yeah.
28:16This is what it's about.
28:17You get covered in all sorts of muck and then you come out smiling.
28:21Still, the clock is ticking and with the wedding fast approaching,
28:28Alison and Zion aren't out of the woods yet.
28:38Down in the Lott Valley, at the very top of the stairwell...
28:42I don't like heights, but it's not the height above, it's the fall below.
28:47..Paul and nephew Jordan have finished building their temporary platform.
28:54Now this is in place, I can now access the ceiling.
29:03The next task is to plasterboard it.
29:08Oh, that's our resident parrot, Marmite.
29:12She's not native to France.
29:14She was bought for me as a Father's Day present.
29:17I've always wanted a parrot, but I've made mistakes in life, haven't we?
29:23Can be very annoying and very loud.
29:26She's a Marmite bird, she either likes or loves her.
29:36She loves young men.
29:47There, a chance for coffee.
29:57Paul tends to do the structural and the building work side of everything,
30:02and I tend to do the colour schemes, furniture, stuff like that.
30:08So we do kind of work together quite well, which is good,
30:11because we do spend quite a lot of time together.
30:13So, as he prepares to plasterboard...
30:17No room.
30:17..Paul makes a discovery.
30:19That's the loft space above here.
30:21Absolutely beautiful.
30:26Craftsmanship is superb.
30:30Mortis, tenants, downs.
30:34Phenomenal.
30:35And it will probably last another 200 years.
30:40The work of Arb.
30:41It's just another secret that it holds, which is quite beautiful.
30:48With no time to investigate further, Paul and Jordan crack on.
30:55Yeah, we're really racing now with a plasterboard.
31:13That's it.
31:14One tacked ceiling.
31:16I'm glad it's all done, aren't you?
31:18Yeah.
31:19And we didn't fall through the floor.
31:20Next, there's just the small matter of plastering
31:24and decorating the mammoth 40-foot-high stairwell.
31:34Eleven miles north,
31:36John and Carmen have made great strides in their dining room.
31:42I've put in most of the breakfast bar,
31:44which is going quite well at the moment.
31:45And you've been busy as well, haven't you?
31:47I've done all the decorating,
31:48full coats on the door and windows,
31:50so, yeah, it's for quite a lot of time.
31:54One, two, three, go.
31:59It's a good job I go to the gym.
32:01I think I need to go to the gym.
32:03Their next task is to install the limestone breakfast bar worktop.
32:09Right, I'm meant to just slide it across.
32:11Right.
32:12Oh.
32:14Yeah, that's it.
32:16Won't go any further.
32:17That's good, OK.
32:18Right.
32:19Next piece is going to be more challenging.
32:23Well, it's about 200 pounds worth of stone,
32:25so we don't really want to break it in the wrong place.
32:28We haven't got a spare.
32:29Rather him than me.
32:30It's a one-time cut only.
32:34Here we go.
32:43I haven't got enough depth with the angle grinder.
32:46I should have got a bigger blade.
32:47School board error.
32:48We're just going to lift it and hope it cracks in the right place.
32:51That's the correct thing.
32:52Oh, scary, scary.
32:54Just sit on that side, OK?
32:55Are you ready?
32:56Yeah.
32:57Oh, it's done it!
32:58Brilliant!
32:59Fantastic!
33:00It broke by itself.
33:01Right.
33:03OK, yeah, yeah.
33:05Yes!
33:06It fit!
33:07Ah!
33:08LAUGHTER
33:10It fits, it fits!
33:13With the breakfast bar complete, over in the chapel,
33:17Carmen's had an idea to unite some mismatched dining chairs
33:22they bought second-hand.
33:24I thought, why don't I make a little seat pad to put on,
33:28which will bring all the chairs together?
33:31I'm not very good at sewing.
33:33I'm self-taught, so I probably don't do things in the right way.
33:38That's why I keep pricking myself.
33:41I mean, we're spending so much on the actual structure of this place,
33:45that if I can save money on soft furnishings,
33:48then it's going to save us lots of money.
33:50Right, let's cut this out.
33:59There we go.
34:07Take the pins out and then turn the cushion out the right way.
34:14There we have it, and as you can see, the nice pattern is in the middle.
34:18It's not bad at all, is it?
34:21Back in the dining room,
34:22John has fitted reclaimed lights over the breakfast bar.
34:27Oh, they're nice!
34:28I think they work, don't they?
34:31Yeah, I like that.
34:32Yeah, I like that.
34:33Bit medieval, aren't they?
34:34Yeah.
34:35The space is coming together,
34:36but next, John needs to conquer his fear of heights
34:41to give their vaulted ceiling some extra sparkle.
34:44Still to come.
34:54Do you want the taller ladders?
34:55It's one step forward, two steps back for Paul and Jordan.
35:00In the middle of the night, it came to me.
35:02There was no insulation.
35:05It's heavy, isn't it?
35:06And high stakes for John and Carmen.
35:10Let the ladders take the weight.
35:12Take the ladders.
35:12You wobble in the ladders.
35:14There was no insulation.
35:28In the middle of the night, it came to me that when I looked in the loft
35:34and admired all the beautiful work that had been done originally,
35:39there was no insulation.
35:41So now, he needs to cut into the newly plasterboarded ceiling.
35:47I don't think I'll get in there.
35:50But if you can, that'd be great.
35:51Then, it's over to nephew Jordan.
35:56You want the taller ladders?
35:58All right.
36:01Yeah?
36:02Up in the loft space, there's years of dirt and debris to tackle.
36:07I'll put the bucket just underneath and you sweep it straight into it.
36:12But these are pigeon droppings.
36:16I'm just going to sweep it straight into the bucket.
36:20Trying to get as much as I can in the bucket and not on Paul.
36:26But Paul's got bigger issues than bird poo.
36:30It's not a problem.
36:31The hole's not big enough.
36:33But we're not going to make it bigger.
36:35We're going to cut the rolls of lagging down and get them through that way.
36:44Start at the back so you don't have to walk on it.
36:55Right to me, he's right in the wall.
36:57Paul?
37:04Yeah?
37:05That's it, right, yeah?
37:06Is that it?
37:07Yeah, it's covered.
37:08I'll sleep all right, knowing there's insulation up there.
37:11We're not letting any more cold air in.
37:15The eaves are sealed up once more,
37:17which means Paul can finally get down to plastering.
37:24That's a bit too thick.
37:26I'm just going to drop the water.
37:28Downstairs, Debbie's keeping the rest of the chateau ticking over.
37:52With 43 rooms, it's no small undertaking.
37:55Things take longer in the chateau because you...
37:59Sometimes you forget what you're going that place for.
38:02You sort of get there and go, where did I come here?
38:05All the way up to the fourth staircase and then you've forgotten something,
38:08so you have to go all the way back down.
38:10Like a pillowcase.
38:13But for Debbie, the hard work is worth it.
38:17When I was a little girl on a Sunday in church, I'd sit with my drawing and my pencil and draw
38:25a hill with a house on top.
38:28And this is a big house on a big hill.
38:34I kind of feel like it was meant to be.
38:37And I'm here living my childhood dream, I suppose.
38:46Hello.
38:48Hello, stranger.
38:49Oh, I'm excited to have seen this.
38:52It looks lovely.
38:54There's a little bit behind you that you've missed.
38:57Just go 12 o'clock from where your head is.
39:01There you got it.
39:02That's it.
39:04Well done.
39:05Thank you, darling.
39:06Why would I do that?
39:08Otherwise, it'd annoy me every time I walked up the stairs.
39:11Now I've given you some guidance.
39:13I'll leave you to it then.
39:15Bye.
39:16Bye.
39:17There we are.
39:18And that's all there is to it.
39:20It's so much easier when there's so many experts pointing out bits that need finishing.
39:27With the help of Debbie's eagle eyes, the ceiling is plastered to perfection.
39:34Stage one of the stairwell is done and we're moving ahead nicely.
39:38The result that we want to achieve is more light, cleaner, fresher and stylish.
39:45Half done is well begun.
39:48Yeah.
39:48But with lighting, wallpapering and tiling still to contend with,
39:53hitting the heights with this project is going to be a dizzying task.
40:03Just 20 minutes around the corner, John and Carmen have also got high hopes for their medieval dining room.
40:13How much does it weigh?
40:14A lot.
40:15They need to create a strong enough fixing in the nearly 600-year-old ceiling to hold their 25-kilogram antique chandelier.
40:26It's quite soft brick, I expect.
40:29So I need to go in quite deep with it and make sure we get an expanding bolt up.
40:33These vaulted ceilings are built like bridges, so they hold themselves up by just the pressure down to the ends.
40:38So if I drill into it and actually dislodge it too much, quite possibly it could come down.
40:43To make matters worse, the ceiling is four and a half metres high.
40:49Conquering my fear of heights again.
40:52Come on, let's just do this.
40:58I'm covered in brick.
40:59With the fixing in, they need to test its strength.
41:04Genuinely, my feet off the ladder.
41:07I'll take the ladder away.
41:08There we are, I'm hanging, I'm hanging.
41:11Not really.
41:12I am, I am hanging.
41:14Oh, blimey.
41:17It's heavy, isn't it?
41:20Hang on a minute, let me come up.
41:22Watch this, the ladder, because the weight of this is going to pull the ladder sideways.
41:25This is stupid, this is stupid.
41:27No, it's not.
41:28It is.
41:28We're nearly there.
41:29All right.
41:30Right, we need to go.
41:31Move it to the centre.
41:32Let the ladder take the weight.
41:34Hey, the ladder.
41:35You're wobbling the ladder.
41:37I'm not happy about this.
41:42I've got the giggle.
41:43This is ridiculous.
41:48I'm not really thinking about the height.
41:51I'm thinking more about this falling.
41:53John is over-cautious, I feel.
41:57Take a bit of bouncing, but I think now I can reach it.
42:03It's double-threaded, so...
42:04That's it, right, okay.
42:08That's in.
42:09Hang freely.
42:11John, that is perfect.
42:13Oh, wow.
42:14That is the centrepiece.
42:15That's fantastic.
42:17Fixtures in place, they can now adorn the room with carefully curated items.
42:23Yeah, but don't forget I'm going backwards.
42:26Let's go like...
42:26I'll go back.
42:26I'll go back.
42:28My hand is underneath.
42:30Right, okay.
42:32I have to confess, we've actually got another one of these completely full.
42:37Oh, that's heavy.
42:38Yeah.
42:41We don't do candlesticks by halves here.
42:42Great, let's go there.
42:45With all the finishing touches done...
42:48Ta-da!
42:48Here I come with my weapons.
42:51The dining room is complete.
42:58What was once an abandoned, smoke-damaged kitchen...
43:08...has been transformed into a stunning medieval dining room.
43:14Restored patio doors add light and elegance,
43:19whilst the revamped fireplace gives the space grandeur.
43:23And John's bespoke breakfast bar adds a modern twist.
43:28Around the table, Carmen's up-cycled second-hand chairs stand proud.
43:34And above, the gothic chandelier draws the eye up to the spectacular vaulted ceiling.
43:41Oh!
43:43Oh, it looks amazing in here.
43:46Oh, wow.
43:47To celebrate their achievement, Carmen has cooked up a feast.
43:52The diner has just turned out amazing, hasn't it?
43:55It's just been such a hard slog, and now it's done.
43:58This is another step forward.
44:03It's a big beast to conquer, this chateau.
44:06Cheers, Carmen.
44:07Thanks to our chateau.
44:08The dining room is certainly a triumph, but with so many other rooms in the chateau still to tackle,
44:17John and Carmen can't sit and savour their achievement for long.
44:22Next time, one chateau owner feels out of his depth.
44:33It's always daunting.
44:34You know, am I qualified?
44:35Well, I'm definitely not qualified to do this.
44:39One couple undertake a risky restoration.
44:42One false move and it could all go.
44:45Yeah.
44:46And in the Lott Valley, the stakes have never been higher.
44:50It is a major portion of the house and a major disaster zone.
45:20Now let's have a break.
45:22Another portion of the house and an hour again.
45:28So let's have a break.
45:29And that's a great and amazing team.
45:31What can you do about your life and a real life and a real life and a real life is a real life additional time?
45:36What can you do about your life and a real life?
45:38What can you do about your life and a real life?
45:40I'll find one of my people in the new life.
45:43But whilst having a life and a routine,
45:45what have you done about your life?