Chateau DIY Season 10 Episode 23
#ChateauDIY
#PrimeUSTV
#ChateauDIY
#PrimeUSTV
Category
😹
FunTranscript
00:00Across France are thousands of magnificent chateaux.
00:06Many are in a state of disrepair.
00:10Terry, where's the water in here?
00:14Now they're being given a new lease of life by courageous owners.
00:19I'm giving a hug.
00:21Who are taking on the challenge...
00:24It was better I would first start it, it just got worse and worse.
00:27...to transform these unloved buildings...
00:31Where do we start?
00:33...into glamorous new homes...
00:35What a transformation, loving it.
00:38...and event venues.
00:40I will announce you, husband and wife.
00:43One, two, three.
00:44...there'll be ups...
00:45It looks nice, doesn't it?
00:48...and downs.
00:49Having some real issues.
00:51It's the same rock that the house is made out of.
00:53But however tough it gets...
00:56It needs to come much forward.
00:57Yeah, I know.
00:59Those who decide to move here...
01:02Cheers to a new life in a new shuttle.
01:05...get to live the dream...
01:08Oh, look at that.
01:09Quite a staircase.
01:10...as custodians of their very own castle.
01:14Today, is a couple's dream of a luxury pool house a complete washout?
01:22Look at it.
01:23Look!
01:23What's this all about?
01:25Come on!
01:26France!
01:28Blimey!
01:29A major bedroom renovation...
01:32...has an unexpected guest.
01:34We found her on the landing of the attic.
01:37And love is in the air at one of France's most romantic chateaux.
01:44Raise your glass to Stéphanie and Philippe.
01:48To Stéphanie and Philippe.
01:56Tucked within the countryside of Limousin in central France...
02:00...lies the stunning 19th century Château de la Gruyère.
02:08Set in 12 acres...
02:10...the property comes with both imposing towers...
02:14...and fairytale turrets.
02:17Inside, there are 12 elegant bedrooms...
02:21...and two grands salons.
02:23Today, it's the home of Sharon and Tim...
02:29...who bought the Château in 2022 for £500,000.
02:36We wanted X amount of bedrooms, but not too many.
02:40This was the one that spoke to us, made us both very emotional.
02:43So we knew it had something special about it.
02:45It's a lovely setting.
02:48In the park, land with all the different varieties of trees.
02:50It's just outstanding.
02:51I think we were very fortunate to what our criteria was...
02:54...and we managed to find a château that fit it.
02:59Located just 26 miles south of Limoges...
03:04...the last time we saw Tim and Sharon...
03:07...they were in deep trouble.
03:09This is really stressful.
03:11This is really concerning me.
03:12Their new £25,000 fibreglass swimming pool...
03:18...had to be dragged 100 metres across rough ground.
03:23And I'm frightened I'm going to end up with a hole in the bottom.
03:28Then lifted...
03:31Don't let it go over.
03:33Stop!
03:34It's almost unbearable to watch.
03:37And fitted...
03:37I was just going to swing to you, mate!
03:40Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!
03:41Whoa, whoa, whoa!
03:42Into its 10-metre-long pit.
03:45Slowly, slowly, slowly.
03:48Since then, despite another month of heavy rain...
03:52...Tim's laid the foundations for a luxury pool house.
03:57Today, the sunshine is out in France, which is...
04:00..which is the breath of fresh air after the wet weather.
04:03So we've took two trees down to access the pool area...
04:06..and what we're going to do with those trunks of those trees now...
04:08..is make some posts for the pool house...
04:10..which I think is the right thing to be doing.
04:14Helping turn the tree trunks into posts is Tim's neighbour, Ian.
04:21Can you just control the logs so we don't bash anything?
04:24Yeah.
04:24And though it's a relatively simple matter of sawing up wood...
04:31..here, it's on a chateau scale.
04:36All right, good to go.
04:37It's quite heavy, so just flip it if you need to.
04:57All right?
04:58Hang on a minute.
04:59You OK?
05:00Yeah.
05:01Just put it down here, I like.
05:02Well clear.
05:03OK?
05:04Let it go, let it go.
05:04So what's the plan now?
05:09To flip it and do the same on the other side...
05:11..and then shave a bit off either side to get to the maximum?
05:15Yeah, well, yeah, once we've got...
05:16..make sure we've got the 200, yeah?
05:18Yeah, yeah.
05:21OK?
05:21All right, you've got to do the last cut.
05:31OK.
05:32Go on then, bring it on.
05:33Not bad, not bad.
05:51A bit of a wibble in it there, though.
05:52Well, yeah, it's a carrot for that.
05:55Now we've got the timber cut,
05:57we can now take that back to the chateau
05:59and look at putting the posts in ready for the construction
06:02of the build around these posts for the pool house.
06:05The trees that previously stood in the area designated for the pool house
06:16are now being reused to form its sturdy framework.
06:21I could see myself getting in the pool this afternoon, actually.
06:24It's bloody boiling.
06:26Tim and Ian, though, must get going
06:29as the weather could soon turn against them.
06:32In south-west France, on the bank of the river Lotte,
06:41stands Chateau de Césarac.
06:44This ancient stone edifice has ten opulent bedrooms,
06:50a chapel and a medieval tower.
06:58But over a decade ago,
07:00a fire tore through the chateau,
07:03leaving it in ruins.
07:05Until British couple John and Carmen
07:08bought it for £175,000 in 2022.
07:14We fell in love with this property as soon as we saw it, didn't we?
07:17Yeah, we weren't actually looking for a chateau, to be honest,
07:20but we come to view it.
07:23We walked down the drive.
07:24The grass was waist-height.
07:27Yeah.
07:27And it was a beautiful summer's day,
07:29and the sun was shining on the chapel stone.
07:32I looked at the stone and I thought,
07:34I love it.
07:35I absolutely love it.
07:38Located 100 miles south-east of Bordeaux,
07:42John and Carmen are bringing this crumbling beauty back to life,
07:47creating a home for themselves as well as a luxury boutique hotel.
07:52You asked me, didn't you, what do you think?
07:54I sort of thought about the huge costs and time to do it,
07:58but within seconds said, yeah, let's do it.
08:00Here we are.
08:01When we last saw them,
08:05they had transformed a disused stairwell
08:07into a downstairs toilet.
08:11It's fantastic.
08:12I can't believe we've made such a lovely room
08:14from such a higgledy-piggledy old-shaped hole.
08:20Today, they're starting work on the floor above,
08:24in what they call the Pirate's Wing.
08:27So, 1450, this part of the house was built,
08:30and pirates lived here and raided the river.
08:33Today, we're going to be tackling what's called the Pirate's Rest,
08:38which is our third bedroom,
08:39and at the moment, it's been sort of ravished by fire.
08:44John and Carmen are planning to rent this room out,
08:48but first, they need to remove all traces of the fire
08:52and get it back into shape.
08:54How are we going to start this mammoth job, then, John?
08:57For me, it's about pulling this bird class board down,
09:01exposing the hangers.
09:04We'll soon get this down.
09:05Oh, yeah.
09:06Where's your tool?
09:07I'll just do it with normal tools, OK?
09:10It's more fun with the pick.
09:11You can do it with the pick, it's fine.
09:13Right.
09:13She's very good with the tool.
09:18All need to be destructive ones.
09:21Blimey.
09:22You're dangerous.
09:23Don't get me down.
09:27Oh, I love it.
09:33Carmen's rough-and-ready approach soon gets the job done.
09:37Yeah, so, it's all good to go.
09:41Just want to clean it all up, get this mess out...
09:43Yeah.
09:43..tidy the room up...
09:44OK.
09:44..and then we'll be great, yeah?
09:46Yeah.
09:46Yep.
09:59Last bit.
10:00Last bit.
10:00Right, love.
10:01Yeah!
10:02Yeah!
10:07Yes!
10:09Yes!
10:10Bingo!
10:12Yes!
10:13Good job done, that.
10:19It's been a successful morning's work,
10:22but they have a huge task ahead
10:24to turn the burnt-out wreck into a chic guest suite.
10:34Coming up...
10:36Sharon and Tim's plans get out of hand.
10:39The terrace area is much bigger than I thought.
10:43Yeah, they actually could live in that.
10:45Oh, yes!
10:46Carmen struggles with her latest project.
10:49It's not as easy as I thought it was going to be.
10:52And there's a long-awaited engagement party
10:55we're all invited to.
10:58This is the fun bit.
10:58I can't turn my eyes away.
10:59MUSIC PLAYS
11:01Hidden away in central France
11:10lies the elegant Chateau de la Lende.
11:15Built in the 16th century,
11:19it boasts 50 palatial rooms,
11:2360 acres,
11:27and its own private chapel.
11:32Today, it belongs to Stephanie...
11:34Anyone else for a long?
11:36..a former opera singer.
11:38There's always an ever-changing number of us for lunch.
11:41..who lives here with her Dutch fiancée, Philip,
11:44and a host of family and friends.
11:48It's very hard to choose one favourite thing
11:50about living in Chateau.
11:51There's so many wonderful things.
11:53The sense of history is very high on the list.
11:55But my favourite thing of all are the people,
11:58because you get to live with other people
12:00in this beautiful house,
12:01and everyone has their own space,
12:03so you're not on top of each other,
12:04and yet you can meet.
12:05It's just wonderful.
12:06I can't describe it.
12:07It's the community.
12:08MUSIC PLAYS
12:09Located 90 miles east of Poitiers,
12:14Stephanie bought the Chateau in 2005
12:17for £600,000,
12:20and now runs it as a high-end B&B.
12:25Last time we saw her,
12:27she transformed a tired, cluttered corridor.
12:30When do you think it was the last time of this was cleared out?
12:33I honestly don't know.
12:34I can't remember a clear-out here.
12:36With bright colours...
12:38Actually, I think that was lovely.
12:39That's beautiful.
12:41..into an elegant entrance.
12:43This time, Stephanie's energy
12:46is focused on something a little more romantic.
12:51Philip and I have our engagement party coming up.
12:53The engagement party's going to be quite intimate.
12:55I think it will be mainly family and the friends
12:58and a few people in the area here.
13:00And that's because the wedding is going to be so ginormous
13:03that we're keeping everything else quite simple
13:06and just planning everything for that.
13:09Stephanie and Philip's engagement party
13:13is a lunch for 20 guests,
13:16taking place in the Chateau Gardens.
13:19It's a bit weird, because in order to prepare for the engagement party table,
13:24I've had to start sewing.
13:26And that's because we're building the whole table around these plates.
13:29They're really beautiful.
13:30And we got them quite recently.
13:32And Philip and I have a shared love of porcelain.
13:34I know it's a strange thing to bring people together,
13:37but there are stranger things, I suspect.
13:40So, this is our engagement party porcelain.
13:43So, because everyone needs an engagement party porcelain set.
13:46It's actually called Perles et Barbeaux,
13:49so pearls and cornflowers,
13:50and it's a set that Marie-Antoinette had made for the Petit Réunion in Versailles.
13:54Obviously not the original,
13:56but this is the one that is still being produced,
13:59and it's a copy of it.
14:02Lancelot loves it.
14:03I want to try to embroider napkins with beautiful cornflowers to go with these,
14:12and then maybe use some of the cornflowers in the garden to decorate the table, too.
14:16I've got the actual pattern here,
14:19and exactly each stitch and each colour that's needed.
14:23I love using this machine,
14:24because it always feels like magic when it starts doing it.
14:28And then it makes you look as though you spent hours hand-embroidering by the fire,
14:32which is, of course, what all chatelands do with their spare time.
14:39Philip and I both love trying to create as much beauty as possible around us.
14:45So things like this where the pattern has a link with history,
14:48it's wonderful to imagine people that were living a couple of hundred years ago
14:54sitting, eating at the same plates.
14:57I don't know, for some reason I find that really touching.
14:59Most people probably think I'm completely mad.
15:02But I love it.
15:03I love feeling a link to people who lived in the past.
15:10This is the fun bit.
15:11I can't turn my eyes away.
15:14I didn't know such machines existed before I got this one.
15:18And it even tells you how long each colour is going to take.
15:21So it's going to be working on this dark blue for two minutes,
15:23so I reckon that's just enough time to get right back up with the teeth.
15:35That's so gorgeous.
15:37And then you just tear away this on the back,
15:45which helps to stabilise it all, the whole stitch in place.
15:53And I'll cut off all of the little threads, and that's it.
15:57It's done.
15:57Well, we have a napkin.
16:04The embroidery has gone seamlessly.
16:07But with many more napkins to complete,
16:10plus food and drinks to prepare,
16:13Stephanie will be hoping there are no snags in her party planning.
16:1785 miles away in Limousin,
16:25it's only been three weeks,
16:28but Tim and Sharon have already laid a concrete base
16:31and begun building their new pool house.
16:35Even though we've had torrential rain and appalling weather,
16:38we're progressing.
16:40Concrete was done yesterday.
16:41The building is starting to go up now,
16:43so we just need some nice weather just to crack on.
16:47Once the building work's done,
16:51the pool will have to be cleaned.
16:54But that's not what's concerning Sharon.
16:58The terrace area is much bigger than I thought.
17:01Yeah, the building itself...
17:03It's a large room.
17:05They actually could live in that.
17:07Which we may do next winter, if that doesn't heat up.
17:10Yeah.
17:11It'll be warmer to live in there.
17:12It'll be warmer to live in there than it will in there, yes.
17:14But a few more weeks of real good, solid, good weather and hard work.
17:17And we'll be starting to see it somewhere near.
17:20The light is at the end of the tunnel.
17:21Very dim, but it is at the end of the tunnel.
17:28While Tim and Ian continue construction...
17:31So that's the start of the roof going on,
17:33which is something we've been waiting for for a long time,
17:36which is good news now.
17:37So once we get these going...
17:38Sharon is in the shade, painting the wood cladding.
17:44All in the prep, all in the prep.
17:48Tim's the gaffer and I'm the gopher,
17:50cos he has a larger skill set than me.
17:53Though I am learning,
17:54but generally I get the low-level jobs.
18:01But, yeah.
18:02And I also get the blame.
18:05This particular project have 243 planks.
18:10They've all got to have three coats.
18:12So I'm calculating that's 729 coats.
18:16And I've got 100 left, so that's 300 left.
18:19One down, 99 to go.
18:32Once we get going with this,
18:33it'll take us no time at all to get this on,
18:35which then gets us to the next stage,
18:37covering over it and then get the slates on,
18:39which would be nice,
18:40so we actually can start to see a finish to the roof.
18:46While her paint dries,
18:47Sharon has a design decision to make.
18:52This is one of the capping stones
18:53that's going to go round Paul.
18:55I try to tighten with the chateau colours,
18:58like the stony colour,
18:59so I pick some floor tiles to go round as well.
19:02So, fingers crossed that it all works,
19:04because if it doesn't,
19:05I've got two tonne of them here
19:07and I've no idea what I'm going to do with them.
19:11There's only one way to find out.
19:14And I think it goes.
19:18I've got warm ankle tones,
19:20but it's going to work.
19:21I'm pleased about that.
19:23There's an awful lot of work still to be done,
19:24but I get a nice feel for it
19:26and I think it's going to be absolutely spectacular.
19:28I know it will be.
19:29With Tim and Ian's workmanship
19:31and my eye for a good design,
19:35we should be good.
19:36Once we get the roof on,
19:40everything gets watertight,
19:41it means that we can carry on inside.
19:43No matter what the weather is.
19:44Whether it's like it did yesterday,
19:46absolutely poured all day.
19:47So if it's doing that,
19:48and we've got the roof on,
19:50we can carry on and keep going now,
19:52which is good news.
19:53I can't wait.
19:54It's going to be so good.
19:56The pool house is coming on,
19:58but there's a long way to go
20:00before Tim and Sharon
20:02will be diving in.
20:04In the Lott Valley of south-west France,
20:13John's up in the Pirates' Rest,
20:15preparing the fire-damaged ceiling
20:18for new plasterboard.
20:20It's so filthy.
20:22Years where I could do it up here.
20:26Carmen, though,
20:27has her own restoration project.
20:30So I've brought this old chaise over
20:32from the UK,
20:33which I bought second-hand.
20:34which has got some horrible
20:35red and blue-striped material on it.
20:38So I want to change it
20:39to a nice duck egg blue,
20:41which will fit in with the decor
20:42in the Pirates' Rest.
20:50Oh, that's tough.
20:52Looks like it's been stapled on.
20:55Oh, it doesn't want to come off, does it?
20:57Oh, it's not as easy as I thought it was going to be.
21:01Same old story.
21:03Nothing ever is.
21:04Better try and get through the glue.
21:06It's tough, isn't it?
21:07Ah.
21:09Here we go.
21:10Seems like a bit of a bigger challenge
21:12than I imagined.
21:12Oh, yes, that's one piece off.
21:18Oh, yes.
21:21Oh, yes.
21:25Yes.
21:25Hooray.
21:26It's finished.
21:28It's all off.
21:29But Carmen's not the only one struggling.
21:35As you can see,
21:36it's just hiddly, stupid work, really.
21:43There's no shortcut to it.
21:45Just go.
21:48Take your time and do it properly.
21:49Downstairs, Carmen's still busy upcycling.
21:57Because the wood is in a bad state,
22:00I'm just going to paint this.
22:04I really like this dark blue.
22:06It's lovely.
22:10Try not to get any paint on myself.
22:14With so much to do in the Pirates' Rest,
22:17every opportunity to take a job off
22:20is a godsend.
22:24How's it going?
22:25Oh, hey, John.
22:26It's going very well.
22:28This is the last bit now, John.
22:30Brilliant.
22:30Nearly finished.
22:31I'm really pleased.
22:32And they're all the colours
22:33that I'm using in the room,
22:34so look, fantastic.
22:36Perfect.
22:39But when you're repairing
22:40a fire-damaged room,
22:42there's always another job waiting.
22:45Plaster boarding?
22:46Yes.
22:47And down towards that corner.
22:50Before he starts insulating
22:51and plaster boarding...
22:55So almost put it on your head
22:57so it's easier.
22:58That's it.
22:59OK.
23:00John wants to check
23:01it's even possible
23:02with just two people.
23:05Right.
23:05Push it into the corner.
23:06That's it.
23:08And his homemade support.
23:11Just hold it.
23:12You got it?
23:12Yeah.
23:13Oh, yes.
23:15Right.
23:17That way.
23:18Oh, yes.
23:18Is that good enough in that corner?
23:19Yeah, yeah.
23:20It's fine.
23:26Perfecto.
23:26Right, do you want to take the thing out
23:28and see if it falls down?
23:29What, the tea piece?
23:30The tea piece.
23:32Keep the bottom out.
23:34Yay.
23:35Yay.
23:38Excellent.
23:38That's good, John.
23:39First piece.
23:40That looks really good.
23:41Bit of a change from this morning.
23:42I think we can just start to see
23:46that little glimpse now
23:46as we put the stuff back
23:48as to what the pirate's rest will be,
23:50don't you think?
23:50Yeah, absolutely.
23:51Every tiny little thing we do
23:53is us getting towards the end result.
23:57But there's a long way to go
23:59before John and Carmen
24:00can raise the skull and crossbones
24:03in this part of the chateau.
24:06Still to come,
24:12Tim's in for a shock.
24:14Oh, come on.
24:16She's got the electrics out.
24:18Carmen's on another rescue mission.
24:21So pretty.
24:23Aren't you, Coco?
24:25And Stephanie and Philip
24:27get a taste for the good life.
24:29That's better than a normal mojito.
24:36At Chateau de la Londe
24:41in central France,
24:43the engagement party
24:44is now just a day away.
24:46So Stephanie and her mother,
24:48Isabelle,
24:49have grabbed their baskets
24:50and are heading outside.
24:52So we are going
24:53to the vegetable garden
24:54and we're going to base the meal
24:56around whatever we have
24:57in the vegetable garden.
24:58I hope they have
25:00very little appetites.
25:02There is stuff
25:02in the vegetable garden.
25:03There is.
25:04We'll find radishes,
25:05lettuce,
25:06we've got some edible flowers.
25:07They can chew on a nasturtium.
25:10We've got at least
25:11one artichoke.
25:13There's about 19 people coming.
25:16Yeah, let's go have a look.
25:21There is some lettuce here
25:23going to seed.
25:25Well, we could take that one.
25:28Oh, I've taken the whole thing.
25:32Voila.
25:33Oh, there's kale, mummy.
25:35What are you going to use it with?
25:37To decorate.
25:38Oh, to decorate.
25:39Yes.
25:41We're so lucky
25:42to have so much
25:43in the garden here
25:43and we get to taste things
25:45that you couldn't find
25:46in the supermarket.
25:47I love it, you know.
25:49Many years ago,
25:50I was the only one
25:51to do the garden here.
25:53I did all the vegetables.
25:54I did all the vegetables.
25:55That's why it's called
25:57Le Jardin d'Isabelle.
25:58And it's not long
26:07until their baskets
26:08are brimming
26:09with their homegrown
26:10fruit and veg.
26:12I think we have enough.
26:13Yeah.
26:14There we are.
26:15Beautiful.
26:16With the food sourced
26:18for tomorrow's lunch,
26:20Stephanie and Philip
26:21now need to find
26:22an appropriate apéritif.
26:24We are heading
26:26to a liqueur factory,
26:29which sounds incredible.
26:30They're called
26:31liqueurs du berit
26:32and they just create
26:33lots of liqueurs
26:34based on all of the fruits
26:35and nuts
26:36that you can get
26:36in the region,
26:37which is perfect
26:38because we've got
26:39this entire theme
26:40of everything coming
26:41from our vegetable garden
26:42to the meal.
26:43So to have the drinks
26:44coming very locally
26:45is perfect.
26:49Soon they're being greeted
26:51by distillery owners
26:52Anne and Benny.
26:54Hello, Stephanie.
26:55Lovely to meet you.
26:56Okay.
26:57Nice.
26:58Come to visit us
26:59at our little distillery.
27:00I'm so excited.
27:00I'm going to wait
27:01to see it.
27:03We wanted to come here
27:04today because we're
27:05having our engagement
27:06party tomorrow.
27:07Yes, at home.
27:08So lots of our friends
27:09are coming
27:10and there's some family.
27:10Yes.
27:11And so we wanted
27:12to find a cocktail
27:13really from the region.
27:14You come to the right
27:15place because Anne
27:16started this distillery
27:17just to conserve
27:19the tradition
27:19of the Bouillard de Crue.
27:21The Bouillard de Crue
27:21are people who
27:22fabricate their own
27:23alcohol in France
27:25and all these recipes
27:26you see,
27:27they have been going
27:27on by generations
27:28for generations.
27:31First thing
27:31on the tasting menu
27:33is a mojito
27:34made with local
27:36Eau de Ville
27:37and fresh mint.
27:39Here you are.
27:40Oh, thank you very much.
27:41That's better than a
27:49normal mojito.
27:51And you love mojito.
27:53It's really good.
27:55That's lovely.
27:56Now we are making
27:56a cocktail which would
27:58be nice from an
27:58engagement party
27:59because it will give
28:00a beautiful colour.
28:01That's a strawberry
28:02based, a good douce
28:04with champagne
28:06and so you get
28:07what they call
28:07a Kid Royale
28:08which always is
28:09a success
28:10and also easy
28:10to make.
28:11I love it.
28:14As more delicious
28:16drinks are offered
28:17the decision
28:18becomes even harder.
28:20Mummy's going to love
28:21the elderflower best.
28:22Yes.
28:23I love the Tio
28:24because I love the fact
28:25it's the trees
28:26we've got in the courtyard
28:26and then also
28:28for the cure
28:28I think that
28:29the raspberry
28:30is great
28:31which means
28:32we need them all.
28:34It's an engagement
28:35party.
28:35There's one time
28:36to splash out
28:38and I think
28:38you must
28:39splurge
28:39for an engagement
28:39We'll get a bottle
28:41of each please.
28:46I think you should
28:47be making the
28:47cocktails.
28:48All right
28:48because you're
28:48making the food.
28:49Yeah.
28:49So I'll be too busy.
28:51I think that's
28:51a fair division of
28:52labour.
28:52So you'll do
28:52the table early.
28:54One for a guest
28:54one for me.
28:55That's what I'm
28:56worried about.
28:57How many mojitos
28:58can you actually
28:59have?
28:59Is that a challenge?
29:00I'm going to
29:00discover it.
29:01No, I'm looking
29:02forward to it.
29:03Me too.
29:03Beautiful.
29:04I can't believe it.
29:06Now stocked up
29:07with all the food
29:08and drinks they
29:09need,
29:10preparations for
29:11the party
29:12can begin.
29:20200 miles away,
29:22John and his
29:23friend Paul
29:23prepare for a
29:25hard day of
29:26itchy,
29:26irritating work.
29:29We've not been
29:30looking forward
29:30to, you know.
29:32Pretty unpleasant
29:33job this,
29:34putting up the
29:35fibre insulation
29:37and we're just
29:38going to crack on
29:39and finish it.
29:40The fibreglass
29:41insulation will
29:43not only help
29:44keep the pirate's
29:45rest warm over
29:46winter, but also
29:47ensure the bedroom
29:48stays cool during
29:50the hot French
29:51summers.
29:53Paul, can you tell
29:53me I've got enough
29:54to go to the
29:54feet to the end
29:54yet?
29:55Not quite.
29:57OK.
29:59Well, you know,
29:59you have to tuck
29:59it up into the
30:00ridge a bit.
30:01Okie dokie.
30:02It's coming to the
30:03end, John, so
30:04we're all good.
30:06Does it go to the end
30:07there?
30:07We're happy there,
30:07yeah?
30:08Yep.
30:09Good.
30:10Not bad.
30:12OK, it's just
30:12bunching up just a
30:13little bit.
30:14OK.
30:14How's that, sir?
30:19How's that feel?
30:19While John and
30:20Paul continue the
30:21room's restoration...
30:22It's not great,
30:23but it's better.
30:24Carmen checks in
30:25on the newest
30:26member of Team
30:27Césarac.
30:29Coco?
30:30Coco?
30:32You're all
30:33sleepy, aren't
30:33you?
30:35Have you been
30:35asleep in your
30:36bed?
30:37Have you been
30:38sleeping?
30:39Oh, you're
30:40purring.
30:41Do you want
30:41some milk?
30:42So this is
30:43Coco.
30:44We found her
30:45in the guest
30:46wing on the
30:47landing of the
30:48attic, and she
30:51was on her own
30:52wandering around,
30:53and we took her to
30:55the vet, asking them
30:56what we should do.
30:57We eventually saw
30:58the mother, but the
30:59mother now has
31:00abandoned Coco, so
31:02she relies on us
31:03completely, and is
31:05doing really, really
31:05well.
31:06We want to make
31:07her our chateau
31:09cat.
31:10She's so pretty.
31:12Aren't you, Coco?
31:14Yes.
31:16And you can catch
31:17them ice when
31:17you're older.
31:19She's no trouble
31:20at all, are you,
31:21Coco?
31:24Up in the new
31:25bedroom...
31:26Cut that bit
31:27there.
31:28...the last strip of
31:29insulation is pushed
31:31into place.
31:34Good day's work, my
31:35friend.
31:35Job well done.
31:36Let's go.
31:38Cup of tea.
31:41Been a fun day
31:42already, hasn't it?
31:43Yeah.
31:44So at least it's the
31:44last bit, apart from
31:45the plastering, and the
31:47decorating, and the
31:49finishing of the room,
31:49and the door, and the
31:52windows.
31:53We're nearly there,
31:54though, aren't we?
31:54We're close.
31:55OK.
31:57Like a phoenix rising
31:59from the ashes, John
32:01and Carmen's new guest
32:02suite is slowly and
32:04steadily coming back
32:06to life.
32:12Two hours away at
32:14Chateau de la
32:14Grier, it's threatening
32:17to rain again.
32:20Oh, come on.
32:22Just got the
32:22electrics out.
32:25But Tim and Sharon's
32:27pool house is coming
32:29on in leaps and
32:30bounds.
32:32We've finished the
32:33roof now, which has
32:33been hard work for the
32:34last sort of four or
32:35five days, and now
32:36we're on to fixing the
32:38cladding, which is the
32:39nice stuff, because this
32:40is what we're going to
32:41see, and it starts to
32:42bring all the colours
32:43together, which is
32:44going to hopefully
32:45look good.
32:49We just need three or
32:51four weeks of good
32:52weather, which allow
32:53us to get this job up
32:55to work in and get to
32:56get in that pool.
33:00But once again, luck
33:03is not on their side.
33:05Look at it.
33:05Look!
33:06What's this all about?
33:08Come on, France!
33:16Sheltering inside the
33:17chateau is Sharon, who's
33:19already thinking about
33:21fixtures and fittings.
33:22I found this ladder up
33:24in the loft, and I
33:25thought, it might be
33:26quite nice to make a
33:28towel ladder.
33:29They're kind of all the
33:30rage.
33:31It was rotten, a lot of
33:33woodworm, so I treated
33:35it, filled as many of the
33:37holes as I could, and then
33:38I proposed to undercoat it
33:40and then give it a nice
33:41pinky kind of colour.
33:43And I'm hoping it's going
33:44to work with the light grey
33:45of the pool house.
33:47I don't think this is quite
33:48Michelangelo, but it would
33:50be fun if we can use it for
33:51something else, because it
33:52was an old ladder.
33:55Outside, Tim and Ian do
33:57what they can before rain
33:59stops play.
34:00Should have got the gutter in on,
34:01Ian, I reckon.
34:02There has been frustrations
34:07with the pool because of the
34:09weather.
34:11We wanted it finished now.
34:12Probably weren't very
34:13realistic with that.
34:16It's like a small bungalow,
34:18really.
34:18It's not like just a lean-to.
34:23Sharon's upcycling idea,
34:24though, is much more
34:26manageable.
34:27I do like things done
34:28instantly, but there is some
34:30joy in waiting.
34:32It does teach me patience,
34:34because the end result
34:36will be really nice.
34:38There we go.
34:43Tim's also made
34:44significant progress.
34:47OK, so we've got this
34:48side on, which is really
34:50pleased with it.
34:50It's looking good, but we
34:51can't finish right to the
34:52very floor because we've got
34:53tiling to come underneath it.
34:55Finished a lot of this side
34:56here.
34:57And then we can clad this
34:58area here.
34:59So it's all good?
35:00Yeah.
35:01Progressing.
35:05Just four months ago,
35:07the idea of a swimming pool
35:09was nothing more than a pipe
35:10dream.
35:12But since then, Tim and
35:14Sharon have removed a
35:16diseased tree.
35:17Here we go.
35:22Installed a 10-metre-long
35:24fibreglass pool.
35:26Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa,
35:27whoa, whoa, whoa.
35:28Added a solid surround and
35:32begun building a luxury
35:35pool house.
35:36And breathe.
35:37Is this the life?
35:38I think so.
35:40I think so too.
35:42This is what coming to France
35:46is all about.
35:47Another four weeks and this
35:48will be a reality.
35:49It will be nice when it's
35:50done, yeah.
35:54But aren't you pleased we've
35:55done it now?
35:56Well, not yet.
35:57It will be when it's
35:57finished.
35:58Yeah.
35:58But it's the only
35:59amount of time.
36:01Four weeks.
36:01Can I hold you to four
36:02weeks?
36:02No.
36:10Coming up, John and
36:12Carmen fill a historical
36:14hole.
36:15This bit I'm standing in
36:16was built in for 1450.
36:19And this door, it's not
36:20straight.
36:20So to get the plasterboard to
36:21fit in it, it's going to be a
36:22bit of a challenge.
36:24And at Stephanie's, there's
36:26chaos in the kitchen.
36:27It's panic stations today
36:29because we actually haven't
36:30got much done in terms of
36:31the cooking.
36:38In southwest France, the
36:40enormous job of restoring John
36:42and Carmen's burnt out guest
36:44suite is still a work in
36:46progress.
36:47We've put all the plasterboard
36:48up.
36:49So that's really good news.
36:51I've got to block off a door
36:53which goes down to the old
36:54stairwell.
36:55We just don't want anybody
36:56getting anywhere near that
36:58because it's a big, dangerous
36:59drop.
37:00And I am on operation
37:02clean-up.
37:06What we need to do here is
37:08effectively put a framework
37:09in and then we can plaster
37:12all up to it.
37:14And because nobody's going to
37:15see it, it's quite rough.
37:16It doesn't need to be anything
37:17special.
37:22Good.
37:23A professional bicycle
37:29designer, John's engineering
37:32brain comes in handy
37:34whatever the job.
37:36Not going anywhere, is it?
37:37But then again, he's never
37:39worked in an ancient chateau
37:41before.
37:42It's all quite challenging,
37:43this bit, because that bit
37:46there outside was the tower
37:47built in 980.
37:48This bit I'm standing
37:49built in was built in 1450
37:52and then it was all joined
37:53up in 1737.
37:54So we've got a hodgepodge
37:55of mixtures and this door,
37:57goodness knows when this was
37:58built, but it's not straight
38:00at all.
38:01So to get the plasterboard to
38:02fit in it, it's going to be a
38:03bit of a challenge.
38:04I've got great faith in you,
38:05John.
38:05You'll be able to do it.
38:06I know you will.
38:07You like a challenge?
38:09I love a challenge.
38:10While John works out how to
38:14block a distorted doorway,
38:17perfect, Carmen gets stuck
38:20into clearing up.
38:22I'm going to keep this
38:23insulation because it's quite
38:24expensive, actually, and
38:26having a chateau means there's
38:28lots of jobs to do and lots
38:31of things to buy.
38:34So we like to save
38:36everything we can.
38:37Oh, yes.
38:44That is good.
38:46Keen to keep some of the
38:48room's history, John turns
38:50the original door handles
38:52into a nice decorative touch.
38:57Ooh.
38:57Fantastic job, John.
38:59Great news.
38:59That's sealed this room up.
39:01Yeah.
39:01All windows sealed.
39:02Yeah.
39:02The roof's all sealed.
39:04This is now first time this
39:05is burnt out.
39:06Yeah.
39:06It's just fantastic to see.
39:1114 years ago, a fire ripped
39:14through this room, destroying
39:16everything in its path,
39:19shattering windows and covering
39:22the ancient stonework in thick
39:24black soot.
39:25Now, John and Carmen are well on
39:31their way to bringing it back to
39:33life, clearing away a decade of
39:37dirt and debris, fitting fresh
39:41insulation and plasterboard, and
39:44preparing it for the final phase of
39:47its restoration.
39:48decoration.
39:49I can't wait to get my hands on it now
39:51to get the decoration done.
39:53I'm really excited about that.
39:54And that will be another bedroom that
39:56we can rent out and will become part of
39:58an income.
39:59And it's going to look beautiful.
40:00I can guarantee you that.
40:04Restoring the pirates' rest, though,
40:06is just one of the many jobs John and Carmen
40:09still need to do before they can launch
40:12themselves as a holiday destination.
40:16In central France, at Chateau de la Lande,
40:25it's the day of the engagement party.
40:28And helping Stephanie and Isabelle prepare
40:31is their old friend, Jerry.
40:34It's panic stations today because we've
40:36realised that, although we've been
40:37thinking about it for days, we actually
40:39haven't got much done in terms of the
40:41cooking.
40:41I always don't turn up more bigger than
40:43this.
40:43Jerry, Mummy and I are in the kitchen
40:46cooking like crazy.
40:47We've got lots of friends arriving this
40:49afternoon and already lots of our
40:51family have arrived ready for the
40:53party.
40:53So just waking up this morning knowing
40:55there's so many people in the house
40:56makes me incredibly happy.
41:00Using ingredients picked from the
41:02garden, they begin building a menu.
41:05We're desperately trying to get some
41:07food put together whilst we don't
41:09really know what we're doing in terms
41:10of food, but it will be delicious,
41:12I'm certain.
41:13With so many good ingredients, how could it
41:15not be?
41:16I'm making a taboulet and a three-bean
41:18salad.
41:19We're going to need more than three
41:21beans.
41:25We're a bit concerned, though, because
41:27Philip is in charge of arranging the table,
41:30which means it will be perfect, but probably
41:33ready for lunch tomorrow.
41:35I think there'll be about 20 of us, so I'm
41:41hoping that these three trestle tables, they
41:44should sit about six each.
41:46It should be 18 and two at the heads.
41:48I think we should be just all right.
41:50And otherwise, I have to find a table somewhere in the house.
41:54So I'm going to need to find our chairs, tablecloths,
41:57plates, everything else.
42:02That's a lot of work to do, and the guests are coming in an
42:05hour and a half or so.
42:06So it's going to be quite tight.
42:08I'm going to figure out which charger plates we'll be using.
42:10And cutlery, just all the tablewares.
42:14I think it's going to be a fairly long engagement, but then
42:17again, it was a very fairly long proposal as well, because I
42:21proposed three times.
42:24And every time I'd asked, she'd said, not yet and quite soon.
42:30And then at some point, she asked me, when we get married,
42:35will it be in the chapel?
42:36And I thought, weakness.
42:38So I asked her again, and she said, yes.
42:43These are napkins that Steph made.
42:46I love them.
42:46They go so beautifully with the plates.
42:51As soon as the table is set, Philip moves on to cocktail duties.
42:58So how much do I need?
43:02Um.
43:06That much.
43:08It's an exact science.
43:11Finally, everything is perfectly in place.
43:16Stephanie's embroidered napkins beautifully complementing the
43:20specially chosen china.
43:23And with the arrival of the delicious homegrown food,
43:27the engagement party can begin.
43:30Everyone sit wherever you like.
43:38In we go.
43:42This is such a beautiful sight.
43:44You look gorgeous.
43:46All of you.
43:47This is my dream, having all of my loved ones around a table.
43:51It's beautiful.
43:51I couldn't have asked for me more.
43:56Raise your glass to Stephanie and Philly.
44:00To Stephanie and Philly.
44:03Congratulations.
44:04Congratulations.
44:05I think everything was a hundred times better than I had thought.
44:11Yeah, I think so too.
44:12I think one of the best things, in fact, no, the best thing about having a chateau is being able to gather all of your friends and family together.
44:18It's just.
44:19Makes all the renovations worthwhile.
44:20Oh, absolutely.
44:22It's all about having a home big enough for people you love.
44:26Realise this is wedding practice.
44:29Is this good?
44:29No, that's great.
44:30I think you're doing all the work here.
44:31I'm symbolic.
44:32Oh, it's got an angle.
44:35For Stephanie and Philly, spending a lunch in their chateau garden with friends and family is simply the best engagement present they could ever imagine.
44:50Next time, one couple take on a hazardous kitchen renovation.
44:56Careful.
44:57We need to make sure we're going at the same angle because otherwise that's when it's going to stress on it.
45:01New chateau owners get an unwelcome surprise.
45:05Oh, my goodness.
45:06I want to stay out of it.
45:09And tensions rise over an ambitious garden project.
45:13I was following your marks.
45:16Exactly.
45:16I'm now looking at.