Chateau DIY Season 10 Episode 24
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00:00Across France are thousands of chateaux.
00:05Many left abandoned and forgotten.
00:08It's like a pond.
00:09I know, it's a bit green, isn't it?
00:11Yet a brave few...
00:13We're not new to gardening,
00:14but this is on a completely different level, isn't it?
00:17...are taking on the challenge...
00:19What could possibly go wrong?
00:22...of restoring these timeless treasures.
00:25Seamless.
00:26You'd never know I'd been here.
00:28Renovating ancient buildings...
00:31It's making a hollow sound.
00:32It means that it's coming away from the wall.
00:34...into magical homes...
00:36I can't actually really believe it's almost finished now.
00:39...and thriving businesses...
00:41Perfect is the goal.
00:44...isn't for the faint-hearted...
00:46Well, you've got to laugh about it,
00:47otherwise you'd curl up in a corner and cry.
00:50...but those with passion and grit...
00:52You have to put the effort in, don't you?
00:54Just get the reward.
00:55...can enjoy the ultimate prize...
00:58I love doing this, it's one of my favourite things.
01:00...of living out their dreams...
01:02It's starting to look a bit more ready for occupation.
01:06...as stewards...
01:07It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and it is amazing.
01:10...of their very own piece of history.
01:15Today...
01:16The water will always find the way.
01:19...one chateau family go with the flow...
01:21...there is somewhere in the bottom of that liner a leak.
01:25...another couple rush to finish their tower suite...
01:29...I honestly am nervous about this, Phil.
01:31...and worry their handiwork won't hold up...
01:35...while another couple...
01:37Why won't it come out?
01:38...have just the 40 shutters to renovate.
01:41I keep on finding holes...
01:44...I'm very much over it.
01:52In the Occitanie region in the south of France...
01:55...is the charming Chateau de la Faire.
01:59Set in glorious woodland...
02:04...it boasts 35 rooms...
02:07...and is built around a magnificent medieval tower.
02:13Since 2012...
02:15...it's been owned by Australian-born Janet...
02:18...and husband Philip...
02:20...a former head coachman at Buckingham Palace...
02:23...who run it as a luxury B&B.
02:26I walk through...
02:29...and that...
02:30...I get a sense of wonder.
02:32This is actually my home.
02:34The beautiful high ceilings...
02:35...the elegant windows...
02:37...the lovely lights...
02:38...or even just the sunlight slanting in through the windows.
02:42This is part of us now.
02:44We're part of its history.
02:46Located near the city of Nîmes...
02:53...Janet and Philip bought the Chateau for £318,000...
03:00...and last year created a stunning new bedroom...
03:05...on the first floor...
03:06...which is going to form part of a huge tower suite.
03:10The last time we saw them...
03:13...they had created a stunning new kitchen dining area...
03:17...for the suite.
03:18That's not just the kitchen.
03:21It is a beautiful, elegant room...
03:24...and I love that.
03:25With special guests arriving from Australia...
03:34...in four weeks' time...
03:36...they need to get the rest of the suite finished...
03:39...and are dreaming big.
03:41The first thing guests should feel...
03:43...when they walk into that new suite...
03:45...I think should be a sense of awe.
03:47To me, it's almost like stepping onto a movie set...
03:51...stepping back in time and experiencing life 50, 60...
03:57100 years ago.
03:58Yeah.
03:59That's what it should feel like.
04:02They have started to create a salon...
04:05...and next door, Janet is eager to add a second bedroom...
04:09...in the 12th century tower.
04:13Oh dear.
04:14The fun part.
04:16It's a sad little place.
04:18But I think it could become quite magical.
04:22Once I get into this roof, it'll get mucky...
04:24...so I'll start down here and...
04:27...we'll just see what happens.
04:35This actually looks like it's just one layer of wallpaper...
04:39...on top of the original plaster.
04:42So I'm not anticipating this is going to be terribly difficult...
04:47...but that could also be famous last words...
04:50...because these chateaus fight back.
05:01Back in the salon, Philip has a challenge of his own...
05:05...as the original medieval arch to the tower is in need of repair.
05:11So I have prepared this morning's job as best I can.
05:13I've made a little former for the arch that's missing...
05:16...in the shape of what was there once before.
05:19I'm not sure how strong the former is...
05:21...or how much weight it can hold...
05:23...but in theory, gravity and that effect...
05:26...should hold itself.
05:31I'm starting with this first brick here...
05:33...and I'm just going to lay them in order...
05:36...running that way.
05:38That's the plan.
05:41I don't know what I'm doing really, but that's okay.
05:48I'm going to be a bit slow here because...
05:50...I am going one step at a time.
05:55Philip can't afford to make a mistake...
05:58...and with Janet only just starting in the bedroom...
06:01...they have an almighty job...
06:04...to get the tower suite ready...
06:06...in four weeks' time.
06:13In the green fields of the Auvergne...
06:15...lies a majestic 16th century...
06:19...Château de Bruges.
06:21Inside, it comprises ten opulent bedrooms...
06:28...and five elegant living rooms.
06:31While outside, there are seven acres...
06:34...and numerous outbuildings.
06:37Since 2022, it's been home to Graham...
06:42...his son, Jake...
06:44...and Jake's fiancée, Danielle...
06:46...after buying it for £605,000.
06:50As soon as we drove in here and we saw the château...
06:54...we knew that this was the one.
06:56It's unbelievable in the sunny days...
06:58...where you just walk around the grounds...
07:00...and you just look back at the château...
07:01...and you just think, wow, I actually live here.
07:05This is our home.
07:07The surrounding area is just beautiful...
07:09...and we have a dog...
07:10...so walking around the lake is just...
07:12...it's idyllic.
07:13Another aspect for me of the château that I love...
07:16...is just the beautiful wood flooring throughout.
07:19It goes throughout the château and into every bedroom...
07:22...and it's just...
07:23...it's beautiful.
07:24It's a real reminder of what it would have looked like.
07:29Located in central France...
07:31Hold on there, put your weight on it.
07:33The last time we saw them...
07:35...they had locked huge branches from a dangerous ash tree...
07:41...narrowly missing a prized greenhouse in the process.
07:45The greenhouse is fine, it's in fact...
07:47Survived, survived.
07:48Success.
07:49Good work.
07:50Having made the tree safe...
07:52...today they're planning to bring an original...
07:54...outside water feature back to life.
07:58So we're at the fountain in the garden...
08:00...which is part of the garden where every guest...
08:02...has to drive past in order to come to the château.
08:05So it's a really important piece of the garden for us.
08:08So the plan will be to empty out all of the dirt...
08:12...and all of the carnage that's at the bottom of the fountain...
08:14...and put a pool liner in...
08:16...so we can then have this as a working fountain...
08:19...and it will look splendid.
08:21Oh, it's a nice soft earth which is good.
08:25The water feature hasn't functioned as a fountain for at least 40 years.
08:32So now it's time to relocate the roses.
08:36Where we've prioritised a lot of the inside of the château...
08:47...for the last two years...
08:48...it's meant that the garden has possibly seen a little bit of neglect.
08:51So it will be really nice to be able to bring the garden back to its former glory.
08:56The plan will be to flatten it out with some sand...
08:58...make sure it's nice and level before we put a liner in...
09:01...which will then hold the water and make sure it's watertight.
09:04And then on top of that we're going to have the steel frame that sits on the top...
09:09...and then on top of the steel frame we'll have some nice big rocks...
09:12...so that when the water cascades off of the fountain...
09:14...it's going to hit the rocks, drop down into the reservoir...
09:17...and hump right back up again.
09:21But that all rests on finding the water supply pipe.
09:26If it's water-fed, it'll be coming from that direction.
09:31The water source for the fountain will be taken from one of the wells...
09:34...that we're lucky enough to have on the château grounds.
09:36Because the water supply is limited in France, it's expensive.
09:40We're on a water meter so every time we use fresh water it costs us money.
09:44So to be able to fill the pool and water the gardens...
09:47...and fill the fountain using the wells is really nice for us.
09:55So I was just quickly digging around the base of the fountain here...
09:59...just to see if I could see that pipe that's in that corner...
10:02...coming up into the fountain here.
10:04...which may be the pipe which runs all the way up the middle...
10:07...to feed the top of the fountain.
10:09But I've not exposed it yet.
10:13Really quite important to find this pipe...
10:15...as without it, I don't think we're going to have a working fountain.
10:20The search for the water pipe continues...
10:24...but it's a definite setback...
10:26...in bringing the château's grand fountain cascading back into life.
10:36Coming up...
10:37Philip has a secret in the grand tower renovation.
10:42You won't know it's there unless you're told.
10:45And Graham and Jake explore 40 years of slimy history.
10:50Much smellier here.
10:51Yeah.
10:52Dredging their way to restore a feature fountain.
10:56In Normandy in northern France...
11:06...is the impressive 19th-century Château Trois-Cloches.
11:12Set in several acres...
11:15...the charming property boasts 20 rooms...
11:19...several outbuildings...
11:21...and a stunning orangery.
11:24Since 2022, it's been owned by celebrity assistant Chris...
11:31...and husband Julian, a civil servant...
11:34...who have been lovingly restoring it ever since.
11:38We're making good progress now...
11:40...and we've got sort of only a few more rooms to do.
11:43It feels like things are starting to fall into place.
11:46It's where the château starts, like, coming alive.
11:48And it's exciting.
11:50It's like, we feel like we're actually achieving the dream of it.
11:53Located just a 20-minute drive from the English Channel...
12:02...Chris and Julian bought the château for £520,000...
12:08...and run it as an events venue.
12:10The last time we saw them, they had transformed a once-neglected spare room...
12:21...into an elegant guest suite.
12:24Well done, darling.
12:27As always, so proud of you.
12:31It was a slog what we got there.
12:32Yeah.
12:37Today, it's all about repairing the original shutters.
12:41And with 20 windows on the orangery side, that adds up to 40 shutters in all to repair and paint.
12:49It turns out quite a lot of them are quite rotten, and so we've had to do quite a lot of repairs.
12:55So we've got more of that to do this morning.
12:57When you've got 40 of them, it's a classic château-style challenge.
13:01Yeah, I think we have to divide and conquer a bit.
13:03If you do, like, the hardcore fixing, and I'll do filling and cleaning.
13:11I mean, taking them off has taken probably about a day and a half in total.
13:16And we thought the longer we leave them, the worse they're going to get.
13:19So it was a job way down on our list, but suddenly it became a priority.
13:24So we want to get them to save before the next winter, basically.
13:27So we don't have to replace them completely.
13:30OK, I think that will do.
13:32Oh, God, this one's going to be a pain, isn't it?
13:36I'm probably just going to make a new one of these, because it's quite rotten.
13:39So it'll be quicker to replace it and just try and repair that.
13:43All of the shutters have been a bit of a nuisance.
13:46There are a lot that are really, really rotten.
13:49Why won't it come out?
13:52It's not coming out!
13:56It's going to work.
13:59There we go.
14:04There.
14:08Right.
14:09Got to make a new one of these now.
14:12It's a tricky job,
14:15which Jolyon has never done before.
14:19I think that'll do.
14:36It's a little bit big, but maybe I should cut it down.
14:40What is it?
14:41Measure twice?
14:42Cut once?
14:43I tend to measure about 16 times and still get it wrong.
14:45But we'll give it a go.
14:52I'm going to run out of filler soon.
14:54Chris is starting to make progress with some of the shutters.
14:59I'm getting there, but it's the gift that keeps giving.
15:03It's just like another one, another one, another one.
15:06And I keep on finding holes.
15:08So I'm very much over it.
15:11Not bad.
15:12Not bad.
15:13Not quite close.
15:20Right.
15:21That is a good fit.
15:23I think it's going to work nicely if I just go a little bit out.
15:28They've made a good start.
15:30We'll get there in the end.
15:34But with a lot of the repair work still to go and all 40 shutters to paint, there's a mountain for Chris and Julian to climb.
15:44Five and a half hours south, at Chateau de Bruges, it's not long before the holiday season.
15:57And the challenge of getting a cherished fountain working again has gone to the next level for Graham and Jake.
16:05They've failed to find the old water supply pipe, but they're not giving up yet.
16:13Now we've got up here, we can see that the whole top bowl is independent to the shaft, which is coming up through the middle.
16:19So we should, in theory, although it's very heavy, we're going to try and lift off the top bowl.
16:24You can then concentrate on repairing and looking how we're going to get a new pipe into it.
16:28One, two, three.
16:32This huge bowl is made of cast iron.
16:35One, two, three.
16:39Right a bit.
16:40Ah.
16:41So, I think the next stage is to empty the water out of this secondary bath and then we can see what we're dealing with in the middle.
16:50Oh.
16:52Even with three on the job, it's a long process.
16:59It's an awful lot of leaves and foliage.
17:01Oh, it's much smellier here.
17:17The guests, unfortunately, won't see all of this hard grass that's gone in.
17:22They will hopefully just see a beautiful working fountain.
17:27This central bit will be the next thing to try and loosen and lift off, I think.
17:34Time for the big tools to come out. We've got the winch to help us.
17:37All done.
17:38The plan is to use the winch to pull upward the centre structure so that when Dad is chiselling away with it, with the SDS drill, it's just alleviating a bit of pressure.
17:55Take the slack.
17:56Right, that will do.
17:57It's definitely, definitely separate from the lower bit.
18:10Yeah.
18:12This is a difficult job as the central column is sitting on a plinth of concrete.
18:20It's going to take a couple of days to drill this out, so we'll do that another time.
18:31I'm pleased we've made a start. We know what we're dealing with now.
18:36Next sunny day, we'll come back out and carry on.
18:39Maybe a couple of weeks to a month, we'll have a working fountain ready for the start of the season to welcome our guests.
18:44Yes.
18:45With the fountain pulled apart, this is the very first thing their guests will see.
18:51So for Graham, Jake and Danielle, there's no going back now.
19:02Four and a half hours south at Chateau de la Fare.
19:06Fortunately, this is coming off without the steamer.
19:13Janet's making headway in the tower suite bedroom.
19:17This is the way it should come off.
19:22I'm just going to put a bit more mortar in to fill the gaps.
19:26While in the salon, Philip has almost rebuilt its 12th century arch.
19:32That's better. That's much better.
19:38Well, I think that looks pretty darn good if I do say so myself.
19:48But will the bricks hold in place when the wooden support is removed?
19:55I honestly am nervous about this, Phil.
19:57Look at that.
20:12Oh, wow.
20:14Doesn't get any better than that, I don't think.
20:16Don't stand underneath it.
20:18OK, this is how much I trust you, Philip.
20:20I'm going to fool you.
20:22Well, I'm pretty happy with that.
20:24Now, all of a sudden, this little almost tunnel into the tower room, actually, it gives that more meaning.
20:37It's now a bit even more magical than what it was before.
20:41Days later, and with the archway given time to fully dry, and the bedroom now plastered, Philip has another big idea.
20:57What I'm doing is putting a bookcase in with a secret door behind there.
21:03And you won't know it's there unless you're told that will be operated via moving a book or a piece of wood or something along those lines.
21:11Philip hopes to create it using some old cabinets.
21:18Actually, it's a nice chunky piece of wood. Substantial.
21:21Yeah.
21:22Nice feel.
21:23That will go there, right?
21:24I would imagine that we'll have a shelf across maybe about that height.
21:31OK, and the door will be there.
21:34Philip is always up for a challenge.
21:37If it's not challenging, stimulating, exciting, he gets bored really quickly.
21:47It's an epic task, but as a trained electrician, Philip is skilled and fearless when it comes to DIY.
22:04That's a good starting point.
22:21Hopefully, it all just fits together nicely.
22:25Wow.
22:29Now you can visualise it better, can't you?
22:31It looks like the beginnings of a bookcase.
22:34I'm really pleased, yeah.
22:36We're getting the...
22:37I don't care what they say, I think you're clever.
22:41It's slowly taking shape.
22:44But with the bookcase shelves to add, a secret door to create,
22:50and two rooms to decorate, they're nowhere near ready for guests.
22:55Coming up, Chris and Julian need to double their efforts.
23:04One down, 39 to go.
23:06If they are ever going to finish.
23:09While Philip and Janet are up against it.
23:12We're now down to two days before our guests arrive.
23:14As they try to complete their biggest ever renovation.
23:19This is going to be an adventure.
23:27In the Auvergne in central France, Graham, Jake and Daniel have cleaned and salvaged what they can of the original Chateau Fountain.
23:37And have a new plan for the water supply.
23:41Oh!
23:43Yeah, and we're trying to get it in the fountain.
23:46You keep getting in the way.
23:48But first, they need to make the base waterproof.
23:51It's like being back at school again, raking the sand pit.
23:57Once all the sand's in, once it's all flattened off, we're going to put the liner in.
24:02And we've got a 4x4 metre square that we're going to cut down the centre so we can fit it around the fountain.
24:07Pop that down in the middle.
24:09And then we've got a roll of liner which we all then put around the outside of the fountain.
24:14As every Chateau owner knows.
24:18Nice and thick.
24:20Every job is on a completely different scale.
24:24Ta-da!
24:27That's perfect.
24:29Good boy.
24:31There's a lot of liner to go and it needs to be patched together without a drop getting through.
24:38One of the few negatives to being so tall.
24:40So that's a long way down.
24:45So this is a special waterproofing tape.
24:50Waterproof tape.
24:52That we're going to seal the gaps in the liner with.
24:55I'm thinking that a plan is coming together and it's slowly getting there.
25:14Okay, just get this edge.
25:16About where we want it.
25:21So this is our secondary liner.
25:24This is going to take very little water here because the fountain won't squirt out this far.
25:29But this is just to collect rainwater and then feed it all down to the main reservoir.
25:32That'll do.
25:37Next stage is to start putting some water into it.
25:42There we go.
25:44Fingers crossed that it's properly sealed.
25:48It's holding water.
25:50We're going to stop the hose very soon and we're going to put some tyres in just to keep the tarpauling from blowing away.
26:04Unfortunately, it doesn't take long to realise their hard work has been in vain.
26:10So within about half an hour of turning the hose off because we thought that the water was at a good level,
26:17it decided to drop that level, meaning that there is somewhere in the bottom of that liner a leak.
26:26Not a huge gap, but it is a gap and as we all know, water will always find the way.
26:35Hopefully, that will be a better drawing.
26:38So just making a mark on the white tape to make sure the water level hasn't gone down.
26:47There we go.
26:49Fingers crossed.
26:51Again.
26:53It's a waiting game for now to see if the water holds this time.
26:57So as well as making the deep reservoir watertight, we then need to lay all of the tyres.
27:03That will then support the steel rods and then rose granite rocks which will then sit on top and hide all of the...
27:12The mess.
27:13The mess that lies underneath.
27:15Hopefully, this time, they've made it watertight and can focus on bringing this once grand attraction back to life.
27:24Over five hours north, at Chateau Trois-Cloches, Chris and Julian have almost finished the huge job of repairing 40 shutters.
27:42All right.
27:43Good.
27:44Come together very nicely.
27:46It's proving to be an epic challenge and they're not done yet.
27:51It was a late one last night, wasn't it?
27:52But we had a good system in the end.
27:54It was like a glass of wine, you fixing something, me sanding it and then washing it and it's like a...
27:59A glass of wine.
28:00A glass of wine.
28:01A glass of wine.
28:02Yeah, they're in a better state now.
28:05Today, they're facing the mammoth task of painting them all.
28:11This is the colour.
28:13I just love it.
28:14It's kind of like a minty, sagey, greeny blue.
28:17Hopefully, you're looking keeping when it's all up on multiple windows.
28:21Right there?
28:22Yeah.
28:23Go for it.
28:33Great.
28:34Looks great.
28:35It's very quick, but I feel like most of the paint is spraying the bush over there.
28:40It's just going to be getting all of the fiddly bits.
28:50I'm having a go now.
29:03It's so speedy.
29:10Once they're back in place on the windows, it's going to be a huge transformation.
29:13And this is like the money shot.
29:15So, if you're having a wedding or you're having a photo, you normally have it outside the front.
29:20So, just to see them worn up is going to be incredible.
29:25I feel as though, yeah, maybe another half an hour and we might be done.
29:28I think we're looking pretty good.
29:43I think we're all there.
29:46That was good fun.
29:47I think I've got almost as much paint on myself as on the shutters.
29:51So they're grey?
29:52Yeah, they look really good.
29:53With the fine layers of paint drying quickly in the warm air,
29:58in at the middle, in at the bottom.
30:00There's now just the lengthy job of reattaching the shutters.
30:05Almost the top, just needs a little wiggle.
30:07There we go.
30:08She's in.
30:10One down.
30:1239 to go.
30:18Well done.
30:19Yeah.
30:22There we go.
30:23So much easier as a team, isn't it?
30:25Beautiful.
30:28Good.
30:31Are you good?
30:32No.
30:33Probably enough.
30:35Yeah.
30:37Just three days ago, the original shutters were damaged, rotten and flaking.
30:45Now they have a new lease of life, thanks to Chris and Julian's handiwork.
30:51Good.
30:52It looks really nice.
30:53Very good.
30:54Yeah, it looks really good.
30:55It's a really nice colour choice.
30:57It does really bring out the fact that we probably need to get the wall painted asap.
31:02But it'll look amazing when it's all fresh paint.
31:04It will, yeah.
31:05And compare it to, like, the other half that's not done.
31:08It's going to look incredible.
31:09Yeah.
31:10That side looks sad.
31:11This side looks happy.
31:12No, I love it.
31:13I really miss the panel.
31:14No, it looks lovely.
31:15Yeah.
31:16Well done, Earth.
31:17The outlook is clearer for Chris and Julian, who have repaired, painted and hung 12 of their 40 shutters back into place.
31:30Just 28 left to go.
31:32Down in the south of France.
31:44The moment of truth.
31:47Wow.
31:48It's been three weeks and Janet and Philip's tower suite is beginning to emerge.
31:55The salon has been painted, along with the adjacent bedroom.
32:00But there's no time to lose before family from Australia arrive.
32:06We're now down to two days before our guests arrive.
32:09We're not panicked very much, but we're working long hours.
32:14If we're going to do this, Bill, we're going to absolutely push ourselves to the nth degree to get it done.
32:20To help build the bookcase and its secret door.
32:29Okay, happy?
32:31Philip has got his mate Bruce in to help.
32:36It's finally taking shape.
32:45I just want to see against the wall.
32:49Meanwhile, Janet has drafted in Sister Angela to help dress the salon windows.
32:56What does that look like against the wall, Ange?
32:59That looks good.
33:00The colours look great too.
33:02Yeah, you measure from the bottom.
33:04Yep.
33:05You need 32 centimetres.
33:0832 centimetres.
33:09To do it right onto the floor, Jan.
33:11Yeah, yeah, I'll do it right to the floor.
33:12Yeah.
33:13I really want to see what it's going to look like.
33:15How good are your muscles?
33:16Let's see.
33:17Oh, do you know what?
33:18That's going to be fantastic.
33:19That was great.
33:20Yeah.
33:21Because we actually picked out this colour to paint.
33:22And it works.
33:23Mm.
33:24Ooh.
33:25Fabulous.
33:26I'm really happy.
33:27I'm not happy about the fact I've got to alter them now.
33:28Even though these are big curtains, they're nowhere near long enough for this particular
33:33drop.
33:34Will you have enough of this fabric, do you think?
33:35Ooh.
33:36Well, that's the slight problem.
33:37I've got...
33:38These are two old pillow slips or pillowcases.
33:39Mm.
33:40And I think by patching them together, I'll get just enough.
33:41Mm.
33:42Mm.
33:43Philip is starting to make strides with the bookcase.
33:44And now it's on to the door, which is the big challenge.
33:47Having not done one like this before, this is going to be an adventure.
33:48You know what?
33:49I've got a lot of stuff.
33:50It's a lot of stuff.
33:51It's a lot of stuff.
33:52It's a lot of stuff.
33:53It's a lot of stuff.
33:54Like, you know, you can't get a lot of stuff.
33:55It's a lot of stuff.
33:56You can't get a lot of stuff.
33:57So, you know, what's the problem?
33:58I'm going to get it.
33:59You know, what's the problem?
34:00What's the problem?
34:01Oh, well, that's the slight problem.
34:03I've got...
34:04These are two old pillow slips or pillowcases.
34:05And I think by patching them together, I'll get just enough.
34:08Mm.
34:09Philip is starting to make strides with the bookcase.
34:12Having not done one like this before, this is going to be an adventure.
34:17It's set to be a busy couple of days.
34:21With a secret door to install, curtains to make and two rooms to dress,
34:29Janet and Philip are still a long way from the finish line.
34:36Still to come, the picture looks bleak.
34:39Plug us in.
34:40For Graham and Jake's fountain, facelift,
34:44while Philip's secret door project...
34:47Just see if it lines up.
34:50..hangs in the balance.
34:57In central France, at Graham, Jake and Danielle's,
35:02their fountain at the chateau entrance is finally watertight.
35:06They have laid a new pipe system hidden amongst seven tonnes of rose granite,
35:13which rests on top of a steel grid and a layer of chicken wire.
35:18The jobs that we have to do next, the steel rebar is coming out further than we would like,
35:25so we're going to go around and cut the excess off,
35:28fold in any chicken wire and pond liner that's on the show so you can't see anything,
35:33and get it turned on, get all the nozzles lined up,
35:35and then hopefully we'll be able to stand back and admire it.
35:38One down, 50 to go.
35:54They're getting there.
35:55They're going to go around the edge once Dad's cut the rebar away,
36:04and it's just going to neaten up that edge.
36:06This has not been an easy job,
36:09and they soon realise the quarry rocks have given them another problem.
36:15When we first filled the fountain up, the fountain looked really crystal blue.
36:20You could see the lovely detail at the bottom of the fountain,
36:23and then we went and picked the rocks up from the quarry,
36:26some of which were covered in sand and dirt,
36:28and now since we've put them on here,
36:30the rainwaters wash the sand and the dirt down into the reservoir,
36:34which has then come up through the jets and then into the fountain.
36:39So it's turned the fountain water a bit murky,
36:41and there's a lot of sand and stuff at the bottom of it.
36:44Plug us in.
36:46This job has been anything but plain sailing,
36:48as now they need to drain...
36:52..or some plants while we're at it.
36:56..and clean it one more time to make the most of the ornate detail.
37:08Finally, it is filled with fresh, clean water,
37:12and Jake and Graham have lined up the all-important water nozzles.
37:17We've come a long way, so we're very happy.
37:23After weeks of hard work,
37:26trying to reinvent a defunct and decrepit-looking fountain,
37:30which hadn't functioned for 40 years...
37:33..they've re-energised it
37:39into a more modern, single-tier water feature
37:43to grace the entranceway of the chateau.
37:47They have created more of a focus
37:49on the ornate cast-iron detail of the 16th-century bowl,
37:54now revealed in all its glory.
37:58The local rose granite gives the opulent feature
38:02a modern contrast.
38:04..the perfect combination of the old and the new.
38:11For the first time in years,
38:13the chateau's gardens are filled
38:15with the soothing sound of flowing water.
38:20Proud of their achievements,
38:23the family are keen to show it off
38:24to local friends Max and Kevin.
38:27Are you ready?
38:29Yes.
38:30What do you think?
38:31Oh, it's...
38:33Yeah, nice.
38:34Really nice.
38:35These rocks are the same rocks
38:38that the chateau was once built out of.
38:42No kidding.
38:42Yeah, so this is rose granite,
38:44and the chateau is built from rose granite.
38:48That's unbelievable.
38:49Yeah.
38:49I like that.
38:50Yeah.
38:50This is great.
38:51I think it's a great job,
38:54and this is really nice seeing old Fontaine
38:58bringing back to life,
39:01and this is a plus for the castle.
39:03I really like that.
39:06It's a definite moment to celebrate.
39:10Cheers to the fountain.
39:11Cheers.
39:14Very happy.
39:15The day's gone very well.
39:16Yeah.
39:16Yeah.
39:17Happy it's all finished.
39:18It looks pretty.
39:20It works.
39:21It works as intended.
39:25Their fountain now exudes the elegance of the chateau,
39:30creating a grand first impression
39:33and in time for the holiday season.
39:44Down in the south of France...
39:47How many years since this floor has been clean?
39:50Hmm...
39:51A very long time.
39:55Janet and Philip's guests are due in a couple of hours,
39:59and the tower suite needs to be finished.
40:02And that sits back really nicely out of the way.
40:06Thankfully, Philip's figured out a plan
40:09for the secret door into the bedroom.
40:11So it'll be a handle on this side,
40:14a handle on the inside here,
40:16with book bindings at the back,
40:18and you have to open the door,
40:20reach your hand in,
40:21unlock the door.
40:22All he needs to do now is check it works.
40:27It looks pretty good to me, Bruce.
40:29Now, can we just swing that closed
40:31and just see if it lines up with the shelves
40:33that are already here?
40:38The catch worked.
40:40The door went click, click.
40:42Ha-ha-ha.
40:44Yay!
40:45Yeah, that's great, Bruce.
40:53Do you want to have a go, do you?
40:55Yes, absolutely.
40:56Voila.
41:06I actually think it's going to look like a secret door.
41:10Thank goodness.
41:12Philip's plan has paid off,
41:14but with their guests due imminently...
41:18Oh, thanks, Bobby.
41:19You've been ironing my curtains.
41:21Excellent.
41:22..they still need to dress the salon.
41:26They hang perfectly.
41:29And add some last-minute finishing touches.
41:34I put one side on first.
41:36Hang on.
41:37Hang on.
41:38That side's on.
41:43Yeah, I think it looks fantastic.
41:45It really suits the room.
41:48Five months ago,
41:51the chateau's first floor
41:53had three derelict adjoining rooms.
41:56And was nothing more than a huge dumping ground
41:59for Philip's tools.
42:03Last year,
42:05they created a master bedroom,
42:08setting the level of grandeur
42:10for the suite to come.
42:12and recently created a stunning kitchen-dining area.
42:19Now,
42:20they have a stylish new salon
42:22for guests to relax in,
42:24with a unique entrance
42:26through Philip's ingenious secret bookcase door
42:30into a tower bedroom
42:32that oozes charm.
42:34Their huge grand suite
42:37is finally ready for guests.
42:45You look so grown up.
42:48And right on time,
42:50as Janet's niece Rebecca,
42:53husband James,
42:54and their two daughters,
42:55Chloe and Sophie,
42:57have arrived.
42:59Shall we wander inside?
43:00Welcome to the tower suite.
43:06Oh, my gosh.
43:08So this was derelict completely
43:11three months ago.
43:13It was bare walls,
43:14no roof,
43:15broken windows.
43:17And I think it was only about 30 minutes ago
43:19we were still decorating in here.
43:21Yeah.
43:21Now, girls,
43:22there's something special about this room.
43:25This bookcase is a special bookcase.
43:28Behind this here
43:29is a handle.
43:34Oh, that's...
43:35And darling,
43:37just go straight ahead into there.
43:38This is really old.
43:39This is going to be a bedroom in here.
43:42We had planned for this to be your bedroom,
43:45but there's one or two details
43:47that maybe we didn't get round to doing.
43:49Yeah, we didn't quite get finished.
43:50But don't worry,
43:51we have somewhere else you to sleep.
43:52Come on, Raby.
43:57Can you get up there?
44:01Oh, well done, Sophie.
44:03It's amazing the work they've done
44:05and how it just feels like a castle, I guess.
44:08I can't believe how much work
44:10goes into every single room.
44:11The way that they make things
44:13out of ordinary bits of furniture.
44:15All of a sudden,
44:15you've got a door and a bookcase
44:17that opens into another world.
44:18It's just...
44:19It's incredible.
44:20It's such a great place.
44:23Gosh, wasn't that fantastic?
44:25The girls were really excited.
44:27The reactions were gorgeous.
44:28You couldn't have asked them all, could you?
44:31What we've managed to achieve here
44:32for their arrival, I think,
44:35is incredible,
44:36considering what we started with.
44:38I think it's fantastic.
44:39I think it's beautiful.
44:40I'm actually really excited by it.
44:43Hmm.
44:45It's been a colossal project.
44:48Now, Janet and Philip
44:50have a huge grand suite
44:52for guests to enjoy
44:54for many years to come.
44:59Next time...
45:00Here we are.
45:01..this family take the plunge...
45:03Operation Frog is underway.
45:05..into their biggest project yet.
45:07It's like a pond.
45:08I know, it's a bit green, isn't it?
45:10..is it a bridge too far for this chateau?
45:13Every other one is spongy
45:14and it isn't going to take anyone's weight.
45:17..and building a flat-packed spa room...
45:19It looks like a frame.
45:20Oh, my word.
45:21..this is a sliding door.
45:22..gets this owner in a sweat.
45:24Oh, my word.
45:26What is that?
45:27What is that?
45:42Transcription by CastingWords