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00:00France is home to thousands of chateaux,
00:04with many left derelict and unloved.
00:11But some courageous individuals are reviving these old buildings...
00:17I knew it would be dusty, but, oh, my God, this is so bad!
00:21..and bringing them back to life.
00:24Oh, my God.
00:25It isn't always a smooth ride.
00:28I will never want to do this again ever in my life.
00:31..when restoring historic castles...
00:33Now I can visualise more what it's going to be like.
00:36But there's a mountain to climb yet.
00:38..into fairytale homes...
00:40This is really stressful, guys.
00:44..and thriving businesses.
00:46I need a stitch.
00:47What a day for tin to fall over.
00:50But those that have the ambition and drive...
00:53I'm relaxed.
00:56..often get to enjoy the rewards...
00:59Just take it all in, mate.
01:00No, it's beautiful.
01:01..as they get to live out their dreams...
01:04It's hard to pick the one thing that made me fall in love with this place.
01:07..as keepers...
01:09Cheers.
01:10..of their very own French chateau.
01:16Today...
01:17Ready to go.
01:19..one couple tackle an ambitious tower project...
01:23I worry every time I always get stressed when he goes out onto the roof.
01:27I just have to understand that that's just part of this job.
01:31..these two take on a gigantic new challenge...
01:35We're now standing in the swimming pool area.
01:38It's just like we overdressed.
01:40..and this chateau pair face a risky renovation job.
01:45Wait a minute, wait a minute.
01:54In the Vendée département of western France
01:58is the spectacular Chateau de Borneaux.
02:03Set in 40 acres, this 19th-century property has 55 rooms
02:09and sits in the middle of a majestic moat.
02:14The lucky owners are former anaesthetist Erin
02:18and her French-born engineer husband JB.
02:23Who bought it for around £560,000 in 2018.
02:29I feel very privileged to live here.
02:31I still get this absolute thrill of opening the turret window of my bedroom
02:35and seeing the 16 hectares before me.
02:38It feels extremely strange. Everything's on a giant scale.
02:41We're quite proud of our work so far.
02:44It's a pleasure to see this place come back to life
02:47and I've got a great partner in crime.
02:54Located in the Pays de la Loire region,
02:57Erin and JB run the chateau as an events venue.
03:05And when we were last with them,
03:08they tackled one of the turret's damp and decrepit spiral staircases.
03:14Which they transformed into a grand and inviting entrance space for guests.
03:24The turret is really beautiful.
03:27Erin always has a lot of taste.
03:37Before the season begins, Erin has a new challenge for JB.
03:42Only this time, it's at the top of the chateau's central tower,
03:47where she wants to create an arts and crafts studio.
03:52So what's your vision exactly here? Something simple?
03:56I think it won't be too difficult to achieve.
03:59This is a sort of dream project of mine,
04:02to have a studio where I can enjoy the chateau
04:05and continue to create and paint and just hide away.
04:09Well, you have your man's shed, so I have my Rapunzel tower.
04:12That's only fair.
04:14I don't have towers. It's a shed.
04:17That's quite unfair.
04:20Right, shall we get on with it, then?
04:23First, the tower needs a good clear-out.
04:29What's all this stuff? It looks like something falling off the chateau.
04:32You'd be correct.
04:34Is it important? Shall I be worried?
04:37It won't fall on anyone.
04:40The messy room was formerly used as a servants' quarter,
04:45and Erin can already see its potential.
04:50Now it's empty, at least we can see the space we have.
04:53It's not too bad, actually, as a floor print.
04:55As a floor print, yeah.
04:57You're still not convinced, are you?
05:00It's a lovely room, I know, but there's a bit of work,
05:04so we'll see what the vision is.
05:07The first step's probably tackling the walls.
05:09There's all that old plasterwork at the bottom that needs to be removed.
05:13I think actually having raw stone is nice,
05:16and this is how the room should have been.
05:18There are obviously holes that we can see the outside.
05:21What? We'll need to fill those in.
05:24And then the windows, you can see how bad the paintwork is.
05:29The frames haven't been touched in over half a century,
05:33so JB is eager to take a closer look.
05:37The bracket is still structural, so that's good.
05:42Can they open?
05:45Oh, they can open.
05:49Right.
05:50There's no more putty, the nails are falling out.
05:55The glass on this one is holding by magic, it seems.
05:59Yeah, we need to re-patch it a little bit.
06:02Good! Lovely.
06:05It looks probably worse than it is.
06:07My short two-week project might be a bit longer
06:11if we have to do all the windows.
06:13That's the face I've ever had in my life.
06:17I guess having an art studio for JB is not top on his list.
06:22But he will see, and then he won't keep complaining
06:26when I'm doing art things in the kitchen.
06:29Good fun.
06:31What started out as a small job,
06:34JB can only hope doesn't turn into a giant one.
06:44In southwest France stands the charming Chateau de Céserac.
06:52It has its own chapel, boasts a medieval tower
06:57and comes with a Roman-inspired swimming pool.
07:03The building was sadly decimated by fire 14 years ago.
07:09But slowly, bringing it back to life,
07:12is Northamptonshire couple John and Carmen.
07:17We came here and absolutely fell in love with it.
07:20As we walked down the drive, we just said, this is us.
07:24We can see what this place will be like in a few years' time.
07:27To us, it just had to be done, didn't it?
07:30We put an offer on the next day and it was accepted.
07:32It was just such a wonderful place to be.
07:35We loved it. And still is. Yeah.
07:41Situated close to the city of Toulouse,
07:44John and Carmen bought the chateau in 2022
07:49for just £175,000
07:52and are hoping to move in this year.
07:57They've already renovated the chapel
08:00into an elegant living space.
08:04Oh, look how pretty!
08:07Alongside a stylish bedroom.
08:11Here's to our first bedroom completed.
08:14Congratulations. On to you.
08:18Nine months on,
08:20John and Carmen's dream is moving a step closer
08:24as they've started a new family.
08:27But there's still plenty to do.
08:30It will be absolutely fantastic when it's finished.
08:33It's just going to make our life so much more normal.
08:37I just can't wait until I can get into the bath
08:40and have a lovely, hot, steamy champagne experience.
08:46Mind your head on your platform, John.
08:48Yeah.
08:50Today, Carmen's eager to start on the painting.
08:56Oh, this is dark.
08:58I love this colour.
09:01It's so dramatic.
09:09This is where Carmen wants her walk-in wardrobe.
09:12So, this is where she's going to put her wardrobe.
09:16This is where Carmen wants her walk-in wardrobe.
09:19So, you're going to come in through the bathroom
09:22and walk past the bath into walk-in wardrobe.
09:25Now, here's the fun bit.
09:27There is no walk-in wardrobe behind this wall, just a big drop.
09:30So, I'm going to precariously cut a hole in the wall
09:33to put a door in.
09:35It's a dicey job.
09:37And John is also uncomfortable with heights.
09:40OK. Right, so the platform seems to hold me.
09:43But I am standing over quite a big drop,
09:45which, even at the edge, sort of scares me a bit.
09:47But it's OK. We're good.
09:52This is called the plasterboard shuffle.
09:55Right, we're in.
10:06There we go.
10:09Are you there? Are you there?
10:11Have you got the hole in the right place?
10:13I hope so.
10:15I can see you! Hello. Do we have a hole?
10:17Do we have a hole?
10:19It's an encouraging start.
10:21But now, John has another obstacle.
10:24This is a new door.
10:27The original one I measured for has gone out of stock
10:30and out of production, so I got the nearest I could
10:33and the length is a bit longer.
10:35I thought I could reach, but actually it's got to go a long way
10:38from where we are.
10:40If I want to put this platform in,
10:42I'm going to still have to get a ladder up here.
10:45Not my favourite thing to do.
10:48John's task has become even bigger.
11:02Can I walk through this door?
11:04You will be able to in a minute, yeah. Are you ready?
11:06Yeah. Oh, is that ready?
11:09Wow! We have a door!
11:13How's that?
11:15I shall walk through the door.
11:17Ta-da! It's fantastic!
11:20Wow. Awesome.
11:24That's brilliant, John. Well done.
11:28John's making progress,
11:30but still has to face his fears to complete the job.
11:34I'm up a ladder.
11:3615 foot or something off the ground.
11:38When somebody says to you it's romantic to buy a chateau,
11:41it's not really.
11:43It could be a slow process,
11:46and with Carmen only halfway through the painting,
11:49there's still a long way from having a soak in the bath.
11:58Still to come, JB's problems go from bad to worse...
12:03This hasn't squashed.
12:05The water is probably splashing everywhere now.
12:08..and it's crunch time for John and Carmen.
12:11If I drop this bath, this will end up being my coffin, won't it?
12:14Yeah. You'd better not drop it.
12:23In the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of western France
12:27is the stunning 17th-century Chateau de Sorges.
12:32Since 2018, it's been home to Donna and Paul, who have big news.
12:40As after years of transforming it into a luxury B&B,
12:44they have now sold up.
12:47I mean, we loved living there.
12:49It's the most idyllic place to be.
12:53But the businesses took off so much,
12:58we just didn't get any time to actually do any more renovation.
13:03It was the renovation that was our love.
13:06We love the process, and if it's something you enjoy doing,
13:09then why would you stop doing it?
13:14They've moved north for an even bigger challenge...
13:19..to the beautiful region of Brittany,
13:22where they've just bought the dilapidated Moulin du Cuenon.
13:28It's a crumbling 19th-century flour mill,
13:32which has been left abandoned for over 40 years.
13:38Inside, it's a total wreck and has been ransacked by vandals.
13:46The vast property is spread over five floors
13:50and has several outbuildings...
13:54..including a gîte.
13:58Now Donna and Paul want to turn it into their new home,
14:02after picking it up for under £100,000.
14:07You made me fall in love with the building, the look of the building.
14:11Look how pretty this is, or could be.
14:14You know, and look at the water.
14:16Look, that's exactly what you want.
14:18And then we opened the doors and went,
14:20Oh, my God!
14:24They've only had the keys for three weeks and already have a plan.
14:31Over here is our kitchen,
14:33and over on the left will be our living room.
14:36It actually looks 100% better now
14:39because Paul's managed to rewire up the lights,
14:43so we've only ever seen it in...
14:45Torchlight. Torchlight.
14:47So we've only had the light in here a couple of days,
14:51and only because we've got a generator going.
14:54I'll let you go down first.
14:56It's a colossal task,
14:58but in the basement, Paul's already earmarked his chill-out space.
15:04So we're now standing in the swimming pool area.
15:08Slightly overdressed.
15:11The plan is to make it a swimming pool,
15:13and if we manage to create electricity with the water,
15:16which is one of the plans, then this will be a heated pool.
15:19If we don't manage to do that, then it'll be great in July.
15:25Their aim is to create a palatial six-bedroom home,
15:29and they've already begun to clear it out.
15:33This floor was absolutely full of equipment,
15:37of belts, of tubes.
15:39You could hardly move on it.
15:41You had a walkway, and that was about it.
15:44So already it's kind of...
15:47Yeah, you're seeing what it's going to become.
15:50Clearly it's a massive undertaking,
15:52but, yeah, I'm excited by the scale, and I'm not daunted by it,
15:56so ask me again in 12 months.
16:02For now, though, they're hoping to move into the jeet,
16:05which is also in a state of disrepair.
16:09We're kind of under quite a bit of time pressure.
16:12Basically because we only have two-and-a-half months left
16:16in our rented accommodation,
16:18so we need to be in here by then.
16:22We have no electricity, no water, no waste.
16:25We don't have a roof at the back, so...
16:28So there's a bit to do.
16:30So there's a bit to do.
16:32Donna and Paul have a monumental challenge,
16:36and with a new jeet and a massive mill to renovate,
16:41there's no time to waste.
16:51In south-west France, at Chateau de Céserac...
16:58I love my new door, John.
17:00It's rather nice, isn't it?
17:02It was so worth the three days it took.
17:05..John and Carmen's new bathroom has come on in leaps and bounds.
17:10The door for the walk-in wardrobe is now in place,
17:14and the room has been painted.
17:17We've worked really hard on this bathroom.
17:19It took three days to fit a door, which is ridiculous. Three days.
17:22It was a lot of jiggery-pokery to get it there, wasn't it?
17:25Having said that, it's a very sexy door.
17:28Today, they're eager to install their pièce de résistance.
17:33Today's the day, John, that we move my lovely bath into place.
17:38Which is a £12,000 copper and enamel bathtub.
17:43If I drop this bath, this will end up being my coffee, won't it?
17:46Yeah. You'd better not drop it. Right.
17:49I've waited a long, long time for this.
17:51I really wanted a bath because I love having a nice soak in a bath
17:55after we've been cycling.
17:57This is a bath made in Kent.
17:59We've had it specially commissioned, and it's très expensive.
18:04And it will look very super in our new bathroom.
18:09The dilemma is how to get it up to the first-floor bathroom.
18:14It's not that heavy, is it?
18:16It's not, actually. You can manage this by yourself.
18:18I told you.
18:20I think when you go up the stairs, I think you're overcomplicating matters.
18:25I think the window's the best option, because on the ladder,
18:28it will generally just slide.
18:30Up the stairs, it might just be a bit more challenging to get upstairs.
18:33On your head, Jon, because if it gets damaged,
18:35I'm not going to be very amused.
18:37Well, I'm not going to be amused either.
18:39Look, there's all these important notices telling you to be careful,
18:43and you want to take it up a ladder.
18:46It doesn't make sense when we can just lift it up the stairs.
18:51I think we should try the ladder option first.
18:56Swing it round.
18:58Swing it round.
19:03Despite Carmen's concern,
19:06Jon's convinced his idea is the best way forward.
19:12OK.
19:14Oh.
19:16It's going to be a bit bendy with two people on there and a bath.
19:20You're going to be shaking.
19:23I think Jon's going to be nervous on this ladder.
19:26He doesn't like heights, and this is really wobbly.
19:30So what are we going to put underneath it to make it a bit more stable?
19:34A bit of wood, I think.
19:36This is dangerous.
19:38Well, we know it's dangerous.
19:42To help things run more smoothly,
19:45they've roped in friend Tim.
19:49Not good, is it, Timmy?
19:51Well...problem.
19:54Tim suggested that they put two wooden legs on each one
19:58rather than one, which Jon thought in the beginning to support it more.
20:04I am getting nervous now.
20:06So I'm really worried about this.
20:08That doesn't look very safe, that ladder structure, to me.
20:11Tim doesn't look too sure, does he?
20:24This is a stupid idea.
20:27There's no going back now,
20:29so all Jon can hope for is that his master plan pays off.
20:43In Western France, at Chateau de Borneaux...
20:49..Erin's in the tower, working on her arts and crafts studio.
20:55Some of this plaster is coming off quite easily, which is good,
20:58but actually a lot of it has been welded on over the years,
21:01so, yeah, I think it's going to take a bit of time.
21:05Today, JB's hoping it will be a quicker job repairing the gap in the wall.
21:12I think I will be able to fill some of this gap from the inside,
21:16but there might be more to be done outside.
21:19So for that, I'm going to use a safety harness, just in case.
21:22It's not going very far, it shouldn't be dangerous,
21:25but it's just, you know, extra safety when you're working at height.
21:28JB actually doesn't mind going out on the roof.
21:31I worry every time because I always kind of get stressed
21:34when he goes out onto the roof,
21:36but when you own a property like this,
21:38we can't always call roofers in for small jobs,
21:41so we end up being quite self-sufficient,
21:43and he's very skilled and he's always safe,
21:45so I just have to understand that that's just part of this job.
21:49How's that work?
21:57Good. Ready to go.
22:05JB will need to have his wits about him.
22:09Working 20 metres up from the ground.
22:14Someone needed a bad job here.
22:17I can see the gap between the two stones.
22:21I think this is where the water is running off.
22:24I wonder if it's because this has been squashed.
22:27The water is probably splashing everywhere now.
22:30And over time, the water running down must have worn out the joint.
22:35So there's a bit of pointing to be done, but it's not too bad.
22:39I should be able to do it from here, so it's good.
22:43It's a promising sign.
22:45While JB starts patching up,
22:49Erin's moved on to repairing one of the old window frames.
22:54We're basically just doing each window as they come,
22:56and whatever problems come my way, I'll try and solve them.
23:01All these jobs take a lot longer than you think,
23:04and even though there's only five windows,
23:07which is better than our turret, which had ten,
23:10still five windows when all the putty is rotted,
23:13the bottoms are not in good condition,
23:15you need to sand and paint them.
23:17These little jobs are always long jobs, but we're used to that now.
23:23Erin might not be making much headway, but JB's having better luck.
23:29It's mostly there now, so it was relatively quick, it turns out.
23:33I just pointed it out, but hopefully no more water ingress.
23:40Famous last words.
23:44MUSIC
23:50Ooh! Done!
23:52Oh, well done.
23:54I can't see daylight anymore, so that's a win.
23:56That's a progress, yes.
23:58I just need a cosmetic joint here on the inside,
24:00but more importantly, the outside is fixed,
24:02so the water should not run in from now on, so...
24:06Yeah.
24:08Well, one job partially done. Exactly.
24:11A few more hundred to go, but, you know, we're making progress.
24:15It's only day one today, so well done.
24:17Oh, thank you.
24:19JB's firmly in Erin's good books,
24:22but with the rest of the tower to get in shape,
24:25it might not last for long.
24:33Coming up...
24:35Paul starts to feel the heat.
24:37It looks like the place is on fire.
24:39While John gambles with a £12,000 bath...
24:43This is crazy.
24:45Hey!
24:54..in south-west France...
24:58It's a new day and we're going to move a bath.
25:01Whoopee!
25:03..Carmen, John and friend Tim...
25:05Well done.
25:07..are about to move their expensive £12,000 bath
25:11up to the first floor en suite.
25:15Good.
25:19With John happy with the plan, it's the moment of truth.
25:24Good luck. We're going to do this.
25:27Let's go.
25:30That's fine.
25:32Which side do you want me?
25:35Just a little bit at a time?
25:37Yeah.
25:39Lift it a bit.
25:46This is crazy.
25:48OK.
25:50It's on my foot.
25:52Careful.
25:55OK, you can help lift it as well, Carmen.
25:58One, two, three.
26:00Got over that big knobble.
26:03Oh, dear. Scary, this is.
26:05Breathe.
26:07And... OK.
26:09Wait a minute, wait a minute.
26:15Oh, got it.
26:17I've got one more rung. Hang on.
26:19You go down. With a cloth.
26:21You get a cloth.
26:23The challenge now is getting it over the rail.
26:27Let me wipe your brow, you're sweating.
26:30You OK?
26:32No.
26:34We get to here, and then...
26:36I come.
26:38OK.
26:40How's it?
26:46OK.
26:48OK?
26:50Woo-hoo!
26:52OK.
26:54Hey!
26:56Whoa!
26:58We did it.
27:00I think I'm sweating a little bit here.
27:02That was a bit nerve-wracking.
27:04I'm so happy.
27:06But I just want to make sure it's not damaged.
27:08It'll be your end if there's any damage, Jon.
27:10There's no damage at all.
27:12Beautiful.
27:14With no harm done, it's been a triumph.
27:17Now their pride and joy just needs putting into place.
27:23Woo!
27:25I love it. It's so big.
27:27Wow.
27:29Was that a sweaty moment, Jon?
27:31It's been a sweaty week thinking about it.
27:33Actually, I'm really relieved.
27:35I was a nervous wreck, and I'm not normally a nervous wreck,
27:37but this was so precious.
27:39Wow.
27:41It's been good.
27:43Looking forward to a bath.
27:45It's been a momentous day.
27:47Cheers.
27:49They've battled obstacles and fear of heights,
27:53but they still don't yet have a fully functioning bathroom.
28:04In Brittany, at Moulin du Cuenon,
28:08Donna and Paul are starting on the jeet
28:11they need to have ready in two months.
28:14We're obviously going to replace the doors and the windows in here.
28:18We're going to have like a galley, L-shaped galley kitchen in here.
28:23A door through there.
28:25And this will be a lounge.
28:29And then this will be the bedroom.
28:31And a window there, so you can literally lay in bed
28:34and kind of look right out at the view there.
28:39There's so much to do,
28:41but first they need to create another doorway
28:44to make space for the kitchen.
28:47It would have been ideal to reuse the door,
28:49but it's just unfortunately in the wrong position,
28:51so I'm going to just erect the scaffold now
28:53and then we can mark the top lintel
28:55and then see if my saw starts.
28:58It's an extra job Paul wasn't expecting,
29:02but Donna's in charge of the floor plan.
29:05He's only happy when he's demolishing something.
29:08That's not true.
29:10I'm more happy when I'm demolishing something.
29:14As a former construction boss,
29:17Paul certainly had plenty of practice.
29:22WHIRRING
29:28I'll view it from a safe distance.
29:31It's so dusty in there.
29:33I don't envy him that task at all.
29:36It looks like the place is on fire.
29:38There's so much smoke coming out of there.
29:46Donna has a little challenge of her own.
29:49In their epic mill project, Next Door,
29:52as she's eager to see if anything's worth salvaging.
29:57I want to try and retain as much of the mill's history
30:01as I possibly can,
30:03so I'm kind of working my way through each floor,
30:06seeing what I can see,
30:08think of ideas on how I can use them.
30:15These have caught my eye.
30:17These were part of a huge cupboard
30:20that was ceiling to floor,
30:22and these have the most wonderful contraption
30:26on the back of them.
30:28I have an idea they may go in the bar in the house,
30:33so you can hang things from them.
30:35They're really quirky, and I like quirky.
30:41There's obviously lots of belts here.
30:44Some of them are just the plain belts,
30:46but some of them have these wonderful little catcher pockets on.
30:50I can imagine something like that on a wall in the terrace,
30:54you know, with maybe plants or something in here
30:58draping out over them.
31:00Once we can kind of get them out and get them power washed,
31:04I think they'll be great.
31:06Donna's imagination is starting to take hold,
31:10but with the mill a total wreck
31:13and the Gite just a building site,
31:16they'll have their hands full for a long time to come.
31:26Over in western France,
31:29work on Erin's arts and crafts studio has ground to a halt.
31:34Today, with JB, she's off in search of inspiration for the space.
31:41And luckily, they don't have to go too far,
31:44as one of their neighbours owns the prestigious and historic
31:48Château de Terre-Neuve.
31:52This stunning Renaissance-style property
31:55inspired the design of their own castle.
32:00It has 50 majestic rooms
32:03and was once the home of famous 19th-century French artist
32:07Octave de Rochebrune,
32:09whose family still own it today.
32:15Oh, wow, all those turrets.
32:17It's absolutely beautiful.
32:19We are not adding statues to ours, darling.
32:22Don't you like all these statues, all the muses around?
32:25They're great, but beyond DIY level.
32:32Bonjour. Bonjour. How are you?
32:34Good, thank you.
32:36To give them a tour of the château is Viscount Guillaume
32:40and Viscountess Victoria,
32:43who are significant art collectors.
32:48Oh, wow, this is beautiful.
32:50So here we are in the Grand Salon,
32:53where you have a few pieces coming from Chambord,
32:56the castle of Chambord.
32:58Wow, so a real royal château. Yeah.
33:01See those suns? We have ten suns in this room.
33:05Yeah, that's wonderful.
33:07Those suns were inside the bedroom of Louis XIV.
33:10Wow, so the king's bedroom.
33:13Part of the king's bedroom is here.
33:17What history, it's amazing.
33:20Let's go, please. Oh, thank you.
33:23The château is a treasure trove
33:25and most of the rooms were designed by their famous ancestor artist.
33:31Wow, this is absolutely magnificent, the ceiling in here.
33:35So here we are in the, of course now it's a dining room.
33:39Basically, he transformed this room
33:41and used it as a workshop until 1866.
33:44And I can't believe that this room was designed
33:47as an art and craft room as well.
33:49Yeah, very much a different vibe to my arts and crafts room.
33:53I can't imagine how much work it must have taken
33:56to install a ceiling as fabulous as this.
34:00Above your head right now, you have more or less nine tonnes of stone.
34:05Nine tonnes of stone.
34:07It does make our project of tiny room seem much more simple.
34:12We don't have to deal with nine tonnes worth of...
34:15No, and we won't.
34:17It's absolutely beautiful. I think you can get inspired by it.
34:21It's certainly given them plenty to think about
34:25and the Viscount has also preserved Rochebrune's final art studio.
34:31So this was where he was working and producing his work?
34:34Yeah. Wow. I mean, his talent is incredible.
34:37I mean, absolutely. It's so fine, isn't it?
34:39It looks like a picture. It really is almost photographic.
34:42Yeah. It's absolutely stunning.
34:44This vaulted ceiling is so surprising.
34:47It's really wonderful.
34:49I can see why this beautiful light and airy place
34:52was a perfect studio for him.
34:54Although JB's probably a bit anxious.
34:56Yeah, I'm starting to worry now, really, of, like,
34:59what ideas you will come up with.
35:01Yeah, I'm not sure we can emulate this amazing vaulted ceiling.
35:05Good, good, because we can't.
35:08With the tour now over, Erin and JB have lots to ponder.
35:14Saturday turnover is absolutely splendid.
35:17It's amazing. It's really inspiring.
35:19They're definitely a model that we're going to try to emulate.
35:22Maybe a little intimidating, but really, really incredible to see,
35:26so we feel very privileged to be able to have a look into this world.
35:31It's been a worthwhile visit.
35:33Now Erin and JB have to formulate a plan for their own chateau.
35:43Still to come...
35:45John has another mountain to climb.
35:48Whoever invented spiral staircases?
35:51They're the worst things in the world.
35:54And Donna and Paul get an unwelcome surprise.
35:58It's going to kill us. Not happy.
36:08In Brittany, in northern France...
36:11Let's seem to be cautious.
36:14..Paul and Donna are beginning to make progress in the Gite.
36:19You kind of start to see your vision materialising a bit.
36:26So this is quite exciting.
36:38Yeah.
36:39Into the bedroom.
36:41The new doorway.
36:44It's ideal, isn't it? Yeah, it's all right.
36:46Well, it'll be good when all the rubble's kind of gone, won't it?
36:51Donna needn't worry, as there's a ready-made disposal unit.
36:57There's a huge hole. I mean, huge.
37:00We couldn't see anything in it other than it being a hole.
37:03Which is great for rubble.
37:07Safe's doing runs to the tip.
37:09It does, yeah.
37:10It's all right. It's made relatively short work of that.
37:13Yeah.
37:16You're certainly not going in the house looking like that.
37:19I am in the house looking like this.
37:21You're going to stay it.
37:23Gosh, eat omelette and eggs, sweetheart. Omelette and eggs.
37:29There's no time to rest,
37:31as today they have a big delivery of materials to unload
37:35for the next part of the build.
37:37So we've got some block, sand, cement, insulation,
37:41plasterboard rails, plasterboard.
37:43I'm hoping I can at least get it partially in here.
37:49Can you push it? I don't know. Probably not.
37:53Can you push it from the other end in? I doubt it. It'll bust.
37:58I'm going to be busy this afternoon, so...
38:02Every time.
38:05Every time.
38:07It's going to take us four hours to move everything.
38:11It's going to kill us.
38:14Not happy.
38:16Well, there's no point in fretting about it.
38:18I mean, it's not going to get it any further, so...
38:21It's a job they could do without.
38:26We should be used to it by now.
38:28While Donna's filling up the outbuilding,
38:31Paul tackles another load at the jeet.
38:36The only consolation...
38:40..is that they're hollow.
38:46Urgh!
38:48Having fun?
38:50No!
38:52I look like Arnold Schwarzenegger after I've moved all this.
38:56Being seasoned pros, they manage to make light work of it.
39:04Urgh!
39:06Gosh, the arms are tired.
39:12We haven't done bad for time, actually, have we?
39:14It's probably taken us about an hour and a quarter, to be honest.
39:17Really? That's not too bad.
39:19That's not bad at all. Gosh.
39:21Shall I phone up to bring some more?
39:23I'm nearly too tired to talk.
39:26It's been a good day,
39:28and with Donna and Paul now having the building blocks in place,
39:32it will need to be full steam ahead
39:35to get the jeet ready in the next two months.
39:47Down in south-west France,
39:49Let's test that.
39:51Oui!
39:53It's very bright. I love it.
39:55This is really nice.
39:57John and Carmen are close to finishing off their first bathroom.
40:01This is the exciting bit.
40:03Now putting everything in and making it look pretty.
40:06There's been no expense spared,
40:08but there's still a few jobs left to do.
40:11I'm just unpacking the taps for the bath,
40:14which are rather lovely.
40:16They're antique brass, and they're all handmade.
40:21They're pretty special.
40:23They sit on these poles, which go up the side of the bath.
40:29We've owned the chateau for a year and a half now.
40:32We've had cold showers and rain,
40:34and we've had a lot of rain,
40:36and we've had a lot of rain,
40:38We've owned the chateau for a year and a half now.
40:41We've had cold showers outside, no electricity, no water,
40:45so to get this bath in is going to be absolute luxury.
40:51The only missing piece of the jigsaw
40:54is a chateau-sized antique mirror.
40:57Carmen thought this would be easy just to get up the stairs,
41:00but after the bath, I think it's actually quite difficult.
41:03The problem is it's got a mirror in it,
41:05so hauling it round the staircase with the mirror in
41:08is all I had to break the mirror.
41:10I think we should just take it out, just safe.
41:12You'd better not break this, taking it out.
41:14Hold the glass. I've got it all.
41:16Voila.
41:18Right, I'm going to just take this upstairs.
41:21Be careful, cos it'd be easy to bang it on the corners.
41:25I just think John complicates things sometimes.
41:28Taking the whole glass out of this frame
41:31and then putting it back in again.
41:33I don't want seven years' bad luck.
41:36Just take it one step at a time.
41:39Whoever invented spiral staircases?
41:42They're the worst things in the world.
41:45Just take it steady all the way.
41:47And we're up.
41:50Having avoided a catastrophe...
41:53I got it. Got it?
41:55You sure? Yes. You happy there? I got it.
41:58..John's just hoping the frame will be plain sailing.
42:02Shall we just go over the top here now? OK.
42:04There's the rest on there.
42:06I've got it here. You got it? Yeah.
42:08I'm going to just put it over my head and then come up behind it, OK?
42:11You got it? Level.
42:15That's it.
42:19Told you it'd be easy, didn't I?
42:21It's been another successful mission.
42:25And with the mirror put back in, they're almost done.
42:30Very good. We'll be able to see ourselves sat in the bar.
42:33That's a scary thought.
42:35Now it just needs some last-minute finishing touches.
42:46Wow. Looks fantastic.
42:48It's perfect, John.
42:50It's taken three months to turn this run-down basic space
42:56into a majestic and stylish bathroom.
43:00With lavish lighting, tasteful decor and decorative antiques,
43:06the space feels grand and opulent,
43:10while the crowning glory of their stunning copper bath
43:14makes it fit for kings and queens.
43:18I've got some champagne. I want to get in.
43:21And John and Carmen waste no time in trying it out.
43:26Ooh, it's so big!
43:29It's huge! It's huge!
43:31I haven't sat in it yet.
43:33Look at that. Wow. It's massive.
43:35That's incredible.
43:44Cheers.
43:46I can't believe we've done it.
43:49It's just amazing, isn't it?
43:51I'm so proud of you getting up that ladder with my precious bath.
43:56It's a really important milestone for us, isn't it?
43:59Because this is going to be our house,
44:01so this is the start of our transition into proper French life.
44:06Yeah, it means we're going to actually be able to live here
44:10in comfort and style.
44:12This is what I call château life.
44:15It's been a successful few days.
44:18But now John and Carmen's dream is inching ever closer.
44:28Next time...
44:30Oh, God, next. What's wrong?
44:32..a château owner's vision turns to dust.
44:35It's like a cracker.
44:37JB starts to feel the strain.
44:40I can feel the burn in the shoulders.
44:42OK, just move it slightly up.
44:44Can I put them down? Yeah, you can put them down.
44:46So?
44:48And Donna and Paul get cracking with the windows.
44:52Ooh!
44:54Slowly, slowly!
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