Escape to the Chateau DIY (2018–2021): Season 2, Episode 2 - Episode #2.2 - full transcript
Tim battles to get a fence built fo keep their 25 sheep from getting too near their chateau that they will be renting out. He gets his Dad in to come to the rescue. Another couple are still checking out which chateau to buy. Angel teaches a woman how to gild a metal wall drape holder with bronze leaf to give a touch of luxury to a bedroom, and the woman will apply her new skill to gild the exterior of a cast iron bathtub back at her chateau, 400 miles away, that she and her husband have owned since 2004.
Dick Strawbridge, voice-over:
I'm Dick Strawbridge.
Along with my wife Angel
and our two children,
we spent the last 4 years
turning an abandoned chateau
into our dream home.
Dick: No way.
Dick, voice-over:
It's not just where we live.
Angel: And you're
in charge of kitchen.
Dick, voice-over:
It's where we work.
Angel: We're in business.
Dick, voice-over: And it turns
out we're not the only Brits
who have crossed the channel
for the chateau life.
[Bell rings]
Woman: Dinner time.
Dick, voice-over:
Now Angel and I are back,
guiding more owners
on the chateau adventure.
Dick: How big is
your pot of gold?
Woman: Not big enough,
I'm afraid.
Angel: If you stand
from where I'm standing,
I think it looks quite lovely.
Woman: Go, go, go.
Dick, voice-over: We'll work
with some familiar faces...
[Woman laughs]
Woman 2: Welcome.
Dick, voice-over: And some
who are new to chateau life,
as they battle to renovate
their homes...
Dick: Come the next
nuclear holocaust,
this is what would be
what's left.
[Cork pops]
Dick, voice-over: And make them
work as businesses.
Woman: You've got everything
down on the list?
Man: No.
Man 2: Ta-da!
Dick, voice-over:
There'll be ups and downs.
Woman: This glass breaks,
there's going to be
more euros in my swear jar.
[Crack]
Dick, voice-over:
But however hard the going gets,
[Clattering]
for these plucky Brits,
their homes really are
their castles.
[All talking at once]
Dick, voice-over:
Today, the countdown is on
to the summer season.
Woman: How are we going to get
things finished on time
because we've got really short
period of time
to prepare the house.
Dick, voice-over: And things get
heated under the French sun.
Man: Put it in the hole.
Just put it in the hole, please.
Man 2: [Indistinct].
Dick, voice-over: One couple
continue the search
for their dream chateau.
Man: View of the church,
which is not a bad thing.
Woman: No.
It's beautiful, isn't it?
It's a lovely church.
Dick, voice-over:
As they look to ring
the changes in their lives.
[Church bells ringing]
Woman: That might get
on my nerves, too. [Laughs]
Dick, voice-over:
Preparations for one chateau's
first-ever guests...
Man: Hang pictures,
hang lights, long candle.
I've got to do the candles.
Dick, voice-over: Push
the owners to breaking point.
Woman: Mmm! I'm really stressed,
actually, yeah, so...[sighs]
Dick, voice-over:
And Angel offers some
bath restoration advice.
Angel: This is bling, all right?
Woman: Is it really?
Angel: Yeah.
Woman: Bling is good.
Dick, voice-over:
If its owners can avoid
smashing it
to smithereens first.
Woman: Aah! See, the whole
thing's going--oh, my gosh.
Dick, voice-over:
All over France, in chateaus of
every shape and size,
Brits like Angel and I
are trying to turn
a profit.
But even when you're
up and running,
the work never ends.
This is Chateau Monteil,
built around 150 years ago
and boasting 20 rooms.
It's home to Tim and Krys
and their one-year-old son Owen.
Krys: It makes you
feel proud to be able to say
this is ours.
It's like what you see
in Disney cartoons.
Dick, voice-over: Set in
the Dordogne, Tim and Krys
bought the chateau
for 380 grand,
and opened it
as a boutique B&B.
Tim: We have worked really hard
to get it to where it is.
And now
it's just spectacular.
Dick, voice-over: This year,
so they can spend
more time as a family,
they're re-launching their
business, changing from B&B
to letting the whole place out
for weekly holiday rentals.
Tim: We can relax
knowing that the guests, they're
having a great holiday
looking after themselves.
And we can have a great
time as a family.
Krys: Enjoy each other,
especially the baby, because
he's growing by the day.
Dick, voice-over:
To prepare the chateau
for the rental market,
so far they've added
a swimming pool...
and balls court.
Krys: Owen, come back.
Dick, voice-over: But with the
first booking coming up fast,
the rest of the 7-acre grounds
have barely been touched.
Tim: We've got about a week
until we start receiving
guests sufficiently,
so, there are all sort of
last-minute jobs that really
need taken of.
You know, people would expect
everything to be
neat and tidy, and hedges
to be trimmed,
and everything just
to look correct.
[Machine whirring]
Dick, voice-over:
While the gardener gets stuck
into the laurel hedge,
Tim's not resting on his.
Tim: Baa!
Dick, voice-over:
He's turning his attention
to the chateau's 25-strong herd
of Cameroon sheep.
Tim: We wanted something
to look after the land.
They're very, very, very
tough, and very, very,
very easy.
That big fellow there,
he's my favorite.
He's so friendly.
The chickens ride around on him.
He's just--he's so docile.
The kids feed them.
The guests will love them.
Dick, voice-over:
The guests may love them,
but that doesn't mean
they want to share
the swimming pool with one.
Tim: So, we've got a fence
that separates the sheep field
from the chateau terrace
and everything.
The sheep have had a bit of
an exciting winter.
They've been pushing the wire
down and climbing in
and we keep having to come out
and round them up
and send them back home.
[Baa]
So, if we can put a new
fencing, kind of move it
further away from the pool so
that we don't have to worry
about the sheep escaping.
Dick, voice-over:
But it's not just the sheep
keeping Tim and Krys busy.
Krys: What do you want, Owen?
Mommy needs
to clean the house.
It's quite difficult to finish
things because he requires
a lot of my attention because
I'm still breastfeeding.
So, he's very attached to me.
He doesn't want to let me be
far away from him
for a long period of time,
so, I really need
an extra pair of hands
to help us with the cleaning of
the house, preparing the house,
so that I can do what
I need to do, and I don't
have to, like, be stressed
all the time.
Dick, voice-over: Back outside,
Tim's using a special bit of kit
for the hard graft of putting up
his 150-meter long fence.
Tim: It should be
very quick and straightforward.
Dick, voice-over: The machine
will bore the 100 or so
half-meter-deep holes
for the fence posts.
[Machine whirring]
But he soon hits trouble.
[Whirring slows]
Tim: It feels like
it'll only go so deep
and then you've got to navigate
around things.
[Motor starts]
You know, we're right in
the valley, so,
a million years ago,
this was the river,
and it was all stone, you know,
so, it's very stony.
[Machine whirring]
Dick, voice-over: Well, that's
one down, 99 to go.
[Machine whirring]
Tim: If I've got
to do 100 holes
and each hole's
going to take 5 minutes,
I could be here for a while.
Well, some are going in
and some, like, it just sort of
goes round and round
and round, but it
doesn't, like, bore down.
I'll have to fill each little
hole with some water, see if
it softens it or
something now, don't I?
Dick, voice-over: Just 50 miles
to the southwest is gorgeous
19th-century Chateau Caillac.
It's home to outdoor
enthusiasts Angela and Steve.
Steve: I think everybody
we spoke to thought we were
crazy to buy a chateau.
You know, it's masses of work.
You know, it's going to be
a money pit.
But it's an adventure.
Dick, voice-over: Located in
Nouvelle-Aquitaine
on the bank of the River Lot,
Steve and Angela bought
the 20-room chateau
for 800,000 pounds in 2004
and sold their home in the U.K.
Steve: We're very, very lucky
that you can either
have a chateau in France
or you could have
a one-bedroom housing flat
in London.
Angela: A flat in London, yeah.
Steve: And...
Angela: We chose the chateau.
Steve: And we chose the chateau.
Dick, voice-over:
Over the past 14 years,
they've paid for
ongoing renovations
by letting the chateau out
for the summer holidays
while they
vacate back to their
houseboat in the U.K.
Angela:
Our boat would fit inside
our kitchen,
yeah, literally.
Another reason for our friends
to think that we're crazy.
Steve: Yeah.
Angela: Ha ha!
Dick, voice-over:
Angela and Steve have 5 years
left on their mortgage
and are in the final push
to be debt-free.
Steve: I suppose our objective
is to move into
doing weddings here.
The weddings is probably
a 5-year plan, one or two.
Angela: We've always had
a 5-year plan from 2004.
We're still--we're still
in it, just rolling on.
Ha ha!
Dick, voice-over: To kickstart
the latest plan,
Angela and Steve
are refurbishing
one of the bedrooms.
Angela: We're going to make
a new honeymoon suite
in one of the existing rooms
and putting in
a cast iron bath in there.
Dick, voice-over: Guests are
coming to stay in the room
in just a few weeks,
so, they need to get busy.
Steve: OK.
Angela: We've got
a screen to take down
and we got an old bath to
dismantle and get out as well.
Steve: How are we getting
this out then?
Angela: If we get the skirt off,
we might be able
to see how it's
connected to the floor.
Steve: Right.
Let's do that then.
Angela: Dun dun dun.
Steve: So, that isn't
too bad, is it?
Angela: Oh, it is,
it's just coming out.
Yay!
Steve: There we go.
Angela: Ooh.
Dick, voice-over:
So far, so good,
but getting the new
150-kilogram
cast iron bath in
is going to be tricky.
Luckily, Steve has
a cunning plan.
Angela: Steve has come up with
this idea of trying to get it in
through the window
using our cherry picker.
Dick, voice-over:
Really? Tell me more.
Angela: You really
can't have a chateau
without a cherry picker.
Uh, or that's what Steve's
told me, anyway.
Dick, voice-over: I should have
a word with Angel.
I've always wanted
one of these.
I can't wait to see how
he intends to do this.
Angela: He knows
what he's doing.
He should do anyway.
[Laughs]
That's what he tells me.
[Laughs]
Steve: I have to try to
remember how to use this now.
Are you ready?
Angela: OK.
Steve: Going to go up. OK.
Angela: It'll end in tears.
Come on. Come on.
Hey!
Steve: Hey!
Dick, voice-over: Old bath out.
Now to get the new bath in.
I've lugged enough of these
things around to know
they weigh a ton.
Angela: We're trying to work out
how to actually
attach the bath
to the cherry picker
and be able to maneuver it,
get it in the room.
Steve: It's a dilemma.
I think I'm a little bit
unhappy about
strapping that bath underneath
this and lifting it on.
I think--I think there's
too much risk in doing that.
It could slide down.
Angela: It's not going
to get it done
just sitting, talking about it.
Dick, voice-over: The bath cost
almost 2,000 pounds.
So, if Steve's plan goes south,
this could be
a very pricey mistake.
Angela: We knew it wasn't
going to be simple
or straightforward.
Steve: It never is.
Angela: Who said we needed
a cast iron bath in that room?
Please work.
Please work.
Dick, voice-over: That doesn't
look very stable at all.
Angela: Oh! Whoa! Whoa!
Oh! Steve, the whole thing
is going--oh, my God.
Dick, voice-over: This is
15th-century Chateau Mareuil,
which South Londoners
Belinda and Lee
bought 3 years ago
for 378,000 pounds.
Belinda: Lee always had
an ambition to own a chateau.
Lee: And she said,
"Right, that's what we're
going to do then."
Belinda: Yeah.
Lee: And she held me to it.
This was one of
the first ones we saw.
Belinda: For me, it's got a very
fairytale-like quality to it.
A bit small
but perfectly formed.
Dick, voice-over: The chateau
lies in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine
region of France and has
5 buildings in its grounds,
including a castle keep
and a small cottage
that Belinda and Lee
now call home.
Lee: When we first decided
to come to France,
our dream and ambition
was to be able
to spend some of our time here
and some of our time
in England.
But place is so attractive
and so relaxing,
we've ended up spending
a little bit
more of our time each year.
Belinda: Every day.
Lee: Until now, we're in
the situation where we spend
nearly all of our time here.
Dick, voice-over: Having spent
around 120,000 pounds
renovating the main chateau
as a luxury holiday let
and adding a swimming pool,
this year, they're welcoming
their first-ever guests.
Belinda: We feel very fortunate
in that we do have
a two-week booking this summer
in peak holiday season.
We didn't expect to get
any bookings this year.
So, we're very happy that
one family have taken a bit of
a shot in the dark
and then booked two weeks
with us this August.
Dick, voice-over: Their guests
are due in a few weeks,
but chateau preparations
are way behind schedule.
Belinda: So, we've been back
to the U.K. for a month
and we were expecting
our second grandchild.
And the grandchild, a little
boy called Max, arrived
two weeks late, so, yeah,
so, we've had a crazy time.
Also, our house in the U.K.
is now rented and we had
literally, I think,
9 days' notice
to get it totally cleared.
The contents of our house,
most of it's
come down to France.
We just arrived back here
to a pile of chaos, really.
Dick, voice-over:
If that wasn't enough,
while they were away,
the chateau vegetable garden
had a visit
from some curious locals.
Belinda: So, we had
an email from a neighbor.
"Just to let you know
that some cows
have basically trampled
all over your garden."
I was almost in tears
when I heard it.
In our advertising, we do
mention that guests are free
to help themselves
to the vegetable garden.
So, I'm hoping there's
something for them to help
themselves to.
Oh, I can't see any cow pats.
I think somebody must have
cleared the cow pats up.
Oh, there's a tree
broken there.
Oh, that's a shame.
This was a lovely arbor of
espaliered apple trees here
and that one's completely gone,
which is a shame.
They take quite a long time to
grow, so, that's--won't be
replaced quickly.
I can see some rhubarbs
been trampled.
Just wondering where
the cow pats have gone.
Maybe someone's
already used them.
Maybe that's why the tomatoes
are looking so good.
I'm just really glad that they
didn't get into the pool
because that would've been
really horrible and, you know,
potentially fatal,
really, for the cows.
Apparently, I'm told
you need a crane
to get a cow out of a pool.
[Laughs]
Dick, voice-over:
Garden checked, Belinda and Lee
can press on with tidying
the main chateau
in time for the paying guests.
Lee: There's a lot of stuff
in here I've
completely forgotten we had.
It's a huge, daunting
task, actually.
Belinda: Lee and I have got to
thoroughly clean
all the rooms in here,
hang pictures,
curtains, make beds.
We've got to place ornaments
in the right places.
Dick, voice-over: Thankfully,
Lee has some family friends
to assist with
the heavy-lifting.
Lee: We're very lucky
to have some help.
Would make us--oh,
and actually imagine
doing this on my own and I don't
think I could've done it.
The sun's picking up now
and I'm feeling rather hot.
Dick, voice-over:
In the kitchen,
Belinda's also
feeling the heat.
Belinda: Goodness me.
Do you know where
that came from?
Don't you think that's mine?
I've not been in this kitchen
for several months.
There's a huge amount to do
because I've got to make this
kitchen ready for
our visitors.
It's a bit crazy
and dirty, and--yeah.
There'll be some
throwing away down here.
One beer glass
and two old glasses.
Oh, goodness me, look.
I've only got 3 mugs.
That's no good, is it?
We can have 8 people in here.
So, I need to make sure I've
got 8 of everything, and it's
not looking like that at all.
Television randomly
on the table.
And I've got all this rubbish
here to sort out as well.
[Exhales]
Dick, voice-over:
100 miles down the road
at Chateau Monteil,
chateau owners Tim and Krys
are also racing
to be ready for their first
guests of the summer
in a week's time.
Krys: How are we going to
get things finished on time
because we've got really short
period of time
to prepare the house.
Dick, voice-over: Today, Tim's
trying to put up a new fence
to keep the sheep
away from the chateau.
But the sun-baked ground
is causing problems.
Tim: Just sort of goes
round and round and round,
but it doesn't, like, bore down.
I'll have to fill each little
hole with some water, see if
it softens it or
something now, don't I?
Dick, voice-over:
Time to call in the cavalry,
and it's dad Rob
to the reluctant rescue.
Rob: So, I don't
do this very often.
Usually, my experience is
lying at the pool
and having a drink.
Very good at that.
Tim: Brilliant.
I'll try that.
Dick, voice-over: Hopefully,
Tim's plan has done the trick.
[Machine whirring]
Hmm, doesn't look like it.
Tim: So, I don't know.
It could be
I'm doing it wrong.
It could be that
the ground's too hard.
It can't be like this
all the way, can it?
[Machine whirring]
Dick, voice-over: With Tim
persevering, it's down to Rob
to salvage the posts
from the old fence.
Rob: Right. Let see if
we can get these out.
All right.
I don't know how he likes
enjoying all this stuff.
He never stops doing it,
improving this,
improving that.
I just like doing nothing.
Tim: I'm hoping that the posts
are coming out easy enough
that we can reuse them.
It will save me
one euro 50 a post
if we can reuse them.
Dick, voice-over: Look after
the pennies and the pounds
look after themselves,
I always say.
And it looks like Rob
is having some success.
[Crack]
Rob: Oh, dear.
Dick, voice-over:
Maybe I spoke too soon.
Rob: That's going to
get down well.
Tim: Are all the posts OK?
Rob: Apart from the ones
that have crumbled.
Tim: How many is that?
Rob: Um, two.
Tim: Two?
Rob: I haven't pulled
the rest out yet.
Tim: It's not going as easy
as I'd like it to.
We may be working
into the night.
Dick, voice-over: At Chateau
Caillac on the banks
of the River Lot,
longtime chateau owners
Angela and Steve
are refurbishing one of
their bedrooms
as a honeymoon suite.
Angela: Dun dun dun.
Steve: So, that isn't
too bad, is it?
Angela: Oh, it is,
it's just coming out.
Yay!
Steve: There we go.
Dick, voice-over:
The centerpiece of the room
will be a new cast iron bath.
Angela: Aah! Steve, the whole
thing's going--oh, my God.
Dick, voice-over: With calamity
averted, Steve's plan to hoist
the bath up to the first floor
using the cherry picker
seems to be working.
Angela: Please, please,
do not fall off.
Dick, voice-over: But there's
soon another challenge.
Angela: So, now we've actually
got the bath
at the correct height
at the window.
Now the dilemma is
how do we get it
in the window and then down
onto the floor level.
Steve: So, that's actually
not bad, I think.
Angela: So, how do we get--
[indistinct].
Steve: Can we join--take
the straps off these...
Angela: How are we going to
get it from there to there
before you unstrap that?
Steve: Slide.
I'll slide easily.
Angela: This could really,
really be bad.
Steve: OK.
Are you ready?
1, 2, 3.
Angela: Oh, hang on. Uhh.
Steve: Are we in?
Angela: We are. [Laughs]
Oh, we're off
the cherry picker.
I'm not sure we're in.
Dick, voice-over: Nicely done.
Angela: In a room, you need
to have a focal point,
and the bath is going to be it.
The bath is going to
be stunning.
Steve: I've got it
in the room for you
and you can move it around
how you want.
That easy plumbing
because all that pipework
can stay behind that,
you won't really see it,
because you--I think
it looks symmetrically
in front of the window.
Angela: I don't think I can
make a decision right now.
Steve: Probably if I gave you
a gin and tonic,
then you'll have--you'd probably
be able to make a decision.
Angela: Oh.
Dick, voice-over: Angela has
big plans to customize
her cast iron bath.
So, for inspiration and help
with the next step,
she's off to see an expert.
Angel: [Indistinct]. Wow.
Dick, voice-over: She's made
the almost 400-mile journey
to see Angel at our place
in the Pays De La Loire.
Angela: Absolutely stunning.
Angela: Hi! [Laughs]
Lovely to meet you.
Welcome.
Angela: Enchante.
Angel: Enchante. Lovely.
Can I take something?
Angela: It's not very heavy,
but you can take it if you like.
Angel: You want a cuppa?
Angela: I would absolutely
love a cuppa.
Angel: How long have you had
your chateau?
Angela: 2004 we bought
the chateau.
That's 14 years ago.
Angel: Whoa, it is amazing.
Angela: And this particular room
is ready for a refit.
And I said to Steve, "I'm sorry.
I want another cast iron
bath, please."
Angel: OK, yeah.
They're tricky.
Oh, yeah, yeah.
Angela: So heavy.
Angel: They're so heavy.
I don't know, but Dick does.
[Laughter]
Angela: And I just thought, how
can I make it a bit different?
I think I'd like it gold.
Angel: OK. Yeah.
Angela: Like you do.
Angel: Yeah. Exactly.
What I love about
the gold leaf is you get
a texture, don't you, to it,
and it's--and it does
feel a bit more
special and indulgent.
So, today is all
about the bling.
Angela: It's all about
the bling.
I obviously couldn't bring my
cast iron bath with me.
Angel: No. No.
Understood.
Angela: So, I thought
I'll bring something else,
which I'm planning to gold leaf.
It is something I picked up
at the car boot
for--which is actually
a fender, a fire fender.
Angel: Yeah.
Angela: It might not
look it now,
but this is going to be
a ciel de lit.
Angel: Oh, beautiful. OK.
So, you're going to have
fabric drapes
on either side?
That's lovely.
Dick, voice-over: A ciel de lit
is a curtain canopy
often placed above a bed,
perfect for a bit of
honeymoon suite luxury.
Angel: Right.
Want to come up
to my work, then?
Angela: Love to.
Angel: All right. Lovely.
Angela: Here's the gold,
and I also bought rose gold.
Angel: I've got this and I've
used it and this is bling.
All right?
Angela: Is it, really?
Bling is good.
Angel: So, what we're
going to need
to do first, because it's metal,
is just make sure
there's no grease on that side.
Angela: Just to make sure
the glue actually sticks.
Angel: Exactly.
Lovely.
Dick, voice-over:
With the surface clean...
Angel: OK.
Let's get set and go.
Angela: Get going.
Dick, voice-over: It's time
for the glue.
Angela: How thick are you
putting it on, Angel?
Angel: I'm putting on
quite a bit.
The trick is to make sure
that it's all covered
but not too much.
Angela: I feel it's already
going a bit tacky, don't you?
Angel: Yeah.
Angela: Steve doesn't
get involved in the decorating
side of things.
I come up with the ideas
about what I want,
he then has to find--fathom
a way of doing it.
Angel: So, you have
a very similar relationship
to Dick and I.
Angela: There you go.
I think--and Angel,
he rolls his eyes
at me thinking,
"What on earth
is going on here?"
Angel: Dick's first
answer to everything is no,
and then always late and he's
decided that it was his idea.
[Laughter]
Dick, voice-over: That's
a husband's prerogative.
Scottish couple David,
an engineer,
and art restorer Elaine
are right at the beginning
of their chateau adventure.
They're looking to swap
their city flat
for their very own
French castle.
Elaine: Our small apartment cost
more than what you can get
a chateau for in France.
David: Mm-hmm.
Elaine: And that's
when the ideas
started rolling, like, yes,
you could get
something spectacular.
Little bit of history.
David: And they don't make
houses like they used to.
I know it's a tired old phrase
but it's absolutely true.
Dick, voice-over: I joined them
on their first viewing.
There's a lot of
investment taken place here.
David: Mm-hmm.
Dick: That's why you pay
the price you pay.
Dick, voice-over: They have
700,000 pounds to spend
but were nervous about
paying top whack
for a fully renovated place.
Elaine: There's something
slightly terrifying about it.
Dick: But this is the reality
of a chateau.
Maybe that's what you're
coming to terms with.
Dick, voice-over:
Dave and Elaine then saw
an up-and-running
chateau holiday business.
Elaine: Oh, a great room.
This is...
David: It's got a nice feel.
Elaine: Yeah, it does.
It is sort of high on
our budget.
David: Yes, way up at the top
of the price list.
Dick, voice-over: Keen to view
a chateau that's
not going to break the bank,
Dave and Elaine have come to
Gouvix in Normandy
for their next viewing.
David: Oh, that's lovely.
Dick, voice-over: This place
offers something very different.
It's half the price and size
of the chateaus
they've seen so far.
David: It's fantastic.
I love the roof.
Dick, voice-over: Over to
the estate agent.
Woman: Hi. I'm Deborah.
Nice to meet you.
David: Hi. I'm Dave.
Dick, voice-over: 17th-century
Le Priori aux Gouvix
is an ex-priory next door
to the parish church.
On for 350 grand, and with
just 12 main rooms
and two acres of land,
it's pretty bijou
by chateau standards.
Elaine: Sometimes the size of
them is a bit scary.
Deborah: Absolutely.
Elaine: So, when I saw this
and it's a little bit smaller...
Deborah: Well manageable.
Elaine: Yes, exactly.
Dick, voice-over:
They're starting off downstairs
in the dining room.
David: Oh, there's
parquet flooring over there.
And that looks in
good condition.
A little bit of stained glass
in the corners
is a nice, little highlight.
Elaine: Then the original
glass as well.
You can see the ripple in it.
Deborah: Yes.
Elaine: It's nice.
David: Yeah.
So, Dick gave us some advice
that you never look
at the view,
always look at
the window frame,
because that's what you're
going to have to fix.
Elaine: Yeah.
Dick, voice-over:
Wise words even if
I do say so myself.
Elaine: Has there been
water damage along that wall
because I see some flaking
plaster and staining, flaking.
Deborah: No.
That's not water damage,
it's just--it is
an old property.
Part of the character. [Laughs]
[Church bells ringing]
David: There's the church bell.
Deborah: Yes.
Every hour. [Laughs]
Dick, voice-over:
Also part of the character.
David: Come on.
Elaine: This is a lovely
sitting room.
It's nice and cozy.
David: The nice thing is all of
the doors I've seen,
they don't seem to be rotted
or--if there is rotting,
very, very minor.
Deborah: Yeah.
No, these are fine but they
just need a little bit of
sanding down, painting.
David: I kind of enjoy
that work.
Deborah: Well, there we go.
David: Elaine's favorite tool
is an angle grinder
fitted with a sanding disc.
Elaine: Very handy [indistinct].
Deborah: Romance, yes. [Laughs]
OK.
Dick, voice-over: Upstairs,
there are 8 bedrooms,
all en-suite.
David: Oh, I love
the fireplace there.
There's...
Deborah: Yeah, it's
beautiful, isn't it?
Elaine: Oh, that is lovely.
Deborah: Yeah.
David: And the view
of the church,
which is not a bad view.
Deborah: No, it's
beautiful, isn't it?
It's a lovely church.
David: Well, let me have a look
at the window frames here.
Deborah: Yes. [Laughs]
David: I like it so far.
But there is a piece of me
that says,
no, no, go get
the big chateau
and the thing that,
needs rescuing,
because that's the romance.
So, I have to sort of balance
between the romance,
which I'd really like,
and then maybe
the good house to live with,
you know.
Elaine: It feels damp,
so, I'm not sure.
[Church bells ringing]
That might get
on my nerves, too. [Laughs]
Dick, voice-over:
Back in the Pays De La Loire,
at our place,
my Angel is giving Angela--
yes, even I'm getting
confused--a lesson in gilding.
Angel: I've got this
and I've used it
and this is bling.
Angela: Bling is good.
Dick, voice-over:
Angela plans to cover
the outside of a cast iron bath
in gold back at her own chateau.
But as it weighs a ton, she's
brought along a fire fender
that she wants to gold leaf
to practice on.
Angel: The trick is to make sure
that it's all covered
but not too, too much.
Dick, voice-over: The glue
needs to be almost dry
before you can start gilding.
So, there's an excuse
to take a cheeky look
at some of our baths.
Angela: Ta-da.
[Angel laughs]
So, this is my 100-year-old
cast iron bath.
This was incredibly damaged.
Angela: And then what--how did
you put that on?
Angel: I sprayed it.
So, this was
the specific spray
with the Glass Stone texture
in it.
It just covered over
all the imperfections.
Angela: It's fabulous.
I love the finish on it.
It's just gorgeous.
Angel: Now, I know that you're
going to love this bath,
but all I did was buy it.
It was the last suite
and I was just like,
"Dick, I've done up 3 baths."
Angela: Yes.
Buy me a new one.
Angel: Buy me a real bath
that is a copper bath
and, hey, presto.
Angela: Love it.
Dick, voice-over: Time to get
back to the gilding.
Angela: So, what do we do?
Angel: Right.
I'll take this bit.
Angela: OK.
Angel: OK. Yeah.
Handle it by the sort of,
the paper underneath.
OK, so, when we pick it up,
we've not got far to go.
Angela: Oh, it's so--it's
so delicate.
You have to aim to get it
on flat, Angel, because I've
just completely made
a mess of that now.
Angel: It really doesn't matter
because see, like, little bits
here, you can just literally
go over with them.
Can you just see that bit,
that I just patched that?
Angela: Yeah.
Can I patch a bit of yours?
Angel: Yeah, yeah.
Patch a bit of mine.
Yeah, and here.
Angela: Ooh, I like it.
Angel: It's actually
coming on quite lovely.
A bit of copper bling.
Dick, voice-over:
Imitation gold leaf
is a cost-effective way
to give a real look of luxury.
Made of copper, brass,
zinc, and aluminum,
each sheet cost
less than a pound.
So, this fender comes in
at about 6 quid.
Angel: It's looking gorgeous.
Angela: It is.
Angel: Well done.
Angela: Thank you.
Angel: It was not hard, was it?
Angela: No, not at all.
Dick, voice-over: It's easy
when you know how.
And now Angela has the skills,
she should have no problem
going it alone.
Angela: It's been an absolute
pleasure meeting Angel.
I have just got quite a bit
of homework to do now
to finish it.
Angela: Thanks, love,
for everything.
Angel: Thank you so much.
Angela: Lots and lots to do
and I should be taking
lots of pictures and sending
them to Angel
and see if she gives me
approval or not.
[Laughs]
Dick, voice-over: 250 miles
south in the Dordogne,
at Chateau Monteil,
Tim and dad Rob
are struggling to build
a new sheep fence
in the chateau grounds.
Tim: Are all the posts OK?
Rob: Apart from the ones
that have crumbled.
Dick, voice-over: Inside,
Krys's attention has turned to
their first changeover--
the time they'll have
each Saturday
to clean the chateau
from top to bottom.
Krys: There's quite a big area
to clean
and a lot of stuff to clean.
So, I think--I reckon it will
take about 4 hours.
Dick, voice-over:
Krys has her hands full.
So, she's meeting a local
cleaner, Beatrice,
who might be able to help.
Krys: She hasn't seen
the house yet.
I would really love for her
to accept the job because I
really need an extra
pair of hands.
We really, really need
Beatrice, Owen.
So, don't scare her off, huh?
Hello.
[Beatrice speaking French]
[Krys speaking French]
Dick, voice-over: So far,
so good, but there's one thing
they need to get
straight first.
Dick, voice-over: Whew.
On with the tour.
Krys: Bye-bye.
I'm very happy with that
because in the past,
I always have to do it all
on my own.
Yeah, it's really nice, because
I would have to kill myself
just cleaning this house.
I do want to have more time
with my husband, with my kid.
I think it's a sign that
we have to enjoy each other.
Dick, voice-over:
Mission accomplished.
We always say don't
work harder, work smarter.
Now all Tim and dad Rob
need to do
is sort out that pesky fence.
[Machine whirring]
Tim: I don't understand why
this ground is so hard.
[Machine whirring]
Dick, voice-over: But finally,
they're getting somewhere.
Tim: Adding a little bit of
water to sort of soften it
as you go helps a little bit.
Some of them have gone right
down, some of them are fine.
But some of them,
I may have to sort of
revisit and go over again.
We'll see what happens.
Yeah.
I'm relatively confident.
Dick, voice-over: At Chateau
Mareuil in Nouvelle-Aquitaine,
South Londoners
Belinda and Lee are also rushing
to tidy their chateau
for their first booking.
Lee: Hang pictures, hang lights,
utility room, make the bed up.
Well, we're waiting for that.
Belinda: Waiting for the duvet.
Lee: Clean toilets.
So, that's that.
And then if you define that
list down to smaller lists,
ha ha,
tablecloths, long candle.
I've got to do the candles.
Belinda: Staircase. Yeah.
Lee: Yeah.
Dick, voice-over:
Belinda's next task
is clearing out the cellar.
Belinda: Oh, my goodness me.
Books and all sorts in here.
Broken pens.
What's this lot?
Oh, there's more glasses.
It feels a bit like
Groundhog Day.
I feel like I'm going
round and round and round.
You start doing something.
And if you don't do
something else somewhere else,
you can't complete what
you need to do.
We've worked so hard for this.
So, we just want it
to be perfect.
It's like wading
through treacle.
Mmm! Yeah.
I'm really stressed, actually.
Yeah.
So...[exhales] we'll get there.
[Sniffles]
[Exhales]
Dick, voice-over:
In the master bedroom,
Lee's fitting two chandeliers.
A lighting designer for
30 years, he's well-qualified.
Lee: Belinda and I had picked up
a couple of chandeliers
in auction in England
and brought them out to France
to give this master bedroom
a sense of
opulence and grandeur.
I'd checked them out
to make sure that they're
electrically safe before
I wire them in.
Dick, voice-over: Electrics
can be tricky in a chateau,
even for an old hand like Lee.
Lee: Of all the problems
I thought I would run into,
lighting wasn't going to be
one of them,
and because of what I do
for a living,
hopefully, there's no bangs.
Dick, voice-over: Hopefully.
Be careful, fella.
That chandelier weighs
about 25 kilos.
Whenever I do things like this
at our place,
I always have a mini scaffold
and make sure there's
someone around to help.
Lee: Yeah.
That's not bad, actually.
This is where the real problem
comes because
Belinda has an opinion
that's different to mine.
So, I might like them
quite low
and she might like them
higher up.
Dick, voice-over: Only one way
to find out.
Belinda: Oh, that looks lovely.
Oh, look at that!
That's amazing.
It looks like a ballroom.
I just think it's a--it's
a bit heavy in the room.
If you got somebody tall...
Lee: They're going to
bang their head.
Belinda: They're really going to
hurt themselves on that.
I would suggest
taking it up a bit.
Lee: I knew this
would happen.
I always said I'll have it
too low
and you'd want it high.
Belinda: Oh, Lee, do be careful.
Don't do it if you can't.
Seriously, it's not worth it.
Lee: No, it is.
It's got to be right.
Belinda: I don't want you
to hurt yourself.
Lee: Can you stand well away
because if I drop this...
All right.
Belinda: Better, isn't it?
Lee: Yeah.
Dick, voice-over: Bravo, Lee.
That's another job
off the list.
Lee: We are done.
It's 5:00.
Belinda: What time did you
start work this morning?
We've been on the go
pretty much 12 hours now.
I'm just feeling a bit frayed
around the edges
at the moment.
How are you feeling?
Lee: I want to go in the pool.
Belinda: OK.
So, should we--right,
we'll go and get changed.
Lee: Yeah.
Belinda: Meet you there
in about 10.
Lee: See you in 10.
Belinda: OK.
Lee: All right. Bye.
Belinda: All right.
Dick, voice-over:
Sometimes, you need to know
when to call it a day.
Belinda: Yeah.
I'm feeling better now.
Lee: Rejuvenating,
rejuvenating in here, yeah.
Cheers.
Belinda: Cheers, Lee.
Dick, voice-over: You're earned
that dip, guys,
but don't get too relaxed.
There's still plenty
to sort out
before the paying guests arrive.
At Chateau Monteil
in the Dordogne,
Tim is trying to put up
a new sheep fence,
ready for their first-ever
whole chateau booking
in one week's time.
Tim: This ground is so hard.
Dick, voice-over:
He's finally got the holes dug
and roped in dad Rob to salvage
the old fence posts.
Tim: Try not to snap them
if we can get them out
in one go, Dad.
Rob: You just broken one.
Tim: Yeah,
I broke one accidentally,
but don't do it on purpose.
Rob: Well, I'll leave
that to you.
Tim: No--all right.
Well, this comes out easy.
What are you doing?
[Rob laughs]
Dick, voice-over: With most
posts saved, Tim just needs
to give them a trim
and they'll be good as new.
Tim: I reckon if we just
nip the ends off
and then you just go and chuck
them in each hole for me.
Dick, voice-over: Sounds
straightforward enough.
[Chainsaw whirring]
Tim: No, leave that, leave that,
leave that, leave that,
leave that.
Put it in the hole, put it
in the hole, please.
Rob: Temper, temper.
Tim: So, make sure
when you put it in
that the flat side's
got to be in line.
So, where is that?
See--no, no, no.
You got--no.
Take it on [indistinct].
It's got to turn there, right,
so, it's in line with that, OK?
If it's not deep enough,
put it in another one.
Try a deeper one, Dad, if it's
too long for that hole.
Rob: It's deep enough.
Tim: OK.
[Chainsaw whirring]
See that one that you've
said is deep enough,
it's falling over.
That can't be in enough, surely.
Rob: No, I think it is.
When you get there,
you'll find it is.
Tim: This is all totally normal.
Everything's full of hiccups,
everything goes wrong,
everything's harder
than you think.
[Chainsaw whirring]
Rob: Just wondering whether
it's time to go for a swim.
Tim: Yeah.
Dad likes his swim.
A glass of red wine
and a swim,
and then 10 minutes' work
and then
a glass of red wine
and a swim.
Rob: I just take things slowly,
gradually to perfection.
No rush.
Take it gently.
Tim: If he wasn't working
for free, I'd have given his
P45 by now, I think.
Dick, voice-over: Keep going,
people, and you'll get there.
Back in Normandy,
David and Elaine
are still on the hunt
for their dream chateau.
David: Oh, I love
the fireplace there.
That's...
Deborah: Yeah.
It's beautiful, isn't it?
Elaine: Oh, that is lovely.
Yeah.
Dick, voice-over: They're
viewing 17th-century
Le Priori aux Gouvix,
a property much smaller
and less pricey than
anything they've seen so far.
[Church bells ringing]
David: There's
the church bell.
Deborah: Yeah.
Every hour. [Laughs]
Dick, voice-over: The interiors
hit some of the right notes.
Hopefully, there'll be
more outside
in the two acres of gardens.
Deborah: This way.
David: Oh.
Deborah: So, you can
see the wall
which goes all the way
around the property.
Elaine: Yeah, this would
be a great space
for them to run around.
Deborah: Yes.
David: They love to run.
Deborah: Yes.
And they love to chase
maybe something.
David: They love to chase.
That's more of the problem.
So, having them...
Deborah: Yes, they need
to be secure.
Dick, voice-over: Next up
are the outbuildings.
David is planning
to set up an office
for his engineering company
at home,
and these could
do the job perfectly.
David: There's enough
room there.
It's going to be more
than I need.
Elaine: So, if you don't take
all the space with your office,
and depending on the layout,
yeah, we could
put in a restoration studio
or...
David: Yeah, because
it certainly looks like
there's a lot of room.
Elaine: Oh, wow. Wow.
David: You could--you could
have room
for a staircase to come up.
A nice tuberous staircase.
Deborah: Mm-hmm.
David: And you could easily
have space
for 4 desks up here,
workshop space.
Elaine: I've warmed to it.
I think it's revealed itself.
David: Yeah.
It's got a lot of
nice details in it, I think.
Elaine: And again, the grounds
are fantastic.
But it's not overwhelming.
David: Yeah.
Elaine: This feels
more manageable.
Chester, this way.
Deborah: It's been
a real pleasure.
Elaine: Oh, thank you so much.
Deborah: I hope you enjoyed
the property.
David: It's
a wonderful property.
We need to...
Deborah: Yeah. Go ahead.
Have a think.
David: Go away and have
a think about it.
Deborah: Sleep on it.
David: And--but
I really, really
like this place.
Deborah: Good.
David: And I think this could
work very well for us.
[Church bells ringing]
I could definitely live
with these bells.
I think it's rather nice.
Apparently, they stop
at 10:00 at night.
Elaine: Oh, good. [Laughs]
Dick, voice-over: Elaine
and David are at a crossroads.
Do they go for a cheaper place
to do up
or an expensive chateau
that's ready to move into?
They certainly have
a lot to consider.
Back at Chateau Monteil,
it's been a day of
hard work and frayed tempers.
Tim: Try not to snap them
if we can get them out
in one go, Dad.
Rob: You just broken one.
Tim: Yeah, I broke one
accidentally,
but don't do it on purpose.
Dick, voice-over:
But finally, all the posts
for the new sheep fence
are in place.
Rob: It's coming together.
Tim: How much more?
Rob: Keep going and again.
That's about it.
[Hammering]
Tim: It's good.
It's in.
We've managed to get it done.
Solid enough.
Dick, voice-over:
The fence is done.
And even better news:
Tim and his dad
are still on speaking terms.
Tim: We never fall out.
It's always high-spirited
and good fun.
But, yeah, between us,
we get it done.
Dick, voice-over: All that
remains is for Tim to shepherd
his very excited flock
to their new home.
Tim: Come on.
[Sheep baa-ing]
Dick, voice-over: With
the ground sorted, there's now
just a week until the re-launch
of the chateau business,
and stakes couldn't be higher
for Tim and Krys.
Tim: This is our income.
This is our way of life.
This pays our bills.
This year needs to
really work for us.
I think it's got
to be a success.
Krys: Because our little
family's dependent on this.
Dick, voice-over:
Next time, in the Dordogne,
it's changeover day...
Krys: One bed done.
Dick, voice-over:
As Tim and Krys are pushed
to the limit.
Krys: I've got 12 more to go.
Dick, voice-over: Belinda makes
a trip to our place...
Belinda: Wow.
Look at this.
Dick, voice-over:
With furniture in need of
the Angel touch.
Angel: Oh, my goodness me.
Dick, voice-over:
The chateau search continues for
David and Elaine.
[Knocking on door]
Man: Yes.
[David speaking French]
Dick, voice-over: And as they
race to get their
honeymoon suite ready...
Steve: I think it's got
to go that way.
Angela: Look at me.
You mean that end that way
or do you mean that?
Steve: This way.
Angela: Are you not
looking at me now?
Dick, voice-over: Love is
definitely not in the air
for Steve and Angela.
Steve: So, [indistinct].
Angela: Ohh.
I'm Dick Strawbridge.
Along with my wife Angel
and our two children,
we spent the last 4 years
turning an abandoned chateau
into our dream home.
Dick: No way.
Dick, voice-over:
It's not just where we live.
Angel: And you're
in charge of kitchen.
Dick, voice-over:
It's where we work.
Angel: We're in business.
Dick, voice-over: And it turns
out we're not the only Brits
who have crossed the channel
for the chateau life.
[Bell rings]
Woman: Dinner time.
Dick, voice-over:
Now Angel and I are back,
guiding more owners
on the chateau adventure.
Dick: How big is
your pot of gold?
Woman: Not big enough,
I'm afraid.
Angel: If you stand
from where I'm standing,
I think it looks quite lovely.
Woman: Go, go, go.
Dick, voice-over: We'll work
with some familiar faces...
[Woman laughs]
Woman 2: Welcome.
Dick, voice-over: And some
who are new to chateau life,
as they battle to renovate
their homes...
Dick: Come the next
nuclear holocaust,
this is what would be
what's left.
[Cork pops]
Dick, voice-over: And make them
work as businesses.
Woman: You've got everything
down on the list?
Man: No.
Man 2: Ta-da!
Dick, voice-over:
There'll be ups and downs.
Woman: This glass breaks,
there's going to be
more euros in my swear jar.
[Crack]
Dick, voice-over:
But however hard the going gets,
[Clattering]
for these plucky Brits,
their homes really are
their castles.
[All talking at once]
Dick, voice-over:
Today, the countdown is on
to the summer season.
Woman: How are we going to get
things finished on time
because we've got really short
period of time
to prepare the house.
Dick, voice-over: And things get
heated under the French sun.
Man: Put it in the hole.
Just put it in the hole, please.
Man 2: [Indistinct].
Dick, voice-over: One couple
continue the search
for their dream chateau.
Man: View of the church,
which is not a bad thing.
Woman: No.
It's beautiful, isn't it?
It's a lovely church.
Dick, voice-over:
As they look to ring
the changes in their lives.
[Church bells ringing]
Woman: That might get
on my nerves, too. [Laughs]
Dick, voice-over:
Preparations for one chateau's
first-ever guests...
Man: Hang pictures,
hang lights, long candle.
I've got to do the candles.
Dick, voice-over: Push
the owners to breaking point.
Woman: Mmm! I'm really stressed,
actually, yeah, so...[sighs]
Dick, voice-over:
And Angel offers some
bath restoration advice.
Angel: This is bling, all right?
Woman: Is it really?
Angel: Yeah.
Woman: Bling is good.
Dick, voice-over:
If its owners can avoid
smashing it
to smithereens first.
Woman: Aah! See, the whole
thing's going--oh, my gosh.
Dick, voice-over:
All over France, in chateaus of
every shape and size,
Brits like Angel and I
are trying to turn
a profit.
But even when you're
up and running,
the work never ends.
This is Chateau Monteil,
built around 150 years ago
and boasting 20 rooms.
It's home to Tim and Krys
and their one-year-old son Owen.
Krys: It makes you
feel proud to be able to say
this is ours.
It's like what you see
in Disney cartoons.
Dick, voice-over: Set in
the Dordogne, Tim and Krys
bought the chateau
for 380 grand,
and opened it
as a boutique B&B.
Tim: We have worked really hard
to get it to where it is.
And now
it's just spectacular.
Dick, voice-over: This year,
so they can spend
more time as a family,
they're re-launching their
business, changing from B&B
to letting the whole place out
for weekly holiday rentals.
Tim: We can relax
knowing that the guests, they're
having a great holiday
looking after themselves.
And we can have a great
time as a family.
Krys: Enjoy each other,
especially the baby, because
he's growing by the day.
Dick, voice-over:
To prepare the chateau
for the rental market,
so far they've added
a swimming pool...
and balls court.
Krys: Owen, come back.
Dick, voice-over: But with the
first booking coming up fast,
the rest of the 7-acre grounds
have barely been touched.
Tim: We've got about a week
until we start receiving
guests sufficiently,
so, there are all sort of
last-minute jobs that really
need taken of.
You know, people would expect
everything to be
neat and tidy, and hedges
to be trimmed,
and everything just
to look correct.
[Machine whirring]
Dick, voice-over:
While the gardener gets stuck
into the laurel hedge,
Tim's not resting on his.
Tim: Baa!
Dick, voice-over:
He's turning his attention
to the chateau's 25-strong herd
of Cameroon sheep.
Tim: We wanted something
to look after the land.
They're very, very, very
tough, and very, very,
very easy.
That big fellow there,
he's my favorite.
He's so friendly.
The chickens ride around on him.
He's just--he's so docile.
The kids feed them.
The guests will love them.
Dick, voice-over:
The guests may love them,
but that doesn't mean
they want to share
the swimming pool with one.
Tim: So, we've got a fence
that separates the sheep field
from the chateau terrace
and everything.
The sheep have had a bit of
an exciting winter.
They've been pushing the wire
down and climbing in
and we keep having to come out
and round them up
and send them back home.
[Baa]
So, if we can put a new
fencing, kind of move it
further away from the pool so
that we don't have to worry
about the sheep escaping.
Dick, voice-over:
But it's not just the sheep
keeping Tim and Krys busy.
Krys: What do you want, Owen?
Mommy needs
to clean the house.
It's quite difficult to finish
things because he requires
a lot of my attention because
I'm still breastfeeding.
So, he's very attached to me.
He doesn't want to let me be
far away from him
for a long period of time,
so, I really need
an extra pair of hands
to help us with the cleaning of
the house, preparing the house,
so that I can do what
I need to do, and I don't
have to, like, be stressed
all the time.
Dick, voice-over: Back outside,
Tim's using a special bit of kit
for the hard graft of putting up
his 150-meter long fence.
Tim: It should be
very quick and straightforward.
Dick, voice-over: The machine
will bore the 100 or so
half-meter-deep holes
for the fence posts.
[Machine whirring]
But he soon hits trouble.
[Whirring slows]
Tim: It feels like
it'll only go so deep
and then you've got to navigate
around things.
[Motor starts]
You know, we're right in
the valley, so,
a million years ago,
this was the river,
and it was all stone, you know,
so, it's very stony.
[Machine whirring]
Dick, voice-over: Well, that's
one down, 99 to go.
[Machine whirring]
Tim: If I've got
to do 100 holes
and each hole's
going to take 5 minutes,
I could be here for a while.
Well, some are going in
and some, like, it just sort of
goes round and round
and round, but it
doesn't, like, bore down.
I'll have to fill each little
hole with some water, see if
it softens it or
something now, don't I?
Dick, voice-over: Just 50 miles
to the southwest is gorgeous
19th-century Chateau Caillac.
It's home to outdoor
enthusiasts Angela and Steve.
Steve: I think everybody
we spoke to thought we were
crazy to buy a chateau.
You know, it's masses of work.
You know, it's going to be
a money pit.
But it's an adventure.
Dick, voice-over: Located in
Nouvelle-Aquitaine
on the bank of the River Lot,
Steve and Angela bought
the 20-room chateau
for 800,000 pounds in 2004
and sold their home in the U.K.
Steve: We're very, very lucky
that you can either
have a chateau in France
or you could have
a one-bedroom housing flat
in London.
Angela: A flat in London, yeah.
Steve: And...
Angela: We chose the chateau.
Steve: And we chose the chateau.
Dick, voice-over:
Over the past 14 years,
they've paid for
ongoing renovations
by letting the chateau out
for the summer holidays
while they
vacate back to their
houseboat in the U.K.
Angela:
Our boat would fit inside
our kitchen,
yeah, literally.
Another reason for our friends
to think that we're crazy.
Steve: Yeah.
Angela: Ha ha!
Dick, voice-over:
Angela and Steve have 5 years
left on their mortgage
and are in the final push
to be debt-free.
Steve: I suppose our objective
is to move into
doing weddings here.
The weddings is probably
a 5-year plan, one or two.
Angela: We've always had
a 5-year plan from 2004.
We're still--we're still
in it, just rolling on.
Ha ha!
Dick, voice-over: To kickstart
the latest plan,
Angela and Steve
are refurbishing
one of the bedrooms.
Angela: We're going to make
a new honeymoon suite
in one of the existing rooms
and putting in
a cast iron bath in there.
Dick, voice-over: Guests are
coming to stay in the room
in just a few weeks,
so, they need to get busy.
Steve: OK.
Angela: We've got
a screen to take down
and we got an old bath to
dismantle and get out as well.
Steve: How are we getting
this out then?
Angela: If we get the skirt off,
we might be able
to see how it's
connected to the floor.
Steve: Right.
Let's do that then.
Angela: Dun dun dun.
Steve: So, that isn't
too bad, is it?
Angela: Oh, it is,
it's just coming out.
Yay!
Steve: There we go.
Angela: Ooh.
Dick, voice-over:
So far, so good,
but getting the new
150-kilogram
cast iron bath in
is going to be tricky.
Luckily, Steve has
a cunning plan.
Angela: Steve has come up with
this idea of trying to get it in
through the window
using our cherry picker.
Dick, voice-over:
Really? Tell me more.
Angela: You really
can't have a chateau
without a cherry picker.
Uh, or that's what Steve's
told me, anyway.
Dick, voice-over: I should have
a word with Angel.
I've always wanted
one of these.
I can't wait to see how
he intends to do this.
Angela: He knows
what he's doing.
He should do anyway.
[Laughs]
That's what he tells me.
[Laughs]
Steve: I have to try to
remember how to use this now.
Are you ready?
Angela: OK.
Steve: Going to go up. OK.
Angela: It'll end in tears.
Come on. Come on.
Hey!
Steve: Hey!
Dick, voice-over: Old bath out.
Now to get the new bath in.
I've lugged enough of these
things around to know
they weigh a ton.
Angela: We're trying to work out
how to actually
attach the bath
to the cherry picker
and be able to maneuver it,
get it in the room.
Steve: It's a dilemma.
I think I'm a little bit
unhappy about
strapping that bath underneath
this and lifting it on.
I think--I think there's
too much risk in doing that.
It could slide down.
Angela: It's not going
to get it done
just sitting, talking about it.
Dick, voice-over: The bath cost
almost 2,000 pounds.
So, if Steve's plan goes south,
this could be
a very pricey mistake.
Angela: We knew it wasn't
going to be simple
or straightforward.
Steve: It never is.
Angela: Who said we needed
a cast iron bath in that room?
Please work.
Please work.
Dick, voice-over: That doesn't
look very stable at all.
Angela: Oh! Whoa! Whoa!
Oh! Steve, the whole thing
is going--oh, my God.
Dick, voice-over: This is
15th-century Chateau Mareuil,
which South Londoners
Belinda and Lee
bought 3 years ago
for 378,000 pounds.
Belinda: Lee always had
an ambition to own a chateau.
Lee: And she said,
"Right, that's what we're
going to do then."
Belinda: Yeah.
Lee: And she held me to it.
This was one of
the first ones we saw.
Belinda: For me, it's got a very
fairytale-like quality to it.
A bit small
but perfectly formed.
Dick, voice-over: The chateau
lies in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine
region of France and has
5 buildings in its grounds,
including a castle keep
and a small cottage
that Belinda and Lee
now call home.
Lee: When we first decided
to come to France,
our dream and ambition
was to be able
to spend some of our time here
and some of our time
in England.
But place is so attractive
and so relaxing,
we've ended up spending
a little bit
more of our time each year.
Belinda: Every day.
Lee: Until now, we're in
the situation where we spend
nearly all of our time here.
Dick, voice-over: Having spent
around 120,000 pounds
renovating the main chateau
as a luxury holiday let
and adding a swimming pool,
this year, they're welcoming
their first-ever guests.
Belinda: We feel very fortunate
in that we do have
a two-week booking this summer
in peak holiday season.
We didn't expect to get
any bookings this year.
So, we're very happy that
one family have taken a bit of
a shot in the dark
and then booked two weeks
with us this August.
Dick, voice-over: Their guests
are due in a few weeks,
but chateau preparations
are way behind schedule.
Belinda: So, we've been back
to the U.K. for a month
and we were expecting
our second grandchild.
And the grandchild, a little
boy called Max, arrived
two weeks late, so, yeah,
so, we've had a crazy time.
Also, our house in the U.K.
is now rented and we had
literally, I think,
9 days' notice
to get it totally cleared.
The contents of our house,
most of it's
come down to France.
We just arrived back here
to a pile of chaos, really.
Dick, voice-over:
If that wasn't enough,
while they were away,
the chateau vegetable garden
had a visit
from some curious locals.
Belinda: So, we had
an email from a neighbor.
"Just to let you know
that some cows
have basically trampled
all over your garden."
I was almost in tears
when I heard it.
In our advertising, we do
mention that guests are free
to help themselves
to the vegetable garden.
So, I'm hoping there's
something for them to help
themselves to.
Oh, I can't see any cow pats.
I think somebody must have
cleared the cow pats up.
Oh, there's a tree
broken there.
Oh, that's a shame.
This was a lovely arbor of
espaliered apple trees here
and that one's completely gone,
which is a shame.
They take quite a long time to
grow, so, that's--won't be
replaced quickly.
I can see some rhubarbs
been trampled.
Just wondering where
the cow pats have gone.
Maybe someone's
already used them.
Maybe that's why the tomatoes
are looking so good.
I'm just really glad that they
didn't get into the pool
because that would've been
really horrible and, you know,
potentially fatal,
really, for the cows.
Apparently, I'm told
you need a crane
to get a cow out of a pool.
[Laughs]
Dick, voice-over:
Garden checked, Belinda and Lee
can press on with tidying
the main chateau
in time for the paying guests.
Lee: There's a lot of stuff
in here I've
completely forgotten we had.
It's a huge, daunting
task, actually.
Belinda: Lee and I have got to
thoroughly clean
all the rooms in here,
hang pictures,
curtains, make beds.
We've got to place ornaments
in the right places.
Dick, voice-over: Thankfully,
Lee has some family friends
to assist with
the heavy-lifting.
Lee: We're very lucky
to have some help.
Would make us--oh,
and actually imagine
doing this on my own and I don't
think I could've done it.
The sun's picking up now
and I'm feeling rather hot.
Dick, voice-over:
In the kitchen,
Belinda's also
feeling the heat.
Belinda: Goodness me.
Do you know where
that came from?
Don't you think that's mine?
I've not been in this kitchen
for several months.
There's a huge amount to do
because I've got to make this
kitchen ready for
our visitors.
It's a bit crazy
and dirty, and--yeah.
There'll be some
throwing away down here.
One beer glass
and two old glasses.
Oh, goodness me, look.
I've only got 3 mugs.
That's no good, is it?
We can have 8 people in here.
So, I need to make sure I've
got 8 of everything, and it's
not looking like that at all.
Television randomly
on the table.
And I've got all this rubbish
here to sort out as well.
[Exhales]
Dick, voice-over:
100 miles down the road
at Chateau Monteil,
chateau owners Tim and Krys
are also racing
to be ready for their first
guests of the summer
in a week's time.
Krys: How are we going to
get things finished on time
because we've got really short
period of time
to prepare the house.
Dick, voice-over: Today, Tim's
trying to put up a new fence
to keep the sheep
away from the chateau.
But the sun-baked ground
is causing problems.
Tim: Just sort of goes
round and round and round,
but it doesn't, like, bore down.
I'll have to fill each little
hole with some water, see if
it softens it or
something now, don't I?
Dick, voice-over:
Time to call in the cavalry,
and it's dad Rob
to the reluctant rescue.
Rob: So, I don't
do this very often.
Usually, my experience is
lying at the pool
and having a drink.
Very good at that.
Tim: Brilliant.
I'll try that.
Dick, voice-over: Hopefully,
Tim's plan has done the trick.
[Machine whirring]
Hmm, doesn't look like it.
Tim: So, I don't know.
It could be
I'm doing it wrong.
It could be that
the ground's too hard.
It can't be like this
all the way, can it?
[Machine whirring]
Dick, voice-over: With Tim
persevering, it's down to Rob
to salvage the posts
from the old fence.
Rob: Right. Let see if
we can get these out.
All right.
I don't know how he likes
enjoying all this stuff.
He never stops doing it,
improving this,
improving that.
I just like doing nothing.
Tim: I'm hoping that the posts
are coming out easy enough
that we can reuse them.
It will save me
one euro 50 a post
if we can reuse them.
Dick, voice-over: Look after
the pennies and the pounds
look after themselves,
I always say.
And it looks like Rob
is having some success.
[Crack]
Rob: Oh, dear.
Dick, voice-over:
Maybe I spoke too soon.
Rob: That's going to
get down well.
Tim: Are all the posts OK?
Rob: Apart from the ones
that have crumbled.
Tim: How many is that?
Rob: Um, two.
Tim: Two?
Rob: I haven't pulled
the rest out yet.
Tim: It's not going as easy
as I'd like it to.
We may be working
into the night.
Dick, voice-over: At Chateau
Caillac on the banks
of the River Lot,
longtime chateau owners
Angela and Steve
are refurbishing one of
their bedrooms
as a honeymoon suite.
Angela: Dun dun dun.
Steve: So, that isn't
too bad, is it?
Angela: Oh, it is,
it's just coming out.
Yay!
Steve: There we go.
Dick, voice-over:
The centerpiece of the room
will be a new cast iron bath.
Angela: Aah! Steve, the whole
thing's going--oh, my God.
Dick, voice-over: With calamity
averted, Steve's plan to hoist
the bath up to the first floor
using the cherry picker
seems to be working.
Angela: Please, please,
do not fall off.
Dick, voice-over: But there's
soon another challenge.
Angela: So, now we've actually
got the bath
at the correct height
at the window.
Now the dilemma is
how do we get it
in the window and then down
onto the floor level.
Steve: So, that's actually
not bad, I think.
Angela: So, how do we get--
[indistinct].
Steve: Can we join--take
the straps off these...
Angela: How are we going to
get it from there to there
before you unstrap that?
Steve: Slide.
I'll slide easily.
Angela: This could really,
really be bad.
Steve: OK.
Are you ready?
1, 2, 3.
Angela: Oh, hang on. Uhh.
Steve: Are we in?
Angela: We are. [Laughs]
Oh, we're off
the cherry picker.
I'm not sure we're in.
Dick, voice-over: Nicely done.
Angela: In a room, you need
to have a focal point,
and the bath is going to be it.
The bath is going to
be stunning.
Steve: I've got it
in the room for you
and you can move it around
how you want.
That easy plumbing
because all that pipework
can stay behind that,
you won't really see it,
because you--I think
it looks symmetrically
in front of the window.
Angela: I don't think I can
make a decision right now.
Steve: Probably if I gave you
a gin and tonic,
then you'll have--you'd probably
be able to make a decision.
Angela: Oh.
Dick, voice-over: Angela has
big plans to customize
her cast iron bath.
So, for inspiration and help
with the next step,
she's off to see an expert.
Angel: [Indistinct]. Wow.
Dick, voice-over: She's made
the almost 400-mile journey
to see Angel at our place
in the Pays De La Loire.
Angela: Absolutely stunning.
Angela: Hi! [Laughs]
Lovely to meet you.
Welcome.
Angela: Enchante.
Angel: Enchante. Lovely.
Can I take something?
Angela: It's not very heavy,
but you can take it if you like.
Angel: You want a cuppa?
Angela: I would absolutely
love a cuppa.
Angel: How long have you had
your chateau?
Angela: 2004 we bought
the chateau.
That's 14 years ago.
Angel: Whoa, it is amazing.
Angela: And this particular room
is ready for a refit.
And I said to Steve, "I'm sorry.
I want another cast iron
bath, please."
Angel: OK, yeah.
They're tricky.
Oh, yeah, yeah.
Angela: So heavy.
Angel: They're so heavy.
I don't know, but Dick does.
[Laughter]
Angela: And I just thought, how
can I make it a bit different?
I think I'd like it gold.
Angel: OK. Yeah.
Angela: Like you do.
Angel: Yeah. Exactly.
What I love about
the gold leaf is you get
a texture, don't you, to it,
and it's--and it does
feel a bit more
special and indulgent.
So, today is all
about the bling.
Angela: It's all about
the bling.
I obviously couldn't bring my
cast iron bath with me.
Angel: No. No.
Understood.
Angela: So, I thought
I'll bring something else,
which I'm planning to gold leaf.
It is something I picked up
at the car boot
for--which is actually
a fender, a fire fender.
Angel: Yeah.
Angela: It might not
look it now,
but this is going to be
a ciel de lit.
Angel: Oh, beautiful. OK.
So, you're going to have
fabric drapes
on either side?
That's lovely.
Dick, voice-over: A ciel de lit
is a curtain canopy
often placed above a bed,
perfect for a bit of
honeymoon suite luxury.
Angel: Right.
Want to come up
to my work, then?
Angela: Love to.
Angel: All right. Lovely.
Angela: Here's the gold,
and I also bought rose gold.
Angel: I've got this and I've
used it and this is bling.
All right?
Angela: Is it, really?
Bling is good.
Angel: So, what we're
going to need
to do first, because it's metal,
is just make sure
there's no grease on that side.
Angela: Just to make sure
the glue actually sticks.
Angel: Exactly.
Lovely.
Dick, voice-over:
With the surface clean...
Angel: OK.
Let's get set and go.
Angela: Get going.
Dick, voice-over: It's time
for the glue.
Angela: How thick are you
putting it on, Angel?
Angel: I'm putting on
quite a bit.
The trick is to make sure
that it's all covered
but not too much.
Angela: I feel it's already
going a bit tacky, don't you?
Angel: Yeah.
Angela: Steve doesn't
get involved in the decorating
side of things.
I come up with the ideas
about what I want,
he then has to find--fathom
a way of doing it.
Angel: So, you have
a very similar relationship
to Dick and I.
Angela: There you go.
I think--and Angel,
he rolls his eyes
at me thinking,
"What on earth
is going on here?"
Angel: Dick's first
answer to everything is no,
and then always late and he's
decided that it was his idea.
[Laughter]
Dick, voice-over: That's
a husband's prerogative.
Scottish couple David,
an engineer,
and art restorer Elaine
are right at the beginning
of their chateau adventure.
They're looking to swap
their city flat
for their very own
French castle.
Elaine: Our small apartment cost
more than what you can get
a chateau for in France.
David: Mm-hmm.
Elaine: And that's
when the ideas
started rolling, like, yes,
you could get
something spectacular.
Little bit of history.
David: And they don't make
houses like they used to.
I know it's a tired old phrase
but it's absolutely true.
Dick, voice-over: I joined them
on their first viewing.
There's a lot of
investment taken place here.
David: Mm-hmm.
Dick: That's why you pay
the price you pay.
Dick, voice-over: They have
700,000 pounds to spend
but were nervous about
paying top whack
for a fully renovated place.
Elaine: There's something
slightly terrifying about it.
Dick: But this is the reality
of a chateau.
Maybe that's what you're
coming to terms with.
Dick, voice-over:
Dave and Elaine then saw
an up-and-running
chateau holiday business.
Elaine: Oh, a great room.
This is...
David: It's got a nice feel.
Elaine: Yeah, it does.
It is sort of high on
our budget.
David: Yes, way up at the top
of the price list.
Dick, voice-over: Keen to view
a chateau that's
not going to break the bank,
Dave and Elaine have come to
Gouvix in Normandy
for their next viewing.
David: Oh, that's lovely.
Dick, voice-over: This place
offers something very different.
It's half the price and size
of the chateaus
they've seen so far.
David: It's fantastic.
I love the roof.
Dick, voice-over: Over to
the estate agent.
Woman: Hi. I'm Deborah.
Nice to meet you.
David: Hi. I'm Dave.
Dick, voice-over: 17th-century
Le Priori aux Gouvix
is an ex-priory next door
to the parish church.
On for 350 grand, and with
just 12 main rooms
and two acres of land,
it's pretty bijou
by chateau standards.
Elaine: Sometimes the size of
them is a bit scary.
Deborah: Absolutely.
Elaine: So, when I saw this
and it's a little bit smaller...
Deborah: Well manageable.
Elaine: Yes, exactly.
Dick, voice-over:
They're starting off downstairs
in the dining room.
David: Oh, there's
parquet flooring over there.
And that looks in
good condition.
A little bit of stained glass
in the corners
is a nice, little highlight.
Elaine: Then the original
glass as well.
You can see the ripple in it.
Deborah: Yes.
Elaine: It's nice.
David: Yeah.
So, Dick gave us some advice
that you never look
at the view,
always look at
the window frame,
because that's what you're
going to have to fix.
Elaine: Yeah.
Dick, voice-over:
Wise words even if
I do say so myself.
Elaine: Has there been
water damage along that wall
because I see some flaking
plaster and staining, flaking.
Deborah: No.
That's not water damage,
it's just--it is
an old property.
Part of the character. [Laughs]
[Church bells ringing]
David: There's the church bell.
Deborah: Yes.
Every hour. [Laughs]
Dick, voice-over:
Also part of the character.
David: Come on.
Elaine: This is a lovely
sitting room.
It's nice and cozy.
David: The nice thing is all of
the doors I've seen,
they don't seem to be rotted
or--if there is rotting,
very, very minor.
Deborah: Yeah.
No, these are fine but they
just need a little bit of
sanding down, painting.
David: I kind of enjoy
that work.
Deborah: Well, there we go.
David: Elaine's favorite tool
is an angle grinder
fitted with a sanding disc.
Elaine: Very handy [indistinct].
Deborah: Romance, yes. [Laughs]
OK.
Dick, voice-over: Upstairs,
there are 8 bedrooms,
all en-suite.
David: Oh, I love
the fireplace there.
There's...
Deborah: Yeah, it's
beautiful, isn't it?
Elaine: Oh, that is lovely.
Deborah: Yeah.
David: And the view
of the church,
which is not a bad view.
Deborah: No, it's
beautiful, isn't it?
It's a lovely church.
David: Well, let me have a look
at the window frames here.
Deborah: Yes. [Laughs]
David: I like it so far.
But there is a piece of me
that says,
no, no, go get
the big chateau
and the thing that,
needs rescuing,
because that's the romance.
So, I have to sort of balance
between the romance,
which I'd really like,
and then maybe
the good house to live with,
you know.
Elaine: It feels damp,
so, I'm not sure.
[Church bells ringing]
That might get
on my nerves, too. [Laughs]
Dick, voice-over:
Back in the Pays De La Loire,
at our place,
my Angel is giving Angela--
yes, even I'm getting
confused--a lesson in gilding.
Angel: I've got this
and I've used it
and this is bling.
Angela: Bling is good.
Dick, voice-over:
Angela plans to cover
the outside of a cast iron bath
in gold back at her own chateau.
But as it weighs a ton, she's
brought along a fire fender
that she wants to gold leaf
to practice on.
Angel: The trick is to make sure
that it's all covered
but not too, too much.
Dick, voice-over: The glue
needs to be almost dry
before you can start gilding.
So, there's an excuse
to take a cheeky look
at some of our baths.
Angela: Ta-da.
[Angel laughs]
So, this is my 100-year-old
cast iron bath.
This was incredibly damaged.
Angela: And then what--how did
you put that on?
Angel: I sprayed it.
So, this was
the specific spray
with the Glass Stone texture
in it.
It just covered over
all the imperfections.
Angela: It's fabulous.
I love the finish on it.
It's just gorgeous.
Angel: Now, I know that you're
going to love this bath,
but all I did was buy it.
It was the last suite
and I was just like,
"Dick, I've done up 3 baths."
Angela: Yes.
Buy me a new one.
Angel: Buy me a real bath
that is a copper bath
and, hey, presto.
Angela: Love it.
Dick, voice-over: Time to get
back to the gilding.
Angela: So, what do we do?
Angel: Right.
I'll take this bit.
Angela: OK.
Angel: OK. Yeah.
Handle it by the sort of,
the paper underneath.
OK, so, when we pick it up,
we've not got far to go.
Angela: Oh, it's so--it's
so delicate.
You have to aim to get it
on flat, Angel, because I've
just completely made
a mess of that now.
Angel: It really doesn't matter
because see, like, little bits
here, you can just literally
go over with them.
Can you just see that bit,
that I just patched that?
Angela: Yeah.
Can I patch a bit of yours?
Angel: Yeah, yeah.
Patch a bit of mine.
Yeah, and here.
Angela: Ooh, I like it.
Angel: It's actually
coming on quite lovely.
A bit of copper bling.
Dick, voice-over:
Imitation gold leaf
is a cost-effective way
to give a real look of luxury.
Made of copper, brass,
zinc, and aluminum,
each sheet cost
less than a pound.
So, this fender comes in
at about 6 quid.
Angel: It's looking gorgeous.
Angela: It is.
Angel: Well done.
Angela: Thank you.
Angel: It was not hard, was it?
Angela: No, not at all.
Dick, voice-over: It's easy
when you know how.
And now Angela has the skills,
she should have no problem
going it alone.
Angela: It's been an absolute
pleasure meeting Angel.
I have just got quite a bit
of homework to do now
to finish it.
Angela: Thanks, love,
for everything.
Angel: Thank you so much.
Angela: Lots and lots to do
and I should be taking
lots of pictures and sending
them to Angel
and see if she gives me
approval or not.
[Laughs]
Dick, voice-over: 250 miles
south in the Dordogne,
at Chateau Monteil,
Tim and dad Rob
are struggling to build
a new sheep fence
in the chateau grounds.
Tim: Are all the posts OK?
Rob: Apart from the ones
that have crumbled.
Dick, voice-over: Inside,
Krys's attention has turned to
their first changeover--
the time they'll have
each Saturday
to clean the chateau
from top to bottom.
Krys: There's quite a big area
to clean
and a lot of stuff to clean.
So, I think--I reckon it will
take about 4 hours.
Dick, voice-over:
Krys has her hands full.
So, she's meeting a local
cleaner, Beatrice,
who might be able to help.
Krys: She hasn't seen
the house yet.
I would really love for her
to accept the job because I
really need an extra
pair of hands.
We really, really need
Beatrice, Owen.
So, don't scare her off, huh?
Hello.
[Beatrice speaking French]
[Krys speaking French]
Dick, voice-over: So far,
so good, but there's one thing
they need to get
straight first.
Dick, voice-over: Whew.
On with the tour.
Krys: Bye-bye.
I'm very happy with that
because in the past,
I always have to do it all
on my own.
Yeah, it's really nice, because
I would have to kill myself
just cleaning this house.
I do want to have more time
with my husband, with my kid.
I think it's a sign that
we have to enjoy each other.
Dick, voice-over:
Mission accomplished.
We always say don't
work harder, work smarter.
Now all Tim and dad Rob
need to do
is sort out that pesky fence.
[Machine whirring]
Tim: I don't understand why
this ground is so hard.
[Machine whirring]
Dick, voice-over: But finally,
they're getting somewhere.
Tim: Adding a little bit of
water to sort of soften it
as you go helps a little bit.
Some of them have gone right
down, some of them are fine.
But some of them,
I may have to sort of
revisit and go over again.
We'll see what happens.
Yeah.
I'm relatively confident.
Dick, voice-over: At Chateau
Mareuil in Nouvelle-Aquitaine,
South Londoners
Belinda and Lee are also rushing
to tidy their chateau
for their first booking.
Lee: Hang pictures, hang lights,
utility room, make the bed up.
Well, we're waiting for that.
Belinda: Waiting for the duvet.
Lee: Clean toilets.
So, that's that.
And then if you define that
list down to smaller lists,
ha ha,
tablecloths, long candle.
I've got to do the candles.
Belinda: Staircase. Yeah.
Lee: Yeah.
Dick, voice-over:
Belinda's next task
is clearing out the cellar.
Belinda: Oh, my goodness me.
Books and all sorts in here.
Broken pens.
What's this lot?
Oh, there's more glasses.
It feels a bit like
Groundhog Day.
I feel like I'm going
round and round and round.
You start doing something.
And if you don't do
something else somewhere else,
you can't complete what
you need to do.
We've worked so hard for this.
So, we just want it
to be perfect.
It's like wading
through treacle.
Mmm! Yeah.
I'm really stressed, actually.
Yeah.
So...[exhales] we'll get there.
[Sniffles]
[Exhales]
Dick, voice-over:
In the master bedroom,
Lee's fitting two chandeliers.
A lighting designer for
30 years, he's well-qualified.
Lee: Belinda and I had picked up
a couple of chandeliers
in auction in England
and brought them out to France
to give this master bedroom
a sense of
opulence and grandeur.
I'd checked them out
to make sure that they're
electrically safe before
I wire them in.
Dick, voice-over: Electrics
can be tricky in a chateau,
even for an old hand like Lee.
Lee: Of all the problems
I thought I would run into,
lighting wasn't going to be
one of them,
and because of what I do
for a living,
hopefully, there's no bangs.
Dick, voice-over: Hopefully.
Be careful, fella.
That chandelier weighs
about 25 kilos.
Whenever I do things like this
at our place,
I always have a mini scaffold
and make sure there's
someone around to help.
Lee: Yeah.
That's not bad, actually.
This is where the real problem
comes because
Belinda has an opinion
that's different to mine.
So, I might like them
quite low
and she might like them
higher up.
Dick, voice-over: Only one way
to find out.
Belinda: Oh, that looks lovely.
Oh, look at that!
That's amazing.
It looks like a ballroom.
I just think it's a--it's
a bit heavy in the room.
If you got somebody tall...
Lee: They're going to
bang their head.
Belinda: They're really going to
hurt themselves on that.
I would suggest
taking it up a bit.
Lee: I knew this
would happen.
I always said I'll have it
too low
and you'd want it high.
Belinda: Oh, Lee, do be careful.
Don't do it if you can't.
Seriously, it's not worth it.
Lee: No, it is.
It's got to be right.
Belinda: I don't want you
to hurt yourself.
Lee: Can you stand well away
because if I drop this...
All right.
Belinda: Better, isn't it?
Lee: Yeah.
Dick, voice-over: Bravo, Lee.
That's another job
off the list.
Lee: We are done.
It's 5:00.
Belinda: What time did you
start work this morning?
We've been on the go
pretty much 12 hours now.
I'm just feeling a bit frayed
around the edges
at the moment.
How are you feeling?
Lee: I want to go in the pool.
Belinda: OK.
So, should we--right,
we'll go and get changed.
Lee: Yeah.
Belinda: Meet you there
in about 10.
Lee: See you in 10.
Belinda: OK.
Lee: All right. Bye.
Belinda: All right.
Dick, voice-over:
Sometimes, you need to know
when to call it a day.
Belinda: Yeah.
I'm feeling better now.
Lee: Rejuvenating,
rejuvenating in here, yeah.
Cheers.
Belinda: Cheers, Lee.
Dick, voice-over: You're earned
that dip, guys,
but don't get too relaxed.
There's still plenty
to sort out
before the paying guests arrive.
At Chateau Monteil
in the Dordogne,
Tim is trying to put up
a new sheep fence,
ready for their first-ever
whole chateau booking
in one week's time.
Tim: This ground is so hard.
Dick, voice-over:
He's finally got the holes dug
and roped in dad Rob to salvage
the old fence posts.
Tim: Try not to snap them
if we can get them out
in one go, Dad.
Rob: You just broken one.
Tim: Yeah,
I broke one accidentally,
but don't do it on purpose.
Rob: Well, I'll leave
that to you.
Tim: No--all right.
Well, this comes out easy.
What are you doing?
[Rob laughs]
Dick, voice-over: With most
posts saved, Tim just needs
to give them a trim
and they'll be good as new.
Tim: I reckon if we just
nip the ends off
and then you just go and chuck
them in each hole for me.
Dick, voice-over: Sounds
straightforward enough.
[Chainsaw whirring]
Tim: No, leave that, leave that,
leave that, leave that,
leave that.
Put it in the hole, put it
in the hole, please.
Rob: Temper, temper.
Tim: So, make sure
when you put it in
that the flat side's
got to be in line.
So, where is that?
See--no, no, no.
You got--no.
Take it on [indistinct].
It's got to turn there, right,
so, it's in line with that, OK?
If it's not deep enough,
put it in another one.
Try a deeper one, Dad, if it's
too long for that hole.
Rob: It's deep enough.
Tim: OK.
[Chainsaw whirring]
See that one that you've
said is deep enough,
it's falling over.
That can't be in enough, surely.
Rob: No, I think it is.
When you get there,
you'll find it is.
Tim: This is all totally normal.
Everything's full of hiccups,
everything goes wrong,
everything's harder
than you think.
[Chainsaw whirring]
Rob: Just wondering whether
it's time to go for a swim.
Tim: Yeah.
Dad likes his swim.
A glass of red wine
and a swim,
and then 10 minutes' work
and then
a glass of red wine
and a swim.
Rob: I just take things slowly,
gradually to perfection.
No rush.
Take it gently.
Tim: If he wasn't working
for free, I'd have given his
P45 by now, I think.
Dick, voice-over: Keep going,
people, and you'll get there.
Back in Normandy,
David and Elaine
are still on the hunt
for their dream chateau.
David: Oh, I love
the fireplace there.
That's...
Deborah: Yeah.
It's beautiful, isn't it?
Elaine: Oh, that is lovely.
Yeah.
Dick, voice-over: They're
viewing 17th-century
Le Priori aux Gouvix,
a property much smaller
and less pricey than
anything they've seen so far.
[Church bells ringing]
David: There's
the church bell.
Deborah: Yeah.
Every hour. [Laughs]
Dick, voice-over: The interiors
hit some of the right notes.
Hopefully, there'll be
more outside
in the two acres of gardens.
Deborah: This way.
David: Oh.
Deborah: So, you can
see the wall
which goes all the way
around the property.
Elaine: Yeah, this would
be a great space
for them to run around.
Deborah: Yes.
David: They love to run.
Deborah: Yes.
And they love to chase
maybe something.
David: They love to chase.
That's more of the problem.
So, having them...
Deborah: Yes, they need
to be secure.
Dick, voice-over: Next up
are the outbuildings.
David is planning
to set up an office
for his engineering company
at home,
and these could
do the job perfectly.
David: There's enough
room there.
It's going to be more
than I need.
Elaine: So, if you don't take
all the space with your office,
and depending on the layout,
yeah, we could
put in a restoration studio
or...
David: Yeah, because
it certainly looks like
there's a lot of room.
Elaine: Oh, wow. Wow.
David: You could--you could
have room
for a staircase to come up.
A nice tuberous staircase.
Deborah: Mm-hmm.
David: And you could easily
have space
for 4 desks up here,
workshop space.
Elaine: I've warmed to it.
I think it's revealed itself.
David: Yeah.
It's got a lot of
nice details in it, I think.
Elaine: And again, the grounds
are fantastic.
But it's not overwhelming.
David: Yeah.
Elaine: This feels
more manageable.
Chester, this way.
Deborah: It's been
a real pleasure.
Elaine: Oh, thank you so much.
Deborah: I hope you enjoyed
the property.
David: It's
a wonderful property.
We need to...
Deborah: Yeah. Go ahead.
Have a think.
David: Go away and have
a think about it.
Deborah: Sleep on it.
David: And--but
I really, really
like this place.
Deborah: Good.
David: And I think this could
work very well for us.
[Church bells ringing]
I could definitely live
with these bells.
I think it's rather nice.
Apparently, they stop
at 10:00 at night.
Elaine: Oh, good. [Laughs]
Dick, voice-over: Elaine
and David are at a crossroads.
Do they go for a cheaper place
to do up
or an expensive chateau
that's ready to move into?
They certainly have
a lot to consider.
Back at Chateau Monteil,
it's been a day of
hard work and frayed tempers.
Tim: Try not to snap them
if we can get them out
in one go, Dad.
Rob: You just broken one.
Tim: Yeah, I broke one
accidentally,
but don't do it on purpose.
Dick, voice-over:
But finally, all the posts
for the new sheep fence
are in place.
Rob: It's coming together.
Tim: How much more?
Rob: Keep going and again.
That's about it.
[Hammering]
Tim: It's good.
It's in.
We've managed to get it done.
Solid enough.
Dick, voice-over:
The fence is done.
And even better news:
Tim and his dad
are still on speaking terms.
Tim: We never fall out.
It's always high-spirited
and good fun.
But, yeah, between us,
we get it done.
Dick, voice-over: All that
remains is for Tim to shepherd
his very excited flock
to their new home.
Tim: Come on.
[Sheep baa-ing]
Dick, voice-over: With
the ground sorted, there's now
just a week until the re-launch
of the chateau business,
and stakes couldn't be higher
for Tim and Krys.
Tim: This is our income.
This is our way of life.
This pays our bills.
This year needs to
really work for us.
I think it's got
to be a success.
Krys: Because our little
family's dependent on this.
Dick, voice-over:
Next time, in the Dordogne,
it's changeover day...
Krys: One bed done.
Dick, voice-over:
As Tim and Krys are pushed
to the limit.
Krys: I've got 12 more to go.
Dick, voice-over: Belinda makes
a trip to our place...
Belinda: Wow.
Look at this.
Dick, voice-over:
With furniture in need of
the Angel touch.
Angel: Oh, my goodness me.
Dick, voice-over:
The chateau search continues for
David and Elaine.
[Knocking on door]
Man: Yes.
[David speaking French]
Dick, voice-over: And as they
race to get their
honeymoon suite ready...
Steve: I think it's got
to go that way.
Angela: Look at me.
You mean that end that way
or do you mean that?
Steve: This way.
Angela: Are you not
looking at me now?
Dick, voice-over: Love is
definitely not in the air
for Steve and Angela.
Steve: So, [indistinct].
Angela: Ohh.