Escape to the Chateau DIY (2018–2021): Season 2, Episode 28 - Episode #2.28 - full transcript

I'm Dick Strawbridge,
and along with my wife Angel

and our two children,

we've lived in this
magnificent chateau in France

for the last four years.

You've got the water--aah!

To families.
Everyone else: Families.

Dick: Families.

Dick, voice-over:
It's not just our home...

Angel: She'll be happy
with this.

Dick: but a business.

[Man laughs]



Dick, voice-over: And it turns
out we're not the only Brits

who have quit the UK for
the chateau life.

Man: Look at that.
Woman: Oh, my goodness.

Different woman: Absolutely
stunning.

Dick: Hiya! Hoo-hoo...

Dick, voice-over: Now Angel
and I are back helping

more plucky expats with their
chateaux.

This work is interesting,
isn't it?

We'll catch up with some old
friends...

Stephanie: I can't believe it.

Dick, voice-over: and meet a new
wave of daring owners.

[Justin groans]

Dick: You broke it...
Justin: Yeah.

Dick: in the hole.
That's a bit of an issue.



as they battle to
renovate their homes...

Woman: Aah!

Dick: and make them work
as businesses.

Abbie: Cafetiere time!
We're out of coffee.

Dick, voice-over:
There'll be ups...

[Women cheering]

Dick: and downs.
Karen: Aah!

Woman: It's like wading
through treacle.

Dick: But however hard
the going gets...

Whoa.

for these plucky Brits, their
homes really are their castles.

[Cheering]

Dick: Today...

Angel helps one
chateau owner keep "mum" over

a special project...

Woman: I hope my mother
likes this finished result.

-Does she not know?
-No, she has no idea.

Dick: a brand-new guest
suite receives mixed reviews.

Woman: This, I'm not
so sure about that.

-OK.
-But I love everything else.

-OK.
-OK.

Dick: and a mix-up
causes mayhem.

Annabelle: Are you telling
me that it doesn't shut?

Man: Yeah, got in there
the wrong way.

Annabelle: Ha ha! Oh, gosh.

Dick: The pretty
19th-century Chateau de Thuries

in Southwest France is home to
couple Jayne and Steve,

who left the UK six months ago

to run it
as a B&B and wedding venue.

Jayne: First time we walked into
the property and we saw

the top floor, I knew that
that was going to be

Steve's man cave.

Not regretted it.

Steve: No, we haven't. No.
Seriously, we haven't.

But, you know, I miss
my British curry.

-They don't...
-I do.

Jayne:
They don't do curries, do they?

Steve: No.

Dick: Located under
an hour's drive from Toulouse,

they finished their own
apartment in the Yves

and are now busy

renovating the other
18 rooms for B&B guests.

-OK?
-Have you got it on?

Steve: Yeah.

Dick: They want two
guest rooms ready in six weeks

so the daughter can take some
promotional pictures

and test-drive the facilities.

Jayne: We've got my daughter
Ella, her fiance Simon,

and their friend Jackie
coming to stay.

So it's quite exciting.

Dick: So that's three guests
staying but just one guest room,

the Nature Suite, is ready.

And there's an even bigger
problem--a leak in the roof

above one of their
planned guest rooms.

So they've called in
local roofer Pete.

Steve: Basically we've had some
really bad storms, and we're

starting getting leaks.

This valley at the top
is one of the worst ones

because the bedroom at
the bottom is getting

a lot of water that we hope
is guttering blocked.

Pete: Mm-hmm. Possibility.

Steve: Some of it is.
Pete: Yeah.

I mean,
gutters like that every year,

they got to be cleaned
out if you got trees near.

The leaves will go buff.

Steve: And what do you think,
recommend maybe once a year,

a cherry picker?

Pete: Yeah, that's a good idea
because, obviously, every year,

you should look at all
the gutters and make sure

there's no leaves blocking.

OK. So the best thing now is
to go up and see

where it's coming in.
Steve: Yeah.

Jayne: You want
to look at the leaks...

Pete: Yeah, where's it coming
in on this bedroom, Jayne.

Dick: Jayne and Steve take Pete
to look at the water damage

on the first floor, where
they plan to have

another guest suite.

Jayne: Where that stain is, all
the paint is coming off

the ceiling.

Pete: It's a matter of seeing
what tiles are missing

or broken.
Jayne: Yeah.

Dick: A skylight window provides
a quick inspection hatch.

Pete: Okey-dokey.
That's not good for a start.

Dick: Pete thinks he's spotted

some dodgy tiling
above the window,

so heads outside to get
a different angle

on the problem.

Pete: It's been done very,
very well.

The company who's done this...
Steve: Done a good job.

Pete: Yeah.
Steve: Generally good.

Pete: But they didn't do
the valley very well.

Dick: It's great news!

The roof's in pretty good
order, but they'll need to

sort out the problem tiles
and gutters soon to stop

more water damage.

And that'll involve
a return roofing visit

with a cherry picker.

Steve: We're spending thousands
of pounds decorating

and putting in
expensive furniture and drapes.

The last thing we want is
anything to be ruined, so it's

a top priority
to have the roof done.

Dick: While they wait
for the roof to be fixed,

they're going to tackle a room

on the same floor that's
not directly under the leak.

Jayne: I really don't
understand these corners.

Steve: I know.

Dick: They're going to call
this The Little French room.

Steve: Well, the second room
of the two rooms

on the priority list
is the French room,

and it's the only room
that we have to do some coving.

Dick: To save time and money
on plaster work coving...

Jayne: You have to do it the
other way round, upside-down.

Dick: they're using pre-cut
polystyrene instead.

Jayne: If that is right, then
all we've got to do is follow

the cuts on that.

Steve: I see. So this is like...

Jayne: So really,
it's that easy.

So if you use that as
a template like that, OK,

so that should just butt up.
Steve: Exactly.

Dick: But as everyone knows,
renovating chateau rooms is

never that straightforward.

Steve: I tell you what,
there's a lot of cracks up here.

Dick: They need to get this done
fast as there's plenty more

to do before
their daughter's visit.

In the center of France is

the 16th-century
Chateau de Lalande,

home to Stephanie, who juggles
running the 40-room chateau

for B&B, events,
and residential music courses.

Stephanie: Over the next few
days, we've got quite a lot on.

At the moment,
the chambre d'hôte is

quite labor intensive

in terms of breakfast
and dinners and room changes.

Dick: Chateau de Lalande is
located in the Val de Loire.

Stephanie's got her
guest accommodation including

bedrooms and dining room
up and running.

Now she's creating
an apartment for her mother,

French-born Isabel.

And that means
lots of painting...

Stephanie: You're the fastest
painter in the West.

Dick: and wood finishing.

Stephanie:
Everything needs doing.

My whole--this whole flat,
every beam that we can see.

They all need doing.

I can't look at them,
or it'll put me off.

Dick: Now she can think of some
of the decorative touches

to bring back
some family memories.

Stephanie: My father was with
us when we bought

and we all moved in together.

That was in 2005,
and he died in 2009,

so I've been through very
difficult times here,

but I felt that the house was
looking after me as well,

and I know how much he loved
it here, and it's filled

with his paintings.

It's as though he's still here.

Dick: Stephanie wants to hang
some of her late father's work

in the new apartment
as a surprise.

He was a prolific artist
who refused to sell

any of his work,
so she has a vast collection.

Stephanie is heading to our
part of France for some advice

from my Angel, who's
an expert at bringing

eclectic pieces together.

Angel: There's something
different about this room.

There's a bit of
romance in this room. I love it.

Dick: First up,
our local charity shop.

Stephanie: Hi.
Angel: Oh! Ha ha!

We did not even
color coordinate.

Stephanie: I can't believe it.
[Laughter]

So lovely to finally meet you.
Angel: Yeah, you too, my lovely.

You tell me what you're after,
and I'll take you there.

Stephanie: Frames.
I need frames.

Angel: Right. Picture frames.

Stephanie: Yeah,
millions of them.

Angel: OK. All right. Sizes?

Stephanie: The bigger,
the better,

but even some small ones to plug
some gaps here and there.

Dick: Finishing touches like
frames can soon add up,

so this trip could save
a bunch of money.

Angel: Oh, I was doing
"after you," but you were

efficiency focused as well.

It's best to go do a quick
run up and down, you know,

so you get a bit of a feel for
how many there is.

Dick: For so much choice,
it helps to keep

a basic theme in mind.

Angel:
The tapestries are fantastic

if you need a big frame, but I'm
not quite sure exactly

what's going to go in them
at this stage.

Yeah. I'm not 100% certain
myself.

It's very early stages now.
Angel: Bit organic yet.

That's how I roll.

Stephanie: I have a lot
of my father's art,

and the whole wall will
just be his art,

and it's a surprise
for my mother.

Angel: Oh, my gosh. I love it.

Stephanie: I was thinking of
putting sketches, maybe against

beautiful fabrics because
they're just on plain

bits of white paper.

Angel: Yeah, yeah, lovely. I
mean, that would look beautiful.

I mean, also you

could be quite classic if you
got something like this,

and have two or three in actual
mounts.

Stephanie: Yeah, that could
work really nicely.

That's a great idea.

Angel: And it would elevate
it, like, so much.

-Yeah, yeah.
-It would look so professional.

That's quite nice, too.

Stephanie:
Yeah. Wow. There's more?

Angel: Oh, my God. It's the
whole of the inside of the shop.

We're on a roll, aren't we?
Stephanie: Yeah, definitely.

We're on the same
wavelength here.

Angel: Yeah. OK.

When we go and pay for them,
I'll do it because the guy is

always very nice to me.
Stephanie: OK. Ha ha!

Dick:
And after a bit more browsing...

Angel: That's beautiful,
isn't it?

Stephanie: Yes, that's tradish.
It's rather nice.

Dick: it's time to pay.

Angel: This is my friend...

Stephanie: Bonjour.

[Conversation in French]

Angel:
What are you expecting to pay?

Stephanie:
I honestly don't know...

Angel: Have a guess. Go on.

Go on, go on, go on. It's
like "The Price is Right."

Stephanie: I'm useless at this.

[Man speaking French]

Angel: Perfect. That's amazing.
Thank you.

Stephanie: I can't believe that.
I can't believe it.

40 euros?

Dick: That works out at about
two euros per frame.

Stephanie: Merci. Ha ha!

Dick: Now to get that
boot-full of beautiful bargains

back to our place for a lesson
in the art of framing.

Angel: All right. I'll race you
back to the chateau.

See you in a minute.

Stephanie: Oh, yeah,
sounds great. Ha ha!

Dick: In southwest France,
nestling in the rural landscape

of Tarn-et-Garonne
is Chateau de Glatens,

home to Brit Justin and his
Australian wife Annabelle,

who moved here with daughter
Rosie just five months ago.

Justin: We've finished
our full-time jobs,

and we get to sort of be
full-time parents

with Rosie, too.

So we're all
together all the time.

And I think that that's
benefited her a lot.

Annabelle:
Since moving to the chateau,

we've fallen in love with it
more than I think we

even imagined we would,
and I think we had high hopes.

But we've decided to more
or less make this

our full-time home.

Dick: Located 30 miles
from Toulouse and set in

4 1/2 acres of land,
they're turning the chateau

from six bedrooms
to ten bedrooms with en-suites.

Justin and Annabelle plan
to offer the whole place

for holiday rental when
they've finished renovations.

Justin: Whoa.

Could you hold the bottom
of the ladder, please?

Dick: They've done
the structural changes

for the additional en-suite
bedrooms.

Annabelle: It's amazing how
much bigger the space is.

Dick: Now, they need to tackle
the shutters so they can get

the outside looking good, too.

Annabelle: These holes are from
woodpeckers which is kind

of interesting.

Dick: Years of baking in the sun
and being targeted by

local wildlife has all
taken its toll.

Justin: All this will
need to come off.

I think about 40.
It's quite a lot. Ha ha!

Dick: All the shutters need to
be stripped back and given

a fresh coat of paint
before being rehung.

Justin: We took these shutters
off the windows

about three months ago,

and they've been
sitting in the workshop.

I guess we've been
avoiding it, really.

Annabelle: It's a big job.

Oh, wow. What's this machine?

Justin: This is a new
sander. See?

Oh, let's see how it goes.

These are
going to take forever.

These are going to take forever.
Ha ha!

And bear in mind,
there's two sides.

Dick: You really need
to be wearing masks, guys.

[Tool buzzing]

Justin: Well, this,
I don't think,

is going to do
the trick either.

That's a heat gun, so this will
blister the paint,

and we can then scrape it off.

That's not
really doing it either.

Annabelle: This is why
we've been avoiding this job.

Justin: I knew this was going
to be a thankless task.

Annabelle: It's a nightmare.

How long do you think
it's going to take to do

each one of these?

Justin: I think it's probably
a full day's work.

Just one.

Dick: The old paint doesn't
want to give up, does it?

Justin:
It's getting pretty warm.

I think it's going
to be about 40 degrees.

Stephanie: Yeah, I'm ready
to have a break.

Justin: So I think we've
got about 40% of one side

of 1/2 of a pair of
shutters done.

Stephanie: Yeah.
Justin: Yeah.

Dick: After a lot of
hard work...

Justin: All right.

Dick: the first four pairs of
shutters have been stripped

and repainted.

Justin: OK. So we got to get

the last bit of black paint
up on the metalwork here.

Stephanie: And color it through.

Dick: They've scheduled work
to rehang them today.

So just need to finish
painting the metal brackets.

Annabelle: I cannot wait
for these shutters to be

back on the house.

Justin: I know.
Tell me about it.

Dick: Unfortunately, in the six
months since taking

the shutters down, something
crucial has slipped their minds.

Justin: Oh, hold on.

Oh, you know what we've
forgotten to do? Oh, no.

-Yes.
-OK.

Justin: So this is
number one, that's number two.

Stephanie: That's four.

That one I don't--oh, God.

Justin: Oh God. When we took
them off, we put a number

on the metalwork,
on the hook there,

for each pair of shutters.

And some of them
we've painted over by accident.

Heh! So we don't quite know
which shutter goes where.

Annabelle: There's always
something, isn't there?

Justin:
Oh. There's always something.

Annabelle: If we put the wrong
shutters on the wrong windows,

they won't fit.
Justin: They won't fit.

Annabelle:
Because they're all different.

Justin: That's two
by the looks of things.

I don't know how we're
going to deal with this.

I literally do not know
how we're going to deal with it.

Annabelle: Is that a three?
Ha ha!

Justin: I wish we just
remembered about this earlier.

All right.

Well, we've got a little
bit of drama ahead of us.

But, hopefully,
we'll work it out.

Dick: Oh, dear.
I don't envy them.

Rehanging these shutters
by trial and error will be like

doing a jigsaw puzzle
with a blindfold.

Around 60 miles away
at Chateau Thuries,

Jayne and Steve have stopped
work on the Little French room

to smarten up the exterior
balcony

with a fresh coat of paint.

Steve: So this paint is
oil-based, but it's

especially for painting directly
on metal,

and you
can paint directly onto rust.

This will last a lot,
lot longer than ordinary paint.

Dick: To reach the outer
surfaces of the balcony, Steve's

decided he needs
a very long ladder.

Jayne: Do you need
a hand with that ladder?

-No.
-Right. Oops.

[Ladder clanking noisily]

-Are you all right?
-Yeah. I cut my hand.

The top of the ladder
got caught on the balcony.

Well, that wasn't expected.
I haven't done that before.

Bruised my whole arm, hand.

-Oh, that looks nasty.
-Look.

Jayne: Oh, no. Oh, Steve.

Well, it's not bleeding, no.
Steve: Yeah.

Jayne: Do you want me
to put something on that?

Steve: No, it's all right.
It's all right.

Jayne: That's only
a little one, isn't it? OK. OK?

Steve: Yeah.
Jayne: Are you all right?

You're not
shaken up or anything?

Steve: No, I'm all right.

Jayne: You were talking to me as
you were moving it whereas

you should've just been
focusing on it.

Steve: I know.
Jayne: You know, you're a man.

You can't do two
things at once, Steve.

Steve: Oh, right.

Dick: Obviously, there's a knack
to putting up their ladder.

Jayne: All right. What if I
hold this back a bit?

Hold it steady. OK?

Dick: And an extra pair of
hands always helps.

-Are you OK, sweetheart?
-Yeah.

-You're not shaken up?
No, no, no. Shaken, not stirred.

Dick: Ladder safely tied on...

Jayne: OK. And that goes around
there, does it?

Dick: painting can start.

Jayne: It was looking a bit old
and tired when we moved in,

and I think that this is
going to look fantastic.

It really is.

I mean, it's really
quite exciting, isn't it?

Steve: Yeah. We won't
finish it today, obviously.

If we can get half of it done
today, that will be great.

Dick: As well as tackling
the mountain of DIY,

they need to keep their eye on
potential future bookings that

could generate income.

And there's one that could
prove particularly lucrative.

Steve: Are you
sorting out this wedding?

Dick: Jayne's been contacted
from the States by a bride

interested in holding
her wedding at the chateau.

Jayne: Hello. So where did you
find us?

Was it on social media?

Woman: It was on social media.

Your place is exactly what
I've been looking for.

Jayne: Oh, great.

Are you able to come over
and see it for yourself?

Woman: I would like to go visit
at the end of November,

something around then.
Jayne: Great. OK.

Woman: I'm very excited
to see everything in person.

It looks so beautiful on photos.

So I can only imagine what
it looks like in person.

Jayne: I would love to do it,
and I really want to make it

as special as possible.

Dick: Jayne and Steve know they
must deliver a good package.

And after just six months,
this inquiry bodes well

for future business.

Jayne: First thing I've got to
do is actually send her

an email now with a rough idea

of what the cost may be,
plus the venue fee.

To be able to make
a business out of--

Steve: Your own home.

Jayne: your own home,
a place that you love,

I mean, what could
be better than that?

It's absolutely fantastic.

Dick: With the possibility of
a large booking on the horizon,

it's more important
than ever to get

the guest accommodation
finished.

At Chateau de la Motte-Husson,
Stephanie and my Angel are

all set to tackle
the picture framing.

Stephanie: Wow. This is
amazing. It's a fairytale.

Angel: Well, I'm desperate
for a drink.

Stephanie: Oh, yeah!

Angel:
Let's go and sit in the house.

Oh, maybe something
really cold, now it's quite hot.

Dick: Stephanie has also got
some fabrics she'd like to use

as a backdrop
to her father's artwork.

Angel: Wow. Some of this
fabric is amazing. Is this...

Stephanie: That one would
probably look quite nice

with that.

This one as well because
that bit comes out nicely.

Angel: Yes. you have a little
choose.

These look like
they're newly printed.

This looks new to me.

Stephanie: Yeah. All of
these will be fairly new.

I don't think I've got any
very vintage ones here.

They're probably sort of
20 years, that sort of thing.

Angel: Yeah. Oh, nice!
Stephanie: Yeah. This one--

the colors work slightly better
on that one.

Angel: Yeah. They do.
It's interesting, isn't it,

when you start looking through
things...

Stephanie: Yeah.
Then when the right one,

the right thing happens.
Angel: Lovely choice.

You've got
good style, Stephanie.

That is a lovely,
lovely choice.

Dick: Stephanie's plan is to
place the pictures

directly on top of the fabric,
but Angel has another idea.

Angel: If you're going to do
it properly,

it's like you need to cover
a mount

and have the picture behind.

Stephanie: How is that going to
be possible to cover a mount?

Angel: No. So, you have the
picture, you know, like this.

And you have the mount on top.

Stephanie: Yes, I completely
see what you mean. On top.

Angel: I'm all about doing
things quickly And cheaply...

Stephanie: I like that. Both.
Angel: but correctly.

And that doesn't always
mean doing it by the book

but something that works.

And I definitely think
that having a mount that's

covered by this is going
to be nicer on this

and also will finish
it off really beautiful.

Dick: The first step is to use
the mount that came

with the bargain frames as
a template for cutting fabric.

Angel: Right. What I think
is going to work

is if you go out to the edges
and down to this edge.

Dick: She'll be sticking the
fabric onto the mount itself.

Stephanie: I hope my mother
likes this finished result.

I think she's going to
be really happy.

-Does she not know?
-No, she has no idea.

The whole decoration of
her apartment is a surprise,

and the worry is
that she said to me,

[in French accent]
"I want it modern

and clean and empty."

And I'm going
completely the other way.

Dick: A bit of good
old-fashioned sticky tape keeps

the fabric in place.

Angel: I am exactly
the same with my mom.

My mom is like everything
has got to be ultra modern.

Stephanie: Yeah!

Angel: And like their kitchen
that they're just having done

at the moment,

I'm not going around just trying
to put vintage things in

without really
knowing, you know!

Your story, well, has, like,
so much history and sentiment.

She's going to love it.

Stephanie:
I think she's going to love it.

Angel:
And this will look amazing.

Stephanie: I really hope so,
because it could go either way.

Dick: Et, voila,
one fabric-covered mount.

Stephanie: Excellent. I have
homework.

Dick: Stephanie's all set to
head back to her chateau...

Stephanie: Thank you so much.

Angel: Best of luck with
everything, lovely.

I want to see a picture.
I genuinely do.

Stephanie: Oh, you will. Ha ha!

Dick: and create a very special
surprise

for her mother Isabel's
apartment.

Back at Chateau Thuries in
the southwest of the country,

Jayne and Steve's roofer
thinks he's found the source

of the leak
above the new guestrooms.

Jayne: The thing that's been
causing most of the problems was

a dead pigeon.

That was what was actually
blocking the downpipes.

So we're just hoping that's
going to solve the problem.

Steve:
I can't wait till it rains.

Jayne: Ha ha!

Dick: A pigeon.

Hopefully, that's a cheap fix
and the new interiors

won't be damaged.

Steve: Let me get my fingers
out, Jayne. Wait. Let me see.

Jayne: Are you in?
Steve: Yeah.

Jayne: Oh, you're in?
Steve: Oh. Thank God for that.

Dick: The Little French room
is now painted.

And Jayne and Steve are in
the process of putting

the furnishings into place.

Jayne: OK. So I bought these
two gorgeous little side tables.

I thought if we could put
these on the wall at the side.

Steve: It can't go there.
It's over the plug.

It needs to be higher.
Jayne: Right. That--right.

This is difficult for me
because I'm holding this

and holding that,
so, you know.

That's perfect, Jayne.

Jayne: I'm just going
to bring this in.

Dick: Guest rooms have
different requirements to

permanent accommodation.

They require less storage.

But mirrors and reading lights
at the right height are

must-haves.

Steve: Well, this is going
to be centered.

About there.
Jayne: Yeah. Yeah.

Steve:
Left or right or up or down?

Jayne: Well, because you're
standing, you're in the way,

I can't really--I think
that's about right, actually.

But you could go up slightly.
There.

Dick: Steve may be new to the
business of owning a chateau,

but it seems he's
an old hand at hanging a shelf.

Steve: When you got hidden
brackets like that is--normally,

you'd just measure from there
to there and make the marks

on the walls.

You put a bit of
masking tape on, like that.

Dick: Steve's using
masking tape as a template.

Steve: So there is
where you drill the hole.

Dick: He can use the tape to
mark up the wall...

Steve: Yeah.
And there's the line.

Dick: and, hopefully, perfectly
positioned drill holes.

A line drawn on the wall
should help ensure

the shelf is level.

Steve: And there.

Voila.

So now we've done it,
we'll get the boss in.

Jayne: It looks slightly
wonky, but it looks good.

-Which way is it wonky?
-The mirror.

Steve: Needs to go?

Jayne: Towards the wardrobe,
at the bottom.

Very slightly. Yeah. That's it.

No, no, it's great.
Happy with that.

Dick: Now they just need
the room cleaned and ready

for their first guests.

Back at Chateau de Lalande,
Stephanie is now busy using

Angel's ideas for mounting
her father's artwork.

Stephanie: She came up with a
really good idea for the frames

for me because
I was thinking of just

putting the sketches
against a pretty fabric.

But her idea of using
a mount was really good.

Dick: Stephanie's completed
the first few frames using her

purchases from the charity shop
and her collection of fabrics.

Stephanie: I hope Mummy is
amazed when she sees it.

I really want her--for it to
be more than she's expecting,

and she doesn't know about
any of the sketches.

So, hopefully, she'll like it.

Dick:
With help from friend Natalia,

she's working on the rest...

Stephanie:
This is the exciting bit,

seeing what it looks like with
a picture.

Dick: to give her father's
artwork a new lease of life.

Stephanie: Yes. Perfect.
Natalia: Perfect.

Dick: Once this is done,

she still has to paint
the apartment,

plus fit a kitchen and bathroom.

And all that has to be done
in between catering for

paying guests who are here
for a music retreat.

Stephanie:
Today, I have got to cook

for the people who are here
at the workshop,

and I've also
got to do some painting in

my mother's apartment, because
that's really got to be

finished quickly.

And I've also got a couple
of pieces of furniture

to restore.

It's a bit of a crazy day. Heh!

Although there aren't that
many people in this workshop,

it's sort of nerve-rending
because there's morning coffee

and then lunch,
and then it's cake

for afternoon tea,
and then it's time for dinner.

So there's never
that much of a break.

OK. Quiches in.

I don't have
a cooking background at all.

You have to be quite
multi-skilled running any

sort of business in your own
home that requires

restoration of the building,
hospitality, cooking.

In my case, singing as well,
with some of the workshops.

And then on the restoration
side, I do the painting,

the wallpapering.

I had to teach myself
how to make curtains.

And other than the decorating,
I hadn't done any of that

before coming here.

Dick: Guests fed and watered,
Stephanie gets on

with the next task, painting
her mother's apartment.

At least she's got help
for this job, including

volunteers, who, in return
for meals and accommodation

at the chateau, happily
help out for a few hours a day.

Today, Stephanie's joining
volunteer Jack to tackle

the tricky part of the apex
of the 7-meter high

vaulted ceiling.

Stephanie: This is what we
call the death line,

where the paint stops,

because that's as high as
we were comfortable with Jack

painting in here, until
we felt someone had to be

in the room with them, because
if someone falls,

that's just too high.

Dick: It's all about
the scaffolding, Stephanie.

Stephanie: Looks like I'm
joining you up there, Jack.

Jack: OK. Come on up.

Dick: You should always use
a suitable platform,

like this one, that's been
safely braced for the job.

-Hello.
-Hey. All right. Welcome.

Welcome to my roost.
-This is snug up here.

You know how much paint's
up here.

-Huh?
-You know much paint's up here?

-That's what I have.
-Ha ha!

Is it really supposed
to wobble this alarmingly?

Jack: I think as long as neither
of us make any sudden movements,

we'll be fine.
Stephanie: Ha ha!

Jack: Oh, yours is
looking very nice.

Stephanie: Thank you.

I hope my mother appreciates
the ceiling.

Every time she looks up,

she can think of Jack and me
wobbling around up there.

Jack: Nice work.

Now to do it five more times.

Dick: Time for Stephanie
to slip back into her other job

of chateau chef.

Stephanie: It's 10 past 6:00.
You know what that means.

Jack:
You have to go make dinner.

Stephanie: I've got to go put
the oven on, urgently.

They eat at 7:00.
Jack: Ha ha!

Dick: Stuffed peppers ready to
roast, but Stephanie's also

planning some furniture
renovations before she turns

in tonight.

Stephanie: So far, so good.

Dick: 185 miles south
at Chateau de Glatens,

Justin and Annabelle
have finally completed painting

the first four of
22 pairs of shutters.

Justin: Ta-da.
Annabelle: Finished.

Justin: Ha ha!
Annabelle: Done.

Dick: Now they just have to
rehang them, which is going

to be a challenge.

Justin: So we've got four
which have no number on them.

Dick: Some of their numbering
system has been painted over,

and the numbers that are still
legible don't add up either.

Annabelle: It would appear that
three of the shutters

have been marked with
the number two.

And they were meant to
be in sequence,

but they're not quite.

Dick: With their workmen waiting
to start putting the shutters

back up, perhaps a few
measurements will narrow

things down.

Annabelle: We're confident
that we've got

the pair of number ones.

So we're going to
start with those.

Apparently, I need to get,
like, olive oil or something.

Dick: The workmen
have suggested greasing

the hinge pins so the shutters
slide on more readily.

Annabelle: Did you get
the olive oil, Justin?

Justin:
What I've got is goose fat.

Annabelle: Why are we...

Justin:
Well, because it's like grease.

And only in France,
yeah, would you grease a shutter

with goose fat. OK.

[Speaking French]

[Annabelle sighs]

Justin: OK. Does it fit?
Man: Yes.

[Justin cheers]

Dick: The local lubrication
does the trick.

[Justin speaking French]

Annabelle: Careful. Careful.
You're on at the bottom.

Yup, you've got it,
you've got it.

[Laughter]

[Justin speaking French]

Dick: The right shutters seem to
be in the right place.

Annabelle: Oh, my God.

Annabelle: Careful, careful.
Justin: Yay!

Two down.

Annabelle: Wow! Look at that.

Dick: Just when it's
going so well...

[Man speaking French]

Man: Turn in the one...

Annabelle: Are you telling me
that it doesn't shut?

Justin: They've put them in
the wrong way.

[Laughter]

Annabelle: Oh, no. Ha ha!
Oh, God.

Justin: OK. This one closes.

Annabelle: What a nightmare.

Justin: Measured the width
of all of the shutters

just to sort of try
and make sure

we matched them up
with the right windows,

but we didn't
measure the height.

And now, it looks like
the ones in that window there

are just a little bit too
big for the opening, so...

I'm not sure what's happened.

I think the guy that took
them down

put the numbers on after
he'd taken them down

because they don't seem
to have any relation to,

you know, where they go.

It's really just, you know,
it's trial and error

at this stage.

Dick: The shutters on window one
now need to come back down

so they can try them on
another window.

Man: C'est bon. C'est bon.

[Indistinct conversations]

Justin: Oh, yeah?
Man: Got to go on.

Justin: Yeah.
Man: To see if it fits.

Justin: OK. If I was going
to do something,

I'd probably take this one off.

[Conversations in French]

Man: It really does
touch the wall, the hinge,

so it could've gone on there.

Justin: It's upside-down.
Annabelle: It's upside-down!

Justin: Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah,
yeah. OK.

[Justin groans]

Whoa! Another success.

Dick: 2 1/2 frustrating
hours later, and the four pairs

of painted shutters have
found their rightful homes.

Justin: We did it.
Annabelle: You did it.

Justin: Thanks, everyone. Right.
Yeah, beer time.

Man: Beer O'clock.

Different man: Hallelujah.
Justin: Well, hey! Ha ha!

OK. Eight shutters down--
I don't know--32 more to go.

Annabelle: To start it out.

Justin: Well...

Annabelle: I'm happy to take
a little break before we

embark on the next set.

Dick: Can't say I blame
you, Annabelle.

Back at Chateau de Lalande in
central France, it's a busy day

for Stephanie, who's juggling
work with volunteers

on her mother's
new apartment...

Stephanie: Jack's amazing.
He's so helpful.

Dick: with playing host to
a residential music course.

With her guests fed, she's
now making over

an attic find
for her mother's bedroom.

Stephanie: Well, in the attic,
I have found

a really old bed crown.

It looks early 19th century
to me, and it's quite big,

and, obviously, Mummy's
apartment's really big, so I

need something huge to make
a statement over the bed.

So I want very grand curtains,
quite old style.

And I want to see if I
can restore it and use it.

It's quite heavy.

Dick: Crowns were first used
over beds in medieval Europe

to give warmth and privacy
to the grand occupant,

as their attendants often
slept in the same room.

Stephanie, chuckling:
This is ridiculous.

Dick: By the time this one
was made, believed to be

in the early 1800s
when Napoleon was in power,

they were more to do
with a display of status.

Stephanie: Wow! There's
a difference already.

You start to see
the little people on it.

So however gross it is,

it is actually great living
in a house where you just find

things like this in the attic.

Wow! What a difference.

This fabric doesn't look
as old I would expect, actually,

now that I'm looking at it.

There's a patchwork
of much older fabric.

I think I should leave
that visible, actually,

rather than covering it
with something new.

It's so pretty.

I absolutely love this, even
though it's just a patchwork.

And all of the stitches
are done by hand.

And here, look, there's
indentations, so obviously there

was something circular here
that was holding it up

because you can see where
the old nails were.

I love it! I really love it.
It's going to look great.

Dick: Vintage patchwork
covering revealed,

Stephanie needs to remove
years of dust and grime

from the mahogany
and brass work frame.

Stephanie: I don't want to get
it on the fabric. Ooh! Wow.

I wasn't expecting that.
My God. That's satisfying.

It's so satisfying.

It's unbelievable,
the difference.

Dick: She's using wire
woolen solvent to see

what it can achieve.

Stephanie: I didn't even know
there were cupids on this

till now.

So Mummy will have cupids
watching over her

and her fiance in bed.

And here
we got flags and lances.

I'm so happy with this.

I had bought some wood stain,
but I don't need to use it.

It's perfect as it is.

Dick: I wouldn't stain

two-centuries-old mahogany
either.

Stephanie: Hello, cupid.
Welcome back to the world.

But this being
Mummy's bed, obviously,

I don't want cupid to be
aiming at anyone that I'm

interested in.

That would be
fairly disastrous.

When I was at school,
people used to phone me when I

was a teenager just to hear
my mother speak because

of her accent.

So I'd get really excited
that a boy was phoning.

"My gosh.

It's fun to listen to your
mother pick up the phone."

That's the one thing that I
couldn't inherit from my mother,

was her French accent.
Wish I could have.

That thing is deadly.

Dick: A quick buff with
some wax, the bed crown is fit

for its queen.

And Stephanie is one step
closer to finishing

her mum's apartment.

Back at Chateau Thuries in
southwest France, Steve is

putting the final touches to the
second completed guest suite,

the Little French room.

Jayne's now off to pick up her
daughter Ella and her fiance

and their friend Jackie.

Steve: I know she's not
a paying guest, but this will

be the first guest
that we don't really know.

It's really good to
get all reactions.

This is all new to us.

Never done--run
a chambre d'hôte.

I think that throw is beautiful.

I'm hoping it's
going to be a wow. Ha ha!

Dick: Ella and Simon will be
taking promotional pictures

to show on
the chateau's website

While the trip is a treat for
their friend Jackie,

who's celebrating a birthday.

Jackie: Steve, hello.
Steve: Pleased to meet you.

Jackie: And you.
Lovely to meet you.

Steve: It's the French way.
Hello, my daughter. Aw.

Jayne: Aw.
Ella: Hello.

Dick: It's the first time
Jayne and Steve have hosted

someone that they haven't met
before at the chateau,

so all eyes are on
the birthday girl's reactions.

Jayne: We've got to decorate
yet this thing, but--

[Jackie sighs]

Jayne: Aw.
Jackie: I love it.

Jayne: You love it.
Jackie: Jayne, I love it.

Jayne: Oh, do you?
Come and have a look in.

Jayne, voice-over:
What a lovely reaction.

She absolutely loved it, and she
was a bit tearful, actually.

So yeah.
Steve: Great reaction.

Jayne: It's nice to see
such a lovely reaction.

Dick: Believe you me,
those first impressions

from new visitors
never grow old.

Now to get a reaction
to the new guest suite

and Jackie's bed for the night,
the Little French room.

Six weeks ago, it was
bare and unwelcoming.

Now it's plastered, painted,
and refurnished to create

a room inspired
by 19th-century France.

Ella: Wow. Wow.

Simon: Oh, my gosh. I can't
believe you've done all this.

Jayne: What do you think?
Ella: I love it.

Jackie: Beautiful.

Jayne: I was a bit worried
because it's kind of

completely not
your taste, I think.

Ella: No, I love it.
I actually really do.

Just one thing.
Jayne: Yeah?

Ella: This I'm not
so sure about that, but...

-Oh, OK.
-I love everything else.

Jayne: OK. Well, that's--

if that's
all it is, I can change that.

That's not a problem.
Steve: Yeah. It's just the bed.

Dick: The Nature Suite, where
daughter Ella and Simon

are staying, is also ready
to show them.

Jayne:
So this is the Nature Suite.

Jackie: Oh, Jayne.

Jayne: Do you like it?
Ella: Oh, my God.

Jackie: It is just beautiful.

Dick: I think that deserves
a birthday toast.

Steve: Happy birthday.
Jayne: Happy birthday, Jackie.

-Cheers.
-Cheers.

Steve: Thank you for coming and
gracing our beautiful house.

Jayne: Welcome.
Steve: Welcome.

Jackie: Here's to Le Chateau.
Steve: Le Chateau. Ha ha!

Jackie:
First impression, blown away.

I just think it's a wonderful
thing to do to bring

such a beautiful old building
back to life.

[Laughter]

Ella: Nothing compares
to seeing it in person.

So we do all the social media
and take all the photographs

and everything.

But the atmosphere of it all,
you just can't capture it.

Simon: It's much better in
the flesh, isn't it?

Dick: Jayne and Steve's
guest accommodation is all set

to go online with not one,
but two picture-perfect rooms.

Steve: The bottom line is
to run a successful business,

to have a successful business
that people know and love,

and they're, "Oh, I stayed
in Chateau Thuries.

Have you stayed at
Chateau Thuries?" "No."

"Well, you got to stay at
Chateau Thuries.

It's one of those
life experiences."

Dick, voice-over: Next time...

Dick: You're not going to tell
me that this is the boiler.

Dick, voice-over: I get a warm
welcome from Stephanie.

Stephanie:
It's a magnificent beast.

Dick, voice-over: And she
shows me her special way

to beat the cold.

Dick: I'm sorry.
Stephanie: Quite comforting.

Dick:
I'm sorry. This is so wrong.

Dick, voice-over: For Jayne
and Steve, self-assembly proves

quite a challenge.

Steve:
I can't see where this goes.

Jayne: It says, Whack it.

Steve: This instructions
are just useless.

Dick: At Annabelle and Justin's,
they're getting ready to

welcome a VIP guest.

Justin: My 95-year-old
grandmother is going to have

a hard time getting
over that hole.