Escape to the Chateau DIY (2018–2021): Season 2, Episode 29 - Episode #2.29 - full transcript

Dick, voice-over:
I'm Dick Strawbridge.

Along with my wife Angel
and our two children,

we've lived in this
magnificent chateau in France

for the last 4 years.

Angel: I love you,
I love you, I love you.

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

Right. So, canapes.

Dick, voice-over:
But a business.

[Clanging]

And it turns out
we're not the only Brits

who've quit the U.K.
for the chateau life.



Woman: Wow.
Never seen anything like this.

Man, choking up: I can't talk.

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

helping more chateau owners
on their journey.

Dick: The whole of this
has to be

completely tanked and sealed.

Dick, voice-over: We'll work
with some familiar faces.

[Woman laughs]

Dick: Good to see you.
Woman: Welcome.

Dick, voice-over: And meet some
who are new to the chateau life.

Woman: Ta-da.
Angel: Good work.

[Laughter]

Man: Ugh.

Dick: You broke it.
Man: Yeah.



Dick: In the hole.
Man: Yeah.

Dick: That's a bit of an issue.

Dick, voice-over: As they battle
to renovate their homes.

Woman: Aah!
[Clattering]

Dick, voice-over: And make them
work as businesses.

Woman: Paul,
our guests are here.

Dick, voice-over: There'll be
extraordinary discoveries.

Dick: Wow, wow, wow,
wow, wow, wow.

Dick, voice-over:
And inevitable obstacles.

Woman: Aah!

Dick, voice-over: But however
hard the going gets,

for these plucky Brits,

their homes really are
their castles.

[People talking at once]

[Glasses clinking]

Dick, voice-over: Today...

Dick: You're not
going to tell me

that this is the boiler.

Dick, voice-over:
I give heating advice

to a chilly chateau owner.

Woman: It's a magnificent beast.

Dick, voice-over:
And she lets me in on her

rather novel way
of keeping warm.

Dick: You're not joking,
are you?

Woman: No.
I'm not joking.

Dick, voice-over:
For one pair, chateau DIY

is proving quite a challenge.

Man: I can't see
where this goes.

Woman: It says whack it.

Man: These instructions
are just useless.

Dick, voice-over: And time's
running out for a couple

preparing for a very
important guest.

Man: My 95-year-old
grandmother's gonna have

a hard time
getting over that hole.

Dick, voice-over:
Nothing says French chateau

quite as much as
a good, old turret.

And this rather gorgeous
temple of turrets

is the beautiful 16th-century
Chateau de Lalande.

It's now home to Stephanie,
who runs it as a B&B.

Stephanie: I always knew that
I wanted to buy a chateau

from the moment I was reading
fairy tales as a child.

It was really clear
that's what I wanted to do.

Dick, voice-over: Located in
the middle of rural France,

trained singer Stephanie
also runs music workshops...

[Stephanie singing indistinctly]

Dick, voice-over: In between
restoring her rooms.

After 13 years of working on
the main house, she's creating

an apartment for her mother
Isabelle in the old granary.

Stephanie: So, mummy,
look here, kitchen.

Dick, voice-over: Today,
they're trying to work out

how to keep the large
open plan room warm.

Isabelle: It can be
very, very warm,

this space, if you can afford

the heating, and electricity
is so expensive.

Stephanie: Hmm.
Isabelle: And so, I think

we have that old
wood-fired boiler,

which is old, but it would
still work for a long time,

and it would cost us nothing.

I would love that to be
considered perhaps, yes?

Stephanie: Yes.
OK, come...

Dick, voice-over: Isabelle
bought the stove from a neighbor

for 45 pounds.

Stephanie hopes it will be
able to supply free heating,

using wood from
the chateau's grounds.

Man: OK.
Stephanie: What do you think?

Dick, voice-over: Builder Ian
is checking it out.

Ian: It's a good,
robust unit.

Doesn't seem to have
any problems.
There's no...

Stephanie: I like the idea
of being able to use

the wood from our forest.

Ian: I mean, the first thing
to do is

let's make sure it does
work properly.

Then at the same time, I need
to look into the regulations

of how we can do the flue,
if we can take the flue

off of the side of the barn
and outside.

Stephanie: I don't want
the chateau to burn down because

we were saving costs
for a boiler.

Ian: Exactly.

Dick, voice-over: It sounds
like Stephanie needs to get

the burner checked out
professionally before

she goes to the expense
of installing it.

Stephanie: My mother cares
massively about the heating.

She really feels the cold.

She's so interested
in the boiler that I can't

keep anything from her
about this.

She is going to be all over
this like a rash, so,

I think this is something we're
going to be working on

together over the summer.

Dick, voice-over: Stephanie
wants a second opinion

before she makes any decisions.

And I know just the man
for the job.

[Roosters crowing]

Dick: Stephanie, hello, hello.

Stephanie: Well, hello.

Dick: How are you?

Stephanie: Really good.
How are you?

It's so good to see you.
[Kissing]

Dick: You got a new boiler.

Stephanie: Yeah.
Well, I've got a new old boiler.

Dick: No, no, no, no.
You--I was told

you had a new boiler.

You are not going to tell me
that this is the boiler.

Stephanie: It's
a magnificent beast.

Dick: Right.
Just work with me.

New.

Stephanie: Well, as I said,
it was a new old boiler,

yeah, yeah, yeah.

Dick: It's ancient.
[Stephanie laughs]

Dick: It's nearly 40 years old.

It's a batch boiler, isn't it?
Wood?

Stephanie: Yeah.

Dick: One batch at a time,
heat up a lot.

And then open up,
throw more in, open up,

and throw more in.

Stephanie: Yeah.

Dick: Um, it's rock solid.

As a piece of engineering,

it's a good way of turning
wood into hot water.

Stephanie: Yes.
Dick: Yeah.

But, um...it's a lot of
work going out.

What's your requirement?
Well, since we have
to come back,

what do you actually need?

Stephanie: I need heat
at minimum cost.

We have my mother's apartment,
which is new,

and I'm worried because
it's quite a big space,

and I can't add it
to our current heating

because as it is, it's not
heating the chateau.

It's just overwhelmed.

If I put anything else on it,
the whole thing

is just going to break.

Dick: If you take this...
Stephanie: Yeah.

Dick: And try to integrate it
into another system,

it's gonna be costing you.

Stephanie: Yeah.
Dick: OK?

So, we have to look
at the whole life cost,

which is--how much did you
pay for that?

Stephanie: It was about
50 euros.

Dick: Right.
Do you think

there's a clue there somewhere?

[Stephanie laughs]

Dick: Do you or your mother
want to be

coming down in the morning,

and last thing at night,
and sticking batches in there?

Stephanie: That's kind of
my worry because I

don't really do mornings.

I do also not want to freeze,

and we are freezing
all the time.

Dick: I think, personally,
by the time you install it,

by the time
you connect everything,

by the time we've tested
to see the integrity of it,

by the time you've
put a flue on it,

think of the money
that's ramping up.

Your investment's getting
bigger and bigger and bigger.

Dick, voice-over: I'd say
we need to forget using

the old boiler for heating.

It looks to me
like we should address

how Stephanie's heated
the whole chateau.

I've got some suggestions, but
this conversation needs to be

continued somewhere
a little warmer.

185 miles south
is this gem of a house.

Chateau de Glatens.

It's home to
British businessman Justin,

his Aussie wife Annabelle,
and their daughter Rosie,

who's just turned 3.

Located around an hour
from Toulouse,

they bought it in 2017,

and are busy renovating

and reconfiguring the rooms.

Annabelle: It's been
an intense 6 months of

construction, for sure.

Justin: It's gonna--it's
gonna take much, much

longer than we thought
to get everything done.

Dick, voice-over: They want to
turn the current 6 bedrooms

into 10 en-suite rooms.

Annabelle: How many more
shades of beige

can we put up on the wall?

Justin: That is just
the beigest of the beige.

Dick, voice-over: The idea is
to rent the whole house out

during the summer months,
and although

they are making progress...

Annabelle: Wow, look at that.

Dick, voice-over: Work still
needs to step up a gear.

Justin: My grandmother's
arriving in two days' time,

along with my aunt and uncle.

And a day after that, we've
got other family arriving,

so, we're desperately trying to
get everything ready in time.

Dick, voice-over: Their first
job is to furnish granny's room,

and get the en-suite
bathroom finished.

Justin: Well, obviously,
we're gonna need
to get these fixed,

because my 95-year-old
grandmother is gonna have

a hard time getting
over that hole.

Annabelle: But, I mean,
the skirting boards
aren't there.

Justin: Well, we're still
waiting for the--

for the wood to arrive.

Annabelle: It's like it just
doesn't look like

it's gonna be ready.

Justin: Well, why don't we get
a start on the chandelier early?

Annabelle: Yeah.
Justin: OK.

Well, let's get to it.

Dick, voice-over: A crystal
chandelier is going to be

the centerpiece of Justin's
grandmother's room.

Justin: OK, when you can't
twist it anymore, that's it.

No, you just leave it twisted--
no, no, no, darling.

Now you're taking it out.

That's it.
Good girl.

Well done.
So we're gonna need to sort of

haul this thing up that ladder.

I think it's gonna
probably take 3 of us.

Well, maybe 4 of us,
including Rosie.

OK.
[Speaking French]

[Clattering]
Ah.

Dick, voice-over: Ah-ah.

Justin: We got
the first casualty.

Dick, voice-over:
And there goes one of

the chandelier's crystals.

Justin: Is this the right
height, Annabelle?

Annabelle: Yeah.
How heavy is it?

Justin: Bloody heavy.
[Clattering]

Dick, voice-over:
Oops, and another.

Justin: Annabelle, do you want
to pass it up?

Annabelle: Yup, yup, yup, yup,
yup, yup, yup, yup.

Justin: Aah!
Annabelle: Oh.

Things are breaking.

Man: OK.

Annabelle: It's stressful.

Justin: How many bits
have fallen off?

Annabelle: Uh...whoa.
[Clattering]

[Justin laughs]
Including that one.
Annabelle: 5.

Justin: Oh, wow, that's quite
a lot to put back on, isn't it?

Annabelle: Yeah.

Dick, voice-over: Finally, it's
up, and most of it's intact.

Hopefully, they've done a
better job with the electrics.

Annabelle and Justin: Whoa!

Justin: C'est magnifique.

I can imagine this actually
being a bedroom now.

It feels like we're
in the, you know, the--

the last stretch.

There is light at the end
of the tunnel.

Dick, voice-over: With just two
days to get everything sorted,

it's now a case of divide
and conquer to get it all done.

While Annabelle replaces
the fallen crystals...

Justin: Hopefully, I've got
the measurements right.

Dick, voice-over:
Justin's moved on to the task

of fitting the bathroom's
skirting board.

Justin: We'll soon see.
[Saw whirring]

It's just a bit too long.

I'm gonna cut that up.

Dick, voice-over:
It doesn't help

that the tools and bathroom

are on different floors.

Justin: There's a lot of running
up and down the stairs today.

We moved--I sorted all of
the tools and stuff

into the master bedroom
at the workshop.

I'm thinking I might need
to cut another piece here.

[Saw whirring]

I'm gonna stick them
in place, whether they're

right size or not now, because

this is taking much, much longer
than I had hoped.

Everything takes longer
than you think it will.

Dick, voice-over: But you're
getting there, Justin.

This is the charming
Chateau Thuries, home to

husband and wife team
Jayne and Steve.

Jayne: When we decided we were
gonna move here, it was

because we were both stuck in
the 9:00 to 5:00 grindstone

in the U.K.

Dick, voice-over:
The chateau was built in 1885

at a cost of 165,000 pounds,

less than their 4-bedroom

cottage in Gloucestershire.

It has 23 rooms, sits in
3 1/2 acres of land,

and is just under an hour
from Toulouse.

Jayne: The dream for us
was having a kind of

work-life balance.

That's the whole reason
that we moved here,

apart from the fact it's an

absolutely gorgeous house,
of course.

Dick, voice-over:
They finished two of the 4

first-floor rooms they want
to use for B&B.

The Nature Suite,
with its natural-themed

fabrics and decorations...

Jayne: So,
this is The Nature Suite.

Woman: Oh, Jayne, oh, my God.

Dick, voice-over: And there's
also the little French room,

with its traditional
and antique furnishings.

Woman: Oh, wow.
Wow.

That's amazing.

Man: I can't believe
you've done all this.

It's so different. Look.

Dick, voice-over:
And there are plans
for an Oriental-themed room,

centered around Jayne's
chinoiserie screen

that Angel helped her with.

Angel: It's gonna be amazing.

I know it's gonna
look lovely.

Jayne: The problem is
at the moment,

we haven't got an income.

So, it would be nice to start

letting some rooms out,
so we can start getting

some money coming in.

So, how far have you got
with this then?

Dick, voice-over:
The next to be completed

is the master suite.

The walls have been stripped,

and now Jayne and Steve
need to decide

where everything goes before
they start decorating.

Steve: So, if the bed's gonna
be going in the middle,

you had the idea of having
those two sun mirrors

either side, didn't you?

Jayne: Yeah.

Steve: The only place

which could be affecting that

is where the electrics are.

[Device beeping]
This is--this is great, this.

Jayne: Yeah.
Steve: So, what happens is,

you just put it on the wall,

and as you bring it
over towards metal,

it's going faster and faster
and faster and faster.

Dick, voice-over: This detector
is a fabulous, little gadget

that can locate water pipes
and electric cables

and stop you drilling
through them.

Jayne: So, at least we know that

we're gonna be safe with that.

Steve: The big challenge
for this room

is it's such a big room.

There are lots of
lining to do.

Dick, voice-over: Lining paper's
a perfect way to hide

many of
the wall's imperfections,

and will give
a uniform finish.

Steve has penciled
a vertical line in the wall

to help him hang the paper.

Steve: That's my guide.

And the paper should come
along level with that line.

Jayne: OK.

Dick, voice-over: The pencil
line should help him

get off to a vertical start.

Jayne: I'll just go down
to the skirting.

Dick, voice-over: Getting this
line right will get him

off to a good start.

Steve: That over.
Jayne: OK.

It's really clever how he
measures that, because this--

he's just put a little notch
on the table,

and he does one full length,
and then he just goes

to the notch, and he knows
that that's where the length is

that he needs to cut.

It's clever, isn't it?

Everything's costing more
than, you know,

you originally think.
I mean, you hear that from

everybody, don't you?

You always go over budget
with everything.

Come April next year,
you know, we'll be opening

our doors, and then, hopefully
we can start topping up

the coffers a bit, but let's
just hope we get some bookings.

Ha. We'll be in trouble
if we don't.

I think you definitely have to
be a jack of all trades

to own a chateau because, yeah--
because you can't, you know,

you can't be getting tradesmen
in to do everything,

because it's just too expensive.

So, you've got to try and do
as much of it

as you can yourselves.

So, yeah, you do sort of tend
to learn a lot of skills.

Can you see?
Steve: Mm-hmm.

Dick, voice-over:
Only a fraction of
the room's been done,

but it's already
made a difference.

Jayne: It looks so much
brighter, doesn't it?
Just with that?

Steve: And it looks
pretty flat to me.

Jayne: That's pretty good.

Steve: I think it's tea time.
Take a break.

Dick, voice-over: Good job.
Only 3 1/2 more walls to go.

At Chateau de Lalande,
I've come to see Stephanie

to give her some advice
on how to heat her chateau

without it costing a fortune.

Stephanie: ...to put things,
is there?

Dick, voice-over:
Having discounted the old

wood-fired boiler her mother
Isabelle bought,

we've retired to the kitchen

to find another solution.

Dick: First things first, I put
a thermometer on your radiator

when you were making the tea.

Stephanie: Mm-hmm.
Dick: And it says that your

radiator is 34 degrees, OK?

Stephanie: Yeah.

Dick: Compared to a house
with the standard--

a conventional boiler...
Stephanie: Yes.

Dick: That's low.

Dick, voice-over: The chateau
has a geothermal system.

So, water is pumped
deep into the ground,

and warmed up by the heat
of the earth.

The heat is then saved
in a thermo store,

or insulated tank, and can be
used as and when it's needed.

Dick: What do--what do you get
at the minute in winter?

Stephanie:
We're lucky, very lucky,

if we can get
to 10 degrees

inside the house with
the heating on full.

Dick: It's 34 degrees for your
radiator, your heat source,

but actually it only
raises 10 degrees.

Stephanie: Yes.
Dick: So, all of this

temperature there
must be escaping.

It's going out.
How do you stay warm

in the--in the winter then?

What do you--what do you do?
Do you just go from

one little warm place
to another?

Stephanie: No, I just strap
hot water bottles to myself,

and I live, wearing...

Dick: You are joking, of course.
Stephanie: No.

Dick: You're not joking,
are you?

[Stephanie laughs]
No, I'm not joking.

Do you want to see my system?

Dick: You've got a system.
Are you serious?

Stephanie: Yeah.
Dick: Come on.

[Stephanie laughs]

Dick: I'm actually believing
you're gonna--

Is there some sort of
a drum roll?

Stephanie: This is how I live
all winter.

I have a long, thin one
as well, that I can

drape around my shoulders.

And then I have extra ones
I can pile onto my knees

when I'm sitting down.

You think it will catch on?

In London, people could
reduce their heating.

Just wear these all day.

Dick: I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.

This is so wrong.
[Stephanie laughs]

Dick: I do feel a need to try
and fix your heating issues.

Right, first things first.
Your chateau,

it's this F shape.

Stephanie: Yes.
Dick: OK.

Which means it's going to have
the ability to lose heat

out of lots of different areas.

Stephanie: Hmm.
Dick: And at the moment,

you've got large areas with
under-floor heating...

Stephanie: Yes.
Dick: On the ground floor.

What have you got upstairs?

Stephanie: Above it,
it's radiators in bedrooms,

and above that, a completely
un-insulated, enormous loft.

Dick: Say that again?

Stephanie: I can't.
I can't bring myself...

Dick: Bring yourself
to say that.

Stephanie: A completely
un-insulated

enormous attic, huge.

Dick: Insulation is
the order of the day.

Dick, voice-over: I'm interested
to know how much

this heat loss
is costing Stephanie.

Dick: How long have you had
the geothermal? 10 years?

Stephanie: About 10 years, yes.
And electricity in total,

which was obviously running
the heating as well,

was at about 950 euros a month.

Dick: OK.
So, it was 11,000.

Stephanie: Really hammering us.

Dick: At 11,000 euros a year.

Stephanie: Yeah.

That was all of our electricity,

but most of that
has to be heating.

Dick: Mm-hmm.
Well, I'm not actually

convinced about that
because in this room,

there's 8 50 watts,

plus in the corridor,
there's another 8.

So, that's--let's call that
800 watts of lighting,

because if I put my hand up
to those and they are hot...

Stephanie: Hmm.
Dick: Light is light,

heat is heat.

You should not be trying
to heat your house

with your lights.

[Stephanie laughs] And it's
also--it's not as though

we have all of this money
to throw at it.

Every month has been a struggle
to hit the electricity bill.

Dick: Now, boring, boring,
boring, rolls of insulation,

get them around the place.

The cost of putting in
curtains, spending

two or 3 days, getting rid
of drafts,

yeah, these things
are pretty fundamental.

Stephanie: It's crucial.
Dick: It all boils down

to the 11,000 a year
on electricity.

Stephanie: Mm-hmm.
Dick: Yeah? 11,000 a year.

That's...
Stephanie: Really sickening.

Dick: And do you know
what you've achieved?

10 degrees.

Dick, voice-over:
A chateau's electricity bill

is a very sobering subject.

Unfortunately, it's one of
the realities

of owning a chateau in France.

Stephanie: Thank you.
Dick: Lovely to see you.

[Kissing]
Stephanie: So much.

Dick: Get back in the warm.
Stephanie: Really fun.

Dick: Thank you, darling.
Stephanie: Bye.

Dick: Bye.
Bye-bye, bye.

Dick, voice-over:
Time to debrief Isabelle.

Stephanie: Mummy, I've got
some bad news.

Isabelle: I can't take this.

Stephanie: We can't use
the wood-fired boiler
that you bought.

Isabelle:
Why? Who said so?

Stephanie: Well, Dick came
to have a look.

Dick, voice-over:
Don't blame me.

Isabelle: Yes.
Stephanie: And he had a really
long chat with me,

which was very helpful, about
our heating issues here.

And he feels that the money
that we would pay

for the installation of it

is not the right way of
spending our money,

in terms of the heating.

That--it's just going to be
a lot of work.

He was also telling me
that I need to reduce

the costs at the moment.

So, I have to change
my light bulbs,

and the other thing
was insulation.

I think that's what
we need to focus on.

Isabelle: Yes.
Stephanie: Have a cup of tea.

Would you like some
sugar, mummy?

Isabelle: Yes, definitely.

Thank you, darling, very much.

Very disappointed.
I love that boiler,

but it's not to be,
it's not to be.

I'm very sorry about that.

Dick, voice-over:
I do hope Stephanie will

take my advice on board

and approve the insulation here,

along with changing her
light bulbs to low energy.

At Chateau de Glatens,
Justin and Annabelle

are trying to get guest rooms
and en-suites ready

to accommodate visiting family.

Annabelle: It's too cluttered.
What about if it went

above the loo?

Justin: No, I think that works.

Dick, voice-over:
They're coming to visit

in just two days' time.

Justin: it looks like the sort
of bathroom Batman might have.

Dick, voice-over: In one of
the bedrooms, the fireplace

needs a new hearth.

Justin and Annabelle
have brought a pre-cut

slab of marble.

Annabelle: It's quite
beautiful, isn't it?

Dick, voice-over: But it's
not quite the right size.

Justin: It's just a little bit
too big in two places.

So, I'm gonna have to shave
about 5 millimeters

off each side.

So, I've cut
marble tiles before,

but not big slabs
of expensive marble.

So, you know, fingers crossed.

Well, hopefully not cut off.
And...

[Saw whirring]

Annabelle: Really careful.

Don't screw it up.

Justin: I'm gonna try
not to screw this up.

Annabelle: Shave, like it's
cheese, you know,

like really finely shave
the marble off like that.

Justin: That's completely not
what Youssef said.

Annabelle: What did he say?

Justin: He said to just do it
slowly and gently,

and to follow the line.
Annabelle: Do what Youssef said.

Justin: Are you sure?
I can--I can take your advice.

Annabelle: I'm getting
out of here.

I don't like the look of you
with that tool.

I'm going outside.
Justin: All right.

I mean, it really is a matter
of, like, 3 millimeters.

[Saw whirring]

Oh, yes!

Boom!

Annabelle: No.

Dick, voice-over:
A perfect fit.

Well done, Justin.

Justin: We got to clear
this stuff out,

but that basically fits.

Annabelle: It does fit.
[Justin exhales]

Annabelle: Oh, my gosh.

I should never have
doubted you.

Dick, voice-over:
Another job down.

Annabelle: Well done.

Dick, voice-over: But they
still need to furnish
granny's bedroom,

finish her en-suite, and get
some of the other

guest rooms done, including

fitting and painting
one of the bathrooms.

While the builders
tackle the flooring,

Annabelle questions
the quality of

Justin's handiwork.

Annabelle: I love how
when I suggested that
I would paint this,

you were like, "Under no
circumstances," and then

you've painted it yourself.

Does that show
a lack of faith?

Let's not answer
that question.

Justin: That silence is hanging
in the air there, isn't it?

[Annabelle laughs]

I love the detail around
the radiator here.

The precision with which
that's been painted.

[Laughter]

Justin: Because the other side
still has to be done.

Annabelle: Oh.

Oh, you did that really well.

That was good.

Justin: Oh, I thought
you were being sincere.

You were actually mocking me.

[Annabelle laughs] I'm sorry.

[Laughter]

I just don't like--

and that's a little bit that
you'll get back to that later.

Justin: Yeah.
I got bored of doing that part.

Annabelle: Fair enough.

Dick, voice-over:
There's no time to get bored.

And while the bathroom paint
is drying, it's time to get

a cast iron bath into place.

Justin: It feels like it weighs
probably well over 100 kilos.

Like, hundreds of kilos,
200 kilos.

It's heavy.

Dick, voice-over:
Time for reinforcements.

Well, they say many hands
make light work.

Justin: All right.

It's really heavy.
Man: I'll say.

Justin: But now we've got
to turn it onto its side

to fit it through that door.

Annabelle: You didn't
break a toe.

[Justin speaking French]

Annabelle: I'm really happy
that I don't have to help with

the bath, not that
I'd be much help.

Whoa!

Slowly.

OK, you've got
the top foot through.

Aah! Aah!

Justin: What's going on?

Annabelle: It can't--you can't,

you can't, you can't!

Dick, voice-over: The bath plus
legs is too wide for the door.

Time to put plan B
into action.

Justin: Stuff
the parquetry up.

[Man speaking French]

Justin: In order to get the
bath through, we've had to take

the feet off.

[Man speaking French]
Come on.

Dick, voice-over: Where there's
a will, there's a way.

Annabelle: Careful, careful
with the floor.

Man: Yes.

Dick, voice-over: And it's in.

Now to reassemble it
and plumb it in.

Annabelle: Whoa.

Glad I could help. Ha!

[Men and Annabelle
speaking French]

Annabelle: That looks
really good.

Justin: It looks great.

Dick, voice-over: At Chateau
de Lalande, Stephanie's back

working on the new flat
for her mother Isabelle,

in the attic of
the old granary.

The decorating is complete,
so, now she can get on

with the rest of her plans
for the space.

Stephanie: The bed is so big,
it's gonna go

way over that door.

Dick, voice-over
Unfortunately, those plans

don't include Isabelle's
favorite soft furnishings.

Stephanie: Ian?

Ian: Hello?

Stephanie: I'm going
behind my mother's back.

Our lives are at risk, but will
you be part of the plot?

Ian: No.

[Stephanie laughs]

Dick, voice-over: So, with the
reluctant help of builder Ian,

and close family friend Gerry,

Isabelle's furniture
is history.

Man: OK.
Do that.

Second man: Yup.

Stephanie: The room looks
better already.

This is basically
the naughtiest thing

that we could possibly
be doing.

Gerry: But isn't it fun?
Stephanie: It does feel good.

Gerry: Tell me
when you're ready.

Stephanie: Ready.
Go, go, go.

Gerry: OK.
[Stephanie laughs]

Dick, voice-over:
It's out with the old

and in with the new.

Gerry: Let's bring the crown in,
bring up the headboard,

get them in situ,
and see how it looks.

It's such a big room.

Dick, voice-over: One challenge
is to conceal a door.

Something they may be able to
do with the bed's headboard.

Stephanie: A little a bit back
towards Ian, I reckon--yeah.

I can disguise
the door completely

with the curtains from
the bed crown.

If we have the curtains
coming out, like this,

then the curtain will come down
here and you won't realize

that there's a door behind.

Man: Yeah.
Stephanie: Yeah.

Dick, voice-over:
With Isabelle's new headboard
in place,

it's time to see if the bed
crown Stephanie's restored

actually suits the room.

Stephanie: Ah, it's huge.
Ian: ...scratch it.

Stephanie: Ah, it's so
perfect with it.

Gerry: This will look good.

Stephanie: Looks
incredibly good.

Gerry: OK.
Stephanie: Well,
we've got incredibly lucky

because it's the same width
as the top of the bed.

Looks as though it was
made for it.

Dick, voice-over: Next comes
another attic find,

the old pelmet.

Stephanie: So, it just
gives you an idea.

That will be along the front
of it, like that.

How does that look, Ian?

Gerry: Is it nice?

Ian: So, you got to imagine
that now, but it's gonna be

at least 6 foot high when
these are mounted, I thought.

Stephanie: At least, I mean,
way more than that,

actually, I think.

And then there's big curtains
to come down either side.

This is just the pelmet.

Ian: These are just the pelmets.
So, this one's to be

above head high, doesn't it?
So...

Stephanie: Yeah, it's
got to be really quite high.

Ian: Another
6 foot from there.

Gerry: I think we'll be
forgiven for the sofas.

Dick, voice-over:
Let's hope so, Gerry.

At Chateau Thuries,
Jayne and Steve have finished

lining and painting the walls
of the master suite,

and have varnished the floor.

Steve: What a transformation.

Jayne: I'm really pleased
with this floor.

It seems to have dried OK.

Dick, voice-over: Now they need
to dress the room.

Steve: Out of here.

Good boy.
Come on.

Good boy.

Dick, voice-over:
The centerpiece will be

a four-poster bed,

but it's missing
one vital element.

Jayne: So, the four-poster bed
didn't have any instructions

with it when it arrived.

So, they emailed me some.

It's not ideal, is it,

to have no instructions.

[Laughs]

All right. Fantastic.

I think we're in business.

It says here, "Putting the bed
together is pretty easy."

Oh. "However, you would
ideally need

"more than one person
to help you align

"the head
and the footboards.

Please don't do it
by yourself."

Anyway, right.
So, let's go.

We can go upstairs and see
how we get on it.

It'll be good fun,
if nothing else.

Steve?

He is.
He's out in the garden

playing with the dog.

Steve: Here you go.

Jayne: Oi, you.

Are you ready for
Operation Four-Poster?

Steve: Yeah.
I'm ready.

Jayne: It says, "Important.
Putting the bed together

is pretty easy."

Steve: Oh, yeah.
Jayne: "However,
you should ideally need

"more than one person
to help you

"align the head
and footboards.

"When you're putting
the bed together,

"whack the sideboards well,

"so you hear the click sound

on the metal hinges
on the sideboards."

Dick, voice-over:
Sounds easy enough.

Jayne: That's the--that's
the footboard,

and that's the headboard,
and they've all got bolts.

Yeah. So that goes
with the headboard.

Steve: So, that goes there
and that goes there.

Jayne: Yeah.

These go in those
holes, I think.

Yeah.
Do they--oh, yeah, look.

So, yeah, look, genius.

So, that goes--
Steve: And then the slats--

and the slats go on top of that.

Jayne: Yeah.
Steve: I can't see
where this goes.

Jayne: Because that is there.

Steve: Because if we can get
that and that, they'll stand up.

Jayne: Then, if we prop that up
against the...

Steve: Lean it back.
We can put the side bits on--

and then the other two legs
standing up.

Jayne: Yeah, yeah.

Steve: Push that in.
Jayne: It says whack it.

Steve: That's it,
that's it.

Jayne: Ooh, is it going in?
Steve: Yeah.

Jayne: No, put it
the right way around.

[Hammering]
Steve: Perfect.
That's it.

Just need a bit of
brute force.

How are you going
to put that hole in?

Dick, voice-over: Maybe
it's not as straightforward

as it seems.

Steve: See, these
instructions are just useless.

They all collapsed on us.

Got it?
Jayne: Yeah.

[Laughs]
Steve: That's what's gonna--

that's what's gonna happen.

I think that
this is definitely

more than a two-man job.

Dick, voice-over: Call in
the reinforcements, Steve.

At Chateau de Glatens,
it's the day

Justin's grandmother arrives.

Her bathroom is plumbed in,
but not finished, and there's

still more to do
in her bedroom.

Justin: My grandmother's gonna
be arriving in about

5 hours, so,

we've got to
prepare her rooms.

[Saw whirring]

There's no bed.
There's a lot of stuff

that needs to happen still
in her bathroom.

And we're focusing on
trying to get one of

the other spare bedrooms done.

So, that's getting
painted today,

and there's a lot of stuff
going on.

It's a bit of
a madhouse, really.

Annabelle: A bit?
Justin: Yeah.

Dick, voice-over: Sounds a lot,
but there's more.

Rosie: I want to finish.

Dick, voice-over: Some of
the bathrooms don't have baths.

[Man groans]
Man 2: Careful.

Dick, voice-over: Some of
the bedrooms are without beds.

Justin: Getting there. Aah!
[Clattering]

Dick, voice-over:
And now the chandelier's

missing some crystals.

Justin: Oh, God.

Dick, voice-over: With Granny's
bedroom a top priority,

it's all hands on deck.

Annabelle: Whoa!
[Sputters] Uhh.

Rosie: ...we got to move it.

Dick, voice-over: And after
everyone's pulled together...

Justin: Does that meet with
Rosie's approval?

Dick, voice-over:
The guest room's almost ready

for Granny's arrival.

Justin: Windows are clean,
the heating's on,

everything seems to be working.

The bed light, chandelier,
bathroom's functioning.

So, that's great.
I'm really pleased.

Dick, voice-over: Justin's
grandmother and the rest of

the family have arrived.

Justin: It's super-heated.

Annabelle: Is it warm?
Woman: Yes.
Annabelle: Oh, good.

Justin: What do you think
of the room?

Dick, voice-over: Justin
and Annabelle have transformed

a cold and empty shell into this
stylish and comfortable room

with this elegant chandelier,
this newly assembled bed,

and a smart bathroom.

All perfect for Granny.

Annabelle: Are you happy to be
in France, mum?

Are you happy to be
on holiday?

Dick, voice-over:
The room's a success,

which calls for one thing.

[Cork pops]
Justin: Whoa!
Annabelle: Yay!

Voice: Aah!
[Laughter]

Annabelle: Cheers.
To [inaudible]

and your arrival.

Woman: Bravo.

Man: All of you.

Justin: Cheers.

Woman: Cheers.

Justin: Welcome.

I'm really glad that my
grandmother's made it.

Really glad to see her
respond well to the room.

I may have slightly
over-engineered

the heating solution.

I didn't realize that
she liked a cool bedroom.

The rest of her house
is always extremely warm.

Ha ha ha!
But there you go.

Annabelle: But you can always
turn it down.

Justin: You can always
turn it down.

It's not mandatory
that it's 31 degrees.

Annabelle: For 95, I think
she's killing it.

Justin: Yeah.
Annabelle: That was--she's in

good form, and she's
really happy to be here,

and we're very happy to have her
for the next couple of weeks.

Justin: Yeah.

Dick, voice-over:
It's been a busy few months

at Chateau du Glatens,
but Justin and Annabelle

have put a fair dent
in the restorations.

[Thud]

Justin: I've really enjoyed
seeing the transformation

in Rosie's bedroom
and the guest room,

and the downstairs room
that my grandmother used.

Seeing those rooms
come to life,

because they were very
dingy and dark, and now,

you know, with walls
in different places,

en-suite bathrooms,
air conditioning,

they're really
comfortable rooms that work

for a lot of different people.

Dick, voice-over: The work
they've done so far

will hopefully see them
making some money back

on their investment, as well as

being a welcoming place to live.

And with another push
over the winter,

it shouldn't be long
before they can really

enjoy their home, as well as

welcoming paying guests
in the summer.

Justin: I feel that now it's
taking shape as a family home.

I can see why
we're doing this.

It's becoming obvious,
you know, what form

this will finally take.

And it feels good,
it feels like this is

gonna be a lovely place for us
to spend the next few years,

and for Rosie to grow up.

Annabelle: And I think that's
very rewarding, thinking about

our family and how it might
grow in the future

and how to create a space
that is wonderful for us

and our extended family to use,

but that would also be great
for the months in the summer

that we rent the house out
for other families

that are similar to use.

Dick, voice-over: Now it's time
for a well-earned rest.

But it won't be long
before the family

need to roll up their
DIY sleeves once more.

At Chateau de Lalande,
the attic apartment

Stephanie's creating
for her mother Isabelle

is beginning to come together.

Stephanie: I think you've done
a glorious job of

the tidying up.

Dick, voice-over:
Now it's decorated,

Gerry and a number of
volunteers are at hand

to help bring in
the furniture.

But they need to make sure
the transformation

remains a surprise.

Gerry: So, we have to
keep mummy occupied,

keep her out this chateau area.

Stephanie: While I'm
going to go and find her,

are you two free
for a furniture removal?

Man: I'm ready.

Dick, voice-over:
Before any more of Stephanie's

stashed-away furniture
could be moved into place,

she needs an excuse to get
Isabelle out of the way.

Stephanie: Ah, maman.

Isabelle: Oui, cherie.

Stephanie: I was wondering
if you could go

to the boulangerie.

Isabelle: Oui?

Stephanie: And get
lots and lots

and lots of bread.

Isabelle: Are you aware that
yesterday I must've bought

about 10 loaves?

Stephanie: I don't like
eating old bread.

Isabelle: What?
Stephanie: Please.

Isabelle: We know that French
bread, the old-fashioned one,

can last two weeks.

Stephanie: I'll put it
in the freezer.

I like to eat
the bread on the day.

Isabelle: OK.
I'll go to the same--

I'm going to get
one of those big ones

if I can get it.

Stephanie: Yeah.
Perfect.

Dick, voice-over:
With Isabelle and fiance Percy

off running errands,

the new furniture
can be moved in.

But it's started to rain.

Stephanie: Once mummy
gets back, we can't keep going,

so we have to do it now
even though it's raining.

I'm gonna bring
the drawers up.

Man: Yes, please.

Stephanie: Watch out.

Man: OK, one down.
Gerry: Yup.

Man: 400 to go.

Up the narrow spiral.

Yeah, this is OK.

Dick, voice-over: With his
painting skills, moral support,

and sense of humor,
close family friend Gerry

has been a tower of strength
for Stephanie

throughout this project.

Gerry: OK.
And it's exactly...

Dick, voice-over: But finally,
something has him stumped.

He's measuring a sofa
to see if it'll fit

through the apartment door.

Gerry: That's 78.
Stephanie: No, it's not, Gerry.

I don't know what it is,
but it's not 78.

Gerry: Oh, not 78 inches.
Sorry.

It's 139--let's call it 210.

Stephanie: You just went from
139 to 210?

Gerry: Yeah, I know, but I just
thought to be safe,

I would add on.
[Stephanie laughs]

Like, are you sure
your measurements...

Gerry: It's here.

Stephanie: 200.
It's basically 200, isn't it?

Gerry: Well, 200...
Stephanie: This is a precision

measurement, Gerald.

Gerry: Right, right.

OK. We'll do it there. OK.

And it's exactly 116.

Stephanie: Hold that
measuring tape in place.

195. [Laughs]

Gerry: You're not--can somebody
get my glasses?

[Stephanie laughs]

Gerry: Yeah, you're going to
push it back to me.

Right.

Dick, voice-over: And just as
the sofa squeezes

through the door...

Gerry: Well, after that
hard day.

Stephanie: OK.
Lean forward, Gerald,

and it'll be a lot better.

Gerry: Thank you. Ahh.

Dick, voice-over:
Isabelle and Percy return

from the boulangerie.

And work must stop
for the day.

Isabelle: Thank you.

Let's get on with lunch,
so we can carry on.

Gerry: Yeah.
And don't forget

the apartment
is out of bounds.

Stephanie: Out of bounds.

Isabelle: I will not cheat,
I will not go.

Gerry: I know you're good.

Isabelle: But I will get up...

Gerry: Yeah, you would--

come, I'm doing it for you.

Stephanie: The histrionics.

[Gerry laughs]

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

I really want her to--
for it to be

more than she's expecting.

But we've got a long way to go.

Dick, voice-over:
You certainly have.

The windows don't have
any curtains,

there are no pictures
on the walls,

and the kitchen's a long way
from finished.

At Chateau Thuries,
Jayne and Steve

have their friends Caroline
and David staying over.

Their visit couldn't have come
at a better time.

David: So, we got to finish
the bed today, then.

What happened yesterday?

Jayne: Oh, it was...
Steve: Fun and games.

Jayne: Fun and games.
Yeah.

I mean, really, you need about
97 people around the bed.

To sort of assemble it.

David: So if we make the back,
and we make the front

sections, yeah? Two?

Steve: Exactly.

[Crunch]

David: We'll need
the space, won't we?

Dick, voice-over:
With their workforce doubled,

it's take two of
Operation Four-Poster.

Jayne: Very heavy, isn't it?

David: It is,
yeah, yeah, yeah...

Jayne: Really heavy.
David: OK.

Yup. And down.

Steve: Where's the groove?

David: The groove's
under there.

Steve: Oh, it's under.

[Hammering]

David: Hang on.
We got to put the pole in

first, guys, as well.

Caroline: Yes.
[Hammering]

David: OK.
Steve: Perfect.

David: Great.

I think it looks [indistinct].

Dick, voice-over: Come on, guys.
You're almost there.

Steve: You drop your end
right down there.

Jayne: Just drop it down.

Steve: That's it.

Actually, drop now.

David: Have you got the hammer?

That'll do, yeah. OK.

OK, just lower it a little
gently, and then this is...

Dick, voice-over:
Having 4 pairs of hands

has certainly helped.

And the bed
is almost complete.

David: Hang on, hang on.

That's it, that's it,
that's it, that's it.

Steve: Ready?
David: Ready.

Steve: That's it.
David: That's it.

And then...
Jayne: It's not still against--

Steve: It's perfect.
Jayne: Oh, thank God.

Dick, voice-over:
It's taken some time

and a little extra help,

but they got there in the end.

Caroline:
It's a working holiday.

And we're used to coming along
and being told what to do.

David: Some of the time.
[Laughter]

Steve: It's literally
gonna be about there.

Jayne: I think that's
perfect, Steve.

Steve: It's gonna look
nice with all the white--

white and blue.

Dick, voice-over:
Now the room just needs

its soft furnishings,

and soon, 3 of the 4

first-floor guest rooms

will be complete.

Steve: I think these will
look nice here.

Jayne: We're at this point now

where we're nearly finished

all the bedrooms up here.

Can't wait to see.
It's really exciting, isn't it?

Because, I mean,
we've been doing this now

for about 7 months.

Steve: Well, look at that.

That's a transformation,
isn't it?

Dick, voice-over:
Jayne and Steve have turned
this blank canvas

into a smart
and stylish bedroom,

worthy of its
master suite title.

And it comes complete
with its own luxury bathroom.

Steve: Well, the bed,
I think, is superb.

I just want to jump in it.

Jayne: Oh, I think
it looks great.

It looks exactly how
I wanted it to be.

Dick, voice-over: Excellent.

Just one more room to finish

before they can welcome
their first paying guests.

Next time...

Isabelle: Oh, oh, Stephanie.
It's beautiful.

Dick, voice-over: Stephanie
gives her mum a surprise.

Isabelle: Thank you.
[Stephanie speaking French]

Dick, voice-over: I experiment
in the greenhouse.

Dick: What I'm going to do
is I'm going to--

put those roots
out of that hole.

Steve: Voila.
Dick, voice-over:
Jayne's painting

causes a panic.

Jayne: Right, is that--is that

starting to run
and bleed a bit?

Oh, no.

[Thunder]

Dick, voice-over:
And clouds gather over

a chateau wedding.

Man: We just woke up
to 8:00 thunderstorms.

Man 2: The only dark cloud in
the horizon is the dark cloud.