Escape to the Chateau DIY (2018–2021): Season 2, Episode 3 - Episode #2.3 - full transcript
Belinda travels to Dick and Angel's Chateau so that Angel can teach her the art of decoupage on a classic 1950's dressing table.
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: This is why
I fell in love with you.
Dick, voice-over:
It's not just our home...
Angel: She'll be happy
with this.
Dick, voice-over:
but a business...
Dick: Ha ha!
Dick, voice-over: and it turns
out, we're not the only Brits
who've quit the U.K.
for the chateau life.
- Ho ho! Fantastic.
- Oh, my goodness.
Angela: Absolutely stunning.
Dick: Hiya.
Dick, voice-over:
Now Angel and I are back
helping more plucky ex-pats
with their chateaus.
Dick: This is where it gets
interesting, isn't it?
Dick, voice-over: We'll catch up
with some old friends...
Woman: I can't believe it.
Dick, voice-over: and meet
a new wave of daring owners...
Man: Aww.
- You broke it...
- Yeah.
Dick: in the hole.
Right. That's a bit of an issue.
Dick, voice-over: As they battle
to renovate their homes...
Angela: Aah!
Dick, voice-over: and make them
work as businesses.
Woman: Kath, if you have time,
we're out of coffee.
Dick, voice-over:
There'll be ups and downs...
Belinda: It's like wading
through treacle.
Dick, voice-over: but however
hard the going gets...
Man: Whoa!
Dick, voice-over:
for these plucky Brits,
their homes really are
their castles.
[Cheering]
Dick, voice-over:
Today a chateau owner
makes the trip to our place...
- * Doo doo *
- Wow. Look at this.
Belinda: Oh, it's lovely. Oh...
Dick, voice-over: with furniture
in need of the Angel touch.
Angel: I would
probably decoupage
the whole of the drawers
so when people open it up,
it's like a fabulous surprise.
Dick, voice-over:
The chateau search continues
for one couple...
- Marvelous.
- Well, that's impressive.
Dick, voice-over: provided they
can make it past the front door.
- Yes?
- Bonjour, monsieur.
David: Parlez-vous anglais?
Dick, voice-over: At Chateau
Monteil, it's changeover day...
- Au revoir.
- Au revoir.
[Beep beep]
Dick, voice-over: as these
chateau owners are pushed
to breaking point...
Krys: One bed done.
I've got 12 more to go.
Dick, voice-over: and with
the race on to get
a new honeymoon suite ready...
Angela: So we've only got
55 minutes left.
- So 28.06.
- Ohh...
Dick, voice-over: there's
a distinct lack of romance
in the air.
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--
Man: This way.
Woman: You're not even
looking at me now.
[Birds chirping]
Dick, voice-over:
There are chateaus
of every imaginable kind out
here in the French countryside,
and it's a privilege
to own one,
but that doesn't mean
it's not a serious commitment.
Stunning, 19th-century
Chateau Caillac is home
to outdoor enthusiasts
Angela and Steve.
Steve: We chose a chateau
with turrets and land
and projects that can
keep us busy
probably for the next 30 years.
Angela: Yeah. To be fair,
if we'd have bought
a flat in London,
we probably would be
just sitting on a balcony
relaxing.
Steve: Hmm. That has
its appeal at times.
Angela: Yeah. Heh heh heh.
Dick, voice-over: Set in
South Nouvelle-Aquitaine
by the River Lot,
Steve and Angela
have renovated
a 20-room chateau
into a luxury home
and holiday rental.
Angela: Chateaus are
really expensive to run,
and you really are
only the guardian of the chateau
while you're here,
so we want to maintain it.
We want to improve it.
We want to bring it
back to life.
We want to share it
with other people.
Dick, voice-over: To do that,
and make some extra cash
along the way, they're planning
to move into the wedding game.
Steve: We're going to put
a new bath in the Renoir Room,
which is going to become
the bridal suite,
- Yes.
- and renovate that room.
Dick, voice-over:
For inspiration, Angela came
to see my Angel
for a gilding master class.
- This is bling.
- Bling is good.
Dick, voice-over: Angela
and Steve have friends
arriving tomorrow to road-test
the new suite...
Angela: Watch me paint, please.
Dick, voice-over:
but they're battling
to get it finished in time.
Angela: We've done
most of the painting,
curtains to hang,
the ciel de lit to hang,
furniture to get back in place,
beds to make,
and, voila,
it's gonna look amazing, I hope.
Ha ha ha!
Dick, voice-over:
Angela's most pressing job
is gilding her tub.
Angela: Why not have a little
bit of bling in your bathroom?
Dick, voice-over: She's using
imitation gold leaf--
that's a mix of copper,
brass, zinc, and aluminium--
to keep the cost down.
Angela: I've never
done it before.
I've visited Angel, and we did
a little bit of gold-leafing
on the ciel de lit,
which is also going in the room,
and here I am today
giving this a go for meself.
I can't even remember now
what on Earth possessed me
to think this was a good idea.
I do hope it works, really.
Steve: This is--
Dick, voice-over: In his garage,
Steve's working
on the gilded ciel de lit,
the canopy that will hang
above the bed.
Steve: This has then
got to be fixed to the wall,
and the wall in that room,
unfortunately,
is only very thin.
It's actually made up of tiles,
so it's really hard
to attach anything to it.
This has got to be fairly strong
because it's holding
3 heavy curtains,
and, obviously,
they could get pulled,
as well,
so it needs to be
a secure structure.
- Is that up?
- Oh, no.
Angela: I think
it's gonna look great.
Watch the mirror.
Watch the mirror.
Watch
the mirror.
The end is near,
final piece.
* Da-da da-da da da da da *
Eh...that's it,
just a little bit
of touching-up to do,
a bit of bling for a bathroom.
Dick, voice-over: It cost Angela
less than £50
to gild her bath,
bit of a bargain, I reckon.
Steve: Wow. Look at
what you've made.
That looks amazing.
How we gonna turn it over,
though, without damaging it?
Angela: That's tomorrow's job.
Dick, voice-over: And the day
their friends arrive.
These two are not leaving
themselves a lot of time.
Scottish couple David,
an engineer,
and art restorer Elaine
are at the start
of their own chateau story.
They want to trade in
their city apartment
for a French castle.
David: Ideally, you drive down
the tree-lined driveway,
and then the chateau
will appear.
- Through gates.
- Oh, though gates. Yes.
Elaine: You go through gates,
and then the chateau
will present itself,
and it might have
a couple of turrets
or something.
Turrets would be nice.
Dick, voice-over: As it was just
down the road from our place,
I joined them
on their first viewing...
Dick: When we get in here,
just grill him.
Give him a really hard time
because the bottom line is,
he wants to sell the chateau.
- Yeah. Yeah.
- Sure.
Dick, voice-over: but they were
unsure about spending
all of their £700,000
on a fully renovated place.
David: Really like this one.
We definitely need to go and
look at some more properties.
Dick, voice-over: They then
viewed a chateau B&B business...
Elaine:
Oh, a great room this is.
David: It's got a nice feel.
Dick, voice-over: before
checking out a smaller chateau
that seemed to chime with them.
[Bell ringing]
David: I could definitely
live with these bells.
Apparently, they stop
at 10:00 at night.
Elaine: Oh, good. Ha ha ha!
Dick, voice-over: David
and Elaine have liked elements
of all 3 chateaus
they've seen up to now,
but to try and find a place
that ticks every box,
they've come to Normandy.
David: Bonjour.
Je m'appelle David.
- Yes. Philip.
- Je m'appelle Elaine.
Philip: Welcome to Normandy.
- Oh, thank you.
- Well, thank you.
Philip: The nice
weather, well--
Elaine: Oh, I love
this kind of weather. I do.
Dick, voice-over: This is
19th-century
Chateau de la Mont Billard,
on the market for £546,000.
With 18 rooms, two gites,
and almost 7 acres of land,
the chateau offers them the mix
of home and business
which they're after.
Elaine: I love
the outside of it.
It's got really nice detail,
just, you know, the crests
on the very top and all
the little, curly bits,
and then the towers
and that tiny, little,
circular window up there.
David: How is the roof?
Dick, voice-over:
Good to see David's asking
the important questions.
Philip: It's not brand-new,
as you could see,
but it's in good condition.
David: It looks good.
Yeah. Oh! Got it?
Dick, voice-over:
With the whippets for company,
it's on with the tour.
David: Oh, I like the floor.
Elaine: Oh, that floor's lovely.
It is nice having
an entrance hall.
David: I love all the wood
moldings are here
and that, the rose.
- The rose.
- Yeah.
David: It's a really nice
entrance.
- Come in.
- Pup, pup.
Dick, voice-over: Off this
hallway is a kitchen diner
to one side
and a sitting room to the other.
David: This is a beautiful room.
Again, the cornicework's
in good condition.
I mean, there's a little bit
of repair work
needed over there, but--
- I can do that.
- Yep.
Dick, voice-over: Elaine works
in restoration,
so she should know just how
to sort this cornice out.
Elaine: Part of looking after
one of these houses
is maintaining these
period features
and having all the beautiful
craftsmanship around.
David: I love the staircase.
Elaine: It's a lovely,
graceful curve.
- Graceful is the word.
- Yeah. Yep.
Dick, voice-over: The chateau
has 8 bedrooms
split over two floors,
one of which comes
with its own fairytale turret.
Philip: As you see,
there is a hallway over there,
a small study.
David: So this is my office
to work here, then.
- That's it.
- Yes. yes.
Elaine: How many employees
can you fit in there?
Philip: Ha ha ha!
It would be a bit small.
David: Actually, that's a place
to just sit with the laptop.
- Yes. Yes. Yes.
- It's delightful.
Dick, voice-over:
That's David's office sorted.
Now, what about a studio
for artist Elaine?
Philip: Currently now,
they don't use this room
as a bedroom,
so they are artists like you,
so they use it as a studio
or, well--
Elaine:
It's a lovely sized room,
and it's a good light, I mean,
the light from 3 sides.
This is their studio?
David: Well, I think this room
would be the master bedroom,
very nice environment.
That was just my idea,
but I know that eventually,
Elaine will change my mind.
She's very good at that.
[Laughter]
Dick, voice-over:
Leading off this room
is the chateau's
piece de resistance.
Philip: This here now
is terrace on the--
You've got a very nice view
on the--
- On the land.
- on the land, you know.
Philip: If that room was
a bedroom, it'd be very nice
to have--
- Breakfast.
Elaine: Glass of wine.
Philip: Good glass of wine. Oh.
Elaine: Maybe not for breakfast.
Philip: Maybe not
for the breakfast, eh?
Dick, voice-over:
Well, when in France...
But it's not all relaxation.
If they want a home
to start a business from,
they need to be sure this place
can work for them.
This is 15th-century
Chateau Mareuil,
which South Londoners Belinda
and Lee bought 3 years ago.
Lee: Regularly,
I'll look out the window
and sort of pinch myself
in disbelief
that we've actually done it
and we're actually here,
and I can't believe it
some mornings.
Belinda: The sun comes over
the turret in the morning.
Dick, voice-over:
Located in the Vienne,
their chateau consists
of 5 buildings,
including a main house
that they've renovated
into a holiday let.
Belinda: Life's fantastic.
We're living the dream,
but it is very hard work.
This year, Belinda and Lee
have moved permanently
from the U.K. to a cottage
on the chateau grounds
and are now living surrounded
by belongings
they brought with them.
Belinda: Oh, my goodness, Lee.
Lee: I know.
There's a lot of stuff we've
completely forgotten we had.
Belinda: Television
randomly on the table.
Dick, voice-over:
Now Belinda wants to restore
one particular piece
of furniture,
so she's made the long drive
up to our place to meet Angel.
- Hiya.
- Hello.
Angel: Hello. How are you?
Belinda: Oh, how lovely
to meet you.
- Mwah! Mwah!
- Mwah! Mwah!
Angel: So how was the journey?
Belinda: Really good,
about 3 1/2 hours.
Angel: Well, that's not
too terrible, is it?
Belinda: That's all right.
Yeah, so, ooh, here we are.
Angel: * Doo doo doo *
Belinda: Wow. Look at this.
Oh, it's lovely.
Oh, look at that floor.
That's beautiful.
Angel: There's not many places
where you see
that sort of ornate parquet,
is there?
Belinda: Impossible,
and the stained glass is lovely.
Angel: Yeah. You come in, and
I'll make you a cup of coffee.
Belinda: I could
really use that.
Angel: So how long have
you been out in France?
Belinda: So we've owned
the chateau for 3 1/2 years now.
We're doing this for the family.
We are never selling
this property.
In the future,
there's a family vision...
- Yeah, that maybe--
- that they will take it over.
Angel: Right. That's lovely,
so family's important.
Belinda: It's really important.
Angel: I think you're quite
similar to me in that respect.
We did a lifestyle change
which was inspired
by the family,
and so my question is,
what are we gonna do today?
Belinda: What I'd like you
to help me with,
I brought this piece
of furniture down.
It was my mother's
and it's a 1930s
kidney-shaped dressing table.
I remember sitting at it
as a child...
Angel: Yeah?
Belinda: just got
lovely memories for me,
used to open the drawers and
pull all my mum's scarves out
and, you know, lipsticks
and like Dorothy would do.
Angel: Yeah. I know.
Belinda: You know, it's exactly
what little girls love,
just reminds me of her,
and I just thought,
"Wouldn't it be nice to make
a bit of a tribute to her?"
Angel: Yeah. Oh, this is
fantastic, a lovely tribute.
have you got something in mind?
Belinda: I've got some lovely
photographs of my mum,
and I've also managed to gather
together some magazines,
so I've actually got some
from the 1940s,
some from the 1950s.
Angel: Great, so you want
to decoupage.
Belinda: Yeah. That would work
on top of the dressing table.
Dick, voice-over: Decoupage
is the art of decorating
with printed paper.
It's an easy way to turn
something plain
into something beautiful,
even for those lacking
a bit of confidence.
Belinda: I'm the business head,
and I always say,
"Look. I'm not creative.
Lee's the creative one,"
so I feel I lack ideas
and inspiration.
Angel: Decoupage is lovely...
Belinda: Yeah.
Angel: but sometimes
less is more.
Yeah. Let's have a little look.
Sound like a good idea?
Belinda: Yep.
Dick, voice-over: Belinda's
mum's dresser is waiting
in the orangery.
Angel: Wow. Oh, my goodness me.
That is beautiful.
If I saw that now,
I would buy that.
This isn't what you want
to decoupage, is it, this bit?
Belinda: It was, but now
I've changed my mind. Ha ha ha!
Angel: This just happens to be
right up my street, though--
ha ha!--so Art Deco,
Art Nouveau.
I don't know if you can make me
take that off.
Belinda: I won't then.
We won't take it off.
Angel: I just think
that's far too special,
but the below looks
a little bit tired.
Yeah. That's where I feel
that the work is needed.
I tell you what I would do.
That chalk paint, that green,
is gorgeous.
I would probably start
by getting this top off...
Belinda: Yeah.
Angel: do it all in the green
but keep the fronts,
then decoupage the insides,
yeah, but the whole
of the drawers--
pictures of your mum
mixed with magazines
and what have you
so when people open it up,
it's, like, a lovely surprise...
Belinda: Mm.
Isn't that a nice idea?
Angel: Because you don't need
to have it totally obvious.
Belinda: I think that's a lovely
thing to do, actually.
Dick, voice-over: Plan sorted,
now for the hard work.
This is Chateau Monteil.
Dating from the mid 19th century
and set in 7 acres of grounds,
it boasts 20 rooms
and is home to Tim,
Krys, and their
one-year-old son Owen.
Tim: It's lovely. It's big.
It's luxurious.
It's something we've done
all on our own
with just sort of blood-sweat-
and-tears kind of thing.
It feels good.
Dick, voice-over:
Located in the Dordogne,
they opened as a boutique B&B
3 years ago.
Tim: Running it
as a bed and breakfast
is just very long hours.
It monopolized our time
too much.
Dick, voice-over: So this year,
Tim and Krys have relaunched
the business,
letting the whole chateau out
to large groups for a week
so they can spend more time
together as a family.
Krys: We're hoping this year
will be a lot easier for us,
a better life/work balance
this year.
Dick, voice-over: Tim and Krys'
first guests of the season
have just checked out,
so today they're tackling
their first-ever changeover.
- Au revoir.
- Au revoir.
[Beep beep]
Krys: House looks good
on the outside.
Tim: The house looks
great on the outside.
Fingers crossed, there's no
big jobs that need to be done
because that's always
the panic, isn't it,
if there's, like,
loads of stuff to fix and mend
before we get our next lot
arrive.
Dick, voice-over: The 20-room
chateau needs to be cleaned
from top to bottom
before the new guests
arrive in a few hours' time.
Rather them than me...
Tim: Bonjour.
Comment ca va? Heh.
Dick, voice-over:
but backup has arrived.
They've hired
two local cleaners.
Tim: We were hoping it was
gonna be a 3-hour changeover
with the 4 of us,
but they still feel
that they should have
a lunch break,
even though it's only
a 3-hour shift.
They've had a revolution.
They fought very hard
to protect their rights,
and people have lost their heads
over this kind of stuff,
you know.
Krys: Negotiated it
to 30 minutes,
and they're OK with that.
Dick, voice-over: Good deal.
Now time to crack on.
Not only is today
the first changeover.
There's an added pressure, too.
Krys: Normally,
a check-in is 5:00,
but they wanted
to check in early, so I said,
"I can check you in at 4:00,
but no earlier than 4:00."
Oh...
I have to change 13 beds,
do the beds, bathrooms,
cleaning the windows,
cleaning the kitchen.
Everything needs to be done.
It's lots and lots to prepare,
so it would be nice
to not have to be
under so much pressure.
Dick, voice-over: With Krys
taking charge of the upstairs,
Tim's reminding himself
of his to-do list.
Tim: Mowing the lawns,
cleaning the pool,
and doing the windows,
taking the bins out,
swimming pool, gardens.
TV remotes are in there.
I mean, this is
the main thing, really,
just getting all the shutters
closed again
so we can get the house cool
before the next lot arrive,
ahh, open this up in the evening
to let the air in,
things like that, great,
but if they're open
during the day, then, pbbb,
you know, you boil the place.
Dick, voice-over: Seems
it's too late for that.
Krys: I am sweating.
I like to think I'm quick,
but maybe not.
It's not in the middle,
not lying.
It should be in the middle.
There.
Not very happy with it. Ha ha!
Oh...
Dick, voice-over:
We're the same.
If guests are coming,
only perfection will do.
Krys: That's one bed done.
I've got 12 more to go.
Dick, voice-over: In Normandy,
Elaine and David
are halfway through
their chateau viewing.
David: Oh, I like the floor.
Elaine: Oh, that floor's lovely.
David: It's a really nice
entrance.
Dick, voice-over: They've come
to see 19th-century
Chateau de la Mont Billard.
Impressed with the main house,
they're now checking out
the outbuildings that are
currently holiday cottages.
David: So that's of interest
because I'm self-employed
and so I'd be interested
in converting that
into office space.
Philip: Yes, yes.
It's big enough here, anyway,
to make an office.
Dick, voice-over:
These converted stables
have bags of potential
for David's business.
David: This place
is actually really big...
Elaine: It's huge.
David: and I can actually see
this bizarrely being
a reception desk...
Elaine: Oh.
David: but remove
the washing machine,
but we don't need
a reception desk.
There's just me.
Philip: Allors--
David: What a great space...
Philip: Get a good light in.
David: and there's
lovely details, as well,
with the little window
and the end of the wall there.
Philip: Yes.
Elaine: Philip, do you know
anything about the--
- The woodworm.
- the floors?
Elaine: Because it looks like
there's lots of woodworms.
Philip: Oh, right. No.
That's, what,
a bit of woodworms,
is not a big concern.
Dick, voice-over: Woodworm
affects many old properties
here in Northern France,
but properly treated,
it shouldn't be
the end of the world.
Philip: For me, you wouldn't
have to replace it, you know?
It's good, you know?
David: I think it's
terrific space, like it a lot.
It's so far my favorite
of all the places I've seen.
Elaine: I don't know
if I would put it
up there with the favorite.
I love the outside of it.
I think it's
absolutely spectacular,
and the grounds are spectacular,
but the inside,
there's something that's
not speaking to me about it.
David: For me, it's, like,
a 9 out of 10,
and for Elaine, it's probably
more like a 6.
That's tricky.
Elaine: The search continues.
It really does.
Dick, voice-over: For the first
time on their chateau hunt,
Elaine and David
aren't in agreement.
They have a lot to think about
with this one.
- Thank you.
- A bientot.
Philip: Et voila.
Dick, voice-over:
At Chateau Caillac,
the pressure is still on
for Angela and Steve.
- OK?
- OK.
Dick, voice-over: The friends
they've invited to try out
their new honeymoon suite
arrive this afternoon,
but it's far from finished.
Steve: So we've got
about 4 hours now
to get this bath upside down...
Angela: Plumbed in.
Steve: in position, plumbed in.
We've got to get
that wall reconstructed...
Angela: Yep.
Steve: put this up
on the wall...
Angela: Yep.
Steve: and clean up and tidy up,
make the place look
- like it never happened...
- In 4 hours.
Steve: before our guests
arrive in 4 hours.
Angela: Great.
Let's get on with it.
Dick, voice-over: Before
they can even think
about dressing the room,
they need to get
Angela's gold bath
into position.
- Gently, gently, gently.
- Right, luv.
Steve: Watch your fingers. OK?
Angela: Yep. Yep. We're down.
Steve: Each leg is numbered,
so, like, that one's
got a number two on.
Angela: This says
number one on here.
Does it make a difference
that we've tipped it out?
Steve: If we get the wrong feet
in the wrong position,
it's gonna set us back because
I'm gonna have to take them off
and redo this all over again.
Process of elimination,
this should be number two,
but that doesn't really
look like a two
on there,
does it, really?
Maybe it is a two,
but you gold-leafed
the top of the two, I think.
Right. OK. That's one.
Angela: Watch my floor
with your feet.
Steve: How we doing for time?
Angela: I'm not gonna look.
There's no point.
Just keep going.
Steve: This is number 4,
the last one,
so we're nearly there now.
I think it's got to go
that way a little bit.
Angela: Which way?
Steve: Then we got to go as far
as we can that way.
- What's "that way"?
- That way.
Angela: You mean
that end that way,
or do you mean
this whole thing that way?
Steve: This coming this way.
Angela: But, Steve--look at me--
before you move that,
I need to know whether
you're moving it that--
You're not even
looking at me now.
Steve: This way, towards me.
Angela: OK. All right. OK.
Say no more.
Dick, voice-over:
Things are getting fraught,
and it's not even
plumbed in yet.
Steve: The plumbing
for these taps, hot and cold,
has got to come from
underneath the floorboards,
which has made it
a little bit more difficult
because you got to go
under the floor
and up in that corner.
Angela: I never make things
more difficult.
It's just, it's all
about the design.
Steve: I've got a piece of pipe
which I'm gonna pop
through there and try and
find it on the other end here.
Angela: It's my job
to come up with the ideas,
and it's his job to fathom out
how to make them work.
That's how I work, anyway.
Ha ha!
- Nearly there, Angela.
- Good.
Angela: I've actually
only not got 2 3/4 hours.
- Do you?
- Come on, then. Chop chop.
Steve: Shouting at me now?
Dick, voice-over: At this rate,
these two will need
a cold bath themselves.
Angela: If you stand here,
that there just
doesn't look quite level.
Steve: But it actually
wants to go like that.
Angela: That's it.
Yep. That's it.
Steve: Yeah? OK.
She's very, very picky,
isn't she?
I'm worried about
a major panic of a leak,
and she's worried
about that being square.
Angela: You know, when you've
cleared up the leak,
I'll still be looking
at the dodgy taps,
so I don't want that.
Steve: Right.
This is the moment of truth.
- Water's going on.
- Yay! Success.
Dick, voice-over:
The bath's finally in,
now the little matter
of hiding all the pipework.
Angela: OK.
Let me get down now, Stephen.
- Let me get down.
- OK.
Steve: I don't know
if I'm in now.
Angela: You are not.
Steve: All right. OK.
Can you go in a bit, then?
Angela: That's got
my fingers, Stephen.
Just don't push. Uhh...
Steve: Can't get in under
because--
Angela: Just be patient, OK?
Just be patient. Doing my best.
Dick, voice-over: At our place
in the Pays de la Loire,
Belinda's brought along
a dressing table
that belonged to her mum
for the Angel treatment.
- Wow. Oh, my goodness me.
- Do you like it?
Angel: I tell you
what I would do.
Do it all in the green,
then decoupage the whole
of the drawers.
Dick, voice-over: Angel's plan
is to cover the inside
of the drawers with the photos
and magazines
that Belinda has
brought with her.
Angel: Let's see pictures
of your mum...
Belinda: So I've got some--
Angel: because I feel
like I know her now.
Belinda: Her and my dad
on their honeymoon in Rome.
Angel: Oi, oi,
your mum's gorgeous...
- Yeah.
- loving her outfits.
Belinda: I know.
Angel: They look fabulous,
the pair of them.
Belinda: These, I found them
in a local accounts shop, 1959.
These are from the 1940s.
Angel: Oh, I love it.
I'll be rocking that one.
- Ha ha ha!
- Ha ha ha!
Angel: It's a fabulous
collection.
The plan is now line
the actual drawer
with the magazines as a base.
- As a base...
- Yeah.
- and put the photos on top.
- Yeah.
Lovely idea, really like that.
Angel: Decoupage is easy.
You can't make a mistake...
- You sure?
- because if you put something
- in the wrong place...
- Right?
Angel: you just put
another thing over it
- to make it look good...
- OK.
Angel: all right?
Right. Let's get busy. Right.
You start getting all the dust
out of there for me.
Belinda: Yeah.
Angel: I'm gonna start
getting my tools out
to do some cutting.
Dick, voice-over:
The first step in decoupage
is choosing what to stick first.
If it sounds simple,
that's because it is.
Angel: This is just
some plain text.
To have in some text
and some patterns is brilliant.
Belinda: It breaks it up,
doesn't it?
- Yeah. It does.
- It gives the perspective.
- Yeah.
- Absolutely.
Dick, voice-over: Angel's using
a 50/50 PVA glue/water mix.
It'll hold the paper fast
and, importantly,
dry with a clear finish.
Angel: It doesn't matter
if you go over the edges,
so let's go over to this.
Dick, voice-over: Glue on,
now to get sticking.
Angel: You can see
the air bubbles in there, yeah?
Get my man here, which
could be a credit card,
and you can push
all of the air bubbles out.
Belinda: Hmm.
Angel: Don't like the fact
there's a big air bubble
in the middle of it.
Right. Okey dokey. We're good.
Belinda: Not too
difficult, is it?
Angel: It's easy.
Come say it.
- It's easy.
- Ha!
- It's gonna look gorgeous.
- Yeah.
Dick, voice-over: With the first
piece in place,
others are then added to
build up the decoupage effect.
Belinda: You're right
about using bits of newsprint
because I would never
have thought of that.
I would have just thought,
"Oh, it just needs
pictures of pretty ladies,"
but actually, that give it
that contrast.
- Yeah.
- It's really nice.
Angel: A bit of nostalgia,
it goes a long way.
Dick, voice-over:
Now Belinda knows the ropes,
Angel can leave her to it.
Angel: I want to go
and have a paint
of the dressing table.
Belinda: Yep. OK.
Angel: Are you happy to have
a bit of a play?
Belinda: OK.
Angel: Bon collage. Ha ha!
Belinda: So spodge this on.
Now I've got it.
Dick, voice-over:
The first drawer's covered.
Belinda needs to add
a final layer of glue
to smooth and protect.
Belinda: It's lovely.
Dick, voice-over:
With the dresser now painted,
It's time to see if she gets
Angel's seal of approval.
- That's really special.
- Looks great.
Angel: I think we made
a good decision.
Less is more on this
and actually
a quick lick of paint
with a color
that's really made
this shine now.
Belinda: It has.
It's made that sing, that top.
Angel: Really does. Pays homage
to your mum, doesn't it?
- I love it.
- Thank you so much.
- Oh, you're so welcome.
- That's really lovely.
Angel: I've absolutely
loved today...
Belinda: Thank you.
Angel: and a lovely,
lovely, lovely story.
Dick, voice-over: Armed with her
newfound knowledge of decoupage,
Belinda heads home
to finish the job.
A few weeks later
back at Chateau Mareuil,
Belinda and Lee have found
the perfect spot
for the finished dressing table.
Belinda: That looks very nice.
I'm proud of myself.
Lee: Mm, and I think, you know,
working with Angel,
she taught you
some new skills, as well...
Belinda: Mm. She really did.
Lee: and revitalized what was
an old piece of furniture,
so we're really grateful.
Belinda: I've dragged this
around, haven't I, for years,
and I've never really thought
much of it, and I think now
what I'll do is,
I think I'll look at things
with just a fresh pair of eyes
and just say, "You know,
I could make something beautiful
out of that."
- Well done.
- Mm. Thank you.
Dick, voice-over:
A big success all round.
The dressing table has
a new lease of life
and will be a lovely way
for Belinda to remember her mum.
Around 160 miles northeast
in Aude, France,
Dave and Elaine are still on the
hunt for their perfect place,
and they're viewing
their fifth chateau.
David: Marvelous.
Elaine: Well, that's impressive.
David: Ha ha!
Dick, voice-over:
The oldest parts
of Chateau Rouge
de la Femme Dupre
date to the 15th century.
Now sitting empty,
in recent years,
it's been both a restaurant
and offices.
It's all for £350,000,
half of Elaine
and David's budget.
Boris: Yes?
David: Bonjour, monsieur.
Parlez-vous anglais?
Boris: Oh, bonjour, monsieur.
Yes. I do speak English.
Dick, voice-over:
Owner Boris is meeting them.
David: Je m'appelle David.
Boris: Boris Guenugubert.
Very nice to meet you.
Basically, it's two buildings.
Elaine: Uh-huh.
Boris: The red part has been
built at the far end
of the 15th century
while this white part
has been built
in the 18th century.
David: Oh, it's a youngster.
Boris: Yes.
Elaine: So how much land
does it--
Both: About 6,000 square meter.
Don't ask me in inches
or whatever.
- Ha ha ha! Furlongs.
- That's OK. We're European.
Dick, voice-over: For those
of you who aren't bilingual,
that's about 1 1/2 acres.
Boris: Come in.
Come in. Come in.
David: Oh, I love the staircase.
Elaine: Yeah, and the floor.
- There's space in here...
- Mm-hmm.
Elaine: because
you're not immediately
sort of all hunched together.
Dick, voice-over: They're
starting in the 15-century
half of the chateau
with a sitting room.
David: Oh...
Elaine: Oh, it's a lovely,
little room.
Boris: There is a big fireplace,
and it is working.
- Oh, marvelous.
- Oh, goodness.
Boris: It is working
a bit too much, actually.
David: Oh. Ha ha ha!
Elaine: Original stained glass.
[Laughter]
Boris: Heh.
Yes, from the 21st century.
[Laughter]
David: I can
completely visualize
having Christmas dinner here...
Boris: Yes.
David: and having, you know,
big table
and a little bar back there.
Boris: OK,
and are you a good cook?
David: Oh, she is,
but I must warn you,
we're both vegetarian.
Ha ha ha!
Boris: Vegetarian is OK.
Dick, voice-over:
Unless you hadn't guessed,
vegetarians are a rare species
here in France.
Next, on to the rear turret
of the chateau,
where a rather unusual feature
is waiting.
Boris: We don't know where
that stone's come from...
David: Oh.
Boris: but what we know is that
you can put some ice...
David: And a bottle
of champagne.
Boris: and a bottle
of champagne.
Elaine: Ha ha!
That's fantastic.
Boris: and put
the glass here.
Elaine: It's kind of
an exciting building.
There's something interesting
about it.
I love that wee tower with
the champagne bucket built in.
David: I think it's terrific,
and the tower is gorgeous,
and I love the fact that there
are sort of two parts to it.
I think it's marvelous,
absolutely marvelous.
Dick, voice-over:
Looking promising.
Could this finally be
the chateau of their dreams?
Way down south
at Chateau Monteil,
Tim and Krys are tackling
their first big changeover
of the season.
Dick, voice-over: With 20 rooms
to clean and 13 beds to make,
unforeseen jobs are taking up
valuable time.
Krys: This cycle is gonna take
about 58 minutes,
about an hour, so it's not
really what we want to do today.
Dick, voice-over: While Krys
and the cleaners
transform the interior,
Tim is making sure
things are shipshape outside.
Tim: 30 degrees by 10:00.
It's horrible, but this
is a nice, refreshing job.
If I accidentally fall in,
you know,
happens occasionally.
My balance isn't what
it always used to be. Ha ha!
Krys: Tim's more relaxed
about everything.
I get stressed because I wanted
to get all of the beds done
in, like, two hours.
I just thought I had it
all organized.
I just feel like
if I give them the house,
I know they expect it
to all be clean,
so I just want it to be perfect.
Tim: She gets quite anxious
about it all.
She wants it to be perfect
and bright, and the reality is,
there's only so much time
you can do stuff.
You can only do
what you can do.
Krys: Me, I'm gonna
continue working
until I'm exhausted
and dehydrated.
It's very hot.
Where's Tim? What's he doing?
Dick, voice-over: Looks like
he's found somewhere
to escape the sun.
Tim: So don't understand
what they've done.
Don't know why this--
It's supposed to go here,
and now it doesn't.
Maybe it's just me.
Maybe I've got shorter
or something.
Dick, voice-over: Back in
the house, Krys has discovered
there's not enough
clean sheets left
to complete the rest
of the bedrooms.
- Eh!
- How's it going?
Krys: I've miscalculated
my linen.
Tim: We can just give them
to them later on.
Krys: But I think I'll
have to make the beds.
Tim: I guess she's right,
really, you know?
We should be trying to give
people the very, very best.
Dick, voice-over: With an hour
until the guests arrive,
the cleaners' shift is over.
It's down to Krys and Tim
to finish the job.
Krys: I haven't checked
the cleaners' work yet.
When I'm finished
doing all the beds,
I'm gonna go round
and check the bathrooms,
so this is number 10.
Tim: Babe, do you know
someone had put
a blue-and-pink cloth
in with your towels?
But that's white, I think.
Dick, voice-over: Bullet dodged,
but you may need
a complete set of armor
for what's just landed outside.
Tim: Heather? Welcome.
Yeah. 3:00.
Guests are here early.
I'd like to have a shower
and change, ideally,
present myself a little fresher,
but, you know, to be fair,
it's 40 degrees, pretty much,
so if I had a shower
and got changed,
I'd look like this
in about 5 minutes, anyway,
so, yeah, it is what it is.
Dick, voice-over:
With the chateau not yet ready
and the guests keen
to start their holiday,
Tim has to break
the news to Krys.
Tim: Oh, no. Don't worry
about how we look. It's fine.
They don't care.
They're on holiday.
You look great.
Krys: It's all right.
Dick, voice-over: At Chateau
Caillac in Nouvelle-Aquitaine,
Angela and Steve's guests
haven't arrived quite yet...
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: You're not even
looking at me now.
Dick, voice-over: and their
new honeymoon suite
is still very much
a work in progress.
Angela: Watch the screwdriver.
Time's running out, so we've
only got 55 minutes left,
and we've still got to put
this ciel de lit
up on that wall
and dress the room,
and if it all goes wrong,
it's his fault.
There. That'll be fine,
but is that the top,
or is that where
it's hanging from?
Steve: You can have
whatever you want.
Angela: No, but tell me
which you're measuring.
That is 2.5 there
to the top of my hand there.
Angela: Slightly lower
than that, please, about there.
- Yep.
- So what's that, the bottom?
- No. That--
- The top?
Angela: Look what
you were doing.
Steve: No. Is that the top
of the ciel de lit?
Angela: Oh...
Steve: So 28.06, 28.02.
Angela: Steve,
we haven't got 55 minutes
to measure where it's going,
so come on.
[Screwdriver whirring]
Dick, voice-over:
Blimey, it'll be a miracle
if they're ready in time...
The ciel de lit
is in place at last.
Angela: Your way a bit,
your way a bit, your way a bit.
Dick, voice-over:
but time is up...
Steve: Is this the last thing?
Angela: Uh, I've got
to make the bed.
Dick, voice-over: and whatever
state the new honeymoon suite
is in,
it'll have to do for now.
Steve: Hello, hello, hello.
Angela: That is just not
gonna stay on.
Ha ha! Steve?
- Oh, nice to see you.
- Nice to see you.
- How are you?
- How are you?
Woman: I'm fine. Mwah.
- How's the journey been?
- Tiring.
- Hi.
- Hiya.
- Come on in.
- Yeah. Come in.
Woman: Oh, wow!
Dick, voice-over:
And they've done it.
Angela's managed to get the rest
of the room finished
just in time.
Man: Gold-leaf bath!
Unbelievable.
Angela: What do you think?
Man: That is just fantastic.
Yeah.
All right, the handiwork, Steve.
It's not gonna fall off?
Angela: We'll find out.
[Laughter]
Angela: We'll go make
a gin and tonic,
and you can freshen up.
- I'll see you downstairs.
- Thank you very much.
Steve: See you then.
All right, then. See you later.
Dick, voice-over: Phew!
A thumbs-up.
An old fire fender
has been transformed,
bringing in some classic
French design
and along with the gold bath
gives the suite
a real splash of luxury.
No wonder Angela and Steve
have regrets about giving it up.
Angela: I want to try that--
Steve: You just want
to have a bath.
Angela: I want to try
that bath out.
Steve: You just want a bath
and a gin and tonic
in that bath, don't you?
Angela: I do, I do, I do. Yeah.
We might just get rid of them
and put them somewhere else,
and we'll stay in that room,
nice bubble bath
and a glass of wine.
Dick, voice-over:
Well done, you two.
That's the first step
towards putting on weddings,
but that doesn't mean you can
rest on your laurels.
In Aude, France,
Elaine and David
are halfway through viewing
Chateau Rouge de la Femme Dupre.
Boris: You can put some ice
and a bottle of champagne.
[Laughter]
Dick, voice-over: The
15th-century part of the chateau
was a big hit, but now
it's on to the part
that was recently office space.
Boris: Yes. Come in.
David: Oh, goodness. Ha ha!
- Wow.
- Ha!
Boris: This is a big room.
David: It is massive.
Boris: We were very surprised
when we took off
all the plaster...
David: Uh-huh?
Boris: to have that chimney...
- That's beautiful.
- Yeah...
- and there's a lot of beams.
- and all the beams. Yeah.
- The view is fabulous.
- Yeah.
Boris: All that view
is protected.
David: Yes.
Boris: There is no way
somebody can build anything
on here, on that field,
on that little wood there.
Everything is totally protected.
Dick, voice-over: Elaine
and David will need to use
their imagination
with the layout.
David: Trying to figure out
how to use this space
as a home,
it needs some thought.
I think I would need to stare
at the floor plans.
Boris: Uh-huh.
David: There's plenty of room
and plenty of light
and plenty of windows.
Boris: It has to be, I think,
maybe with the help
of an architect.
David: Mm-hmm. Yeah.
Dick, voice-over:
That's a good point.
There's loads of potential here,
and an architect
could unlock it all.
Monelle: Bonjour, monsieur.
What is that?
Dick, voice-over: Boris' wife
Monelle has joined them,
and they also have a whippet...
Monelle: How old are they?
- 6 years.
- 6 years.
Monelle: Oh, 6 years.
He is a new one.
Elaine: Oh, they're
so much bigger. Ha ha ha!
Dick, voice-over: and there's
another surprise waiting
for them at the top
of the turret.
David: Oh. Oh, ho ho ho!
It's fantastic.
Dick, voice-over: The curved
beams are a real showstopper.
David: I think this
has to be a bedroom.
Elaine: I think it'd make
an ideal bedroom
because you have
to put the bed there,
and then you lie there,
and you just stare at it.
David: I really like it.
I think it's got
great potential,
but there's so much that needs
to be worked out about it.
Thank you very much for showing
us this beautiful home.
Boris: It was very nice
meeting you.
Thank you. Take care.
- Bye. My pleasure.
- Bye-bye.
David: Certainly until we figure
those things out,
the search will continue.
Elaine: The more that we've been
driving around this week
and seen various properties,
the more comfortable
we've felt here and--
David: Yep. Feels like
this is our next step.
- Yep.
- Bye-bye.
- Bye-bye.
- Bye-bye.
Elaine: Go on, go on. Definitely
moving to France. Yes.
David: Definitely moving
to France, definitely.
Dick, voice-over: With such
a huge range of chateaus
out there, finding the right one
takes time.
It took us 4 years.
David and Elaine are planning
another trip to France
to continue the search for
their perfect place very soon.
I wish them all the best.
Over 300 miles away
at Chateau Monteil,
Tim and Krys are in the midst
of their first-ever
whole-chateau changeover...
- Hello.
- Nice to meet you.
Dick, voice-over: but they're
facing every owner's nightmare--
guests arriving early.
Krys: We could have
been well-prepped if--
[Exhales]
if they arrived 4:00 instead.
Dick, voice-over:
They need to buy time
so Krys can finish the beds...
Krys: So this is number 11.
Dick, voice-over: so Tim
has hatched a cunning plan
to distract the guests.
Tim: So barbecue, terrace,
table tennis, swimming pool.
That will all be yours
in approximately 3 minutes.
Dick, voice-over: Almost there,
just a final inspection
to make sure they're good to go.
Krys: Just, like,
handprint there.
Dick, voice-over:
Keep talking, Tim.
Tim: Balls for the petanque
courts are over there,
as are table tennis things.
- I hope you enjoy that.
- Yeah.
Krys: I cannot find
where my sponges are,
because I need to give them
a sponge for the kitchen.
Tim: If you want
anything else done, just ask.
Dick, voice-over: It's job done.
Tim: Happy days.
Dick, voice-over:
They've managed a grueling,
6-hour turnaround
in almost 40 degrees' heat.
Tim: So I'll leave you now.
I hope you have
a great holiday.
- Thank you.
- See you soon. Ha ha ha!
Tim: Our work is done.
Krys: I miscalculated
my linen and my towels,
but it's all good now.
Tim: Nailed it.
It's full on,
and it's a lot of work,
but once it's done, we can
finally go for a shower.
Krys: And drink water,
really cold water.
- I need water.
- Cold drink. Yeah.
Dick, voice-over: I'm sure
the graft was worth it
and the guests
will enjoy their stay.
Tim: A shame that we've had
to hand the pool over
to paying guests.
- Yeah.
Dick: Hiya, hiya, hiya!
Dick, voice-over: Next time,
I cook up a recipe for success
for Tim and Krys.
Dick: People have to come along
at the end of it and go,
"Wow. That was special.
That was special."
Dick, voice-over:
For Belinda and Lee,
things take an alarming turn...
[Beeping]
Belinda: Whew!
Dick, voice-over: as they rush
to get things ready
for their first-ever
paying guests...
- 10 minutes.
- 10 minutes?
- 10 minutes.
- Oh, it's the wrong way round.
- It's the wrong way.
- Are you sure?
Lee: Well, they're not
lining up.
Dick, voice-over:
and Angela and Steve
test-ride their new
business venture.
Angela: We had a lovely spot
to bring people
for their picnic lunch,
don't you think so?
Steve: Yeah. I think
it's a beautiful spot, isn't it?
Angela: It is.
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: This is why
I fell in love with you.
Dick, voice-over:
It's not just our home...
Angel: She'll be happy
with this.
Dick, voice-over:
but a business...
Dick: Ha ha!
Dick, voice-over: and it turns
out, we're not the only Brits
who've quit the U.K.
for the chateau life.
- Ho ho! Fantastic.
- Oh, my goodness.
Angela: Absolutely stunning.
Dick: Hiya.
Dick, voice-over:
Now Angel and I are back
helping more plucky ex-pats
with their chateaus.
Dick: This is where it gets
interesting, isn't it?
Dick, voice-over: We'll catch up
with some old friends...
Woman: I can't believe it.
Dick, voice-over: and meet
a new wave of daring owners...
Man: Aww.
- You broke it...
- Yeah.
Dick: in the hole.
Right. That's a bit of an issue.
Dick, voice-over: As they battle
to renovate their homes...
Angela: Aah!
Dick, voice-over: and make them
work as businesses.
Woman: Kath, if you have time,
we're out of coffee.
Dick, voice-over:
There'll be ups and downs...
Belinda: It's like wading
through treacle.
Dick, voice-over: but however
hard the going gets...
Man: Whoa!
Dick, voice-over:
for these plucky Brits,
their homes really are
their castles.
[Cheering]
Dick, voice-over:
Today a chateau owner
makes the trip to our place...
- * Doo doo *
- Wow. Look at this.
Belinda: Oh, it's lovely. Oh...
Dick, voice-over: with furniture
in need of the Angel touch.
Angel: I would
probably decoupage
the whole of the drawers
so when people open it up,
it's like a fabulous surprise.
Dick, voice-over:
The chateau search continues
for one couple...
- Marvelous.
- Well, that's impressive.
Dick, voice-over: provided they
can make it past the front door.
- Yes?
- Bonjour, monsieur.
David: Parlez-vous anglais?
Dick, voice-over: At Chateau
Monteil, it's changeover day...
- Au revoir.
- Au revoir.
[Beep beep]
Dick, voice-over: as these
chateau owners are pushed
to breaking point...
Krys: One bed done.
I've got 12 more to go.
Dick, voice-over: and with
the race on to get
a new honeymoon suite ready...
Angela: So we've only got
55 minutes left.
- So 28.06.
- Ohh...
Dick, voice-over: there's
a distinct lack of romance
in the air.
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--
Man: This way.
Woman: You're not even
looking at me now.
[Birds chirping]
Dick, voice-over:
There are chateaus
of every imaginable kind out
here in the French countryside,
and it's a privilege
to own one,
but that doesn't mean
it's not a serious commitment.
Stunning, 19th-century
Chateau Caillac is home
to outdoor enthusiasts
Angela and Steve.
Steve: We chose a chateau
with turrets and land
and projects that can
keep us busy
probably for the next 30 years.
Angela: Yeah. To be fair,
if we'd have bought
a flat in London,
we probably would be
just sitting on a balcony
relaxing.
Steve: Hmm. That has
its appeal at times.
Angela: Yeah. Heh heh heh.
Dick, voice-over: Set in
South Nouvelle-Aquitaine
by the River Lot,
Steve and Angela
have renovated
a 20-room chateau
into a luxury home
and holiday rental.
Angela: Chateaus are
really expensive to run,
and you really are
only the guardian of the chateau
while you're here,
so we want to maintain it.
We want to improve it.
We want to bring it
back to life.
We want to share it
with other people.
Dick, voice-over: To do that,
and make some extra cash
along the way, they're planning
to move into the wedding game.
Steve: We're going to put
a new bath in the Renoir Room,
which is going to become
the bridal suite,
- Yes.
- and renovate that room.
Dick, voice-over:
For inspiration, Angela came
to see my Angel
for a gilding master class.
- This is bling.
- Bling is good.
Dick, voice-over: Angela
and Steve have friends
arriving tomorrow to road-test
the new suite...
Angela: Watch me paint, please.
Dick, voice-over:
but they're battling
to get it finished in time.
Angela: We've done
most of the painting,
curtains to hang,
the ciel de lit to hang,
furniture to get back in place,
beds to make,
and, voila,
it's gonna look amazing, I hope.
Ha ha ha!
Dick, voice-over:
Angela's most pressing job
is gilding her tub.
Angela: Why not have a little
bit of bling in your bathroom?
Dick, voice-over: She's using
imitation gold leaf--
that's a mix of copper,
brass, zinc, and aluminium--
to keep the cost down.
Angela: I've never
done it before.
I've visited Angel, and we did
a little bit of gold-leafing
on the ciel de lit,
which is also going in the room,
and here I am today
giving this a go for meself.
I can't even remember now
what on Earth possessed me
to think this was a good idea.
I do hope it works, really.
Steve: This is--
Dick, voice-over: In his garage,
Steve's working
on the gilded ciel de lit,
the canopy that will hang
above the bed.
Steve: This has then
got to be fixed to the wall,
and the wall in that room,
unfortunately,
is only very thin.
It's actually made up of tiles,
so it's really hard
to attach anything to it.
This has got to be fairly strong
because it's holding
3 heavy curtains,
and, obviously,
they could get pulled,
as well,
so it needs to be
a secure structure.
- Is that up?
- Oh, no.
Angela: I think
it's gonna look great.
Watch the mirror.
Watch the mirror.
Watch
the mirror.
The end is near,
final piece.
* Da-da da-da da da da da *
Eh...that's it,
just a little bit
of touching-up to do,
a bit of bling for a bathroom.
Dick, voice-over: It cost Angela
less than £50
to gild her bath,
bit of a bargain, I reckon.
Steve: Wow. Look at
what you've made.
That looks amazing.
How we gonna turn it over,
though, without damaging it?
Angela: That's tomorrow's job.
Dick, voice-over: And the day
their friends arrive.
These two are not leaving
themselves a lot of time.
Scottish couple David,
an engineer,
and art restorer Elaine
are at the start
of their own chateau story.
They want to trade in
their city apartment
for a French castle.
David: Ideally, you drive down
the tree-lined driveway,
and then the chateau
will appear.
- Through gates.
- Oh, though gates. Yes.
Elaine: You go through gates,
and then the chateau
will present itself,
and it might have
a couple of turrets
or something.
Turrets would be nice.
Dick, voice-over: As it was just
down the road from our place,
I joined them
on their first viewing...
Dick: When we get in here,
just grill him.
Give him a really hard time
because the bottom line is,
he wants to sell the chateau.
- Yeah. Yeah.
- Sure.
Dick, voice-over: but they were
unsure about spending
all of their £700,000
on a fully renovated place.
David: Really like this one.
We definitely need to go and
look at some more properties.
Dick, voice-over: They then
viewed a chateau B&B business...
Elaine:
Oh, a great room this is.
David: It's got a nice feel.
Dick, voice-over: before
checking out a smaller chateau
that seemed to chime with them.
[Bell ringing]
David: I could definitely
live with these bells.
Apparently, they stop
at 10:00 at night.
Elaine: Oh, good. Ha ha ha!
Dick, voice-over: David
and Elaine have liked elements
of all 3 chateaus
they've seen up to now,
but to try and find a place
that ticks every box,
they've come to Normandy.
David: Bonjour.
Je m'appelle David.
- Yes. Philip.
- Je m'appelle Elaine.
Philip: Welcome to Normandy.
- Oh, thank you.
- Well, thank you.
Philip: The nice
weather, well--
Elaine: Oh, I love
this kind of weather. I do.
Dick, voice-over: This is
19th-century
Chateau de la Mont Billard,
on the market for £546,000.
With 18 rooms, two gites,
and almost 7 acres of land,
the chateau offers them the mix
of home and business
which they're after.
Elaine: I love
the outside of it.
It's got really nice detail,
just, you know, the crests
on the very top and all
the little, curly bits,
and then the towers
and that tiny, little,
circular window up there.
David: How is the roof?
Dick, voice-over:
Good to see David's asking
the important questions.
Philip: It's not brand-new,
as you could see,
but it's in good condition.
David: It looks good.
Yeah. Oh! Got it?
Dick, voice-over:
With the whippets for company,
it's on with the tour.
David: Oh, I like the floor.
Elaine: Oh, that floor's lovely.
It is nice having
an entrance hall.
David: I love all the wood
moldings are here
and that, the rose.
- The rose.
- Yeah.
David: It's a really nice
entrance.
- Come in.
- Pup, pup.
Dick, voice-over: Off this
hallway is a kitchen diner
to one side
and a sitting room to the other.
David: This is a beautiful room.
Again, the cornicework's
in good condition.
I mean, there's a little bit
of repair work
needed over there, but--
- I can do that.
- Yep.
Dick, voice-over: Elaine works
in restoration,
so she should know just how
to sort this cornice out.
Elaine: Part of looking after
one of these houses
is maintaining these
period features
and having all the beautiful
craftsmanship around.
David: I love the staircase.
Elaine: It's a lovely,
graceful curve.
- Graceful is the word.
- Yeah. Yep.
Dick, voice-over: The chateau
has 8 bedrooms
split over two floors,
one of which comes
with its own fairytale turret.
Philip: As you see,
there is a hallway over there,
a small study.
David: So this is my office
to work here, then.
- That's it.
- Yes. yes.
Elaine: How many employees
can you fit in there?
Philip: Ha ha ha!
It would be a bit small.
David: Actually, that's a place
to just sit with the laptop.
- Yes. Yes. Yes.
- It's delightful.
Dick, voice-over:
That's David's office sorted.
Now, what about a studio
for artist Elaine?
Philip: Currently now,
they don't use this room
as a bedroom,
so they are artists like you,
so they use it as a studio
or, well--
Elaine:
It's a lovely sized room,
and it's a good light, I mean,
the light from 3 sides.
This is their studio?
David: Well, I think this room
would be the master bedroom,
very nice environment.
That was just my idea,
but I know that eventually,
Elaine will change my mind.
She's very good at that.
[Laughter]
Dick, voice-over:
Leading off this room
is the chateau's
piece de resistance.
Philip: This here now
is terrace on the--
You've got a very nice view
on the--
- On the land.
- on the land, you know.
Philip: If that room was
a bedroom, it'd be very nice
to have--
- Breakfast.
Elaine: Glass of wine.
Philip: Good glass of wine. Oh.
Elaine: Maybe not for breakfast.
Philip: Maybe not
for the breakfast, eh?
Dick, voice-over:
Well, when in France...
But it's not all relaxation.
If they want a home
to start a business from,
they need to be sure this place
can work for them.
This is 15th-century
Chateau Mareuil,
which South Londoners Belinda
and Lee bought 3 years ago.
Lee: Regularly,
I'll look out the window
and sort of pinch myself
in disbelief
that we've actually done it
and we're actually here,
and I can't believe it
some mornings.
Belinda: The sun comes over
the turret in the morning.
Dick, voice-over:
Located in the Vienne,
their chateau consists
of 5 buildings,
including a main house
that they've renovated
into a holiday let.
Belinda: Life's fantastic.
We're living the dream,
but it is very hard work.
This year, Belinda and Lee
have moved permanently
from the U.K. to a cottage
on the chateau grounds
and are now living surrounded
by belongings
they brought with them.
Belinda: Oh, my goodness, Lee.
Lee: I know.
There's a lot of stuff we've
completely forgotten we had.
Belinda: Television
randomly on the table.
Dick, voice-over:
Now Belinda wants to restore
one particular piece
of furniture,
so she's made the long drive
up to our place to meet Angel.
- Hiya.
- Hello.
Angel: Hello. How are you?
Belinda: Oh, how lovely
to meet you.
- Mwah! Mwah!
- Mwah! Mwah!
Angel: So how was the journey?
Belinda: Really good,
about 3 1/2 hours.
Angel: Well, that's not
too terrible, is it?
Belinda: That's all right.
Yeah, so, ooh, here we are.
Angel: * Doo doo doo *
Belinda: Wow. Look at this.
Oh, it's lovely.
Oh, look at that floor.
That's beautiful.
Angel: There's not many places
where you see
that sort of ornate parquet,
is there?
Belinda: Impossible,
and the stained glass is lovely.
Angel: Yeah. You come in, and
I'll make you a cup of coffee.
Belinda: I could
really use that.
Angel: So how long have
you been out in France?
Belinda: So we've owned
the chateau for 3 1/2 years now.
We're doing this for the family.
We are never selling
this property.
In the future,
there's a family vision...
- Yeah, that maybe--
- that they will take it over.
Angel: Right. That's lovely,
so family's important.
Belinda: It's really important.
Angel: I think you're quite
similar to me in that respect.
We did a lifestyle change
which was inspired
by the family,
and so my question is,
what are we gonna do today?
Belinda: What I'd like you
to help me with,
I brought this piece
of furniture down.
It was my mother's
and it's a 1930s
kidney-shaped dressing table.
I remember sitting at it
as a child...
Angel: Yeah?
Belinda: just got
lovely memories for me,
used to open the drawers and
pull all my mum's scarves out
and, you know, lipsticks
and like Dorothy would do.
Angel: Yeah. I know.
Belinda: You know, it's exactly
what little girls love,
just reminds me of her,
and I just thought,
"Wouldn't it be nice to make
a bit of a tribute to her?"
Angel: Yeah. Oh, this is
fantastic, a lovely tribute.
have you got something in mind?
Belinda: I've got some lovely
photographs of my mum,
and I've also managed to gather
together some magazines,
so I've actually got some
from the 1940s,
some from the 1950s.
Angel: Great, so you want
to decoupage.
Belinda: Yeah. That would work
on top of the dressing table.
Dick, voice-over: Decoupage
is the art of decorating
with printed paper.
It's an easy way to turn
something plain
into something beautiful,
even for those lacking
a bit of confidence.
Belinda: I'm the business head,
and I always say,
"Look. I'm not creative.
Lee's the creative one,"
so I feel I lack ideas
and inspiration.
Angel: Decoupage is lovely...
Belinda: Yeah.
Angel: but sometimes
less is more.
Yeah. Let's have a little look.
Sound like a good idea?
Belinda: Yep.
Dick, voice-over: Belinda's
mum's dresser is waiting
in the orangery.
Angel: Wow. Oh, my goodness me.
That is beautiful.
If I saw that now,
I would buy that.
This isn't what you want
to decoupage, is it, this bit?
Belinda: It was, but now
I've changed my mind. Ha ha ha!
Angel: This just happens to be
right up my street, though--
ha ha!--so Art Deco,
Art Nouveau.
I don't know if you can make me
take that off.
Belinda: I won't then.
We won't take it off.
Angel: I just think
that's far too special,
but the below looks
a little bit tired.
Yeah. That's where I feel
that the work is needed.
I tell you what I would do.
That chalk paint, that green,
is gorgeous.
I would probably start
by getting this top off...
Belinda: Yeah.
Angel: do it all in the green
but keep the fronts,
then decoupage the insides,
yeah, but the whole
of the drawers--
pictures of your mum
mixed with magazines
and what have you
so when people open it up,
it's, like, a lovely surprise...
Belinda: Mm.
Isn't that a nice idea?
Angel: Because you don't need
to have it totally obvious.
Belinda: I think that's a lovely
thing to do, actually.
Dick, voice-over: Plan sorted,
now for the hard work.
This is Chateau Monteil.
Dating from the mid 19th century
and set in 7 acres of grounds,
it boasts 20 rooms
and is home to Tim,
Krys, and their
one-year-old son Owen.
Tim: It's lovely. It's big.
It's luxurious.
It's something we've done
all on our own
with just sort of blood-sweat-
and-tears kind of thing.
It feels good.
Dick, voice-over:
Located in the Dordogne,
they opened as a boutique B&B
3 years ago.
Tim: Running it
as a bed and breakfast
is just very long hours.
It monopolized our time
too much.
Dick, voice-over: So this year,
Tim and Krys have relaunched
the business,
letting the whole chateau out
to large groups for a week
so they can spend more time
together as a family.
Krys: We're hoping this year
will be a lot easier for us,
a better life/work balance
this year.
Dick, voice-over: Tim and Krys'
first guests of the season
have just checked out,
so today they're tackling
their first-ever changeover.
- Au revoir.
- Au revoir.
[Beep beep]
Krys: House looks good
on the outside.
Tim: The house looks
great on the outside.
Fingers crossed, there's no
big jobs that need to be done
because that's always
the panic, isn't it,
if there's, like,
loads of stuff to fix and mend
before we get our next lot
arrive.
Dick, voice-over: The 20-room
chateau needs to be cleaned
from top to bottom
before the new guests
arrive in a few hours' time.
Rather them than me...
Tim: Bonjour.
Comment ca va? Heh.
Dick, voice-over:
but backup has arrived.
They've hired
two local cleaners.
Tim: We were hoping it was
gonna be a 3-hour changeover
with the 4 of us,
but they still feel
that they should have
a lunch break,
even though it's only
a 3-hour shift.
They've had a revolution.
They fought very hard
to protect their rights,
and people have lost their heads
over this kind of stuff,
you know.
Krys: Negotiated it
to 30 minutes,
and they're OK with that.
Dick, voice-over: Good deal.
Now time to crack on.
Not only is today
the first changeover.
There's an added pressure, too.
Krys: Normally,
a check-in is 5:00,
but they wanted
to check in early, so I said,
"I can check you in at 4:00,
but no earlier than 4:00."
Oh...
I have to change 13 beds,
do the beds, bathrooms,
cleaning the windows,
cleaning the kitchen.
Everything needs to be done.
It's lots and lots to prepare,
so it would be nice
to not have to be
under so much pressure.
Dick, voice-over: With Krys
taking charge of the upstairs,
Tim's reminding himself
of his to-do list.
Tim: Mowing the lawns,
cleaning the pool,
and doing the windows,
taking the bins out,
swimming pool, gardens.
TV remotes are in there.
I mean, this is
the main thing, really,
just getting all the shutters
closed again
so we can get the house cool
before the next lot arrive,
ahh, open this up in the evening
to let the air in,
things like that, great,
but if they're open
during the day, then, pbbb,
you know, you boil the place.
Dick, voice-over: Seems
it's too late for that.
Krys: I am sweating.
I like to think I'm quick,
but maybe not.
It's not in the middle,
not lying.
It should be in the middle.
There.
Not very happy with it. Ha ha!
Oh...
Dick, voice-over:
We're the same.
If guests are coming,
only perfection will do.
Krys: That's one bed done.
I've got 12 more to go.
Dick, voice-over: In Normandy,
Elaine and David
are halfway through
their chateau viewing.
David: Oh, I like the floor.
Elaine: Oh, that floor's lovely.
David: It's a really nice
entrance.
Dick, voice-over: They've come
to see 19th-century
Chateau de la Mont Billard.
Impressed with the main house,
they're now checking out
the outbuildings that are
currently holiday cottages.
David: So that's of interest
because I'm self-employed
and so I'd be interested
in converting that
into office space.
Philip: Yes, yes.
It's big enough here, anyway,
to make an office.
Dick, voice-over:
These converted stables
have bags of potential
for David's business.
David: This place
is actually really big...
Elaine: It's huge.
David: and I can actually see
this bizarrely being
a reception desk...
Elaine: Oh.
David: but remove
the washing machine,
but we don't need
a reception desk.
There's just me.
Philip: Allors--
David: What a great space...
Philip: Get a good light in.
David: and there's
lovely details, as well,
with the little window
and the end of the wall there.
Philip: Yes.
Elaine: Philip, do you know
anything about the--
- The woodworm.
- the floors?
Elaine: Because it looks like
there's lots of woodworms.
Philip: Oh, right. No.
That's, what,
a bit of woodworms,
is not a big concern.
Dick, voice-over: Woodworm
affects many old properties
here in Northern France,
but properly treated,
it shouldn't be
the end of the world.
Philip: For me, you wouldn't
have to replace it, you know?
It's good, you know?
David: I think it's
terrific space, like it a lot.
It's so far my favorite
of all the places I've seen.
Elaine: I don't know
if I would put it
up there with the favorite.
I love the outside of it.
I think it's
absolutely spectacular,
and the grounds are spectacular,
but the inside,
there's something that's
not speaking to me about it.
David: For me, it's, like,
a 9 out of 10,
and for Elaine, it's probably
more like a 6.
That's tricky.
Elaine: The search continues.
It really does.
Dick, voice-over: For the first
time on their chateau hunt,
Elaine and David
aren't in agreement.
They have a lot to think about
with this one.
- Thank you.
- A bientot.
Philip: Et voila.
Dick, voice-over:
At Chateau Caillac,
the pressure is still on
for Angela and Steve.
- OK?
- OK.
Dick, voice-over: The friends
they've invited to try out
their new honeymoon suite
arrive this afternoon,
but it's far from finished.
Steve: So we've got
about 4 hours now
to get this bath upside down...
Angela: Plumbed in.
Steve: in position, plumbed in.
We've got to get
that wall reconstructed...
Angela: Yep.
Steve: put this up
on the wall...
Angela: Yep.
Steve: and clean up and tidy up,
make the place look
- like it never happened...
- In 4 hours.
Steve: before our guests
arrive in 4 hours.
Angela: Great.
Let's get on with it.
Dick, voice-over: Before
they can even think
about dressing the room,
they need to get
Angela's gold bath
into position.
- Gently, gently, gently.
- Right, luv.
Steve: Watch your fingers. OK?
Angela: Yep. Yep. We're down.
Steve: Each leg is numbered,
so, like, that one's
got a number two on.
Angela: This says
number one on here.
Does it make a difference
that we've tipped it out?
Steve: If we get the wrong feet
in the wrong position,
it's gonna set us back because
I'm gonna have to take them off
and redo this all over again.
Process of elimination,
this should be number two,
but that doesn't really
look like a two
on there,
does it, really?
Maybe it is a two,
but you gold-leafed
the top of the two, I think.
Right. OK. That's one.
Angela: Watch my floor
with your feet.
Steve: How we doing for time?
Angela: I'm not gonna look.
There's no point.
Just keep going.
Steve: This is number 4,
the last one,
so we're nearly there now.
I think it's got to go
that way a little bit.
Angela: Which way?
Steve: Then we got to go as far
as we can that way.
- What's "that way"?
- That way.
Angela: You mean
that end that way,
or do you mean
this whole thing that way?
Steve: This coming this way.
Angela: But, Steve--look at me--
before you move that,
I need to know whether
you're moving it that--
You're not even
looking at me now.
Steve: This way, towards me.
Angela: OK. All right. OK.
Say no more.
Dick, voice-over:
Things are getting fraught,
and it's not even
plumbed in yet.
Steve: The plumbing
for these taps, hot and cold,
has got to come from
underneath the floorboards,
which has made it
a little bit more difficult
because you got to go
under the floor
and up in that corner.
Angela: I never make things
more difficult.
It's just, it's all
about the design.
Steve: I've got a piece of pipe
which I'm gonna pop
through there and try and
find it on the other end here.
Angela: It's my job
to come up with the ideas,
and it's his job to fathom out
how to make them work.
That's how I work, anyway.
Ha ha!
- Nearly there, Angela.
- Good.
Angela: I've actually
only not got 2 3/4 hours.
- Do you?
- Come on, then. Chop chop.
Steve: Shouting at me now?
Dick, voice-over: At this rate,
these two will need
a cold bath themselves.
Angela: If you stand here,
that there just
doesn't look quite level.
Steve: But it actually
wants to go like that.
Angela: That's it.
Yep. That's it.
Steve: Yeah? OK.
She's very, very picky,
isn't she?
I'm worried about
a major panic of a leak,
and she's worried
about that being square.
Angela: You know, when you've
cleared up the leak,
I'll still be looking
at the dodgy taps,
so I don't want that.
Steve: Right.
This is the moment of truth.
- Water's going on.
- Yay! Success.
Dick, voice-over:
The bath's finally in,
now the little matter
of hiding all the pipework.
Angela: OK.
Let me get down now, Stephen.
- Let me get down.
- OK.
Steve: I don't know
if I'm in now.
Angela: You are not.
Steve: All right. OK.
Can you go in a bit, then?
Angela: That's got
my fingers, Stephen.
Just don't push. Uhh...
Steve: Can't get in under
because--
Angela: Just be patient, OK?
Just be patient. Doing my best.
Dick, voice-over: At our place
in the Pays de la Loire,
Belinda's brought along
a dressing table
that belonged to her mum
for the Angel treatment.
- Wow. Oh, my goodness me.
- Do you like it?
Angel: I tell you
what I would do.
Do it all in the green,
then decoupage the whole
of the drawers.
Dick, voice-over: Angel's plan
is to cover the inside
of the drawers with the photos
and magazines
that Belinda has
brought with her.
Angel: Let's see pictures
of your mum...
Belinda: So I've got some--
Angel: because I feel
like I know her now.
Belinda: Her and my dad
on their honeymoon in Rome.
Angel: Oi, oi,
your mum's gorgeous...
- Yeah.
- loving her outfits.
Belinda: I know.
Angel: They look fabulous,
the pair of them.
Belinda: These, I found them
in a local accounts shop, 1959.
These are from the 1940s.
Angel: Oh, I love it.
I'll be rocking that one.
- Ha ha ha!
- Ha ha ha!
Angel: It's a fabulous
collection.
The plan is now line
the actual drawer
with the magazines as a base.
- As a base...
- Yeah.
- and put the photos on top.
- Yeah.
Lovely idea, really like that.
Angel: Decoupage is easy.
You can't make a mistake...
- You sure?
- because if you put something
- in the wrong place...
- Right?
Angel: you just put
another thing over it
- to make it look good...
- OK.
Angel: all right?
Right. Let's get busy. Right.
You start getting all the dust
out of there for me.
Belinda: Yeah.
Angel: I'm gonna start
getting my tools out
to do some cutting.
Dick, voice-over:
The first step in decoupage
is choosing what to stick first.
If it sounds simple,
that's because it is.
Angel: This is just
some plain text.
To have in some text
and some patterns is brilliant.
Belinda: It breaks it up,
doesn't it?
- Yeah. It does.
- It gives the perspective.
- Yeah.
- Absolutely.
Dick, voice-over: Angel's using
a 50/50 PVA glue/water mix.
It'll hold the paper fast
and, importantly,
dry with a clear finish.
Angel: It doesn't matter
if you go over the edges,
so let's go over to this.
Dick, voice-over: Glue on,
now to get sticking.
Angel: You can see
the air bubbles in there, yeah?
Get my man here, which
could be a credit card,
and you can push
all of the air bubbles out.
Belinda: Hmm.
Angel: Don't like the fact
there's a big air bubble
in the middle of it.
Right. Okey dokey. We're good.
Belinda: Not too
difficult, is it?
Angel: It's easy.
Come say it.
- It's easy.
- Ha!
- It's gonna look gorgeous.
- Yeah.
Dick, voice-over: With the first
piece in place,
others are then added to
build up the decoupage effect.
Belinda: You're right
about using bits of newsprint
because I would never
have thought of that.
I would have just thought,
"Oh, it just needs
pictures of pretty ladies,"
but actually, that give it
that contrast.
- Yeah.
- It's really nice.
Angel: A bit of nostalgia,
it goes a long way.
Dick, voice-over:
Now Belinda knows the ropes,
Angel can leave her to it.
Angel: I want to go
and have a paint
of the dressing table.
Belinda: Yep. OK.
Angel: Are you happy to have
a bit of a play?
Belinda: OK.
Angel: Bon collage. Ha ha!
Belinda: So spodge this on.
Now I've got it.
Dick, voice-over:
The first drawer's covered.
Belinda needs to add
a final layer of glue
to smooth and protect.
Belinda: It's lovely.
Dick, voice-over:
With the dresser now painted,
It's time to see if she gets
Angel's seal of approval.
- That's really special.
- Looks great.
Angel: I think we made
a good decision.
Less is more on this
and actually
a quick lick of paint
with a color
that's really made
this shine now.
Belinda: It has.
It's made that sing, that top.
Angel: Really does. Pays homage
to your mum, doesn't it?
- I love it.
- Thank you so much.
- Oh, you're so welcome.
- That's really lovely.
Angel: I've absolutely
loved today...
Belinda: Thank you.
Angel: and a lovely,
lovely, lovely story.
Dick, voice-over: Armed with her
newfound knowledge of decoupage,
Belinda heads home
to finish the job.
A few weeks later
back at Chateau Mareuil,
Belinda and Lee have found
the perfect spot
for the finished dressing table.
Belinda: That looks very nice.
I'm proud of myself.
Lee: Mm, and I think, you know,
working with Angel,
she taught you
some new skills, as well...
Belinda: Mm. She really did.
Lee: and revitalized what was
an old piece of furniture,
so we're really grateful.
Belinda: I've dragged this
around, haven't I, for years,
and I've never really thought
much of it, and I think now
what I'll do is,
I think I'll look at things
with just a fresh pair of eyes
and just say, "You know,
I could make something beautiful
out of that."
- Well done.
- Mm. Thank you.
Dick, voice-over:
A big success all round.
The dressing table has
a new lease of life
and will be a lovely way
for Belinda to remember her mum.
Around 160 miles northeast
in Aude, France,
Dave and Elaine are still on the
hunt for their perfect place,
and they're viewing
their fifth chateau.
David: Marvelous.
Elaine: Well, that's impressive.
David: Ha ha!
Dick, voice-over:
The oldest parts
of Chateau Rouge
de la Femme Dupre
date to the 15th century.
Now sitting empty,
in recent years,
it's been both a restaurant
and offices.
It's all for £350,000,
half of Elaine
and David's budget.
Boris: Yes?
David: Bonjour, monsieur.
Parlez-vous anglais?
Boris: Oh, bonjour, monsieur.
Yes. I do speak English.
Dick, voice-over:
Owner Boris is meeting them.
David: Je m'appelle David.
Boris: Boris Guenugubert.
Very nice to meet you.
Basically, it's two buildings.
Elaine: Uh-huh.
Boris: The red part has been
built at the far end
of the 15th century
while this white part
has been built
in the 18th century.
David: Oh, it's a youngster.
Boris: Yes.
Elaine: So how much land
does it--
Both: About 6,000 square meter.
Don't ask me in inches
or whatever.
- Ha ha ha! Furlongs.
- That's OK. We're European.
Dick, voice-over: For those
of you who aren't bilingual,
that's about 1 1/2 acres.
Boris: Come in.
Come in. Come in.
David: Oh, I love the staircase.
Elaine: Yeah, and the floor.
- There's space in here...
- Mm-hmm.
Elaine: because
you're not immediately
sort of all hunched together.
Dick, voice-over: They're
starting in the 15-century
half of the chateau
with a sitting room.
David: Oh...
Elaine: Oh, it's a lovely,
little room.
Boris: There is a big fireplace,
and it is working.
- Oh, marvelous.
- Oh, goodness.
Boris: It is working
a bit too much, actually.
David: Oh. Ha ha ha!
Elaine: Original stained glass.
[Laughter]
Boris: Heh.
Yes, from the 21st century.
[Laughter]
David: I can
completely visualize
having Christmas dinner here...
Boris: Yes.
David: and having, you know,
big table
and a little bar back there.
Boris: OK,
and are you a good cook?
David: Oh, she is,
but I must warn you,
we're both vegetarian.
Ha ha ha!
Boris: Vegetarian is OK.
Dick, voice-over:
Unless you hadn't guessed,
vegetarians are a rare species
here in France.
Next, on to the rear turret
of the chateau,
where a rather unusual feature
is waiting.
Boris: We don't know where
that stone's come from...
David: Oh.
Boris: but what we know is that
you can put some ice...
David: And a bottle
of champagne.
Boris: and a bottle
of champagne.
Elaine: Ha ha!
That's fantastic.
Boris: and put
the glass here.
Elaine: It's kind of
an exciting building.
There's something interesting
about it.
I love that wee tower with
the champagne bucket built in.
David: I think it's terrific,
and the tower is gorgeous,
and I love the fact that there
are sort of two parts to it.
I think it's marvelous,
absolutely marvelous.
Dick, voice-over:
Looking promising.
Could this finally be
the chateau of their dreams?
Way down south
at Chateau Monteil,
Tim and Krys are tackling
their first big changeover
of the season.
Dick, voice-over: With 20 rooms
to clean and 13 beds to make,
unforeseen jobs are taking up
valuable time.
Krys: This cycle is gonna take
about 58 minutes,
about an hour, so it's not
really what we want to do today.
Dick, voice-over: While Krys
and the cleaners
transform the interior,
Tim is making sure
things are shipshape outside.
Tim: 30 degrees by 10:00.
It's horrible, but this
is a nice, refreshing job.
If I accidentally fall in,
you know,
happens occasionally.
My balance isn't what
it always used to be. Ha ha!
Krys: Tim's more relaxed
about everything.
I get stressed because I wanted
to get all of the beds done
in, like, two hours.
I just thought I had it
all organized.
I just feel like
if I give them the house,
I know they expect it
to all be clean,
so I just want it to be perfect.
Tim: She gets quite anxious
about it all.
She wants it to be perfect
and bright, and the reality is,
there's only so much time
you can do stuff.
You can only do
what you can do.
Krys: Me, I'm gonna
continue working
until I'm exhausted
and dehydrated.
It's very hot.
Where's Tim? What's he doing?
Dick, voice-over: Looks like
he's found somewhere
to escape the sun.
Tim: So don't understand
what they've done.
Don't know why this--
It's supposed to go here,
and now it doesn't.
Maybe it's just me.
Maybe I've got shorter
or something.
Dick, voice-over: Back in
the house, Krys has discovered
there's not enough
clean sheets left
to complete the rest
of the bedrooms.
- Eh!
- How's it going?
Krys: I've miscalculated
my linen.
Tim: We can just give them
to them later on.
Krys: But I think I'll
have to make the beds.
Tim: I guess she's right,
really, you know?
We should be trying to give
people the very, very best.
Dick, voice-over: With an hour
until the guests arrive,
the cleaners' shift is over.
It's down to Krys and Tim
to finish the job.
Krys: I haven't checked
the cleaners' work yet.
When I'm finished
doing all the beds,
I'm gonna go round
and check the bathrooms,
so this is number 10.
Tim: Babe, do you know
someone had put
a blue-and-pink cloth
in with your towels?
But that's white, I think.
Dick, voice-over: Bullet dodged,
but you may need
a complete set of armor
for what's just landed outside.
Tim: Heather? Welcome.
Yeah. 3:00.
Guests are here early.
I'd like to have a shower
and change, ideally,
present myself a little fresher,
but, you know, to be fair,
it's 40 degrees, pretty much,
so if I had a shower
and got changed,
I'd look like this
in about 5 minutes, anyway,
so, yeah, it is what it is.
Dick, voice-over:
With the chateau not yet ready
and the guests keen
to start their holiday,
Tim has to break
the news to Krys.
Tim: Oh, no. Don't worry
about how we look. It's fine.
They don't care.
They're on holiday.
You look great.
Krys: It's all right.
Dick, voice-over: At Chateau
Caillac in Nouvelle-Aquitaine,
Angela and Steve's guests
haven't arrived quite yet...
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: You're not even
looking at me now.
Dick, voice-over: and their
new honeymoon suite
is still very much
a work in progress.
Angela: Watch the screwdriver.
Time's running out, so we've
only got 55 minutes left,
and we've still got to put
this ciel de lit
up on that wall
and dress the room,
and if it all goes wrong,
it's his fault.
There. That'll be fine,
but is that the top,
or is that where
it's hanging from?
Steve: You can have
whatever you want.
Angela: No, but tell me
which you're measuring.
That is 2.5 there
to the top of my hand there.
Angela: Slightly lower
than that, please, about there.
- Yep.
- So what's that, the bottom?
- No. That--
- The top?
Angela: Look what
you were doing.
Steve: No. Is that the top
of the ciel de lit?
Angela: Oh...
Steve: So 28.06, 28.02.
Angela: Steve,
we haven't got 55 minutes
to measure where it's going,
so come on.
[Screwdriver whirring]
Dick, voice-over:
Blimey, it'll be a miracle
if they're ready in time...
The ciel de lit
is in place at last.
Angela: Your way a bit,
your way a bit, your way a bit.
Dick, voice-over:
but time is up...
Steve: Is this the last thing?
Angela: Uh, I've got
to make the bed.
Dick, voice-over: and whatever
state the new honeymoon suite
is in,
it'll have to do for now.
Steve: Hello, hello, hello.
Angela: That is just not
gonna stay on.
Ha ha! Steve?
- Oh, nice to see you.
- Nice to see you.
- How are you?
- How are you?
Woman: I'm fine. Mwah.
- How's the journey been?
- Tiring.
- Hi.
- Hiya.
- Come on in.
- Yeah. Come in.
Woman: Oh, wow!
Dick, voice-over:
And they've done it.
Angela's managed to get the rest
of the room finished
just in time.
Man: Gold-leaf bath!
Unbelievable.
Angela: What do you think?
Man: That is just fantastic.
Yeah.
All right, the handiwork, Steve.
It's not gonna fall off?
Angela: We'll find out.
[Laughter]
Angela: We'll go make
a gin and tonic,
and you can freshen up.
- I'll see you downstairs.
- Thank you very much.
Steve: See you then.
All right, then. See you later.
Dick, voice-over: Phew!
A thumbs-up.
An old fire fender
has been transformed,
bringing in some classic
French design
and along with the gold bath
gives the suite
a real splash of luxury.
No wonder Angela and Steve
have regrets about giving it up.
Angela: I want to try that--
Steve: You just want
to have a bath.
Angela: I want to try
that bath out.
Steve: You just want a bath
and a gin and tonic
in that bath, don't you?
Angela: I do, I do, I do. Yeah.
We might just get rid of them
and put them somewhere else,
and we'll stay in that room,
nice bubble bath
and a glass of wine.
Dick, voice-over:
Well done, you two.
That's the first step
towards putting on weddings,
but that doesn't mean you can
rest on your laurels.
In Aude, France,
Elaine and David
are halfway through viewing
Chateau Rouge de la Femme Dupre.
Boris: You can put some ice
and a bottle of champagne.
[Laughter]
Dick, voice-over: The
15th-century part of the chateau
was a big hit, but now
it's on to the part
that was recently office space.
Boris: Yes. Come in.
David: Oh, goodness. Ha ha!
- Wow.
- Ha!
Boris: This is a big room.
David: It is massive.
Boris: We were very surprised
when we took off
all the plaster...
David: Uh-huh?
Boris: to have that chimney...
- That's beautiful.
- Yeah...
- and there's a lot of beams.
- and all the beams. Yeah.
- The view is fabulous.
- Yeah.
Boris: All that view
is protected.
David: Yes.
Boris: There is no way
somebody can build anything
on here, on that field,
on that little wood there.
Everything is totally protected.
Dick, voice-over: Elaine
and David will need to use
their imagination
with the layout.
David: Trying to figure out
how to use this space
as a home,
it needs some thought.
I think I would need to stare
at the floor plans.
Boris: Uh-huh.
David: There's plenty of room
and plenty of light
and plenty of windows.
Boris: It has to be, I think,
maybe with the help
of an architect.
David: Mm-hmm. Yeah.
Dick, voice-over:
That's a good point.
There's loads of potential here,
and an architect
could unlock it all.
Monelle: Bonjour, monsieur.
What is that?
Dick, voice-over: Boris' wife
Monelle has joined them,
and they also have a whippet...
Monelle: How old are they?
- 6 years.
- 6 years.
Monelle: Oh, 6 years.
He is a new one.
Elaine: Oh, they're
so much bigger. Ha ha ha!
Dick, voice-over: and there's
another surprise waiting
for them at the top
of the turret.
David: Oh. Oh, ho ho ho!
It's fantastic.
Dick, voice-over: The curved
beams are a real showstopper.
David: I think this
has to be a bedroom.
Elaine: I think it'd make
an ideal bedroom
because you have
to put the bed there,
and then you lie there,
and you just stare at it.
David: I really like it.
I think it's got
great potential,
but there's so much that needs
to be worked out about it.
Thank you very much for showing
us this beautiful home.
Boris: It was very nice
meeting you.
Thank you. Take care.
- Bye. My pleasure.
- Bye-bye.
David: Certainly until we figure
those things out,
the search will continue.
Elaine: The more that we've been
driving around this week
and seen various properties,
the more comfortable
we've felt here and--
David: Yep. Feels like
this is our next step.
- Yep.
- Bye-bye.
- Bye-bye.
- Bye-bye.
Elaine: Go on, go on. Definitely
moving to France. Yes.
David: Definitely moving
to France, definitely.
Dick, voice-over: With such
a huge range of chateaus
out there, finding the right one
takes time.
It took us 4 years.
David and Elaine are planning
another trip to France
to continue the search for
their perfect place very soon.
I wish them all the best.
Over 300 miles away
at Chateau Monteil,
Tim and Krys are in the midst
of their first-ever
whole-chateau changeover...
- Hello.
- Nice to meet you.
Dick, voice-over: but they're
facing every owner's nightmare--
guests arriving early.
Krys: We could have
been well-prepped if--
[Exhales]
if they arrived 4:00 instead.
Dick, voice-over:
They need to buy time
so Krys can finish the beds...
Krys: So this is number 11.
Dick, voice-over: so Tim
has hatched a cunning plan
to distract the guests.
Tim: So barbecue, terrace,
table tennis, swimming pool.
That will all be yours
in approximately 3 minutes.
Dick, voice-over: Almost there,
just a final inspection
to make sure they're good to go.
Krys: Just, like,
handprint there.
Dick, voice-over:
Keep talking, Tim.
Tim: Balls for the petanque
courts are over there,
as are table tennis things.
- I hope you enjoy that.
- Yeah.
Krys: I cannot find
where my sponges are,
because I need to give them
a sponge for the kitchen.
Tim: If you want
anything else done, just ask.
Dick, voice-over: It's job done.
Tim: Happy days.
Dick, voice-over:
They've managed a grueling,
6-hour turnaround
in almost 40 degrees' heat.
Tim: So I'll leave you now.
I hope you have
a great holiday.
- Thank you.
- See you soon. Ha ha ha!
Tim: Our work is done.
Krys: I miscalculated
my linen and my towels,
but it's all good now.
Tim: Nailed it.
It's full on,
and it's a lot of work,
but once it's done, we can
finally go for a shower.
Krys: And drink water,
really cold water.
- I need water.
- Cold drink. Yeah.
Dick, voice-over: I'm sure
the graft was worth it
and the guests
will enjoy their stay.
Tim: A shame that we've had
to hand the pool over
to paying guests.
- Yeah.
Dick: Hiya, hiya, hiya!
Dick, voice-over: Next time,
I cook up a recipe for success
for Tim and Krys.
Dick: People have to come along
at the end of it and go,
"Wow. That was special.
That was special."
Dick, voice-over:
For Belinda and Lee,
things take an alarming turn...
[Beeping]
Belinda: Whew!
Dick, voice-over: as they rush
to get things ready
for their first-ever
paying guests...
- 10 minutes.
- 10 minutes?
- 10 minutes.
- Oh, it's the wrong way round.
- It's the wrong way.
- Are you sure?
Lee: Well, they're not
lining up.
Dick, voice-over:
and Angela and Steve
test-ride their new
business venture.
Angela: We had a lovely spot
to bring people
for their picnic lunch,
don't you think so?
Steve: Yeah. I think
it's a beautiful spot, isn't it?
Angela: It is.