Escape to the Chateau DIY (2018–2021): Season 3, Episode 3 - Episode #3.3 - full transcript

I'm Dick Strawbridge,

and with my wife Angel

and our two children...

- Ha ha ha!
- Don't crash.

Dick, voice-over:
we're nearly 5 years

into our French adventure,

restoring this
once abandoned chateau.

Dick: That one! Ha ha!

Dick, voice-over:
It's been a lot of hard work...

Oh, that's heavy!

Dick, voice-over:
but a lot of fun, too.



Dick: To families.

All: Families.
Angel: Cheers.

Dick: And all over France,
there are other

intrepid British families
doing exactly the same.

Amy: I'm just randomly drilling
holes in the wall at the moment.

Dick: Now Angel and I are once
again lending a hand

to other expat chateau owners.

That's working for me.
I love it.

Dick: We'll meet some
new faces...

Ta-dee!

[Crack]

and some old friends.

Ha ha ha!

Dick: and we'll reveal more
about our own chateau life.



You're Monsieur Dick.

Angel: Ha ha ha!

Dick: There'll be plenty
of highs.

Yay!

Dick: and lows.

Rebecca: Ohh! No. No.

Dick:
but however hard it gets...

Whoa!

Dick: they're all battling
to transform

these abandoned buildings...

Ben: It's not the size
of the wine press that matters,

- it's what you do with it.
- Yeah.

Dick: into extraordinary homes
and businesses...

Oh, this is wonderful.

Dick: To live the dream
as custodians

of their very own castle.

Today, it's an uphill battle
for two chateau owners...

Tim: I think we are 10%, 15% in,

which doesn't feel very good.

Dick: as they prepare to host
some special guests.

Rebecca:
It's just having a chateau.

It's just how it is.

Dick: I check in
on one family...

This is a big, old build.

This is not a trivial sort of
amount of work.

Dick, voice-over: as their
skills are tested to the limit

on their latest project.

Billie:
I think it's working out.

I've actually really,
really enjoyed doing this.

Dick: and two new owners have
their work cut out

as they go in search
of some chateau relics.

Amy: He won't be able
to leave this now.

Every time he has
5 minutes to spare,

he'll be in here
with the jackhammer.

Dick: Trying to get any chateau
up and running takes

time and money, especially when
your home is also your business.

Lincolnshire couple
Tim and Rebecca

and their two children have now
been at Chateau de la Ruche

for almost two years

and have been transforming it
into a B&B.

Rebecca: I think one of my
favorite things is guests

when they arrive,
them taking it all in

and seeing everything and being
so kind of wowed by it.

Dick: Located 50 miles from us
in the Pays de la Loire region,

they've been
struggling financially,

but as summer approaches,
they have now finished

renovating
their third guest suite,

which should bring in more
income and keep alive

their hopes of staying
in France.

Tim: The dream feels
much better now

than it did in the winter
when we didn't have any money

and we didn't have
a business that's working.

Rebecca: We did have one day
where we kind of both looked

at each other and thought,
"You know what?

This might actually work."

- Yeah.
- "This kind of crazy idea

"might actually work,
and we might

be able to survive."

Dick: Today, they're preparing
for their next guests.

They need to repair
their driveway

as the guests are arriving
in high-end sports cars

in two weeks.

Tim: So this is all
our gravel. Look.

Dick: So Tim and live-in mate
Dale are at neighbor Alain's

farm to collect
30 tons of gravel.

Tim: He's got mud,
he's got sand,

he's got big gravel,
he's got little gravel,

and it's really good because
you can compact it down

on the driveway
and make it nice and solid.

Dick:
It's going to be a big job.

Tim and Rebecca's driveway is
nearly 3/4 of a mile long

and wraps around the edge
of their grounds.

Tim: It's got lots
of big holes in it,

and it's steadily worse
to the point

where it is a bit of a disaster.

Dick: Their chateau is just
a stone's throw away

from the Le Mans race track,
which hosts

the famous 24-hour car race.

It could be a big money earner,
if they can start

attracting car-loving guests,

so it's crucial they get
the driveway right.

Tim: We've never done
a driveway before.

We've never even done anything
like it before, to be honest,

so we are going to make it up
as we go along.

Dick: Thankfully, neighbor Alain
has agreed to let Tim and Dale

use his tractor and trailer.

Alain.

Dick: Though it's
not started well.

One of the trailer's
tires is flat.

Alain: Ohh!

Tim: Oui.

Dale: This is what we call
getting la Ruched.

Whenever you think
a job's going to take

a certain amount of time,
you can add on

at least another 50% of what you
think it's going to take.

Dick: That's chateau life
for you.

Tim: Oh, it's filling up quick.

Dick: Luckily, it appears to be
an intermittent issue.

Dale: Valve's leaking.
If you move the valve

a little, it leaks.

Oui.

Dale: It only leaks if you
manipulate the valve,

so as long as it
doesn't move too much

when the wheel's going round,
we should be all right.

Dick: With the problem
solved for now,

Tim and Dale head back
to the chateau

to start laying the gravel
on the driveway...

with help
from Rebecca's parents,

who are over from the UK.

They've all been given
strict instructions

on how it should be laid.

The drive was one
of the--the first reason

I fell in love with this house.

It's tree-lined, it's beautiful,
it looks like country lane,

and if I had my way,
I'd probably leave it all bumpy.

And I want the grass
to stay in the middle.

Dick: Just one problem
with that.

it makes the job trickier.

Not only do they need
to make the drive level.

They also need to avoid
covering the grass.

This isn't tiring at all.

Dick: And with only rakes
to do it,

it's going to be a long
and laborious task.

Tim: I think we are,
I don't know, 10%, 15% in,

which doesn't feel very good,
but I'm going to have to go on.

Dick: 300 miles away
in southeast France

is the impressive medieval
Chateau de Rosières,

set in 130 acres of land.

It's the new home of Brit Amy
and French husband Marc,

who moved in last year.

When we first came here, I felt
an overwhelming sense of peace,

and I immediately felt like
I'd come home.

It was that sense of your whole
body and mind relaxing

as you come into an area
that normally only happens

when you go back
to the place you were born.

Marc: Our chateau is a place
where we can happily spend

a week without feeling
the need to go outside.

Dick: Located just an hour
and a half's drive from Lyon,

the long-term plan is
to open it up

as a high-end B&B
and host yoga retreats.

They've been working on their
eco-friendly sewage system

for their en suite bathrooms.

Now Amy and Marc
are focusing on the inside...

Amy: Right.

Dick: and today,
they're removing

the modern fireplace
in the dining room.

Marc: Yeah, that's it.

Amy, voice-over: This room's one
of the main rooms

where we'll receive guests
who are coming,

so when we do posh B&B
in the room just above this one,

we can't exactly just
shove them in the bedroom.

They've actually got to have
somewhere else to go,

and so the idea is to have this
as the dining room

as somewhere that we can bring
them for nice dinners

and to sit and to
really kind of get the feeling

of being in a chateau because
this is one

of the grandest rooms
in the house,

and it's just incredibly
incongruous to have

a completely modern false wall
made of plasterboard,

and we'd really like to take
that out and see

what's behind it,
and hopefully there'll be

a nicer fireplace behind it,
and hopefully,

we'll find some nice old stones.

Marc: Your turn.

Dick: To take a closer look,
there's only one thing for it...

a pry bar.

What? Sorry.

- Don't kill me, please.
- OK.

I know.
I know what I'm going to do.

Marc: I can see the back wall
of the fireplace,

which actually looks quite ugly.

Amy: OK.

Dick: It's not what
they were hoping for.

OK. So, let's--
let's go in.

Dick: But who knows what else
might be lurking in there?

You never know what you might
find in a chateau,

especially one
that's 800 years old.

Unh! Ha ha ha!

Oh!

Amy, voice-over: So what we
found is we've gone back

about 50 centimeters,
and we found

the same fake granite painted
wall behind as is on top.

It was a little disappointing.

I think I'd hoped we might
find real stone,

but there is a possibility
that there'd

be an older fireplace
even further behind.

Dick: To find out...

Marc sets to work
with his big drill.

And I've hit
the stone behind it.

Dick: It's looking promising.

Marc: I'm going to try to make
slightly wider hole.

Dick: Let's just hope it's
not another false stone.

Marc: So we can see that this
was the original layer of stone

because it's covered in soot.

Amy: Oh, so it's
the old fireplace.

Yeah. So, this was
the original fireplace.

Dick: It's a great find,
but there's lots of work to do

if they're going to expose
the medieval fireplace.

Not that Marc seems to mind.

Amy: He won't be able to
leave this now.

Every time he has
5 minutes to spare,

he'll be in here
with the jackhammer.

It's like picking
a scab or something.

He just can't leave it
once he's started.

Dick: In Northwestern France
lies the beautiful

19th century
Chateau la Grande Maison.

Musicians Ben and Billie have
been renovating it

into a luxury guest house
and events venue.

Ben: It really was love
at first sight.

Billie: Aw. It was.
When I came

through the gate house
and seeing the house,

I'm like, "Oh, my gosh."

Ben: It was one of those moments
where everything

stands still, wasn't it?

- Yeah, yeah.
- And it's like--

I remember thinking life
is going to change.

Dick: Situated
near the Loire Valley,

they have one room left
to refurbish, the old library,

where they want to start hosting
book club events in 6 weeks.

So far, they've managed to
restore the old skylight

and with help from Angel...

Angel: Lovely.

Dick: created
a wonderful display table.

Billie: That's working for me.

I'll tell you what,
that really is.

I love it.

Dick: Now,
they're ready to tackle

the biggest part of this task.

Ben: We're hoping to create
an entire wall

which has a mezzanine floor
to it

with steps leading up to it
to get to the actual books.

It's quite ambitious.

Never done it before,
but got to learn somewhere.

Dick: It sounds like
an exciting challenge,

and as an engineer,
it's right up my street...

so I'm checking in with them to
see if I could be of any help.

Ah! There you are.
Hello. How are you two?

- Good to see you again.
- How we doing?

- Yeah, all good.
- This is a big, old build.

This is not a trivial sort of
amount of work.

Ben: Yes. I think they used
to call them galleries.

It's like a gallery,
which is a raised walkway,

and then underneath,
that will be cupboards.

Can I just say
the raised walkway?

Do you sort of see yourself
then going up

and having somewhere to walk
left and right past the books?

Billie: Yes. Yeah.
Ben: I found on the Internet

some old railings,
so we're going to

cut those to size,

and these bookshelves exactly
the same size as each cupboard,

so one will above the other.

OK. I'm looking at it,
and there's a couple

of little points coming
to me straightaway.

How are you going to actually
support the weight,

and how many people are allowed
on there at any given time?

Ben: The weight is all going to
come through these posts

that come down 6 along the front
and 6 along the back,

and they're going to go
directly onto joists.

Dick: OK. So it's basically,
the verticals

are sort of taking the weight.

At the back of your gantry,
that wall behind you

is nice and solid?

Unfortunately, not.
It's one those--

I don't know if you've
got them in your place,

but It's an internal wall,
and they're made

of quite thin brick.

It's almost like a modern brick
on its side, that kind of, size.

I think, the technical term
is it's made

of cheese, all right?

I wouldn't trust that at all.

Do not use that
for anything structural.

I'd be very wary
of putting anything on it

because it'll wobble.

Ben: Yes.
Billie: Yeah.

You could go over there
and push it to make it wobble.

Ben: Yeah.
Dick: Now if it is like that,

what I have done to increase
the actual strength in it

in the past is actually
been to board it.

For example,
in our downstairs loo,

we've actually
boarded both sides,

Which doesn't sound
like a lot,

but by boarding both sides
of the wall,

it just gave us much more
structure and integrity

to put things through
to hold it.

And that was just
I didn't like it

being able to move, OK?

But your advantage is all
the weight is acting down.

- Yeah.
- Your test needs to be

next time I come to see you,
I'm going to do

some Riverdance on the gantry.

That's it Riverdance.

And when I do Riverdance
on your gantry,

if I see you go slightly pale,
you know it's not strong enough.

Please don't wear a kilt.

Who would wear a kilt up
in the air in a gantry?

That would be wrong
on every level.

It's a lovely, lovely idea.
I love the drawing,

I love the concept.

I can't wait to see what you're
doing with the place,

and just think how strong
it has to be.

- Yeah. OK.
- Fantastic.

Thanks you so much
for your help again.

Ben: Thanks. Thank you.
Billie: Bye! Take care, Dick.

- Go on. Get on with it. Bye.
- Bye.

Dick, voice-over: I love
the sound of this project,

and Ben isn't hanging around.

He's already cutting out bits
of old garden railing

for the balcony.

I'm a massive fan of upcycling.

Not only does it save on waste,

but it also saves you
a quid or two.

Ben: Looks much prettier now.
It's all the small bits.

Got rid with the big, clunky bit
off here,

the big fat post down the side,

and it's starting to look
a bit more indoorsy

than outdoorsy, which is
what we're going for.

Dick: It looks great.
Let's hope the rest

of the project goes as smoothly.

Over at Chateau de la Ruche,
Tim, mate Dale,

and Tim's in-laws
are still resurfacing

the 3/4 of mile of driveway
with 30 tons of gravel.

Dale: I'm knackered already,
and we've only done

one trailer full.

Well, I couldn't even tell you
how many more there are to do.

Maybe another 5 loads,
4 or 5 loads.

I don't think it's going to be
enough to cover the drive.

Tim: Yeah.

Dick: They have guests arriving
in top-class sports cars

in two weeks,
and the resurfacing job

is being made all the more
difficult as Rebecca wants

to keep the grass
in the middle of the drive.

Tim: Doing a perfectly mediocre
job of filling in the potholes,

but I think it looks rubbish
at the moment.

Dick: Cue French neighbor Alain,
who has come over

with this tractor and is
already rearranging the gravel.

Tim: So I don't know what
we're doing now,

and I couldn't quite work out
what we've done wrong,

but Alain seems to have come
to try and fix it.

So we're now, we're getting
a very French repair

of the drive, which might not
be very pretty.

Rebecca: He just said to me he
had to come around

because it was a catastrophe
and it shouldn't be

going down so thick,
and it was still very bumpy,

and he wasn't having it.

With Alain now pulling
the strings,

he's come up
with a simple solution.

Tim: New technique is we're just
going to drop it straight out

of the back of the trailer,
and Alain's going to push it

into the driveway.

Going to be a lot faster.

We didn't think
this was possible,

but then we didn't have
my wife earlier on,

and she wanted the bits of grass
down in the middle

of the driveway to stay,
but she's come around

to them not being there,
so that's fine.

They'll grow back.

Dick: With Alain helping out,
everything's moved up a gear.

Rebecca: Alain is like
my French dad basically,

and he looks after us,
so I'm very happy that we're

in capable hands with Alain,
and I'm sure the grass

in the middle will grow back,
and he has promised me

that the grass
in the middle will grow back.

So I think he likes to watch
the silly English people

that bought the chateau
have a go,

and then he comes round
and rescues us in the end.

That's generally what happens.

Dick: Having a handy neighbor is
certainly a big plus

for Tim and Rebecca.

However, despite laying
30 tons of gravel,

there's only enough to cover
half of the driveway.

Rebecca: So definitely
more gravel needed

and more of Alain's time.

It's not ideal.

It's just having a chateau,
it's just how it is.

Dick:
Until they get more gravel,

they're going to have to
keep Alain sweet.

British beer?

OK.

Tim: We've had
a really good day.

I think, in the end, this turned
out--turned out pretty well.

We've got a lot of gravel down,
and it looks pretty good.

Rebecca: Definitely,
you can tell the difference,

but we still got quite
a lot of drive to finish.

With Alain, we'll speak to him
very, very nicely

and ply him with beer,
and hopefully,

he'll come back
and help us another day,

and then we can get it finished
before our guests come

in their nice cars.

I'm sure we can.

Dick: Fingers crossed,
their master plan pays off.

In southeast France
at Chateau de Rosières,

Marc has been busy
in the dining room

and has uncovered
an ancient fireplace.

We just got a bit carried away
and ended up taking down

the entire 1970s wall
and revealing

the original medieval fireplace,

probably that used to be
at the heart of the house.

Marc: And that was actually
really exciting because we found

massive stones,
big granite stones,

I reckon that would weigh
about half a ton each,

which is quite impressive given
the lifting devices

they had at the time.

Dick: Now they just need to
clean off centuries of soot

from the stonework,

so Marc's borrowed
a professional sandblaster,

and it's going to be
a messy job.

Marc: The main problem you have
when you sandblast is the dust.

That means that
you can't see anything,

and also, you can't breathe,
so you need to wear

special equipment.

So this is a ventilated mask
that's linked

to the air compressor.

Dick: Sandblasting is basically
a jet of sand

driven by compressed air.

It shoots out so fast,
it scours

everything in its path.

It's a simple
but time-consuming job

and right up Marc's street,

so all Amy can do now
is take a backseat.

Amy: One thing about Marc,
he rarely gives up,

so it might take him
until midnight,

but he's going to keep going.

It's a bit frustrating
not being able to help,

so I'll just have to
stand and watch

or have a cup of tea.

That's another option.

Dick: Sounds like a plan to me,

although before Amy has time
to put the kettle on...

Amy: This is coming
through the house.

Dick: she's spotted a problem.

Amy: All the dust is coming
through this door,

and this whole room
is now full of dust,

and then it's going
through the other.

It's really fine dust,

so it comes through any crack,
and it's just working its way

through the house,
and it will be

absolutely horrendous
to get out.

Dick: When you're dealing
with this much dust,

it's always best to tape up
the doors beforehand,

but better late than never.

Amy: It's a bit like bolting
a stable door

after the horses run away.

Dick: Never mind, Amy.
I'm sure it will be worth it

when the fireplace
gets finished.

In northwestern France,
at Chateau la Grande Maison,

it's now two weeks until Ben
and Billie's book club event,

and the mezzanine floor
in the library is taking shape.

The bookshelf
is going really well.

I got both bits
of the railings in,

which is fantastic.

Dick: I'm pleased to see
they've reinforced the wall,

but there's still a lot to do,

especially
to the original fireplace.

When they first
cleared the room,

they found a section
of the marble surround

was missing.

- So I think that was there.
- So we're missing that?

That may have shattered.

Dick: So Billie has come up
with a very clever idea.

She's created a plaster of Paris
mold to fit the missing bit

and is painting it to match
the rest of the marble.

Billie: The piece that was
missing, I found that,

you know, there's a start
of a pattern,

and I had to carry that pattern
on onto the molded bit,

and also it was great
when I realized

that this was a mirror image
of the other strip to go

on the front of the fireplace
because that meant as long

as I followed the patterns up
I could match

whatever was going on
in the marble on the other side.

I think the patterns
are really crucial

to helping deceive the eye.

Dick: It certainly
looks impressive

as I can't tell the difference.

Billie: You have to be really
patient, look in the background

for the colors,
and whatever color is furthest

away from your eye,
you got to put that on first

and be really, really patient

before you get to any
of the little finishing colors,

So, like,
around the white areas,

there's a little black edge,
but put it on,

and then you sort of have
to make it disappear again.

I'm just using water
to sort of blur it out.

I think it's--
I think it's working out.

I'm really pleased with that.

I've actually really, really
enjoyed doing this.

Outside, Ben is making moldings
for the front of the bookshelves

to give them
a 19th century feel.

Ben: In the 1850s, they used
Greek and Roman architecture

as an influence for bookshelves,
and I've done a bit of research

and found some of these sort
of moldings on some photographs.

Dick:
In a bid to replicate the style,

he's had to do some
creative shopping.

I found this fantastic place
that bought up

all these antique
picture frames,

and I got these
really, really cheaply,

but I bought everything
they've got,

so we can't buy any more stock,
so whatever we've got,

we're going to use
as best effect.

Dick: It's a brilliant idea
and a cost-effective way

of giving a chateau
added character.

Gonna build it all
on a bit of timber

to hold it all together,
and the actual column itself

is gonna be made up
of 3 different moldings,

2 matching,

and then a smaller molding
in the middle.

I'm going to build
the bottom piece timber up

so it kind of steps down.

You start getting a feeling
that something heavy

could be sitting on that.

Dick: The whole thing needs
carefully gluing together,

and it's already starting
to look the part.

Ben: That's going to be great.

I can't wait to see it finished.

Dick: It's another
baby step forward,

and I'm looking forward
to seeing it, too.

90 miles north, it's now the day
when Tim and Rebecca welcome

their guests
in their high-end sports cars.

Tim: You could start running
the hoover

round the Meadow, as well.

Rebecca:
Yeah. I will, yeah.

I'm just going to get towels
in the wash.

Dick: With the weather
getting warmer,

bookings have taken off,

so work to resurface the drive
has been slow going.

Rebecca: The drive is definitely
a lot smoother.

I wouldn't say I'm exactly
pleased with it

because it's not finished.

Kind of run out of time because
it took us a bit longer to do

the first half
than we expected to,

and then we were relying
on our lovely neighbor Alain

to come and help us out,
and he's been

a bit busy recently.

So we've got a half done,
and then the rest of it,

we have failed in
all the potholes,

and it's all looking
pretty smooth,

and it's a million times better
than it was beforehand.

Dick: They're not only
under pressure to ensure

the drive doesn't cause damage
to the cars,

but they also have to get
the rooms ready,

as their previous guests
have only just left.

Rebecca: So, we had a full house
last night,

3 families, 6 kids, 6 adults.

So it was the first time we've
had all the rooms booked out

since we opened the suite,
so, yeah, it's been a bit mad.

Dick: With time in short supply,

Rebecca tackles the bedrooms,

while Tim is on bathroom duty.

Tim:
I know how to make the beds.

I just think you do
a better job.

Rebecca: Do you? So there we go.

We were--our skills are
perfectly matched.

You can clean toilets,
and I'll make beds.

Yes.

Dick: Presentation is key,
especially when trying

to build up a new B&B business.

Rebecca: We've got quite a few
back-to-back bookings

over the summer actually,
so we're going to have to

get good at this,
twisting and turning rooms over.

Tim: I think we both share
quite high standards

in terms of what we
would expect from somewhere,

so we're quite particular
about making sure

that that's what we--
what we give to people.

Dick:
There's no time to do anymore,

as the guests are here.

Rebecca: Hello. Ha ha ha!

So this is the Meadow Suite.

So this has a little
second bedroom

in case you have children
with you.

- Wow.
- Look at the window.

It's beautiful.

It's so nice to have
the windows opened up.

Rebecca: Yeah.
This is the main bedroom.

Woman: Oh, gosh. Ha ha!
Wow.

Rebecca: There's entrances to
the bathroom both sides, so...

So this is the Honey Suite.

You've got a little
dressing room in this one,

and then the main
bedroom's here.

Tim: No one's slumming it,
I don't think.

Woman: No, no, I don't think.

[Laughter]

Oh, it's beautiful.

Rebecca: And then the bathroom's
just through there.

Woman: It looks French.

Rebecca: Well, you guys
get settled in

and then come downstairs,
and we'll get you

a drink in the sunshine.

Man: OK. OK.

Tim: You must be ready
for a beer.

Woman:
Oh, definitely want one.

Dick: It's certainly seems
the chateau gets

the seal of approval.

Let's hope the new driveway has
also been kind to their cars.

Man: Well, we weren't
really sure what to expect,

but it was really good coming up
a little country lane.

Typically French.

The road surface
was really good,

and then you come
around the corner,

and you see the chateau
in front of you,

and you do go "Wow"
when you see it.

Woman: Yeah. Really lovely.
When we walked in the room

and just saw what they've done,

they really have thought
about everything.

- Mm-hmm.
- Definitely.

Yeah.

Dick: It's a big thumbs up.

All their hard work
has paid off.

Tim: They have said the driveway
was absolutely fine.

It's still rustic as Rebecca
wants it to be,

and so it's a little bit dusty
was the only comment they said

when you're following
behind somebody else.

Rebecca: Yeah.

Dick: It's another big step
towards Tim and Rebecca

establishing
a successful B&B business.

Rebecca: Yeah. This is
definitely the beginning

of our summer now.

The summer season
is kicking off,

and we've got loads of lovely
bookings coming up,

and we're nice and busy,
which is what we wanted,

so it's perfect.

Good start.

Dick: Sounds as if it's
going to be a busy summer.

- Cheers.
- Happy holiday.

Cheers.

Dick: In southeastern France,
Marc has finally finished

cleaning the medieval fireplace.

It's also been repointed

and remarkably, t
hey have also found

yet another original feature.

Amy: When we uncovered
the fireplace,

we realized that there were some
big holes in the wall

where they used to hang
the bracket

which the cauldron would have
been hung over the fire,

and Marc had seen a picture
of the fireplace,

and it had a big bracket
that hung above the fire,

and we were a bit disappointed
there was nothing left there,

but then Marc had heard stories
that it might still exist

and that it was still here

when the previous owners
were there.

So we spoke to them,
and they had a root around,

and they found it in their barn.

They had decided
not to throw it away,

and so really kindly, they've
offered to just give it to us.

So Marc is going to go round
and see if he can get

the arm for the cauldron
and put it back on.

Dick: What a fantastic stroke
of luck.

Thankfully Fred,
the previous owner,

lives just down the road,

so Marc doesn't have to
travel too far.

He lived in the chateau
with his partner

for just a couple of years.

It was Fred who put in
the modern fireplace.

He had no use for the bracket

but hoped it might come
in handy one day.

Dick: Bravo, Fred!

It certainly looks impressive,

and it's in great condition.

It just goes to show you should
never throw anything away.

It might just come in handy.

Back at the chateau,
Amy and sister-in-law Kate

are heading into an outbuilding,

hoping to find something
cauldron-like to go

with the bracket.

Amy: Right. It's in here
somewhere, Marc says.

Oh, there's a little one here.

- OK.
- Yeah, that looks like it.

Dick: It's an old copper pot,
but it could work rather nicely.

Amy: Brilliant.

[Speaking French]

Dick: Now Marc is home,
he's keen to see if the bracket

might fit back
in its original place...

[Speaking French]

with help from brother Etienne.

[Both grunting]

OK.

Dick: Nice work, chaps.

[Speaking French]

Amy: Ooh! Look at that.

- Nice.
- I have the cauldron.

It's a little bit small, but...

Enough for the soup.

but not enough
for one of my potions.

Dick: The fireplace is coming on
a treat.

Now Amy wants to get the rest of
the dining room up to scratch,

as she's invited over
the neighbors

for a special preview.

Amy: We need to clear
the absolute bombsite

that is the room full
of dust everywhere, rubble.

We're going to dust everything,
and we've got to actually

just make it look nice.

Marc: Yup.

Dick: Better get your skates on
then, Amy,

as the clock is already ticking.

Marc: Yeah.

Dick: At Chateau
la Grande Maison,

it's the day of Ben and Billie's
first book club event,

and the library is still
not finished.

Billie: How much more
are you doing?

Not...

You just putting
that block on the top?

- Yeah.
- OK.

Dick: However, Billie's
restoration of the fireplace

has worked seamlessly.

It's worked out great.
Just looks like it's all intact

and wasn't really smashed up.

Dick: It's an impressive job.

I really want to spend some time
over the moldings for these,

so I'm going to do those
another day.

Well, can I just interrupt you
because we've only got

about an hour before...

- Right. OK.
- We're coming in.

We'd better crack on it then.

I'm just going to start bringing
things in to dress the room.

Otherwise, we don't have time.

Dick: There's lots to bring in.

Billie: Ugh.

Ben: Maybe we should put it
on its end

and try and slide it in.

Dick: They're dressing the room
with furniture

from local charity shops
like this 3-piece suite

they picked up
for just over £80.

Billie: Yay! It's in.
Ben: That is in, yeah.

Billie: Oh, my goodness.
Well done.

Dick: However, the centerpiece
is the display table.

It's filled with curiosities
from their own garden.

Ben: That looks amazing,
Billie,

really, really incredible.

Billie: I'm really pleased
that it's come out great.

Dick: The room is coming
together very nicely...

Ben, down on the left.

which is just as well

as their guests
are starting to arrive.

- It's amazing, isn't it?
- It's gorgeous.

What a lovely space.
Well done.

- Well done.
- Oh, my goodness.

Well done.

Dick: 5 months ago,
their old library

was nothing more than
a dark, dingy dumping ground.

Now it's an elegant,
sophisticated space

that has all the charms
of centuries ago.

Ben's impressive mezzanine level
gives the library

a unique feature and provides
a perfect backdrop

for book club events.

Billie: Welcome to the library.

Oh, this is lovely.

Very cozy and inviting.

Dick: First impressions
seem positive.

Billie: Ben designed
this idea to have

the bookcase up there, so...

Ben: There will be a matching
staircase that

will take you up there.

Man: Coming here
for a book club,

coming here to relax,
a really nice idea.

Most impressed.

Who wouldn't want to sit there
and be pampered

in lovely fire in the winter?

Gorgeous.

Dick: All of Ben and Billie's
hard work has paid off.

Billie: It's gone so well.

We just pulled it all together
at the last minute.

They reacted like it was
a special place to be.

- Yeah.
- It felt like that.

You know, we've put our hearts
into it, so...

- Absolutely.
- We feel it's special.

Oh!

It's a great asset
for the business.

Ben: Well done, love.
Cheers, everybody.

Thank you very much.

- Santé.
- Santé.

Ben: Thank you.
Woman: Well done, both of you.

Dick: Great work.

I can't wait to see
what they get up to next.

In southeastern France,
Amy and Marc are preparing

for the arrival
of their neighbors,

and they're raiding the kitchen
to finish the new dining room.

Amy: So we want to move
this wood burner

into the dining room.

The wood burner is our
current one in the kitchen,

but we're just using it
as a kind of way to see

what it looks like
and what we might end up

with eventually.

Oh, good.

[Speaking French]

Amy: Oh, it looks better
than I thought.

I thought that was going to look
really rubbish

in here, to be honest.

That's really cute.
I rather like that.

Dick:
It's taken a lot of hard work,

but having peeled back
many layers of history,

they've revealed
and beautifully restored

the chateau's
medieval fireplace.

Now with the help of some
of their family,

they're racing to get
the dining room

looking its best.

They want to make
a good impression

as it's the first room
they've renovated

for their high-end B&B.

[Speaking French]

Amy: There's still lots
I want to change,

but for the first time,
I'm looking at a room

that reflects us and feels
like us and our home.

Dick: With the room dressed
and food on the table,

all they need is their guests.

[Speaking French]

Right on time, French neighbors
Sonia and Didier arrive

with their two sons...

[Speaking French]

and Amy and Marc are eager
to find out

what they think of the room.

Sonia: Oh.

Didier: Wow.

Sonia: Oh. Ahh.

[Laughter]

Dick: It's got
the big thumbs up,

so Amy and Marc can relax
and enjoy the dinner.

Amy: Everybody got some?

This is my first raclette,
as well.

It was lovely to show people
the room for the first time

and be able to do
a ta-da moment

because you get their reaction
when they see it all complete,

and that was really special.

Yeah, and I really love
the feeling of the room

and finding back this medieval
atmosphere of the fireplace.

Amy: And it's somewhere now that
we'd be proud to bring people

into and give them
a luxury experience here.

I think it feels like
the kind of room

that makes sense for that now.

[Indistinct chatter]

Next on the agenda is the fact
that we finished

where we're going to
welcome guests,

but now we got to have somewhere
for them to sleep.

Dick: So bedrooms next.

If it's anything like
the dining room,

this place is set
to become even more special.

Next time...

Rebecca: One day,
I'll have a nice kitchen.

Dick: Tim and Rebecca start work
on their next project...

Rebecca: Tim does care
what the kitchen looks like

but not in the same way
that I care

what the kitchen looks like.

Dick: and Angel steps
in to lend a hand.

- How are you?
- I'm good. How are you?

Oh, welcome.

Dick: Ben and Billie
have it all to do...

We've got some really
exciting plans

for the look of the building...

Dick: as they prepare
for their big family wedding.

Billie: I just want it to be
as magical as possible.

Dick: And Amy and Marc
have their hands full...

Amy: Get off, you hooligan.

Dick: as they get cracking...

[Snap]

Amy: Ha ha ha!

Dick: on their accommodation.