Escape to the Chateau DIY (2018–2021): Season 4, Episode 11 - Episode #4.11 - full transcript
Dick: I'm Dick Strawbridge,
and along with my wife Angel...
Angel: Hello!
Dick: and our two children,
we've lived in this magnificent
chateau for the past 5 years.
Angel: Aw, it's lovely.
Dick: It's my little corner
of paradise.
Angel: Ha ha ha!
Dick: It's not just our home...
Angel: Whoo!
Ha ha ha!
Dick: but our business.
That's a proper kiss!
And with over 1,000
chateaus in France...
Man: Wow!
Woman: Oh, my God.
It's a little incredible.
Dick: we're not the only Brits
buying into the French
fairytale.
Woman: Do you like it?
Woman: Wow.
Woman: I mean, yes.
It is gorgeous!
Dick: We'll follow
more daring owners...
Man: It looks to be
a massive undertaking.
Dick: and familiar faces...
Why?
Dick: as they battle to
renovate their homes.
That is disgusting.
Dick: And we'll reveal more
about our own chateau life.
That is lovely. Ha ha!
Dick: There'll be ups...
Ah! Sweetheart, this is
beautiful!
Dick: and downs...
Woman: What are you gonna do,
not do it today?
Man: It's gonna take all day.
Woman: Yeah, but
there's no alternative.
Dick: But however hard
the going gets...
Angela: Nooo!
Dick: these plucky Brits...
Woman: Ohh!
Dick: get to live the dream
as custodians...
God bless France!
Dick: of their very own castle.
Today...
[drilling]
we welcome back
some familiar faces...
I really like that.
Dick: who have a lot
on their plate.
Man: The panic is on.
[Woman speaking indistinctly]
I'm stressing out about--
You panic all the time.
Woman: So I don't know
where to put this for now.
Dick: These chateau owners
go big for a wedding.
Man: ..., can't we?
I want it to look
quite luxurious.
It's got to be a bit quirky,
a bit spatial.
Man: It will.
I put Angel
to work in the garden.
It's the sort of exercise
I like,
just standing on this ...
And one couple take on
their own garden project...
Which way around
does this little bibble go?
Dick: as they bid
to attract more guests.
Man: I have just
squashed a flower.
Woman: Your list of things
that you've broken
is expanding rapidly.
Dick: Building up
a chateau business
takes time and money,
especially when
you're starting out,
like former fashion designer
Mariam,
husband Jono,
and son Monty
who moved into Chateau Domaine
de la Salle last year,
after buying it for £315,000.
Jono: It's been pretty hectic,
but overall,
no, it's been fun, yeah.
Mariam: If chateau life
means blisters
on the end of your fingers,
dirty fingernails,
constant exhausted...
ha ha ha!
and everybody wanting
to come and stay, then yeah.
Dick: Located 70 miles from
Bordeaux in southwest France,
we first met them
just after they moved in
when things were
rather basic.
It's for our loo. Ha ha ha!
If we want to go to the loo,
we need to carry a bucket
of water upstairs!
Dick: After months of work...
Jono: Don't think that
we're ready to host
a Mad Hatter's Tea Party let
alone a selection of guests,
but anyway,
there we are.
Dick: They created 4 bedrooms
and a workshop space
for a sewing weekend...
Mariam: So this is the
front entrance.
Dick: just in time to welcome
their first guests.
Oh, my goodness!
How beautiful! Fabulous!
Dick: Now with the summer
fast approaching,
Mariam and Jono want to revamp
the outside of the castle.
Mariam: What's the bit
you see first?
It's the entrance.
It's really important
to have a beautiful entrance,
a nice garden
that you walk through.
It looks smart and elegant,
and you walk up
to the front door,
it should be a nice front door
and there should be
some centered flowers
on the sides or something.
It should be the best bit,
and ours isn't the best bit,
so we're making it
the best bit.
Dick: Mariam isn't joking,
as she wants to lay a formal
French parterre garden...
Dick: with help from local
gardener Vincent.
[Kissing]
I'd like a really formal
French garden at the front here,
and in it you have pebbles
and you have very formal
little hedges
in little squares
here and there
that tidies the whole thing up,
makes it look a bit smart.
[Mariam speaking French]
Dick: As Mariam wants the plants
to survive the hot summers,
Vincent has picked out
varieties that do well here.
Mariam: Vincent's brought along
a collection of things.
At the front is going to be
red and purple,
so the little French lavender
and the salvia
in the purple and the red.
I sound as if I know
what I'm saying, talking about.
I have no idea. It's the
first time I'm doing
this sort of thing.
Dick: First time for everything.
To start with,
Mariam and Vincent
have to mark out the design
for the new garden.
Dick: They need to be precise,
as formal French gardens
are typically symmetrical.
Mariam: It's rather odd.
When you look at
the front door
and you look at the front
of the garden,
the gate posts don't line up
with the front of the house.
Dick: I feel your pain, Mariam.
These chateaus are
often sent to try us.
All Vincent can do is get it
as straight as possible
to fool the eye.
Ha ha ha!
Dick: He's not wrong.
Measuring done, they now need
to dig out the beds.
This is going to be mini-
Versailles, of course. Ha ha!
Dick: It sounds impressive.
I can't wait to see it
when it's done.
270 miles away lies the
beautiful Chateau de la Fare,
with parts dating back
to the 12th century.
It has 35 rooms spread
over 4 floors.
It's owned by Australian-born
couple Janet and Phillip,
who have lived in the UK
for 19 years.
I just looked at it and said,
"I have to have it.'
So the truth of the matter was
I'd looked through the whole
property and stood back
out the front there and just
looked up at the building.
It somehow spoke to me.
It felt right.
Janet: We have
a great time here.
Love the environment,
love the area,
love the weather,
love the people.
Dick: Located near Montpelier
in the south of France,
they bought the chateau
7 years ago for £318,000
and have been using it
as a holiday home.
So I don't know
where to put this for now.
It's for the upstairs bedroom,
isn't it?
Dick: And now they're moving in
lock, stock, and barrel
as Phillip has just retired
after working 19 years
for a family who have an even
grander place than this.
Phillip: So we lived
at Buckingham Palace.
I was employed by Her Majesty
in the royal household,
and I was Senior Coachman
to Her Majesty.
And I retired end of last year
to come and live the dream.
Janet: It is the next
big adventure in our life,
and I believe we can make
a good life here.
- I agree.
- A really special life here.
Dick: For now, they'll be living
on the ground floor,
as it's the only area habitable.
The rest of the place
is nothing more than a shell,
which is a bit of a worry,
as they're hosting
their daughter's wedding here
in 3 months.
Janet: Our daughter Penny's
wedding is at the end of May,
so that gives us
a very short period of time
to do an awful lot of work.
Actually, I'm just terrified.
But we'll get there.
Dick: That's the spirit.
First on the list is creating a
bridal suite on the first floor.
Phillip: I know we've talked
about it a little bit,
but we need to just
chat some more.
Janet: But we both need
to have input here.
I know we've both got ideas
about how things need to work.
Dick: Their plan is to turn
3 connecting rooms
into a lavish bridal suite,
with a salon at one end,
a bedroom at the other,
and the middle room split
into a kitchenette and bathroom.
And Phillip is doing
all the work himself.
Good luck, mate.
Janet: The main bit to me
is actually to get
this bathroom right.
Because it's--because it's
bridal suite stuff,
we want it to look--I want it
to look quite luxurious.
It's got to be a bit quirky,
a bit spatial.
Phillip: It will.
Phillip: So the double doors
will open inwards like that.
Once you enter the bathroom,
on that side there,
there's enough room
for a nice feature bath.
I've measured, so there's
plenty of room there.
Janet: Mm-hmm.
On this side, I thought
it's a good idea
to have the shower here,
but that then leaves room,
according to my calculations,
on this side here
for a toilet seat right there.
Then, of course, you have a
fabulous view out the window
from the toilet.
Dick: I do love a loo
with a view.
Janet: I was hoping that the
door would be
directly in front
of the window.
Phillip: Uh, I was sort of
planning it whereby
the door is in line
from here as you walk in.
OK. This is where I think
we need to think more,
because to me, that door
is not so relevant.
It's this space here,
this window and this light
that we need to have the glass
doors opposite
to maximize that light.
I really think so.
Yeah, that's a lovely idea
except we have to make room
for a toilet there.
Dick: It sounds like similar
discussions Angel and I have.
In my imagination,
when I was thinking about it,
even from the drawings,
I actually thought the doors
were opposite.
I want it to look nice.
Phillip: I think that it
being centered
isn't that important, really.
Janet:
Sorry. I think it is.
Phillip: OK.
Dick: Looks like you may have
lost this battle, Phillip.
and looking at
the state of the place,
there's lots of other jobs
you need to sort out
in the next 3 months.
Janet: May the 25th.
That's all I can say, buddy.
- Yes, it's fine. It's fine.
- May the--
Phillip:
We'll be there.
Janet: Yeah, OK.
Tell your daughter.
- It'll be done.
- OK. All right.
Dick: No pressure, then.
Phillip, you need to
get your skates on.
In Northern France,
lies the beautiful
19th-century Chateau de
Montvason.
It has 30 rooms,
an indoor pool,
and its own lake.
And it's run as
a B&B and event space
by Emma and partner Paul.
Paul: Life's good and...yeah.
There's so many positives out of
doing something like this.
It's just incredible.
Emma: It's been fantastic.
For us, it's realized
dreams of both of ours,
really, hasn't it?
Paul: Yeah.
Emma: And that's what makes it
really special.
Dick: Located just 5 miles
from the Normandy coast,
when we last met them,
they were creating
a 2-bedroom guest suite
in the chateau's west wing.
Emma: Oh, my God.
Whoo!
You're doing a great job, Em.
Dick: I did my best with
tiling.
Paul: It's rock solid.
Dick: Yeah. Come the next
nuclear holocaust,
this will be what's left.
Paul: You can imagine.
People are gonna open that door
and just go "Wow!"
Dick: But a busy summer
of events means
they're only now starting to
complete the rest of the work.
Paul: I really love the period
of Art Nouveau and Art Deco.
Emma: So we're throwing
everything at it
to make it look fabulous,
aren't we?
Paul: Oh, absolutely.
Dick: First job,
working on the bathroom
and one bedroom,
as Emma's brother is coming over
for a special visit in 2 months.
We're going for a color called
Mackintosh Mauve,
after Rennie Mackintosh,
who is very well known for his
late 19th-century
arts and crafts, and we're
working furniture around that.
So I've put
the colors together.
This is what it's
looking like.
- What do you think?
- Oh, wow.
- That's really good.
- Yeah?
Paul: It's exactly
what I'm after.
Emma: Excellent.
I think that bed
works really well with
those colors, doesn't it?
- Yeah.
- Am I allowed to get
in there then right away?
- Yes, darling. You are.
Dick: Paul's also come up
with some artistic designs
for the ceiling.
Emma: They're almost
like meringues, aren't they?
- Oh, very nice.
- Beautiful.
Dick: To save on costs,
a mate in the UK
has created some period
reproduction ceiling roses
out of plaster of Paris,
so it hasn't
cost them a penny.
Paul: I'm having these
in the corners of the ceiling,
so it's all gonna
be linked up.
- What, these?
- Yeah, yeah.
So have one in each corner,
and then it kind of
goes round and...
Emma: Excellent. Wow!
It's gonna be amazing.
Dick: To start with,
Paul wants to put up
a traditional-looking
cornice,
which he also got
his friend to make.
Paul: And they just literally
put it into a mold
and then plaster of Paris,
and then they scraped off.
Dick: After cutting it to size,
and adding a bit of adhesive...
Paul: Right.
Dick: it's ready to go up.
Let's hope that I can
put this up on the ceiling
without dropping
the darn thing.
Emma: Especially as
I'm underneath it.
Paul: Well, don't be
underneath it.
I would advise you
not to be.
Emma: I have faith in you.
Paul: I wouldn't have.
I've dropped one already.
That's not a good record.
Dick: Let's hope it's
second time lucky.
Bit of fill in here and there.
It's only a small gap.
So that's not too bad.
Dick: Seems good to me.
Fingers crossed the rest
goes as smoothly.
260 miles away at Chateau
Domaine de la Salle,
Mariam and Jono's new formal
French garden is taking shape.
The area has been cleared
and the flower beds laid...
Right.
Dick: But now they've realized
they've forgotten something.
Well, we're just thinking that
we should really think about
making things as low-maintenance
as possible now,
and if we were to do that,
we should have put
watering pipes in.
Dick: Never mind. There's still
time to put
an irrigation system in
before the path is laid.
Jono: How does it actually
irrigate in the end?
Is it going to be dripping or--
- Dripping, he said.
Dick: It could be slow-going,
as they've never
done it before.
Mariam: No, no, no, no.
Hold on, hold on, hold on.
Ha ha ha!
Jono: Just trying to
straighten it out.
Do you know, I feel like
Laurel and Hardy.
I can pull it
if you want to.
The plan is basically to
put in this thicker
ring main-type pipe
around the whole of the beds.
Mariam: The big pipe
then feeds into smaller pipes
which go directly
into the beds.
Dick: Sounds simple, but
the pipe's fighting back.
Jono: Just bring it on the
inside of this bed.
Mariam: Why?
Jono: Because that's where
it's going, isn't it?
Mariam: Oh, OK.
Dick: First task is to lay the
pipes around the flower beds.
Jono: Do you have any pegs
to peg it to the ground?
No. It's not going to stay
in place. That's the problem.
Mariam: Stones for
the time being,
as we're not short of stones?
Dick: Good thinking, Mariam.
Having laid the pipes around
the perimeter of the garden,
Jono is now having
second thoughts.
Jono: I don't know whether it's
best to run it in the middle
of the path
or along the edge.
Mariam: I think this is good,
and then we just run
a thin one across.
Jono: Well done.
Dick: Now they need to connect
all the pipes.
Am I going the wrong
way round?
Which way round does this
little bibble go?
I have to admit,
I don't know--
I don't know how to do this!
Ha ha ha! Can you hold it
in place, please?
It keeps twisting off.
It's--it's just--
No, no, no, no.
Hold it. Ha ha ha!
- It's like--
- You haven't got the pipe
pushed in.
Mariam: Oh. Now I see.
I told you this is
Laurel and Hardy.
Dick: This could be
a long old job,
but with the weather
closing in...
- Here.
- Yeah. It's ridiculous.
Dick: it looks as if they're
going to give it a raincheck.
Jono: I'm not working
in this weather.
Mariam: An Englishman,
and he can't stand the rain.
Right, come on,
let's go in, have a cup of tea.
Dick: Over at our place,
we're spoiled,
as we have 12 acres of land,
some of which we've turned into
a fitness trail.
- Oh, look at that!
- Whoo hoo hoo!
We dug in a trampoline,
while in the back meadow,
we created a giant
playful spider.
Ah! Look at strong lady!
Let's keep walking.
And amongst the trees, there's
also an elephant's trunk.
Angel: 1, 2, 3. Yay!
Well done, Daddy!
Dick: As we were thinking it's
time for us to get fitter,
we decided to make the course
more challenging.
Angel: We need to get some of
those signs up saying
"Not below 6 foot."
Dick: So Angel and I
headed around the moat
to the perfect spot.
Stop there.
- Lift that up.
- Lift this up that way?
Dick: Yep.
Put that in neutral.
Yeah? OK. Now...
Thinking of abdominal work. You
would lie doing sit-ups here.
And then we're gonna have
an inclining bench
that's sort of
going to be here.
To create the frame
for the bench,
we needed to dig a hole
to put in wooden posts.
Angel: I see why I couldn't
do this in sandals.
This is kind of
like the start
of our actually working out,
isn't it?
Dick: With all the digging out,
I actually should be slim.
Angel: It's quite romantic,
really.
- I mean--
- Romantic? Are you joking?
Angel: We're so busy
at the moment.
we haven't actually got--
we're not giving ourselves
a lot of time to exercise
and get fit,
although we know
we have to.
So if we put the effort
in to doing this,
number one, that does actually
try to start us getting fit
'cause it is quite physical.
Number two--I think we're gonna
feel guilty if we don't use it.
Dick: It's all about motivation.
- Happy?
- Yes, good.
Angel: I nearly can feel
Dick going,
"You call that digging?"
Dick: I said not a word.
Sort of exercise I like,
just standing on this ...
To help Angel
break a sweat,
I decided to slip back
into my time in the Army.
You don't sit down on the job.
Come on.
Come on. I'm your trainer.
Get up here.
Come on. Dig it out.
Come on.
Let's see those arms burn
a little bit more.
That's 3. 7 more to go.
Where's number 4?
Come on, give me number 4.
Get it scraped out there.
Get it up there. Come on,
keep it working.
Mrs. Strawbridge,
more work, please.
Thank you very much.
That's 3.
Well done.
- That's 5.
Keep going. No complaints
from you about another one
or now we're going to 12.
Um, that's 4.
Now we've only done 4.
Come on, let's get it--
let's get it to 4.
- 6.
- That seemed to do the trick.
Angel: It's a really big
6 inches.
[Chuckling]
Dick: But it's probably
best I don't push my luck.
All in all, good start.
Let's do one a day.
I hate you.
Dick:
That was a good shout.
And as always, with a list of
jobs building up in the chateau,
we're never short of exercise.
In the south of France,
at Chateau de la Fare...
[Cutting]
Phillip is home alone working on
the luxury bridal suite
for his daughter's wedding.
If I open some windows, it might
help get rid of some dust.
Dick: He's managed to
install the electrics
and the plumbing
for the bathroom,
but the other two rooms
are yet to be touched,
and there's just 2 months
until the wedding.
I would like to have been
a bit further on
than what I am, but it's not
pain stations yet.
Dick: Well, daughter Penny
and fiance Mark
might be the
judge of that.
They've just arrived
from the UK
along with Janet.
- We're here!
- Hi, darling. How are you?
- Hi, Dad!
- Hi, Mark. How are you?
Phillip: How was your flight?
Penny: Oh, it was good,
actually.
- All right?
- Nice and easy.
Penny: So we were here
in August last year,
so it feels like forever
since we've been back.
So I cannot wait to see
what's been going on.
Phillip: Come inside
and have a look.
Penny:
I can't wait to see.
- So, um...
- Let's see...
Phillip: There's a little bit
of dust here.
Janet: Phillip, you're gonna
sweep before we go lay down?
Phillip: Ha ha! No, no, there's
quite a lot of dust, really.
Dick: As Phillip's been working
flat out,
he hasn't had a chance
to finish the unpacking.
Janet:
There's a lot to do, Phillip.
I'm just a little bit
scared.
The main area
is upstairs.
Janet: Yeah. I think actually
this is going to dress up
quite easily.
It's upstairs
I'm really keen to see,
what's happened and how far we
are upstairs.
Phillip: OK, right.
You'll soon see.
Janet: Oh, dear. OK.
Dick: The good news is, this can
only go one of two ways.
Phillip: And ready?
OK. Here we go, guys.
Janet: Oh!
- Not quite what you--
- Where's the bath?
Janet: I thought it was
gonna be in.
But look.
All the wiring's in.
I have run light wires to
the light switches down there,
and I did actually
plaster a little bit.
All the waste pipe here.
I've put all that in.
And it doesn't look like a lot
'cause I've covered most
of it up here.
I'm afraid it's still
a bit terrifying, Phil.
I know you've been
working really hard.
It's just it's hard to see
at the moment.
Let's just put this
into context.
The wedding is in 8 or 9 weeks.
Phillip: It's more than that.
Janet: Phillip, it is
in 9 weeks.
Phillip: OK. So I've done
all the hard work.
[Laughter]
Phillip: It's true.
- It's true.
- Will it be ready?
Even if we're painting the night
before, it will be ready.
Penny: OK, I'll be painting
my nails,
and you can be painting
the room. OK?
Phillip: Ha ha! OK.
Penny: I wasn't really sure
what to expect coming in
to see it this time,
but there's so much work
to be done,
and I will be happy
if we can...
just needs to look pretty
on the day.
Phillip:
I think now the best plan
is to have lunch...
- OK.
and a cup of coffee.
Dick: Yes, but don't spend
too long, as you need
all the time you can get
to meet the deadline.
At the Chateau Domaine
de la Salle,
It's taken 2 days, but Mariam
and Jono have finally installed
the irrigation system
for their formal French garden.
Mariam: Are you sure
you connected it to
the right pipe...
- Heh heh!
Mr. Smart-whatsit?
You can see I've got it--
Jono: Look, Mariam, there's
nothing coming out of the hose.
Mariam: Ha ha ha!
Jono: You stand there
and look inside,
and I'll go and turn it on.
Mariam: You go and turn it on,
and then you'll see
that I have it on.
I want you to see that.
Go on.
Dick: There's not much sign
of it working.
Mariam: Did I connect
the two hose pipes?
'Cause we've got two
'cause it's too long.
Mariam: Are both hose pipes
connected? Yes, they are.
Now, you saw it was on,
didn't you?
Jono: Yeah.
Mariam: Good. It's not
just me, then.
- Ah!
- There there's water.
Mariam: Ah, it's working!
Jono: Ah, voila!
Dick: And presto!
Mariam: What happened
is that
as the water was
coming along the system,
it was coming out of
the first pipe
and because it was
coming out there,
there was no pressure to push
it all the way along
to the other pipes.
Dick: Now with the help of local
gardener Vincent,
they can start work covering
the pipes with the new pathway.
First job is to line it.
Mariam: They're putting down the
geotextile,
and I'm just here
as a ballast. Ha ha!
Dick: The geotextile should stop
any weeds growing through it,
but they need to ensure
it's cut to size.
Watch out for the flowers!
Jono: The slabs are supposed to
stop the flowers
from getting squashed,
and of course I have just
squashed a flower.
Shh! Don't tell Mariam.
Dick: I won't if you won't.
With most of the lining
in place,
Jono now wants to fill it in
with tons of crushed limestone.
Jono: We put this crushed
limestone on top,
which is stone
from around here.
It's the same stone that the
house is built of, in fact.
It forms a fairly solid base
that you can put
the expensive gravel
on the top of,
because you don't want to fill
the whole thing up with gravel,
because that would cost
an absolute fortune.
But it's basically
just an underlay so to speak.
Dick: It makes sense to use
cheaper stones in the bottom,
especially if no one
will ever see it.
Jono: Hopefully, it will be
a transformation
and that it'll be up to what the
chatelaine is expecting,
minus a few
broken plants--whoops!
I'll tell you what, your list of
things that you've broken
is expanding rapidly.
Dick: Let's hope he's back
in the good books
when the garden's finished.
260 miles away
in Northern France,
Paul: Now, that's it, right?
Paul and Emma's
Mackintosh suite
is slowly coming together.
I really like that.
Paul:
I'm so pleased with that!
Emma: Gives that a sort of
feeling of luxury.
Dick: Paul's put up
a ceiling rose
and finished the cornices.
With Emma's brother coming
to stay in several weeks,
they still need to
decorate the bedroom
and finish the bathroom.
Paul: The panic is on.
I'm stressing out about--
Emma: You panic all the time.
It's fine.
Dick: Emma's going to
concentrate on the bathroom
and has big plans for an old
cast-iron rolltop bath
she was given by a friend
in the UK.
I'm gonna paint it copper,
and I've got...
some paint that actually
has copper in it.
And then I'm gonna
apply a product
which will
react with the copper
and make it go a lovely
verdigris,
which is what copper
does naturally, you know,
when it sort of ages.
And so hopefully
that verdigris color
will match the tiling
in the Art Deco bathroom.
That's the plan.
Dick: Sounds great.
Meanwhile,
in the bedroom,
Paul: And so
a pencil sharpener.
Dick: Emma's French mom Chantal
has popped over
to help with the wallpapering
and keep this job on schedule...
Chantal: Come on, Paul.
Glue, glue, glue, glue.
Paul: Yeah, I'm getting the
glue. I'm getting the glue.
Paul: There you go.
Hop, hop, hop, hop.
Paul: We work very well
wallpapering together.
Dick: although it's not
always necessary
to agree on the method.
Paul: Chantal has a special way
of pasting--
Chantal: Which is different
from Paul.
Which is different from mine.
I have a tendency to go for the
slap-it-all-over method.
And Chantal is more precise
with her strokes
of the wallpaper paste.
Dick: Well, whichever way,
they're going to have to use
lots of it,
as Paul has plastered the walls
in traditional lime plaster,
which can be tricky
to wallpaper.
Paul: Lime plaster is
more...
Chantal: Absorbent?
- Absorbent and open--
- Yeah.
than standard gypsum plaster.
So depending on how much paste
you put on the wall,
depends on how many bubbles
you're gonna get.
So the aim of this is just
to paste the wallpaper,
let it soak, and then
try and throw it to the wall
and see what happens.
Deco stuff...
Dick: They want to apply
more paste than usual
to make it stick.
Let's hope it's enough
to seal the plaster.
Chantal: Going to the floor,
it's not dropping properly.
Paul: Yeah, I'll try
to get this.
- It's not the right level.
- Yep, OK.
Dick: First, they have to
get it straight.
Paul: That's gonna be...
Getting that into the wall there
is gonna be the...
Chantal: That's why you should
go down and you go up with it.
Paul: The challenge.
All right, we're all right.
We've got it.
Dick: Good teamwork, guys.
Now it's just a matter
of cutting it to size.
Paul: I'm not left-handed,
so this is really awkward.
Chantal: You could almost use
a razor blade towards the wall.
Paul: Yeah, I could do
if I had one.
Chantal: You don't shave
with old razor blades?
Paul: I don't think anybody does
anymore, Chantal.
Dick: I don't shave at all.
That's it. Lovely.
Dick: One piece done...
Paul: Getting sorted.
Only 2 dozen more to go.
- I'll dump on it.
- My way of doing it,
less lumpy than yours.
Ha ha ha!
Dick: 455 miles away
in the south of France,
Janet and bride-to-be daughter
Penny
are busy planning
for a wedding in two months.
Janet: So we might keep the ...
- Way up here.
- This section here
- Looking out over the valley.
- Looking out over the valley.
- Yeah.
Dick: Meanwhile,
inside the chateau,
Phillip has roped in
future son-in-law Mark
to help speed up
the work in the bridal suite.
Phillip: You all right, Mark?
Mark: Actually, it's quite
awkward, isn't it?
Dick: He's bringing in a mixer
to concrete the base
where the luxury shower will go.
Have you ever used one before?
- No.
- Neither have I.
Dick: Just read
the instructions, boys.
They're all covered
in plugs.
Dick: Although the right plug
does help.
I'm just changing the plug
on the end of this cable here,
because the plug
that was supplied
is not the right one.
So I have to change the end.
Nothing that's too difficult,
but anyway, nothing
is straightforward, is it?
Let's push a button,
shall we?
And the button is...
[Whirring]
Phillip: Ha ha ha!
That's what I call result.
Dick: Let's hope the cement
mixing goes more smoothly.
They're taking no chances
as they're working with
ready-to-use concrete.
All they have to do
is add water and mix thoroughly.
We're having a few
teething problems,
but this is how you learn
by trial and error, isn't it?
Dick: It's nothing
a bit of water
and some more mixing
will cure.
Phillip:
That half?
- More?
- No, that's good.
Dick: The plan is to create a
base with the concrete
then fix in
the shower tray.
Mark: Shower tray coming in.
Dick: Now they're just
making sure it's level.
Phillip: That looks
pretty good there.
Straight there.
Looks good.
Dick: Job well done.
Janet: Oh, wow!
Look at that.
It's a concrete mixer.
Welcome to the family.
You can actually start
seeing it take shape.
Even from this morning,
you can actually
start to see the vision
of where it's going.
Phillip: Yes, and you know,
when that's all done there
and this one entire
floor here,
it'll look so much better
again.
- Yeah. It'll look more real.
- Yeah.
Dick: It's a step forward,
but Phillip has his work
cut out
if this bridal suite's
going to be ready
for his daughter's wedding.
Phillip: Well, the bridal
suite's come along really well.
It's almost finished,
which is great.
Just a few minor touches left.
Janet: I love your optimism.
"It's almost finished."
It's just not quite
the way I see it,
but that's my Phil!
Dick: In Northern France,
Paul and Emma's mum Chantal
have had problems with
the first wave of wallpaper
on the bedroom walls.
This morning, when we came in,
there's...some of the wallpaper
has bubbled up
and we're not gonna be able
to repair it.
So we're gonna have
to change it.
It's a case of living
and learning, really,
on this lime mortar.
Dick: The porous lime is soaking
up the paste,
which means there's none left
to hold the paper to the wall.
Paul: I'm gonna have to
rip that paper off the wall
and reinstall--
Chantal: This piece, too?
Paul: over there because that
isn't acceptable.
Dick: Paul's decided to
replace the sections
that are bubbling.
And this time around,
he's taking no chances.
The way of doing it is really
using a lot of wallpaper paste.
That is scrap.
Would have been far easier for
me to just put some plasterboard
on the wall, but I don't want
to do it that way
because I wanted it
to breathe.
But when we get to
the end of it,
this is gonna be worth it.
Dick: In the next room,
there's more encouraging news,
as Emma has almost finished
updating the old bath
for the ensuite.
So this is a solution
that gives you
a copper patina effect,
and apparently it starts working
as soon as you put it on.
Dick: Very impressive.
The solution contains a chemical
that reacts with
the copper particles
in the special paint
helping it turn green.
Emma: That is so amazing!
This transforms under
your eyes, doesn't it?
Dick: It certainly does.
Emma: Paul, come have
a look, hon.
Paul: Oh, yeah.
- Look how it's done.
- Wow!
It's quite mad, isn't it?
Paul: Wow!
That's mental, isn't it?
Emma: I know!
Paul: It's changing color
all over. Look at that.
Emma: You know we're actually
watching paint dry right now?
Paul: We are actually
watching paint dry.
Right. So I'll leave you
to the paint drying,
but that's fantastic.
Congratulations, that.
- Yeah.
- Yeah, I'm amazed.
Paul: Very, very pleased
with it.
Dick: At least one thing's
going to plan.
But with Emma's brother due
in less than two months,
they're going to be hard-pushed
to get everything
finished in time.
Emma: Obviously
the clock's ticking,
but I just got to,
you know, not be stressed,
keep our fingers crossed,
and just keep going with it.
and hopefully it will
turn out OK.
Dick: Best of luck, guys.
In Southwest France,
Mariam and Jono's formal
French garden
is almost complete.
Mariam: Oh, wow! You guys have
actually done quite a lot
while I wasn't looking.
Jono: We're always doing quite
a lot while you're not looking.
Dick: With the help of local
gardener Vincent,
they're finished laying the
limestone foundations
for the path.
Now they're making it
compact and level
using Vincent's tamping machine.
Can I have a go?
Dick: Even Mariam wants to
get in on the act.
And not for long
as passing locals
have come for
a sneaky peek.
Dick: It certainly got
the seal of approval.
Jono: So they are
one of our neighbors.
They're very friendly
and we--
Mariam: Yeah, but Sophie's
the daughter
of the sister who
sold us the house.
It was a sister and a brother
who sold us the house.
So for them,
it's quite important.
There's a lot of history.
They're so nice.
You know, it would have
been horrible to have people
who were sort of looking
and saying,
"Oh, I don't like
what you've done."
They're very sweet and
so it's great.
Dick: Now it's back to work.
They need to top off the path
with the gravel.
[Mariam speaking French]
Jono: So we've pressed all the
limestone into position
so that it doesn't come up
into the gravel
that we're going to lay on top.
And hopefully
that should do the trick.
Dick: The gravel's been
delivered
at the back of the chateau.
The problem is, son Monty
has taken the tractor keys
back to England...
As we don't have
the tractor keys,
we can't use the tractor.
Dick: Which means Jono will have
to transport it all by
wheelbarrow...
Ooh! I know this
bit's uphill...
[breathing hard]
from previous efforts.
Dick: so it could take
some time.
Jono: Look at that.
There must be at least another
20 to 30 to go, I should think.
Anyway...
Mariam: Do you want a hand?
No, no, it's fine.
Mariam: Go on, Jono!
Give it a bit of welly!
Jono: Yay!
Bit of a workout, this.
I'll rake it if you want
to get another wheelbarrow.
- That's OK.
- Ha ha ha!
Jono: Right. That's
about it, don't you think?
That's a lot of wheelbarrows,
but anyway...
Dick: Good effort, Jono.
Just one month ago, Mariam and
Jono's grassy entrance
was all overgrown, shabby,
and rundown.
Now it's been transformed
into an elegant, colorful,
and stylish French
formal garden.
The bright and pretty
flowerbeds
have been arranged
in symmetrical patterns,
while the pristine pathway
wraps around them.
It's in keeping with
the grandeur
of this beautiful chateau.
Mariam: The garden
sets the house off, really.
It's a formal house, and now
you've got the formal garden
in front, but from my
point of view,
it's that nice, grand entrance
that they're looking for,
I think, when they come and
stay in a place like this.
It's much nicer now.
Jono: My favorite thing
about the garden
is that it's finished.
Mariam: I knew you'd say that.
Jono: Why? Ha ha!
Mariam: You had to do
the hard work.
Dick: Fingers crossed, the
guests start flocking in soon.
Next time...
Mariam: Out, out, out, out,
out, out, out, out, out!
Dick: Mariam and Jono
get stuck into a new project...
Jono: Nothing is straight
in this place.
Dick: as they prepare to host
a large group of guests.
Mariam: Out of all of
the 11 rooms that we have,
none have curtains yet,
and I'm stressed about it.
Dick: Emma and Paul
struggle to get a room ready...
Paul: I think there's gonna be a
bit of messing about here.
for a guest of their own.
[Thud]
Emma: Oh!
Yeah. Not so brilliant.
Dick: And Phillip's problems
continue to mount...
Phillip: I realize the doors
here are quite tall.
Dick: as the race is on
to be ready for the wedding.
Janet: I can't even spell
"stress" anymore,
I'm so stressed.
and along with my wife Angel...
Angel: Hello!
Dick: and our two children,
we've lived in this magnificent
chateau for the past 5 years.
Angel: Aw, it's lovely.
Dick: It's my little corner
of paradise.
Angel: Ha ha ha!
Dick: It's not just our home...
Angel: Whoo!
Ha ha ha!
Dick: but our business.
That's a proper kiss!
And with over 1,000
chateaus in France...
Man: Wow!
Woman: Oh, my God.
It's a little incredible.
Dick: we're not the only Brits
buying into the French
fairytale.
Woman: Do you like it?
Woman: Wow.
Woman: I mean, yes.
It is gorgeous!
Dick: We'll follow
more daring owners...
Man: It looks to be
a massive undertaking.
Dick: and familiar faces...
Why?
Dick: as they battle to
renovate their homes.
That is disgusting.
Dick: And we'll reveal more
about our own chateau life.
That is lovely. Ha ha!
Dick: There'll be ups...
Ah! Sweetheart, this is
beautiful!
Dick: and downs...
Woman: What are you gonna do,
not do it today?
Man: It's gonna take all day.
Woman: Yeah, but
there's no alternative.
Dick: But however hard
the going gets...
Angela: Nooo!
Dick: these plucky Brits...
Woman: Ohh!
Dick: get to live the dream
as custodians...
God bless France!
Dick: of their very own castle.
Today...
[drilling]
we welcome back
some familiar faces...
I really like that.
Dick: who have a lot
on their plate.
Man: The panic is on.
[Woman speaking indistinctly]
I'm stressing out about--
You panic all the time.
Woman: So I don't know
where to put this for now.
Dick: These chateau owners
go big for a wedding.
Man: ..., can't we?
I want it to look
quite luxurious.
It's got to be a bit quirky,
a bit spatial.
Man: It will.
I put Angel
to work in the garden.
It's the sort of exercise
I like,
just standing on this ...
And one couple take on
their own garden project...
Which way around
does this little bibble go?
Dick: as they bid
to attract more guests.
Man: I have just
squashed a flower.
Woman: Your list of things
that you've broken
is expanding rapidly.
Dick: Building up
a chateau business
takes time and money,
especially when
you're starting out,
like former fashion designer
Mariam,
husband Jono,
and son Monty
who moved into Chateau Domaine
de la Salle last year,
after buying it for £315,000.
Jono: It's been pretty hectic,
but overall,
no, it's been fun, yeah.
Mariam: If chateau life
means blisters
on the end of your fingers,
dirty fingernails,
constant exhausted...
ha ha ha!
and everybody wanting
to come and stay, then yeah.
Dick: Located 70 miles from
Bordeaux in southwest France,
we first met them
just after they moved in
when things were
rather basic.
It's for our loo. Ha ha ha!
If we want to go to the loo,
we need to carry a bucket
of water upstairs!
Dick: After months of work...
Jono: Don't think that
we're ready to host
a Mad Hatter's Tea Party let
alone a selection of guests,
but anyway,
there we are.
Dick: They created 4 bedrooms
and a workshop space
for a sewing weekend...
Mariam: So this is the
front entrance.
Dick: just in time to welcome
their first guests.
Oh, my goodness!
How beautiful! Fabulous!
Dick: Now with the summer
fast approaching,
Mariam and Jono want to revamp
the outside of the castle.
Mariam: What's the bit
you see first?
It's the entrance.
It's really important
to have a beautiful entrance,
a nice garden
that you walk through.
It looks smart and elegant,
and you walk up
to the front door,
it should be a nice front door
and there should be
some centered flowers
on the sides or something.
It should be the best bit,
and ours isn't the best bit,
so we're making it
the best bit.
Dick: Mariam isn't joking,
as she wants to lay a formal
French parterre garden...
Dick: with help from local
gardener Vincent.
[Kissing]
I'd like a really formal
French garden at the front here,
and in it you have pebbles
and you have very formal
little hedges
in little squares
here and there
that tidies the whole thing up,
makes it look a bit smart.
[Mariam speaking French]
Dick: As Mariam wants the plants
to survive the hot summers,
Vincent has picked out
varieties that do well here.
Mariam: Vincent's brought along
a collection of things.
At the front is going to be
red and purple,
so the little French lavender
and the salvia
in the purple and the red.
I sound as if I know
what I'm saying, talking about.
I have no idea. It's the
first time I'm doing
this sort of thing.
Dick: First time for everything.
To start with,
Mariam and Vincent
have to mark out the design
for the new garden.
Dick: They need to be precise,
as formal French gardens
are typically symmetrical.
Mariam: It's rather odd.
When you look at
the front door
and you look at the front
of the garden,
the gate posts don't line up
with the front of the house.
Dick: I feel your pain, Mariam.
These chateaus are
often sent to try us.
All Vincent can do is get it
as straight as possible
to fool the eye.
Ha ha ha!
Dick: He's not wrong.
Measuring done, they now need
to dig out the beds.
This is going to be mini-
Versailles, of course. Ha ha!
Dick: It sounds impressive.
I can't wait to see it
when it's done.
270 miles away lies the
beautiful Chateau de la Fare,
with parts dating back
to the 12th century.
It has 35 rooms spread
over 4 floors.
It's owned by Australian-born
couple Janet and Phillip,
who have lived in the UK
for 19 years.
I just looked at it and said,
"I have to have it.'
So the truth of the matter was
I'd looked through the whole
property and stood back
out the front there and just
looked up at the building.
It somehow spoke to me.
It felt right.
Janet: We have
a great time here.
Love the environment,
love the area,
love the weather,
love the people.
Dick: Located near Montpelier
in the south of France,
they bought the chateau
7 years ago for £318,000
and have been using it
as a holiday home.
So I don't know
where to put this for now.
It's for the upstairs bedroom,
isn't it?
Dick: And now they're moving in
lock, stock, and barrel
as Phillip has just retired
after working 19 years
for a family who have an even
grander place than this.
Phillip: So we lived
at Buckingham Palace.
I was employed by Her Majesty
in the royal household,
and I was Senior Coachman
to Her Majesty.
And I retired end of last year
to come and live the dream.
Janet: It is the next
big adventure in our life,
and I believe we can make
a good life here.
- I agree.
- A really special life here.
Dick: For now, they'll be living
on the ground floor,
as it's the only area habitable.
The rest of the place
is nothing more than a shell,
which is a bit of a worry,
as they're hosting
their daughter's wedding here
in 3 months.
Janet: Our daughter Penny's
wedding is at the end of May,
so that gives us
a very short period of time
to do an awful lot of work.
Actually, I'm just terrified.
But we'll get there.
Dick: That's the spirit.
First on the list is creating a
bridal suite on the first floor.
Phillip: I know we've talked
about it a little bit,
but we need to just
chat some more.
Janet: But we both need
to have input here.
I know we've both got ideas
about how things need to work.
Dick: Their plan is to turn
3 connecting rooms
into a lavish bridal suite,
with a salon at one end,
a bedroom at the other,
and the middle room split
into a kitchenette and bathroom.
And Phillip is doing
all the work himself.
Good luck, mate.
Janet: The main bit to me
is actually to get
this bathroom right.
Because it's--because it's
bridal suite stuff,
we want it to look--I want it
to look quite luxurious.
It's got to be a bit quirky,
a bit spatial.
Phillip: It will.
Phillip: So the double doors
will open inwards like that.
Once you enter the bathroom,
on that side there,
there's enough room
for a nice feature bath.
I've measured, so there's
plenty of room there.
Janet: Mm-hmm.
On this side, I thought
it's a good idea
to have the shower here,
but that then leaves room,
according to my calculations,
on this side here
for a toilet seat right there.
Then, of course, you have a
fabulous view out the window
from the toilet.
Dick: I do love a loo
with a view.
Janet: I was hoping that the
door would be
directly in front
of the window.
Phillip: Uh, I was sort of
planning it whereby
the door is in line
from here as you walk in.
OK. This is where I think
we need to think more,
because to me, that door
is not so relevant.
It's this space here,
this window and this light
that we need to have the glass
doors opposite
to maximize that light.
I really think so.
Yeah, that's a lovely idea
except we have to make room
for a toilet there.
Dick: It sounds like similar
discussions Angel and I have.
In my imagination,
when I was thinking about it,
even from the drawings,
I actually thought the doors
were opposite.
I want it to look nice.
Phillip: I think that it
being centered
isn't that important, really.
Janet:
Sorry. I think it is.
Phillip: OK.
Dick: Looks like you may have
lost this battle, Phillip.
and looking at
the state of the place,
there's lots of other jobs
you need to sort out
in the next 3 months.
Janet: May the 25th.
That's all I can say, buddy.
- Yes, it's fine. It's fine.
- May the--
Phillip:
We'll be there.
Janet: Yeah, OK.
Tell your daughter.
- It'll be done.
- OK. All right.
Dick: No pressure, then.
Phillip, you need to
get your skates on.
In Northern France,
lies the beautiful
19th-century Chateau de
Montvason.
It has 30 rooms,
an indoor pool,
and its own lake.
And it's run as
a B&B and event space
by Emma and partner Paul.
Paul: Life's good and...yeah.
There's so many positives out of
doing something like this.
It's just incredible.
Emma: It's been fantastic.
For us, it's realized
dreams of both of ours,
really, hasn't it?
Paul: Yeah.
Emma: And that's what makes it
really special.
Dick: Located just 5 miles
from the Normandy coast,
when we last met them,
they were creating
a 2-bedroom guest suite
in the chateau's west wing.
Emma: Oh, my God.
Whoo!
You're doing a great job, Em.
Dick: I did my best with
tiling.
Paul: It's rock solid.
Dick: Yeah. Come the next
nuclear holocaust,
this will be what's left.
Paul: You can imagine.
People are gonna open that door
and just go "Wow!"
Dick: But a busy summer
of events means
they're only now starting to
complete the rest of the work.
Paul: I really love the period
of Art Nouveau and Art Deco.
Emma: So we're throwing
everything at it
to make it look fabulous,
aren't we?
Paul: Oh, absolutely.
Dick: First job,
working on the bathroom
and one bedroom,
as Emma's brother is coming over
for a special visit in 2 months.
We're going for a color called
Mackintosh Mauve,
after Rennie Mackintosh,
who is very well known for his
late 19th-century
arts and crafts, and we're
working furniture around that.
So I've put
the colors together.
This is what it's
looking like.
- What do you think?
- Oh, wow.
- That's really good.
- Yeah?
Paul: It's exactly
what I'm after.
Emma: Excellent.
I think that bed
works really well with
those colors, doesn't it?
- Yeah.
- Am I allowed to get
in there then right away?
- Yes, darling. You are.
Dick: Paul's also come up
with some artistic designs
for the ceiling.
Emma: They're almost
like meringues, aren't they?
- Oh, very nice.
- Beautiful.
Dick: To save on costs,
a mate in the UK
has created some period
reproduction ceiling roses
out of plaster of Paris,
so it hasn't
cost them a penny.
Paul: I'm having these
in the corners of the ceiling,
so it's all gonna
be linked up.
- What, these?
- Yeah, yeah.
So have one in each corner,
and then it kind of
goes round and...
Emma: Excellent. Wow!
It's gonna be amazing.
Dick: To start with,
Paul wants to put up
a traditional-looking
cornice,
which he also got
his friend to make.
Paul: And they just literally
put it into a mold
and then plaster of Paris,
and then they scraped off.
Dick: After cutting it to size,
and adding a bit of adhesive...
Paul: Right.
Dick: it's ready to go up.
Let's hope that I can
put this up on the ceiling
without dropping
the darn thing.
Emma: Especially as
I'm underneath it.
Paul: Well, don't be
underneath it.
I would advise you
not to be.
Emma: I have faith in you.
Paul: I wouldn't have.
I've dropped one already.
That's not a good record.
Dick: Let's hope it's
second time lucky.
Bit of fill in here and there.
It's only a small gap.
So that's not too bad.
Dick: Seems good to me.
Fingers crossed the rest
goes as smoothly.
260 miles away at Chateau
Domaine de la Salle,
Mariam and Jono's new formal
French garden is taking shape.
The area has been cleared
and the flower beds laid...
Right.
Dick: But now they've realized
they've forgotten something.
Well, we're just thinking that
we should really think about
making things as low-maintenance
as possible now,
and if we were to do that,
we should have put
watering pipes in.
Dick: Never mind. There's still
time to put
an irrigation system in
before the path is laid.
Jono: How does it actually
irrigate in the end?
Is it going to be dripping or--
- Dripping, he said.
Dick: It could be slow-going,
as they've never
done it before.
Mariam: No, no, no, no.
Hold on, hold on, hold on.
Ha ha ha!
Jono: Just trying to
straighten it out.
Do you know, I feel like
Laurel and Hardy.
I can pull it
if you want to.
The plan is basically to
put in this thicker
ring main-type pipe
around the whole of the beds.
Mariam: The big pipe
then feeds into smaller pipes
which go directly
into the beds.
Dick: Sounds simple, but
the pipe's fighting back.
Jono: Just bring it on the
inside of this bed.
Mariam: Why?
Jono: Because that's where
it's going, isn't it?
Mariam: Oh, OK.
Dick: First task is to lay the
pipes around the flower beds.
Jono: Do you have any pegs
to peg it to the ground?
No. It's not going to stay
in place. That's the problem.
Mariam: Stones for
the time being,
as we're not short of stones?
Dick: Good thinking, Mariam.
Having laid the pipes around
the perimeter of the garden,
Jono is now having
second thoughts.
Jono: I don't know whether it's
best to run it in the middle
of the path
or along the edge.
Mariam: I think this is good,
and then we just run
a thin one across.
Jono: Well done.
Dick: Now they need to connect
all the pipes.
Am I going the wrong
way round?
Which way round does this
little bibble go?
I have to admit,
I don't know--
I don't know how to do this!
Ha ha ha! Can you hold it
in place, please?
It keeps twisting off.
It's--it's just--
No, no, no, no.
Hold it. Ha ha ha!
- It's like--
- You haven't got the pipe
pushed in.
Mariam: Oh. Now I see.
I told you this is
Laurel and Hardy.
Dick: This could be
a long old job,
but with the weather
closing in...
- Here.
- Yeah. It's ridiculous.
Dick: it looks as if they're
going to give it a raincheck.
Jono: I'm not working
in this weather.
Mariam: An Englishman,
and he can't stand the rain.
Right, come on,
let's go in, have a cup of tea.
Dick: Over at our place,
we're spoiled,
as we have 12 acres of land,
some of which we've turned into
a fitness trail.
- Oh, look at that!
- Whoo hoo hoo!
We dug in a trampoline,
while in the back meadow,
we created a giant
playful spider.
Ah! Look at strong lady!
Let's keep walking.
And amongst the trees, there's
also an elephant's trunk.
Angel: 1, 2, 3. Yay!
Well done, Daddy!
Dick: As we were thinking it's
time for us to get fitter,
we decided to make the course
more challenging.
Angel: We need to get some of
those signs up saying
"Not below 6 foot."
Dick: So Angel and I
headed around the moat
to the perfect spot.
Stop there.
- Lift that up.
- Lift this up that way?
Dick: Yep.
Put that in neutral.
Yeah? OK. Now...
Thinking of abdominal work. You
would lie doing sit-ups here.
And then we're gonna have
an inclining bench
that's sort of
going to be here.
To create the frame
for the bench,
we needed to dig a hole
to put in wooden posts.
Angel: I see why I couldn't
do this in sandals.
This is kind of
like the start
of our actually working out,
isn't it?
Dick: With all the digging out,
I actually should be slim.
Angel: It's quite romantic,
really.
- I mean--
- Romantic? Are you joking?
Angel: We're so busy
at the moment.
we haven't actually got--
we're not giving ourselves
a lot of time to exercise
and get fit,
although we know
we have to.
So if we put the effort
in to doing this,
number one, that does actually
try to start us getting fit
'cause it is quite physical.
Number two--I think we're gonna
feel guilty if we don't use it.
Dick: It's all about motivation.
- Happy?
- Yes, good.
Angel: I nearly can feel
Dick going,
"You call that digging?"
Dick: I said not a word.
Sort of exercise I like,
just standing on this ...
To help Angel
break a sweat,
I decided to slip back
into my time in the Army.
You don't sit down on the job.
Come on.
Come on. I'm your trainer.
Get up here.
Come on. Dig it out.
Come on.
Let's see those arms burn
a little bit more.
That's 3. 7 more to go.
Where's number 4?
Come on, give me number 4.
Get it scraped out there.
Get it up there. Come on,
keep it working.
Mrs. Strawbridge,
more work, please.
Thank you very much.
That's 3.
Well done.
- That's 5.
Keep going. No complaints
from you about another one
or now we're going to 12.
Um, that's 4.
Now we've only done 4.
Come on, let's get it--
let's get it to 4.
- 6.
- That seemed to do the trick.
Angel: It's a really big
6 inches.
[Chuckling]
Dick: But it's probably
best I don't push my luck.
All in all, good start.
Let's do one a day.
I hate you.
Dick:
That was a good shout.
And as always, with a list of
jobs building up in the chateau,
we're never short of exercise.
In the south of France,
at Chateau de la Fare...
[Cutting]
Phillip is home alone working on
the luxury bridal suite
for his daughter's wedding.
If I open some windows, it might
help get rid of some dust.
Dick: He's managed to
install the electrics
and the plumbing
for the bathroom,
but the other two rooms
are yet to be touched,
and there's just 2 months
until the wedding.
I would like to have been
a bit further on
than what I am, but it's not
pain stations yet.
Dick: Well, daughter Penny
and fiance Mark
might be the
judge of that.
They've just arrived
from the UK
along with Janet.
- We're here!
- Hi, darling. How are you?
- Hi, Dad!
- Hi, Mark. How are you?
Phillip: How was your flight?
Penny: Oh, it was good,
actually.
- All right?
- Nice and easy.
Penny: So we were here
in August last year,
so it feels like forever
since we've been back.
So I cannot wait to see
what's been going on.
Phillip: Come inside
and have a look.
Penny:
I can't wait to see.
- So, um...
- Let's see...
Phillip: There's a little bit
of dust here.
Janet: Phillip, you're gonna
sweep before we go lay down?
Phillip: Ha ha! No, no, there's
quite a lot of dust, really.
Dick: As Phillip's been working
flat out,
he hasn't had a chance
to finish the unpacking.
Janet:
There's a lot to do, Phillip.
I'm just a little bit
scared.
The main area
is upstairs.
Janet: Yeah. I think actually
this is going to dress up
quite easily.
It's upstairs
I'm really keen to see,
what's happened and how far we
are upstairs.
Phillip: OK, right.
You'll soon see.
Janet: Oh, dear. OK.
Dick: The good news is, this can
only go one of two ways.
Phillip: And ready?
OK. Here we go, guys.
Janet: Oh!
- Not quite what you--
- Where's the bath?
Janet: I thought it was
gonna be in.
But look.
All the wiring's in.
I have run light wires to
the light switches down there,
and I did actually
plaster a little bit.
All the waste pipe here.
I've put all that in.
And it doesn't look like a lot
'cause I've covered most
of it up here.
I'm afraid it's still
a bit terrifying, Phil.
I know you've been
working really hard.
It's just it's hard to see
at the moment.
Let's just put this
into context.
The wedding is in 8 or 9 weeks.
Phillip: It's more than that.
Janet: Phillip, it is
in 9 weeks.
Phillip: OK. So I've done
all the hard work.
[Laughter]
Phillip: It's true.
- It's true.
- Will it be ready?
Even if we're painting the night
before, it will be ready.
Penny: OK, I'll be painting
my nails,
and you can be painting
the room. OK?
Phillip: Ha ha! OK.
Penny: I wasn't really sure
what to expect coming in
to see it this time,
but there's so much work
to be done,
and I will be happy
if we can...
just needs to look pretty
on the day.
Phillip:
I think now the best plan
is to have lunch...
- OK.
and a cup of coffee.
Dick: Yes, but don't spend
too long, as you need
all the time you can get
to meet the deadline.
At the Chateau Domaine
de la Salle,
It's taken 2 days, but Mariam
and Jono have finally installed
the irrigation system
for their formal French garden.
Mariam: Are you sure
you connected it to
the right pipe...
- Heh heh!
Mr. Smart-whatsit?
You can see I've got it--
Jono: Look, Mariam, there's
nothing coming out of the hose.
Mariam: Ha ha ha!
Jono: You stand there
and look inside,
and I'll go and turn it on.
Mariam: You go and turn it on,
and then you'll see
that I have it on.
I want you to see that.
Go on.
Dick: There's not much sign
of it working.
Mariam: Did I connect
the two hose pipes?
'Cause we've got two
'cause it's too long.
Mariam: Are both hose pipes
connected? Yes, they are.
Now, you saw it was on,
didn't you?
Jono: Yeah.
Mariam: Good. It's not
just me, then.
- Ah!
- There there's water.
Mariam: Ah, it's working!
Jono: Ah, voila!
Dick: And presto!
Mariam: What happened
is that
as the water was
coming along the system,
it was coming out of
the first pipe
and because it was
coming out there,
there was no pressure to push
it all the way along
to the other pipes.
Dick: Now with the help of local
gardener Vincent,
they can start work covering
the pipes with the new pathway.
First job is to line it.
Mariam: They're putting down the
geotextile,
and I'm just here
as a ballast. Ha ha!
Dick: The geotextile should stop
any weeds growing through it,
but they need to ensure
it's cut to size.
Watch out for the flowers!
Jono: The slabs are supposed to
stop the flowers
from getting squashed,
and of course I have just
squashed a flower.
Shh! Don't tell Mariam.
Dick: I won't if you won't.
With most of the lining
in place,
Jono now wants to fill it in
with tons of crushed limestone.
Jono: We put this crushed
limestone on top,
which is stone
from around here.
It's the same stone that the
house is built of, in fact.
It forms a fairly solid base
that you can put
the expensive gravel
on the top of,
because you don't want to fill
the whole thing up with gravel,
because that would cost
an absolute fortune.
But it's basically
just an underlay so to speak.
Dick: It makes sense to use
cheaper stones in the bottom,
especially if no one
will ever see it.
Jono: Hopefully, it will be
a transformation
and that it'll be up to what the
chatelaine is expecting,
minus a few
broken plants--whoops!
I'll tell you what, your list of
things that you've broken
is expanding rapidly.
Dick: Let's hope he's back
in the good books
when the garden's finished.
260 miles away
in Northern France,
Paul: Now, that's it, right?
Paul and Emma's
Mackintosh suite
is slowly coming together.
I really like that.
Paul:
I'm so pleased with that!
Emma: Gives that a sort of
feeling of luxury.
Dick: Paul's put up
a ceiling rose
and finished the cornices.
With Emma's brother coming
to stay in several weeks,
they still need to
decorate the bedroom
and finish the bathroom.
Paul: The panic is on.
I'm stressing out about--
Emma: You panic all the time.
It's fine.
Dick: Emma's going to
concentrate on the bathroom
and has big plans for an old
cast-iron rolltop bath
she was given by a friend
in the UK.
I'm gonna paint it copper,
and I've got...
some paint that actually
has copper in it.
And then I'm gonna
apply a product
which will
react with the copper
and make it go a lovely
verdigris,
which is what copper
does naturally, you know,
when it sort of ages.
And so hopefully
that verdigris color
will match the tiling
in the Art Deco bathroom.
That's the plan.
Dick: Sounds great.
Meanwhile,
in the bedroom,
Paul: And so
a pencil sharpener.
Dick: Emma's French mom Chantal
has popped over
to help with the wallpapering
and keep this job on schedule...
Chantal: Come on, Paul.
Glue, glue, glue, glue.
Paul: Yeah, I'm getting the
glue. I'm getting the glue.
Paul: There you go.
Hop, hop, hop, hop.
Paul: We work very well
wallpapering together.
Dick: although it's not
always necessary
to agree on the method.
Paul: Chantal has a special way
of pasting--
Chantal: Which is different
from Paul.
Which is different from mine.
I have a tendency to go for the
slap-it-all-over method.
And Chantal is more precise
with her strokes
of the wallpaper paste.
Dick: Well, whichever way,
they're going to have to use
lots of it,
as Paul has plastered the walls
in traditional lime plaster,
which can be tricky
to wallpaper.
Paul: Lime plaster is
more...
Chantal: Absorbent?
- Absorbent and open--
- Yeah.
than standard gypsum plaster.
So depending on how much paste
you put on the wall,
depends on how many bubbles
you're gonna get.
So the aim of this is just
to paste the wallpaper,
let it soak, and then
try and throw it to the wall
and see what happens.
Deco stuff...
Dick: They want to apply
more paste than usual
to make it stick.
Let's hope it's enough
to seal the plaster.
Chantal: Going to the floor,
it's not dropping properly.
Paul: Yeah, I'll try
to get this.
- It's not the right level.
- Yep, OK.
Dick: First, they have to
get it straight.
Paul: That's gonna be...
Getting that into the wall there
is gonna be the...
Chantal: That's why you should
go down and you go up with it.
Paul: The challenge.
All right, we're all right.
We've got it.
Dick: Good teamwork, guys.
Now it's just a matter
of cutting it to size.
Paul: I'm not left-handed,
so this is really awkward.
Chantal: You could almost use
a razor blade towards the wall.
Paul: Yeah, I could do
if I had one.
Chantal: You don't shave
with old razor blades?
Paul: I don't think anybody does
anymore, Chantal.
Dick: I don't shave at all.
That's it. Lovely.
Dick: One piece done...
Paul: Getting sorted.
Only 2 dozen more to go.
- I'll dump on it.
- My way of doing it,
less lumpy than yours.
Ha ha ha!
Dick: 455 miles away
in the south of France,
Janet and bride-to-be daughter
Penny
are busy planning
for a wedding in two months.
Janet: So we might keep the ...
- Way up here.
- This section here
- Looking out over the valley.
- Looking out over the valley.
- Yeah.
Dick: Meanwhile,
inside the chateau,
Phillip has roped in
future son-in-law Mark
to help speed up
the work in the bridal suite.
Phillip: You all right, Mark?
Mark: Actually, it's quite
awkward, isn't it?
Dick: He's bringing in a mixer
to concrete the base
where the luxury shower will go.
Have you ever used one before?
- No.
- Neither have I.
Dick: Just read
the instructions, boys.
They're all covered
in plugs.
Dick: Although the right plug
does help.
I'm just changing the plug
on the end of this cable here,
because the plug
that was supplied
is not the right one.
So I have to change the end.
Nothing that's too difficult,
but anyway, nothing
is straightforward, is it?
Let's push a button,
shall we?
And the button is...
[Whirring]
Phillip: Ha ha ha!
That's what I call result.
Dick: Let's hope the cement
mixing goes more smoothly.
They're taking no chances
as they're working with
ready-to-use concrete.
All they have to do
is add water and mix thoroughly.
We're having a few
teething problems,
but this is how you learn
by trial and error, isn't it?
Dick: It's nothing
a bit of water
and some more mixing
will cure.
Phillip:
That half?
- More?
- No, that's good.
Dick: The plan is to create a
base with the concrete
then fix in
the shower tray.
Mark: Shower tray coming in.
Dick: Now they're just
making sure it's level.
Phillip: That looks
pretty good there.
Straight there.
Looks good.
Dick: Job well done.
Janet: Oh, wow!
Look at that.
It's a concrete mixer.
Welcome to the family.
You can actually start
seeing it take shape.
Even from this morning,
you can actually
start to see the vision
of where it's going.
Phillip: Yes, and you know,
when that's all done there
and this one entire
floor here,
it'll look so much better
again.
- Yeah. It'll look more real.
- Yeah.
Dick: It's a step forward,
but Phillip has his work
cut out
if this bridal suite's
going to be ready
for his daughter's wedding.
Phillip: Well, the bridal
suite's come along really well.
It's almost finished,
which is great.
Just a few minor touches left.
Janet: I love your optimism.
"It's almost finished."
It's just not quite
the way I see it,
but that's my Phil!
Dick: In Northern France,
Paul and Emma's mum Chantal
have had problems with
the first wave of wallpaper
on the bedroom walls.
This morning, when we came in,
there's...some of the wallpaper
has bubbled up
and we're not gonna be able
to repair it.
So we're gonna have
to change it.
It's a case of living
and learning, really,
on this lime mortar.
Dick: The porous lime is soaking
up the paste,
which means there's none left
to hold the paper to the wall.
Paul: I'm gonna have to
rip that paper off the wall
and reinstall--
Chantal: This piece, too?
Paul: over there because that
isn't acceptable.
Dick: Paul's decided to
replace the sections
that are bubbling.
And this time around,
he's taking no chances.
The way of doing it is really
using a lot of wallpaper paste.
That is scrap.
Would have been far easier for
me to just put some plasterboard
on the wall, but I don't want
to do it that way
because I wanted it
to breathe.
But when we get to
the end of it,
this is gonna be worth it.
Dick: In the next room,
there's more encouraging news,
as Emma has almost finished
updating the old bath
for the ensuite.
So this is a solution
that gives you
a copper patina effect,
and apparently it starts working
as soon as you put it on.
Dick: Very impressive.
The solution contains a chemical
that reacts with
the copper particles
in the special paint
helping it turn green.
Emma: That is so amazing!
This transforms under
your eyes, doesn't it?
Dick: It certainly does.
Emma: Paul, come have
a look, hon.
Paul: Oh, yeah.
- Look how it's done.
- Wow!
It's quite mad, isn't it?
Paul: Wow!
That's mental, isn't it?
Emma: I know!
Paul: It's changing color
all over. Look at that.
Emma: You know we're actually
watching paint dry right now?
Paul: We are actually
watching paint dry.
Right. So I'll leave you
to the paint drying,
but that's fantastic.
Congratulations, that.
- Yeah.
- Yeah, I'm amazed.
Paul: Very, very pleased
with it.
Dick: At least one thing's
going to plan.
But with Emma's brother due
in less than two months,
they're going to be hard-pushed
to get everything
finished in time.
Emma: Obviously
the clock's ticking,
but I just got to,
you know, not be stressed,
keep our fingers crossed,
and just keep going with it.
and hopefully it will
turn out OK.
Dick: Best of luck, guys.
In Southwest France,
Mariam and Jono's formal
French garden
is almost complete.
Mariam: Oh, wow! You guys have
actually done quite a lot
while I wasn't looking.
Jono: We're always doing quite
a lot while you're not looking.
Dick: With the help of local
gardener Vincent,
they're finished laying the
limestone foundations
for the path.
Now they're making it
compact and level
using Vincent's tamping machine.
Can I have a go?
Dick: Even Mariam wants to
get in on the act.
And not for long
as passing locals
have come for
a sneaky peek.
Dick: It certainly got
the seal of approval.
Jono: So they are
one of our neighbors.
They're very friendly
and we--
Mariam: Yeah, but Sophie's
the daughter
of the sister who
sold us the house.
It was a sister and a brother
who sold us the house.
So for them,
it's quite important.
There's a lot of history.
They're so nice.
You know, it would have
been horrible to have people
who were sort of looking
and saying,
"Oh, I don't like
what you've done."
They're very sweet and
so it's great.
Dick: Now it's back to work.
They need to top off the path
with the gravel.
[Mariam speaking French]
Jono: So we've pressed all the
limestone into position
so that it doesn't come up
into the gravel
that we're going to lay on top.
And hopefully
that should do the trick.
Dick: The gravel's been
delivered
at the back of the chateau.
The problem is, son Monty
has taken the tractor keys
back to England...
As we don't have
the tractor keys,
we can't use the tractor.
Dick: Which means Jono will have
to transport it all by
wheelbarrow...
Ooh! I know this
bit's uphill...
[breathing hard]
from previous efforts.
Dick: so it could take
some time.
Jono: Look at that.
There must be at least another
20 to 30 to go, I should think.
Anyway...
Mariam: Do you want a hand?
No, no, it's fine.
Mariam: Go on, Jono!
Give it a bit of welly!
Jono: Yay!
Bit of a workout, this.
I'll rake it if you want
to get another wheelbarrow.
- That's OK.
- Ha ha ha!
Jono: Right. That's
about it, don't you think?
That's a lot of wheelbarrows,
but anyway...
Dick: Good effort, Jono.
Just one month ago, Mariam and
Jono's grassy entrance
was all overgrown, shabby,
and rundown.
Now it's been transformed
into an elegant, colorful,
and stylish French
formal garden.
The bright and pretty
flowerbeds
have been arranged
in symmetrical patterns,
while the pristine pathway
wraps around them.
It's in keeping with
the grandeur
of this beautiful chateau.
Mariam: The garden
sets the house off, really.
It's a formal house, and now
you've got the formal garden
in front, but from my
point of view,
it's that nice, grand entrance
that they're looking for,
I think, when they come and
stay in a place like this.
It's much nicer now.
Jono: My favorite thing
about the garden
is that it's finished.
Mariam: I knew you'd say that.
Jono: Why? Ha ha!
Mariam: You had to do
the hard work.
Dick: Fingers crossed, the
guests start flocking in soon.
Next time...
Mariam: Out, out, out, out,
out, out, out, out, out!
Dick: Mariam and Jono
get stuck into a new project...
Jono: Nothing is straight
in this place.
Dick: as they prepare to host
a large group of guests.
Mariam: Out of all of
the 11 rooms that we have,
none have curtains yet,
and I'm stressed about it.
Dick: Emma and Paul
struggle to get a room ready...
Paul: I think there's gonna be a
bit of messing about here.
for a guest of their own.
[Thud]
Emma: Oh!
Yeah. Not so brilliant.
Dick: And Phillip's problems
continue to mount...
Phillip: I realize the doors
here are quite tall.
Dick: as the race is on
to be ready for the wedding.
Janet: I can't even spell
"stress" anymore,
I'm so stressed.