All language subtitles for Escape to the Chateau DIY S04E14.540p.HDTV.x264-GTi.English

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

Hello. ..and our two children,

we've lived in this magnificent
chateau for the past five years.

Ahh, that's lovely.

That's my little corner of paradise.
ANGEL LAUGHS

It's not just our home...

Woo!
BOTH LAUGH

..but our business.

That's a proper kiss.

And with over 1,000
chateaux in France...

Wow. Oh, my God.

Absolutely incredible.

..we're not the only Brits buying
into the French fairy tale.

Do you like it? Wow. I mean, yes.

It is gorgeous.

We'll follow some more
daring owners...

It looks to be a
massive undertaking.

..and familiar faces...

Why?

..as they battle to
renovate their homes.

That is disgusting.

And we'll reveal more about
our own chateau life.

That is lovely.

There'll be ups...

Oh! Sweetheart, this is beautiful.

..and downs.

What are you going to do? Not do it
today? It's going to take all day.

Yeah, but there's no alternative.

But however hard the going gets...

No-o-o-o-o!

..these plucky Brits... Oh!

..get to live the dream
as custodians...

God bless France.

..of their very own castle.

Today...

Oh, my wisteria's going to go.

..it's all hands on deck.

Yes!

BOTH: Woo!

..as one couple take on
a massive garden project.

You're talking about,
what, an acre of lake?

I mean, it's huge, absolutely huge.

New chateau owners
turn on the style...

I'm just not used to
this kind of thing.

..as they set out to
impress the locals.

Smile.

I am.

And one family project
is left in limbo...

Ah, no! Oh, my God, that looked
like it was going to break.

..as the costs spiral
out of control.

OK, so, here is that wall
which has just cost...

SHE COUGHS

..£7,000.

Just got to find a way
of paying for it, now.

In Northern France, lies the
picturesque Chateau de Montvason.

Built in the late 1800s,
it has 30 rooms,

its own lake and is set
in 8.5 acres of land.

It was snapped up for £278,000,
two and a half years ago,

by development consultant
Emma and partner Paul,

who used to work in
the car industry.

Since we've been
restoring the house,

the house seems a lot happier.

It was kind of neglected
and abandoned for so many years.

Now, it's just kind
of, like, glowing.

So, we feel like it's happy,
so we hope it's happy.

Located close to the Normandy coast,

Emma and Paul run the place as
a B&B and events venue...

You like?

..and recently hosted a major
event in the chateau grounds.

I'm going to be sad when we leave.

I literally, probably will cry.

I really will.

Now they're eager to make even
more of their outdoor space,

by making it more accessible.

So, we basically started last
year by clearing the first lake

and then realised there were two.

The second lake lies
adjacent to the first one,

but it's covered in
overgrowth and is totally dry.

So, what we're going to do is

reconnect the two to make a
big, circular lake

with an island in the middle.

So, it's a big job,

but, yeah, I'm really,
really excited

cos it's part of the project
for this whole area

so that we can have a
view over the lake,

we can get a boat back on there

and really get this garden back
to what it used to be.

Joining the two lakes
is a huge challenge.

THEY SPEAK INDISTINCTLY

Today, Emma wants to clear
a path down to the dry lake bed

and has brought in
friend Sam to help.

OK, so, Sam, I think
what we should do

is we're going to concentrate
on...between these two trees. Yeah.

Um...I'll start with this side

and if you want to start with
that side... Oh, OK.

..we will meet in the middle,
cos that'll be fun. Sweet.

Sam's helping out as Paul suffers
from a debilitating condition

that can sometimes prevent him
from doing physical work.

Paul's had to sort of stop,
really, with any heavy work,

because of his illness,
it just flares up.

The medical condition I have is
called psoriatic arthritis.

Luckily, I've got lots of friends
that have come over to help.

My friends have been amazing.

As a competitive weightlifter,

Sam is making light
work of the undergrowth.

Woo.

That is good. Yeah!

This is fun for me.

SAM LAUGHS

And I'm not training for my
Olympic lifting at the moment,

so this is good to keep
strong and fit.

Yeah, you've only been doing
it for half an hour, Sam.

So, tell me that in a
couple of hours.

What's the story with
the lake, Emma?

I think it's been covered
over for about 20 years.

The people we bought
it off had dogs,

so they enclosed the lake, so that's
why there's a lot to clear, you
know.

But, yeah, it was a boating
lake in the early 20th century.

I guess it was built as
a boating lake.

Do you have any photos of it? No.

But we've got a plan, from the
18th century... Yeah.

..and it shows this circle of water

with a little island in the
middle and I was, like, going,

"No. We've only got
one little thing.

"Like, that must be wrong."

Discoveries in chateaux and their
grounds never cease to amaze me.

SAM LAUGHS

After an hour of hard graft...

..the girls finally make
it to the lakebed.

We're in the lake.
Does it feel good?

Yeah, it does, actually.

You can see where the
water's going to be.

Ah! That's the island.

The water comes around here...

..and goes through there
and then round the back

and then joins the lake at the back,
so it does a cir...like a cirle.

Oh!

Go...

EMMA MUMBLES

Oh, my God.

That is really good, isn't it? Yep.

Teamwork. Two girls,
loppers and a saw.

SAM LAUGHS

Really good. Thank you, honey.

It's a good start,

but they haven't even
cleared a tenth of the space,

so the hard work
has only just begun.

Nearly 200 miles south,

is the stunning 19th-century
Chateau la Perriere.

It has 20 rooms,

an outdoor swimming pool

and ten acres of land.

It's been renovated into
a luxury retreat

by interior designer Karen
and husband Paul,

who runs a workplace
design company.

Along with children Tom and Katy,
they're currently based in the UK.

15 years in, our aim is still
to be here full time.

We hope over the next five years,

that as our children have got older

and as our renovations come
more to a completion,

that we can then come and
live out here full time

and actually live the
dream 365 days a year,

rather than 30 days a year.

Located in the Loire Valley
in North West France...

..Karen and Paul's latest project

is to convert an outbuilding
into a wedding venue.

So far, they've ripped down
the ceiling in the coach house...

Eurgh!

That is disgusting.

..and cleared out the stable block.

Pleased?

Yeah, really pleased.

A month on, and the whole place
has come on leaps and bounds.

They've forked out £2,000 to remove
part of the connecting wall,

but by far their biggest outlay

has been replacing the
200-square-metre roof,

and the costs
are continuing to rise.

We've had a bit of a bombshell

because, last week,
we got a call to say,

"By the way, all your beams in that
section of the roof need replacing."

So, we are now...

..13,000 over budget...

..on a...what was supposed to be,
a £35,000 roof.

Ouch, that's a big hit.

The job appears to be
more complicated,

as the outbuilding
is built against a cliff.

We've got this rock face
that goes all the way down

into the stables itself.

And the problem this
rock face presents

is the water comes off
and it's got nowhere to go.

And previously, water would just
run in underneath the tiles

and it has been making
the structure of the roof rot.

And, so, the roofer has
devised a plan.

On this section of the roof,
we're not going to have any tiles.

It's just this impermeable material.

This stuff is really, really strong

and this material is actually going
to penetrate into the rock face
itself.

It's then going to go over this
wall, down through the gully

and then up to the pitch.

So, now we've got this great
solution, which means we're

going to have a dry building and
it's not going to rot all our wood.

With Paul working back in the
UK to finance it all,

he's yet to see what it looks like.
RING TONE

Hello.

Hello.

Do you want to know where I am?

You are by the top of the roof,
by the stables.

That's exactly where I am.

OK, so here is that wall... Mm-hm.

..which has just cost you...

KAREN COUGHS

..£7,000.

How can you say that so easily?

Cos I've said it a few times, now,

on my way down and in my head.

It helps ease the blow.

Hm, perhaps for you.
Yeah, lovely.

What do you think?

Ah, it looks great.

It's my new favourite
place to stand now.

I can stand here and go, "Wow, look
at that roof, look at those tiles.

"They're amazing."

Just got to find a way
of paying for it now. Yeah.

With the inside of the
building still to do,

let's hope they can get
those costs under control

sooner rather than later.

Coming up...

A new chateau owner takes
her first steps to success...

We're opening the gate. Hah!

I thought I was doing left, right.
Nope.

..and Emma and Paul...

I've got you the last biscuit.
Thank you.

..make an unexpected discovery.

Look what we've got.

Oh, wow. What are they?

This is the 17th century
Chateau Domaine De La Salle.

It has 12 bedrooms and sits
in an impressive 52 acres of land.

It was bought for £315,000 by Mariam
and husband Jonno,

who moved in 18 months ago.

I just feel really happy here

and I love that we're building up
something for the future.

There's just an endless
amount of stuff to do,

but it is nice, even though
I complain about it.

You complain
about everything anyway,

so this is about as good as
it gets. Yeah, that's true.

Located near Bordeaux
in south-western France.

They've recently transformed
the chateau's salon into a grand

reception room,
so they can host events.

Now Mariam wants to get the word out
they're open for business

and has arranged a special party
for the locals in two days' time.

I invited the mayor and the two
ladies who work in the office,

and they said, "Ooh, that's lovely.
Thank you very much."

But anyway, I saw him this morning

and he said he can't actually come,
unfortunately, but it's OK.

He said, "I've invited the others in
the village,

so you've got so-and-so
coming and so-and-so coming

and I'm not sure yet who else."

I was like, "Oh, that's lovely.
Thank you." Oh, my God.

I don't know how many salmon
sandwiches we've got to make.

Mariam has a special
theme for the party

and wants the salon to
look the part.

We're arranging
everything in the room to be as

if it were the late 1930s.

We might cheat a few times
with 1940s objects, but...

So we're trying to put that
mood into the room.

On hand to help is 18-year-old son
of family friend, Charlie...

You've sorted the radio out for me?
Yes.

Do you want to show it to me?
Cos I haven't seen it working.

..who's a massive fan of all
things vintage.

That is so beautiful.

Ooh. Ooh, there's a light on.

Oh, well done!
How did you do that?

Oh, you know, I'm a genius.

It can play music, can it? Yeah.

Well, I hope it's vintage music.

Oh, I like it.

Can you dance to old
stuff like this? Course I can.

OK, you show me how to do it.

Right. OK.

Isn't my arm meant to be down?
Up? Doesn't it matter? OK.

Left, right.

Quick, quick.

Right. Quick, quick. Left.

Left, right.

So if you're slow, you come
out like this, you open the gate.

I thought I was doing "left, right"?
No. OK.

Right, inside leg.
Leg, hop.

And then for the next round,

you close the gate. OK.

Left, right. Quick, quick.

I'm lost.

Practice makes perfect.

Looks like Mariam needs a few
more lessons yet.

Over at Chateau de Montvason,

Emma and Paul are redeveloping
the lakes and their surroundings

to create more usable outdoor
space for their guests.

They've finished clearing
out their dry lakebed,

now, they're turning
their attention

to an old outbuilding,
which overlooks it.

What's the plan? Plan.

So, are you good to try
and clear the roof

so we can get a bit of light?
Yep. So we can see stuff?

So cut the ivy back, yeah? Yeah.

Me and Sam will start having
a look at what we can clear in here.

Emma has brought in friends
Jim and Sam to help out.

Wish me luck! Going in.

She believes the building has been
left untouched for 40 years.

It's called the
Vine House, because

it used to house
the vine from the chateau.

It was like a greenhouse,
as well.

We thought it would make a great
alfresco dining area,

so we just thought we'd clear it

and make it a bit rustic and have
a kind of...

..an extra area for parties
and have a barbecue

and then have it overlooking the
lovely forest and the lake.

That's the vision.

It's a nice idea,

but it's not just a matter
of clearing out decades of ivy...

If there's a bit that's proud,
just cut it neat at the end. Here?

As Emma is a stickler for detail.

Which bit? That bit? No.

Jim. Jim. Look at me. Look at me.

All right. The bit that's sticking
up! This bit?

No. That bit, there.

Now I understand. No. No.

Don't do that, then.

This bit, here. There?
Yes. Right there? Yes.

Right. Next? Not that.

Whoa. OK.

Thank you, that's perfect, darling.

What about this? No.

Don't touch it.

Now Emma's satisfied,

she's free to help Sam clear out
the rest of the building.

I've got you the last biscuit.

Thank you.

Interesting here. Look...

..what we've got.

Oh, wow.

What are they?

Looks like original
flagstones to me, Paul.

That's really cool.

Isn't it? Jimbo,
come and have a look.

I'm resting. Are you? So...

OK, if I must.

It's just nice.
It's nice and old.

Flags.
What do you think? Flagstones.

These are flagstones, aren't they?

Lovely. Aren't they gorgeous? So
this is where we can put the table.

The floor's a great find and now
the old Vine House is finally

emerging from the overgrowth.

But there's one thing left to do.

Once we get rid of this, which is
just a rubbish tree,

we're going to see the light come
through to the Vine House really,

really fast, by doing this.

To get rid of the tree,
Jim's set the loppers aside.

Oh, my wisteria's going to go.

Here it goes, Sam. Yay. Woo.

Yes. Woohoo. Well done.

Mr Chatelaine, he say yes. Yes.
You like it? I do.

Oh, my God. It's fantastic.

We're going to have a
table for people to sit in,

and then maybe do a bar
thing at the back.

Yeah. Rope lights everywhere.

Candelabras.

It's fantastic. You like?
Yeah, I do really like.

These guys have worked really,
really hard today. Oh, God, yeah.

Literally haven't stopped.

There's still plenty to do.

With decorating and dressing,
and the lake still to sort out,

these guys can't
rest of their laurels.

Eurghhh.

Nearly 200 miles away,
at Chateau La Perriere.

Paul is now in France with Karen
inspecting the expensive new roof

in the outbuilding they're
turning into a wedding venue.

So, there's the new beam.

It's a big old beam, isn't it?

Makes a change from what
it was last time.

The entire roof is now
officially watertight,

but the cost has spiralled to
even greater heights.

Brakes are now on...
Way over budget.

..on spending money,
because we're just way over budget.

The original budget on the roof was
30,000.

It came in at 32,000 Euros.

It was never 32.
I never heard that bit.

And it then went up to 40

and then it went up to 45 and then

we got the final bill

and it came in at...

..53,000 Euros.

Yeah. I feel in a way I've failed a
bit because I didn't...

No, that's not true.

I think there's many
factors you have

when you've got a chateau like this.

We had the right guy.
He's done the right job.

When he's talked us around it,

we can see where we've spent
all of that money. Extra money.

Um. We needed to finish the project.
It's a business.

What we now need to do is
get it looking

fabulous like the visions you've got
and the designs you've done

and then we've got to get
some bookings.

There's a lot of pressure.

I've got to bring these bookings in
and actually...

Um, yeah.

I've actually got to make this work.

Chateau life is never
straightforward.

Saving money where
they can is crucial,

so Karen and the family have
decided to do their next project

on their own,
an outside clay pizza oven.

So we've been talking to
people about how they want to eat
and stuff.

We thought it would be good fun to
have it out here by the pool

and the terrace overlooking
the castle.

They do them at the shop down the
road, but they're 490 Euros.

And that's in the
reclaim place, as well.

And that's in the reclaim place.

Doing it themselves is costing
just 170 Euros,

which is about £150.

They start by building a
domed-shaped sand castle mould

on the fire-brick base.

Looks good, doesn't it? Yeah.

Preparing the clay is a messy job.

The next bit is the fun bit.

We've got to mix the sand and the
water and the clay all together

and apparently, the best way to
do it is with your feet.

One, two, three.

Oh, that does not feel nice!

Push in the clay. Just get in there.

Just get in there. It's going to be
really disgusting with the water.

That's eventually what you're going
to look for, isn't it?

Go on, give us a hug. No.

With everything mixed,
they have to carefully mould

the clay around the sand castle,
which has been covered in newspaper.

Is it going to be that thick,
seriously? Yeah.

Once all the clay is in place...

Right, Tom?

..it'll take at least a day to dry.

Slop it on top. Slop it on top.

Yay.

I think it's looking great.

Really...

really starting to take shape.

It looks promising.

At least one of their plans
is coming along nicely.

Coming up.

Look at that, magnificent.

Mariam starts to
fret about the party.

I forgot that we have to collect all
the little petit fours that

I've ordered for dessert
so I didn't have to make dessert.

It was meant to be collected
between 11 and 12 on a Sunday

and it's 12, it's 12.05 now.

And Paul sets to work on the lake.

If we've got a powerful-enough pump,

it should...

push the water up into the lake.

But, we don't know that yet.

It's the day of Mariam
and Jonno's 1930s party,

and the launch of their chateau
as an events venue.

Look at that. Magnificent.

And there's still plenty to do
before their guests arrive.

I forgot we had to collect
all the little petit fours that

I've ordered for dessert, so
I didn't have to make dessert.

It was meant to be collected
between 11 and 12 on a Sunday

and it's 12, it's five past 12 now.

With Jonno sent out to pick them up,

Mariam can start getting ready

and is still unsure
who's turning up.

I wanted the numbers to be about 12.

I don't know what they could be,
but I suppose they could be...

..let's be positive and say
they could be not more than 20.

I'm not the slightest bit
worried about it,

but Jonno seems to be very worried.

I don't know why he's worried,

cos I'm catering
so it's no problem at all.

And he's so much
more social than me.

He's the nice guy.
Everybody always loves Jonno.

Nobody ever likes me.

Make-up? Not yet. Sorry.

OK, done.

Jonno is now back from the bakers.

Oh, don't they look lovely?

And while Mariam's confident
about the pastries,

she's less so about her look
for the evening.

I've not put curlers in before like
this, so that will be interesting.

Would you like to try
a victory roll?

I mean, I've never done them
before, but...

Like that? Yes. That's
exactly what I was going to do.

Have fun, Charlie.

Yes, ready.

Mariam wants all the guests
to come dressed in vintage clothes

and is eager to look the part.

I'm just not used
to this kind of thing.

So it's all trial and error.

I think there's too much
spray in there.

THEY LAUGH

I think this is...

I tell you what,
can I go and wash it?

Go and wash...that side.

While Mariam goes for a quick rinse,

Jonno escapes to the garage,

as he wants his pride and joy on
show at the front of the chateau.

This is an MG TC, which is actually
a post-war car, but, anyway...

..they made the same thing
before the war so there we are.

I think we can safely use it.

It's looks in immaculate condition.

They certainly don't make cars
like that any more.

Back inside and Charlie is
hoping it's second time lucky.

Now that feels all right.

Ah!

It's very good, I must admit.

Well, I was going for
the sort of soft, wavy look, but...

It's good, isn't it?

We know that you're
soft and wavy, anyway.

So, it's mission accomplished.

Here's hoping the guests
put in as much effort.

Over in Normandy...

All the overgrowth
came to here, didn't it?

..Paul and mate Jim
are surveying the dry lakebed

which Emma and Sam started
clearing a month ago.

These trees. They cut the whole
lot back. Everything was covered.

You couldn't see anything,

you couldn't see past
this little island here. No.

The plan is to get in experts
to prepare the lakebed

before connecting it
to the one adjacent to it.

This was originally the joining
part to the two lakes. Right.

So, what the guys are going to do,
they're just gonna scrape down,

take all this stuff out the way,

then they'll dig all the way down,
and, hopefully...

How deep are they going
to go, do you think?

Well, they'll go till they hit clay.

This lake hasn't been
touched in over 60 years.

Man, when it's done,
it's going to be fantastic.

Yeah, absolutely.

Yeah, but, matey, your biggest
problem is your water supply.

When this lake is dredged out,

the guys that are
doing the dredging,

they have a huge water supply.

And they will come and put hundreds
of thousands of gallons

in the lake to get an initial fill.

You're talking about, what?
An acre of lake?

I mean, in total... I mean,
it's huge, absolutely huge.

Water features can be a great asset,

but I just can't see how Emma and
Paul can get enough water delivered.

We're fortunate enough
to have a pretty epic one,

an 8,000-square-metre moat
fed by a nearby stream.

I must have a problem over here
and look at the level of that moat.

But it's not always plain sailing.

The water level is high.

The water level should be
at the level of those stones.

But we're blocked up,
the moat's not emptying.

Overflow pipes ensure
the moat can't flood the chateau,

as long as they're free of
leaves and debris.

Can you hear the difference
in the noise? Listen.

WATER RUSHING

That difference in the noise
is everything escaping.

And with a bit of luck,

the water level will be down
within a day or so.

Paul doesn't have to worry
about water levels just yet,

but once his lakes
are joined and filled,

he's hoping his well can
keep the water topped up.

Right, so what you're
going to have to do, Jim... Yeah.

..is screw the pump to the
end of that bit, there. OK.

The 12-volt pump Paul is
experimenting with is a tad feeble,

and, sadly, there just won't
be enough water in the well

to keep the lake topped up.

Nice and tight. Right, now, the aim
is to chuck that in the well...

..and then there should be
a bendy bit up the top.

Bendy bit. Yep.

And then, connectez-vous.
Get that on there. Right.

OK, so, if we've got
a powerful enough pump,

it should push the water
up into the lake.

But...we don't know that yet.

THEY LAUGH

It'll push some,
but just not enough.

The pump needs attaching
to a battery,

and Paul wants to experiment
charging it using green energy.

Seeing as this is the test, I'm
just going to wind them together.

As well using solar panels,
he wants to harness the wind.

Right, we've got a

600-watt generator,

and these...things.

Wings. Vanes. Vanes. Whatever.

One of those. That one.

Paul's bought a wind
turbine for £150,

and with the help of Emma's son Jude
they're assembling it.

So, try not to lose
the nuts and bolts.

Putting it together is one thing,

but wind power in a wooded area
is a flawed concept.

Can I fix it to the fence post,
just temporarily?

See that fence post there?
That tall one?

You know all these little talks
that you guys go off on,

to, like, decide where it's going?

Where is it going?

Well, it's going around
the corner, eventually. Yeah.

But at this moment in time,

we need to see whether
the thing's gonna turn, right,

with the wind that we've got.

But we promise that we're not
going to leave it there forever?

We promise that we're not going
to leave it in your view.

That's why he said to have a lie-in
and brought me breakfast in bed.

But you can check in
a year's time, all right?

I've been told by Emma that it
shouldn't be in view from the house.

That's what I've been told.

And it won't be in view
of the house, eventually.

We'll take your word for it, Paul.

In the Loire Valley, Paul and Karen
are converting the coach house

and stable block
into a wedding venue.

It's not the most accurate way
of measuring something.

But after a new roof put them
thousands of pounds over budget,

Karen is having to be creative
transforming the inside.

So my design is going to be
a little compromised, but, um...

..it is what it is.

She's taken it upon herself
to design and construct

a giant three-metre-high
sliding door.

The concept of the door will
allow us to close the gap

which we've opened between
the coach house and the stable room.

Having the flexibility to have two
separate spaces sounds a good idea.

With Paul working back in the UK,

Karen's getting help from
15-year-old son Tom.

There you go.

I'm really pleased.

Really pleased. Yeah, it's good.

After taking two days
to put it together...

One, two, three. Ah! No!

Oh, my God, that looked like
it was going to break.

..they're finally ready
to hoist it up.

So, what are we doing?
So we are going to...

To help with the heavy lifting,
they've drafted in mate Quintin.

We're going to sort of pivot
on that bottom end.

Now come towards me,
put your side down now, Karen.

Oh, back up there.

Karen, I've got it.
You need to go that way.

Yep.

OK, we're up.

Can I just say,
that door looks gorgeous?

Yeah, it does look really nice.

It looks really good.

Quintin now just needs to screw
in the rest of the rail

for the door to hang on.

OK. Right. Shall we get
this baby up, then?

OK, on three, Tom. One, two, three.

Voila.

And there it is.

Yay!

It still needs some finishing
touches, but at least it's up.

It's a massively
satisfying thing to do,

and to get a door that size would
have cost, I reckon, £1,500.

I'm happy. I'm really happy.

No wonder she's happy - Karen spent
just over £200 and made it herself.

And that's not the only saving
Karen's made on this trip.

So first things first.
Taking the sand out, is it?

Take the sand out.

There's also the clay pizza oven.

So this is the very first time
Tom is lighting the fire.

That's if they can get it working.

I think maybe I needed to push it
a bit further to the back.

Are we ready? Yep.

One pizza.

THEY LAUGH

Is it actually going to cook?

Shall we have a peek? Yeah. Love it.

Karen has endured
a difficult few months,

having to cut costs and
get wedding bookings in,

while Paul has been
away working in the UK,

but there's finally a bit of light
at the end of the tunnel.

We had a wedding viewing last week,

and they're delighted,
and I got an e-mail

to say that they completely
fell in love with the chateau,

and they'd like to proceed

and move ahead to the next stage
of costings and things,

so that's really exciting.

It's great news.

Wedding planning is
a long-term process,

so any income will come after
you firm up those details.

A lot of the inquiries tend
to be at least a year in advance,

but to be able to see somebody
get married here, I mean,

that's something I've always
wanted for the chateau, always.

Until Karen gets bookings confirmed,

she'll have to find new ways
to bring in more money.

I got the crunchy sand.

Definitely a bit of sand,
we need to work a bit harder

on getting that sand out.
Not too bad.

It's a good first try,
isn't it? Yeah. Mm-hm.

Coming up...

Ooh!

..it's show time for
Mariam and Jonno.

I don't like thing this sort
of thing at all, to be honest.

I always find it
a bit nerve-racking.

Really? I'm never nervous.

That's what makes me nervous.

SHE LAUGHS

And it's the moment
of truth for Paul.

It's not turning, Jim.

Just stare at it for a while.

It will. It will turn.

In southwestern France, it's 1930s
party time for Mariam and Jono...

Smile. I am.

..as they launch their events
venue in the Grand Salon.

Here we are.

Would Madam like a drink?

Could I have some bubbles, please?

CORK POPS
Oh!

They're hoping to impress the locals
to generate more business.

Thank you.

I don't like this sort of thing
at all, to be honest.

I always find it a bit
nerve-racking.

Really? I'm never nervous.

Well, no, because you're you.

I probably should be, though,
shouldn't I?

That's what makes me nervous.

MARIAM LAUGHS

To calm his nerves, Jono's making
a vintage cocktail,

which he hopes will be a party hit.

I've never made it before,

but there's always a first
time for everything.

It's called the Jack Rose
and is made of apple brandy,

grenadine and lemon juice.

It's certainly got
a bit of a nip to it, I'll say.

Mm.

Within minutes,
the guests begin to arrive.

Vous etes supers!
LAUGHTER

SPEAKS FRENCH:

It already seems the salon is
making a big impression.

Yeah, it's really nice to see
everyone's reactions to the salon

and I love the fact that everybody's
made an effort,

because, to be really honest
with you,

it's not very French to do
this sort of thing.

It's not very French at all
to be dressing up to go out
for a cocktail.

With everyone here,
the party can get started.

JAZZ MUSIC PLAYS

The cocktails are actually going
down extremely well.

It's rather popular, I would say.

It's all going swimmingly

and Mariam has a surprise in store
in a bid to keep wowing the guests.

I've got one of our neighbours
coming to do a little bit of magic,

so I'm really looking
forward to that.

LAUGHTER

To me, this is quite
an important evening,

because it's just pushing ourselves
that step further

towards having events
and having people book the place

so that they can have
their own events.

APPLAUSE

It's proved a big success
and has hopefully gone a long way

to putting Mariam
and Jono's chateau on the map.

As usual, Mariam has carried
everything off very well.

Oh, stop it already.

It's fun. It's good fun.

And it looks as though the party
could be a late one.

Is there going to be some
foxtrotting?

Are you going to foxtrot with me?

Oh, maybe. If I have a couple more
of these, then I'll be all right.

HE CLEARS THROAT

In Northern France,

Paul, Jim and Emma's son Jude
are still assembling a wind turbine.

Right, other way round.
Other way round.

That's it. That's how... Yes.

Because otherwise,
the turbine'll turn backwards.

And number one.

They hope it will provide power to
a pump to top up the water

once the new lake is formed
and filled.

The plan is, for the moment,

to prop it against one of those
posts over there

and see what's going to happen.

You said it was light.

With the turbine assembled,
it's time to test it out.

Go on, Jimbo.

Where is it?

Just about there.

Right, well, it's not turning, Jim.

Hold your horses.

It's not doing anything. Yeah, I
know, we need some wind, dude.

Just stare at it for a while.

It will. It will turn.

Well, I'm not too sure.

Right, so... OK, so...

There. It's turning.

Yes, but not...

You're going to get loads of power
out of that. Look at it.

LAUGHTER

They also have solar panels, which
they decide to cable up instead.

Strip those two out and just connect
positive and negative

and be done with it
and see what happens.

Woodland is not a great
place for the panels,

but there is enough energy
in the battery to test the pump.

On at 12.5, OK.

Paul. Yeah? I can hear it.

I think there's probably
water in there now.

Yeah, there's water flowing
out at this end. Yeah.

OK, we've got water.

Fantastic.

So how long do you think it will
take to fill the lake with that?

I don't think it'll ever fill
the lake with that, but...

LAUGHTER

..this is just to keep the water
flowing into the lake,

so all we need is, you know, get
another couple of solar panels

hooked up, it'll go a lot quicker.

And it's free!

This is what I really like about it.

You're getting something for
nothing. Yeah.

Effectively. Yeah.

Sadly, more solar panels won't
make the difference.

You need to go back to the drawing
board on this one.

Another part of the lake
redevelopment is the old vine house,

which they cleared out last month.

Today, Emma wants to finish
dressing it up.

I have been dreaming about getting
to this point,

where the vine house is
nearly finished.

I've got some candles,
chandeliers and bits and bobs.

So this is the fun bit after
the hard work.

To bring a bit of the outside in,

Emma is filling glass globes with
plants from the forest.

And then I'm going to hang them
so they will catch the light

and I'm going to put candles in some
and plants in others.

Oh, that's kind of cute,
I like that.

It's a forest in a ball.

A month ago, this old outbuilding
was tired and overgrown.

Now it's a stylish rustic space,
perfect for having events

and hosting dinner parties...

I love this moment, don't you?
It's lovely.

..with an impressive view

overlooking the yet-to-be-filled
lake.

It's fantastic. Well done, you.

From what it was before,
it's just transformed, isn't it?

I mean, a big thank you to Jim
and Sam as well... Yeah.

..because it wouldn't have got
done without them. I know.

It's fantastic. I'm looking forward
to our first dinner here. Yeah.

Well done. Cheers.

One part of their garden restoration
project is complete.

But the newly uncovered lake
still needs more work

and to be linked up to the one
adjacent to it,

which is going to be an epic job.

We're ready to reconnect it
to the first lake

and just restore it to that
round boating lake

that we heard it used to be.

It's going to look amazing.

I can really see, you know,
the whole picture now

and it's exactly what we were
thinking, wasn't it? Yeah.

It's great.

Next time...

LOUD BANG
Whoa!

I guess that's in half, then.

..Paul and Karen prepare
for a party...

I feel like I am having a hot flush.

..Jono finds himself in a hole...

How's your claustrophobia?

Can you get through the door, there?

There aren't too many fossilised
mice, so it's not that bad.

..we go bargain hunting...

I mean, the colour's quite nice.

The colour's quite nice?!
It's called rust!

..and as they start to
work on their west wing...

If it doesn't add to it,
you take it away.

Honestly, I'm fine with that.

..things get political for Emma
and Paul.

So, what's your thoughts?
I'm not keen.