Original subtitles

and our two children...

Yay! Oh, well done.

..we've lived in this magnificent chateau

for the past five years.

Look, look, look, look, look, look, look, look, look, look. SHE GASPS

Oh, my God.

That is so beautiful.

It's not just our home...

Oh, we're up.

..but our business.

You may kiss your bride.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

And all over France,

there are other Brits doing exactly the same.

Oh, my God!

We'll follow a new wave of intrepid chateau owners...

I'll open some windows.

It might help get rid of some dust.

..and some familiar faces...

..as they take on these majestic buildings...

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

Is everyone ready?

BOTH: Yeah!

There'll be triumphs...

This looks incredible. Do you like it, Laura? I love it.

..and set backs...

Oh!

..as they battle to renovate their homes...

..and earn their keep.

OK, I'm ready.

But no matter how hard the going gets...

This is probably, yeah, my worst nightmare.

..they get to live the dream

as custodians of their very own castle.

Today...

..getting the family chateau ready for the first wedding of the year...

Move it.

..involves cracking the whip.

I want things done. I want it done. I want it done now.

A buyer we last met at the crunch point of her property hunt...

Oh!

It is a bit dusty, isn't it?

..enlists some sister power

to take on the home of her dreams.

And a mission for home-grown self-sufficiency...

I'm just planting some dahlias.

Ideal for flower picking.

..leads to a big birthday surprise.

BOTH: One, two, three.

Happy birthday!

There are new occupants moving in to the grand houses of France.

Entrepreneurial Brits are taking on decaying and derelict chateaus

to transform them into living homes and thriving businesses

one renovation at a time.

In the countryside of south-west France

is the splendidly striking Chateau du Doux.

It has 48 rooms and a private pool,

all in a spectacular setting

and seven and a half acres.

This magnificent property

is now the family home of IT consultant Clive,

wife Karen, who along with daughter Abbie,

and son Ross,

are aiming to cover the costs of castle life

by offering wedding packages. APPLAUSE

Their business has now reached a crucial stage.

We're on our way to making this a great success,

but it's very hard work.

I definitely enjoy working at the chateau.

I would never have expected to be doing this,

but so far, I love my job and want to continue it in the future.

Located 65 miles from Limoges,

with bookings down last year,

they've been keeping an eye on outgoings.

Ah, that's looking good, isn't it?

But doing most of the work themselves to save money...

Oh!

ABBIE MOANS

..has seen tensions mount.

CLIVE: No! No! No! What?

You blow it away from where you want it.

Got it? Yeah.

Are you OK? Yeah.

The first wedding of the season is now just days away

and with all rooms fully booked for the 70 guests,

mum Karen and daughter Abbie

are rushing to reassemble the furniture in room 111

that's just been redecorated.

OK? Yeah.

OK, nice and gentle.

I don't know if this is the right tool, but we'll give it a go.

However, they're not off to a smooth start,

as a protruding nail at the bottom of the bedframe

is proving a scratch risk to the newly furnished floor.

We need some proper pliers.

Rob's got some tools, hasn't he? Shall I go and ask Rob?

While Karen goes to fetch Uncle Rob to remove the offending nail,

Abbie has other ideas.

We could put a thick piece of carpet over it. It'll be fine.

That won't go through there. It's a piece of rubber.

It won't come through there. It'll be fine.

OK. Yeah, there's no way he's gonna get that out.

Thinking she's hit the nail on the head,

Abbie gets on with glueing sections of carpet

to protect the floor.

I've fixed the problem. I don't need Rob's help.

Oh, Abbie. That's really irritating.

You'd better not have stuck that on, cos Rob says the same as me. I haven't.

It's not there anymore.

You've got it out? Yes!

KAREN SIGHS It's not a problem.

You're not convincing Uncle Rob, Abbie.

Someone's put glue all over it. Yeah.

How did you get it out, then?

It's tapped right in. Yeah, but it's tapped right in.

You couldn't get it out. You won't get it out, Rob.

You knew I was gonna get Rob to remove it easily.

It wasn't gonna be removed.

Rob's struggling to get it out. That's how deep it is.

Because you banged the bloody thing in!

The top of the head of a nail is not gonna scratch a floor. Yes, it would. It won't.

OK. Right.

You got it? Nearly. No, nearly.

Oh, you've got it. There it is.

Nail extracted, there's just the small task of making up the rest

of the 36 bedrooms for the wedding party.

Nine days later, they're finally ready to welcome the 70 guests

to the chateau.

It's been full-on. It's been 14-hour days

getting everything done, but...

..we're knackered before it's all started, but we are ready to go.

We've got a couple of coaches arriving.

Yeah, it's very exciting.

For bride Emily and groom Paul,

having all their guests stay on site

will make their wedding tomorrow all the more special.

I've probably been planning this wedding for a good couple of years.

We just wanted to bring all of our friends and family together

for one weekend.

As long as they have a good time, then we feel

we'll have a much easier day tomorrow.

It's time to show all the guests to their rooms...

Em, where are we?

It's 111.

..including the family who will be staying in the recently decorated

room 111.

Let's hope guests Jen, James and baby Penelope

give the newly-renovated accommodation the thumbs up.

Just 35 miles south

is the picturesque Chateau Le Mas de Pradie.

This 17-room property,

with a 15-acre estate

that includes two additional cottages,

was purchased just three weeks ago for £278,000

by artist, Julia.

I group up in England and I was there until I was 18.

Before moving to France,

I lived in Australia for around 30 years.

Located 68 miles from Toulouse,

we last met Julia

when she was still on the search for her perfect chateau

and she had some unusual things on her checklist.

Do you know if there's any ghosts in the property?

So, I did... I've been many times and I didn't hear anything.

She was helped on her search by sisters Sarah and Melissa

who are also planning regular visits to France.

Oh, wow. Beautiful surroundings.

Lovely views. But it's too small for me.

After four weeks of viewings,

a five-bedroom chateau in the Bordeaux region

seemed to be just what she was after.

See, this is a lovely bedroom.

It's nice and light. Beautiful floors.

Lovely fireplace.

I honestly don't know if I'm gonna get the result I want,

but I hope so, so fingers crossed.

But in the end, it was something a little different

that caught Julia's eye.

My sisters and I looked at about 17 properties.

This was the smallest

and I wanted ones with turrets and, you know,

50 bedrooms

and this is the one I kept dreaming about.

I didn't dream about the others. I kept dreaming about this one.

And after a few weeks I thought, "Well, it must be this one."

Julia has £130,000 saved for her renovation fund.

and ambitious plans to turn the derelict cottages

into rentals for paying guests.

But her first task is to tackle the chateau,

with plans to host her large family at Christmas.

My DIY skills are a bit limited,

but I'm very good at organising people.

Luckily, she has plenty of sister power to call on.

Melissa, from Australia, who helped with the search

and Jenny, who lives in the UK.

All right, what's in here?

I can't remember.

The first room Julia is renovating is the kitchen.

These were Auntie's set. I remember these.

But before major renovations kick off,

she wants to unpack her possessions

that have been shipped from Australia

to get a sense of the storage space she will need.

These are my favourite.

Indian tree pattern.

I love this.

It's not long before Julia faces one of the practical difficulties

of moving overseas.

Bonjour.

Oui.

Er, I don't speak French.

Giving directions for the many deliveries required

as a new chateau owner

when you're still learning the language

can be a challenge.

Oui, delivery for Le Mas de Pradie.

But fortunately, the delivery driver still manages to find his way in.

Bonjour!

Julia's ordered some pieces

to start putting her own stamp on the chateau.

Oh, shall we open it?

Ta-da!

Like it?

Yeah, yeah, I do.

The parrots are lovely.

Keeping with the exotic animal theme,

there's a hippo-shaped footstall.

Oh, he's cute.

What are we going to call him?

Humphrey?

Humphrey the Hippo. Hugo?

Hugo. Hugo.

Having settled on a name...

Hugo the Hippo.

THEY LAUGH How nice.

..Julia's first to take a turn with Hugo.

Perfect.

Come here, Hugo.

See, we should have got a couple of Hugos.

The sisters won't be putting their feet up for long,

as there's still a huge amount of DIY ahead,

starting with sorting out the kitchen,

where in six months' time

they'll host their first family Christmas at the chateau.

Coming up...

..getting the beer flowing at the first wedding of the season...

Have you got it on right? I don't know.

I'm terrified of gas.

..sees Abbie facing her fears.

GAS HISSES Ah!

And the downpour in a new walled garden...

Just got to crack on, really.

..puts a DIY project to the test.

I've discovered it is a self-watering greenhouse, as is.

This is the magnificent Chateau des Lys.

The 19th century property has over 50 rooms

and sits in 15 acres of woodland.

For the past six years,

it's been home to rock musician Tim,

his wife Margreeth - a former teacher -

and their 11-year-old son, Joe.

They run the place as a business,

offering B&B, holiday lets,

a wedding venue and an expanding range of events.

We're in the middle of an adventure at the moment and...

We've got no idea where it's going, but every year it gets better.

I love the fact that we've learned so many new skills.

We have no experience in the tourist industry whatsoever.

And it's been such a learning curve.

Located just an hour from Calais,

they've been working on new projects to expand their business

and bring in more revenue.

If I had the money, I'd get the plasterer.

But I can't afford that, so I've got to do it myself.

They're creating a potager garden...

Wow!

That's an efficient way of weeding.

..to grow produce and flowers for their guests.

It's good for the environment

because there's no air miles to be made to get the food to our plates

and of course it will save us a lot of money.

As they need their first harvest ready in three months' time -

for a residential flower weekend -

the pressure is on to finish the project.

We've got loads of things coming up

and we want to have flowers for our flower arranging sessions.

But Tim still has to complete one crucial job.

Building a greenhouse to protect and help germinate precious seedlings.

It's something he promised Margreeth for her birthday two years ago.

He's constructing it entirely from recycled doors and windows,

but having broken much of the glass,

he's now having to replace the panes.

CRACKING TIM GASPS I've, er...

TIM LAUGHS

Oops!

There goes another one.

It's quite easy to break glass, you know.

It's fragile stuff.

It certainly is, Tim.

Well, at least he's not short of material.

Yeah!

That's really pleasing.

I quite enjoy that.

I know it's really simple.

That...

It opens.

Yeah, and I think it's strong enough as well.

Great.

One more to do.

It might be fairly rudimentary,

but this greenhouse now has a ventilation system,

which will be perfect for when the French sun gets too strong.

You've got to admire Tim's engineering ingenuity.

How's it going?

Yeah. Yeah, it's all right.

Time for Margreeth to get busy,

if the residential flower arranging event in three months

is to be a blooming success.

I'm just planting some dahlias

and they will become really big bunches of flowers,

ideal for flower picking, so for the flower arranging weekend.

Now mainly used for decoration,

dahlias originated in Mexico,

where the tubers were grown for food.

They're fast bloomers and will give bright-coloured flowers

through the summer and into autumn.

They'll be there for the flower weekend.

Perfect.

These are all, erm, different...

..pumpkins and butternut squashes.

Margreeth's also growing herbs and vegetables for the chateau kitchen.

I do prefer gardening to anything to do with the housekeeping.

I love being outside.

You and me both, Margreeth.

Though unlike indoor projects,

gardening can be very weather-dependent.

Oh, Tim, it's raining... OK.

..so I'm finished for today. OK.

I think it's gonna pour down in a minute.

I think it is, but I'm all right -

I've got a roof, I can work under the roof. Whey!

Tim's not going to let it rain on his parade,

as he's got a deadline to meet.

Just gotta crack on, really.

I can do most of it by hand, no power tools involved, so...

They say every cloud has a silver lining.

The rain is bucketing down, it's really, really torrential.

But I've discovered it is a self-watering greenhouse as is.

It pays to have a sunny outlook when you're a chateau owner.

At least the veg beds are getting a decent soaking.

Over 300 miles south, at Chateau du Doux,

the 70 guests for Abbie, Clive and Karen's first wedding

of the season have arrived.

One minute to go and then I'm gonna put the food out.

Getting 36 bedrooms ready in time has been a last-minute rush,

so fingers crossed the family booked into the recently renovated room 111

will be pleased with what they find.

Oh, wow.

Oh, this is so nice.

Look, Penelope! This is our bedroom.

What do you reckon? Is it nice?

Yes, ten out of ten!

It's just so grand.

When you first, like, walk through the gate,

it's got the wow factor, hasn't it?

Because it just is beautiful.

A big thumbs-up for the accommodation.

Now it's down to general manager and wedding planning Abbie

to make sure bride Emily's food and drink requests are all met.

The expat fish and chip van's turned up and is going down a storm.

We're doing cod and chips, or we've got jumbo sausage and chips.

I'll have fish and chips, please. You sure? Thank you.

But getting the beer flowing in the marquee is proving to be a problem.

You've made a right mess. I know, I did.

The pipes from the beer barrel to the taps of the machine are leaking.

So I filled it up, two seconds later it's pouring out.

What a mess. I know.

With a wedding party of thirsty guests, they need to fix this fast.

That's where it's coming from. It's coming from there.

It's dripping from there onto there. So it's running down the cable?

Just get some tape. Gaffer tape it.

This calls for a quick fix.

Gaffer tape? Come on, then.

Gaffer tape it is. My favourite thing. How to fix everything.

Gaffer tape applied, they're ready to check if it's done the job.

There's nothing coming out. Gas open.

I'm scared of these things that it's going to explode on me.

CLANG Oh!

Well, no-one's going to be drinking out of that.

Have you got it on right? I don't know. I'm terrified of gas.

Dad Clive bravely turns the gas tap on.

The thing's in line with the keg. OK, so it seems to be working now.

And now there's the more enviable task of checking the goods.

Does it pass the taste test? I don't know.

I bet it's horrible. That actually is pretty good. It seems to work.

Oh, yes.

Whilst the beer may be back on tap, there's no rest for Abbie,

as the bride's also asked for English cocktails.

I bought these two containers, and then I'm working out

the capacity of each container, the capacity of the glasses...

Yeah. Quite complicated.

Seven-litre containers, are they? No, they're eight litre.

But with all the fruit, I'm going to take a litre for the fruit.

OK, so... It's cool, I've worked it out in my head.

How many glasses are there? 30. And one glass is 200ml.

One litre, and that's 1.35...

It may be making her brain hurt, but getting her sums right

will ensure Abbie boosts her profit margin, so it's worth the effort.

Let's hope that all adds up to a recipe for a successful cocktail.

Just 35 miles away,

six weeks after moving into Chateau le Mas de Pradie,

Julia's tackling her first big project.

The kitchen is really the heart of the house.

So it's really important to make it very comfortable.

At our chateau, a small but functional service kitchen

was the only working kitchen we had for our first year.

I don't care that it's falling apart and dilapidated.

All I wanted was the chateau!

But of course we eventually did want a proper family kitchen,

and it was one of our favourite projects.

At the minute, it's a shell.

Before long it's going to be an amazing place.

We worked to create a space for culinary creativity

large enough for family meals.

At her chateau,

Julia plans to host a big family Christmas in six months' time.

So if she wants her Christmas ready, she needs to make

the most of extra help from visiting sisters Jenny and Melissa.

Right.

So, we're going to tackle this wall.

Julia's hoping there are some original timbers

lurking behind the walls.

What we're going to do is start by stripping off some

layers of the plaster to reveal some of the beams.

We don't need to chisel it out.

Get in there, Jen.

It's very satisfying.

When it comes to old chateau construction, you can never

be sure exactly what you're going to unearth, so it's fingers crossed.

There you go.

Finally, they find what they're looking for.

So we're just going to keep going, see how much timber we can reveal.

So what we're doing in my mind is revealing...

the bits that want to be revealed.

OK.

Julia has a plan to make the most of this antique wood.

So, paint between the timbers,

so we've got nice sanded and varnished, waxed timbers.

There's a less appealing side to dislodging old plaster.

Oh, it is a bit dusty, isn't it?

It's getting up my nose.

OK.

These first-time chateau DIYers will need to get dust masks,

high protection and even hard hats to get the rest of this

renovation done safely.

You can come down now. No, this is so much fun.

I really love doing this.

Yup. It came down.

Revealing the chateau's past

is the start of a very exciting future for Julie.

But there's still a lot of work ahead to make this kitchen

a welcoming and functional heart of the home.

Coming up: The morning after the night before.

Quite a selection of bottles here.

Sees a big mix-up for the wedding drinks.

Do you think we can get two bottles of lemonade in there? No, I don't.

Can't decant?

And father and son finish a surprise for Mum in the garden.

We should show it to her. We should show it to her, shouldn't we?

Shall we get her up? Yes, let's go and get her. OK.

Back in Southwest France,

it's the morning of Chateau Du Doux's first wedding of the season.

Last night's late finish was great news for their bar sales.

Quite a selection of bottles here.

But with lots still to set up for the day ahead,

it's been in early start for dad, Clive, and daughter, Abbie.

Six o'clock, we were up, and we just...

And we are going to be going

until about three or four in the morning, so...

Yeah, pacing ourselves. Going to be OK. It's going to be a long day.

I think that already. That's my fear, I must admit.

While son Ross is on vacuum cleaning duty...

That's pretty much most of the hoovering done

on one set of spiral stairs.

..Abbie is roping in Dad, Clive, to help with one of her many jobs.

Move it. HE SIGHS

"Move it. Move it."

I want things done. "I want it done! I want it done now!"

I've got a long list of things to do.

I'm not here to serve your every request, Abigail.

This arch will form the backdrop to the wedding ceremony.

Abbie designed it herself, so knows exactly how she wants it to look.

I want everything to be perfect. Mm.

I'm glad this thing isn't heavy.

It's not heavy at all. No, that's the good thing.

The wedding arch isn't the only thing Abbie has

very precise ideas about.

After doing her homework yesterday for the English cocktails

requested by the bride,

it's time to put the calculations to the test.

Doing 30 glasses or more. 30 glasses.

OK, so, if I have 15 slices from each cucumber

and shove the rest in a pot...

Do you want to count 15 and put them in that bowl?

No, wait, let me tip this out and count.

Why? Because I'm going to count.

You're not going to count the individual pieces?! I am, yeah.

Just do it by sight. I can't do that. Why? It has to be methodical.

Two. Have you got time to waste? You're worse than me. Three.

It's going to be a long day.

I think it's cos we stayed up really late doing the bar

again last night. Yeah.

The lack of sleep soon starts to show.

Stop. Can I put them in? Yeah. 15. You've got ten.

What? Ten you said. Did I?

11, 12, 13, 14, 15...

..16, 17...

..18, 19...

..20. That's not actually that accurate,

but there's enough to do 30 glasses there.

Let's hope not everybody wants a strawberry.

Now for the alcohol.

And she's worked out exactly how much lemonade she needs.

At least that was the plan.

Mum, I've miscalculated, or someone's lied to me.

They're meant to be eight litre things.

That's one litre, that's three, that's four and a half.

Oh, my gosh, my head.

Looks like these cocktails could either be weak or very strong.

It's the right colour and it's got the fruit in it.

I've never done this before.

Unsure if her cocktail mix is the right strength

to keep the guests and her profit margins happy,

Abbie decides to decant and correct the error.

It needs two bottles in for the lemonade.

Right, let me put half of each in.

And then I've got two left over. That's ideal. Done.

I just worked that out. You're worrying unnecessarily.

OK, half-and-half and then...

..maybe decant a bottle of each.

Can you decant one bottle, please?

Mm-hm.

And then we're done.

They've been at this for almost an hour,

and with all the subtraction and addition,

Abbie's getting addled.

Do you think we can get two bottles of lemonade in there?

No. No, I don't.

And it's not just the cocktails where there may have been

miscalculations.

Why are there two barrels of beer in the corridor?

Because they're the ones they've ordered.

And that's it.

The bar sales for the day have already outstripped

Abbie's projections.

So, I don't really know what to do.

But I am concerned, tonight there's going to be nothing left.

If the bar runs dry, they'll lose potential sales

and risk a chateau full of unhappy guests.

So Abbie needs to find a way to keep things lubricated

until the end of the night.

Over 300 miles north,

the storm has passed for Tim and Margreeth's potager garden.

The centrepiece greenhouse is now fully glazed.

And with the help of 11-year-old son, Joe,

Tim is busy cleaning the glass panes

so that Margreeth can get her long-overdue birthday present.

What do you think? Are you happy with this? Yeah.

Well done. Nice and clean window,

any last dust off from the sides.

I'm excited to see the face on my mother.

It's two years late, but better...better now than never.

OK, that's the window done.

This really is a greenhouse in every sense of the word.

I've used all the materials that I've had from other projects

all lying around the chateau.

And I think, you know, we really have created

something from absolutely nothing.

And it's a bit rough and ready, but at the end of it,

it's something wonderful.

Tim's even making seed trays from old wooden pallets.

We're done, that's it.

Wow, look at that.

OK.

You take that.

OK, be very careful with that, please, it's a bit fragile.

I'm not very good at this. I'm very bad at arranging things.

Margreeth, under strict instructions to stay away

until her surprise is all present and correct.

Tell me when the heart's in good position. OK?

OK. So what do you reckon, about there? Yeah.

That's the story of my life.

You don't want a broken heart at this stage of the game, Tim.

Joe, mate, what should I do? Should I stick it up there?

Or on the corner here?

With Joe's handmade sign taking pride of place,

this labour of love is all ready to show to Mum.

So what do you think? It looks nice!

It's great, isn't it? I think it's very us, isn't it?

Yeah, Mummy will like it.

I'm really proud of the greenhouse.

Fitting it all in with the weather has been a bit of a nightmare,

but we've done it.

We should show it to her. We should show it to her, shouldn't we?

We should get her up. Yes, let's go and get her. OK.

It's been two years since Tim promised Margreeth a greenhouse.

OK.

Mum!

Surprise. Yes! Yeah, surprise!

Ten weeks after he started laying the groundwork at the potager,

it's ready to be revealed.

So there's nothing, you can just keep walking, you're OK.

I'm really scared. You're fine.

You're fine, you're fine. I'm really scared!

One, two, three.

TOGETHER: Happy birthday.

Oh! THEY LAUGH

Oh, that's so cute!

For your birthday. Oh!

That is so... That's lovely! I love my hearts.

Oh, this is so nice. Chez Margreeth.

Oh, that is so cute.

Oh, my boys, come here!

Thank you.

Oh, wow!

Wow, guys. Joe put these up as well.

Oh, it's so nice! Yeah. They're great!

They're cool, aren't they? Oh, they are so cool!

You can put your little... Yeah, I can put my plants in there.

Absolutely.

Oh, wow!

And some presents!

You know, guys, it's not really my birthday.

I know, but it used to be, and we missed it, and this is all for you.

Aw.

SHE GIGGLES

Good. Thank you.

Thank you, boys. So, shall we get the drinks open?

Cheers. Cheers. Cheers, Joe.

To the greenhouse. TOGETHER: To the greenhouse.

And to Mummy. Cheers. Thank you all.

With the greenhouse complete,

their potager garden is now ready for the growing season.

This greenhouse, this garden, absolutely worth the wait.

We've taken a neglected area of the garden and we turned it into this,

which will produce stuff for us

that we can use for our guests, and our cooking and our flower weekends.

And it's a lovely little space.

Looks like their first residential flower weekend

in three months' time is on track to be blooming marvellous.

Almost 400 miles south,

the timber work on the walls of Julia's kitchen is now exposed.

All right, so...

Next, with help from sister, Melissa,

there's a big decision to be made,

whether to keep the previous owner's experimental artwork

above the fireplace.

I think it's a scary face. I don't actually like it.

The previous owner was Bernard Dufour,

who was a famous French artist.

And he lived here until his death a couple of years ago.

I'm against covering other people's artwork,

but this is not a museum, it's my house.

So it's going. SHE LAUGHS

Time to say farewell to the face above the fire.

Bye-bye. We probably should take a photo of it before we destroy it.

Yes, all right. Are you ready? Is that your smiling face?

It is, as good as I can get.

Ah, lovely. There you go.

Julia needs to remove any areas of loose plaster

so the wall can be filled, sanded and painted.

Oh, look, you're giving him hair. Yeah, well, actually...

Hey, that's cool. You're improving. We're creating a better work of art.

It soon turns out there's more damaged plaster

than Julia bargained for.

This is a problem, this bit. It is, isn't it?

Oh, Jules...

Sounds very hollow, the whole thing.

Yes, look, it's all falling apart now, isn't it?

A hollow sound is a sign plaster has lost its bond with the wall below.

It has to be taken off and re-plastered.

Julia decides to spot-repair the damaged areas.

So, we're going to actually just try and patch that. Oh.

Because if I start taking that down, the whole lot's going to come down.

So, if I just put a bit of plaster on the edges...

Yes.

I'd love a mask.

Julia, you needed that earlier!

This wall definitely will not be smooth.

It's going to be very rustic.

But that's its character.

Rough and ready finishes can be part of the chateau look.

But they do need to be attached to the wall.

Here it comes. That's a nasty, big hole.

So, what I do is this, a big hole like this, I just do...

A little bit. ..a deep fill there.

Deep fill done, now for some sanding and more safety wear.

Can I have my sunglasses?

Or at least an approximation of safety wear.

This is how one should sand. Mask and sunglasses.

Not actually sure sunglasses are the same as goggles.

But at least Melissa's keeping a firm grip on the ladder

as the walls get a wipe down to remove dust and dirt,

ready for painting.

THEY LAUGH

Looks so much better. Oh, my gosh!

THEY LAUGH

To offset the dark wood on the floor and ceiling,

Julia's opting for a whiter shade of pale.

It's certainly an improvement.

These bits that the paint's not filling in the grooves... Yes.

..I quite like that effect.

It gives you depth. Well, it hides the other imperfections.

Shall we look at it from a distance? Yeah.

Well, it's a good start.

Yes.

SHE CHUCKLES

A promising beginning,

but there's a lot more patching and painting ahead,

plus the old floor to tackle to make this kitchen

the welcoming space Julia has in mind.

Coming up...

..a busy bar keeps the pressure on at Chateau du Doux...

I think we're on our own beer barrel number seven,

and the night is young, as they say.

..and Julia's kitchen transformation nears completion.

Hm. Oh, wow. Makes a big difference, doesn't it? Oh, my gosh.

Can you imagine the whole house?

They're the dream floors, aren't they? Yeah.

In south-west France, it's the day of Abbey, Karen and Clive's

first wedding of the season,

and it's the first time they're making the most of

the chateau's alcohol licence by charging for drinks at an event.

The ceremony is about to begin, and with fears the beer and wine

is already running low, the hope is Abbey's English cocktail mix...

Don't know what they taste like, but they look the part.

..set on her newly created outdoor barrel bar,

will take the pressure off while they send for supplies.

It's a bit wobbly. HE LAUGHS

The bar's about to be used, so we're going to see.

It looks good, so, yeah, I'm happy with it.

For now, though, all attention is on bride Emily's entrance.

The moment we've all been waiting for.

I now pronounce you husband and wife.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Time to drink to the happy couple

and see if Abbey's got her sums right on the cocktails.

This is selling like hot cakes, isn't it?

I'm going to open a stall down the market.

Oh, the English cocktails are so good.

Especially on a day like this, because it's, what, 31 degrees?

So having English cocktails is so nice.

I don't think they lasted long. No. I think there was about a ten-minute

window, and then they were just snapped up straight away. Yeah.

As the guests file into the dining room for the reception meal,

Abbey's sourced extra supplies.

So the bar won't be running dry any time soon.

I think we are on beer barrel number seven.

I think we only prepared for five, so we're two up.

And the night is young, as they say,

so I think even more should be consumed by the end of the night.

Good news for the chateau's profits.

But Abbey's also been checking in with the bride and groom

to make sure they're happy with the potential bar bill.

It's our wedding and we only get married once, so if our friends

and family want to drink as much as they want, that's fine with us.

Isn't it? Yeah. You might have to start doing more over time,

but we'll be fine!

Making sure everyone's happy is crucial to a successful business,

and as the guests tuck into the wedding meal,

it seems Karen, Clive and Abbey have got all the ingredients right.

Mr and Mrs Reeves!

THEY TOAST

Do you think it's time for the first dance?

CHEERING

Paul and Emily would like to just take the floor.

CHEERING

As the guests join the bride and groom, behind the scenes,

the big clear-up's already begun.

Oh, my God!

Lots of people have commented how superb the food was,

so, really happy for them.

Oh! That's hot!

For the guests at the marquee,

the newly concreted and painted floor

means everyone feels like dancing.

It's a moment for the family to reflect on what they've achieved.

It's been a tremendous success, this first wedding of the season.

It all came right on the day.

They still need to increase their bookings,

but with their new model of charging guests for drinks,

they're gaining new revenue for every wedding they host.

I'm just delighted that everything went really well,

and I'm delighted that everybody's had a lovely day.

We wish them every success for the future.

35 miles away, just six weeks after moving into her very own

chateau, Julia's first big renovation project is under way.

The kitchen fireplace mural is replaced with bright light paint.

Next on the agenda

are the 223 square feet of original floorboards.

So, we're going to try the oiling the floors. Mm-hm.

She's using linseed oil.

Adding turps as a thinner means it spreads more easily

and will dry more quickly.

So, I have my cushion for my knees. Very important.

Linseed oil is an environmentally friendly plant-based ingredient

that's been used to give wood

a waterproof and wear-resistant finish for centuries.

Lovely, isn't it? Yes.

It brings out more of the brown in the wood.

Oh, wow. Hm! Oh, wow!

Makes a big difference, doesn't it? Yeah.

Can you imagine the whole house?

They're the dream floors, aren't they? Yeah.

Showcasing the bold of this beautiful old building

not only looks great, it's saving money on new flooring.

Do you want to do some? I am happy to do some.

Especially when you do the work yourself.

Glove up.

SHE SIGHS Look at that.

With her first room transformation taking shape,

Julia's vision for her chateau is coming to life.

It's very exciting.

The kitchen is really coming together how I imagined.

It's going to be such a lovely room when it's finished.

It will. It'll look amazing. Yeah. Yeah.

Julia's sisters have all returned home for now,

but someone else has made the trip from down under to join Julia

in her fairly tale property.

Come on! Minky! Minksy!

My cat Minky is now here.

He's out exploring the garden.

You're creeping around like a scaredy cat.

As Minky adjusts to chateau life,

Julie completes some final touches to her kitchen.

Let's put these in here too.

There we go.

Just over a month ago, the kitchen was a neglected space

where Julia was making do with furniture

left behind by the previous owner.

After uncovering original timber frames on the walls...

..fixing the old plasterwork...

..redecorating in a brighter colour scheme,

and oiling the floors,

it's transformed into a warm and welcoming space

filled with Julia's personal touches.

Painting the walls white, this cream colour,

has actually lightened the room up a lot.

It's a really nice space to be in.

I enjoy the space, and I enjoy cooking in the space,

and I'm really looking forward to cooking for family and friends

when they come.

Next on Julia's to-do list is completing the dining room

and getting her accommodation ready to host family and paying guests.

Next time...

More surprises for Marguerite as Tim upgrades the hayloft.

Ready? Yeah.

Ta-da! Oh, wow!

Oh, that is so nice!

Julia faces a dilemma in her dining room.

I don't understand what's going on.

Just have to give it some thought on the best way to go forward with it.

And a couple who are on a chateau-buying quest...

Oh, wow. This is beautiful.

..to become kings of their very own castle.

Amazing. The floor is incredible.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media