Original subtitles

two children...

Yay! Well done.

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

Look, look, look, look!

SHE GASPS

Oh, my God, that is so beautiful.

It's not just our home...

Ugh, and we're up.

..but our business.

You may kiss your bride.

GUESTS CHEER

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: Yay!

There will be triumphs...

This looks incredible!

Do you like it? I love it.

..and setbacks...

HE GASPS

..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, one couple continue their search for their dream castle.

It's like we've walked back in time.

At our place, it's a family affair.

Look, perfect.

That's my girl.

At this chateau, job delegation...

Let's go and see how deep this well really is.

..causes a stink.

It's a bit smelly. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

And these new chateau owners have a furniture fallout.

It could be nice if we painted it. That's such a cliche,

painted, old furniture. Yeah.

Relocating across the Channel with a young family is a big decision.

It took Angel and I four years to find our perfect place.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.

Oh, look at that.

But, it's once the keys are handed over that the hard work

really starts.

North of us,

a family are right at the start of their chateau adventure.

Set in 15 acres of grounds, 16-room

Chateau Gonneville is a new home to fashion designer Anna, her Italian

film-maker husband Philipp and their two daughters, Lily and Ella.

I remember just driving in through the driveway

and just thinking, wow, this is amazing.

I couldn't imagine buying any other chateau.

My heart was with this one.

Located in Normandy, the couple sunk all their money

and took out a huge loan to buy the chateau for £900,000

with the promise of opening it as a B&B by spring.

The real pressure is that we had to take out quite

a lot of money from the bank, and we have to run it as a business.

We are very much cash-poor, property rich, so if it doesn't work

then maybe we'll be forced to sell it, which would just be too sad.

I don't even want to think of that.

They decided to renovate the top floor into a family

apartment before transforming the first floor, where they're

currently living, into guest accommodation.

The wood underneath the window is equally rotten as the window

frames themselves.

But now currently behind schedule,

the pressure is on to get the place finished.

There's no hidden savings that we could use if everything turns wrong.

It's a little scary and intimidating and a bit overwhelming, I would say.

With Philipp across the major renovations, Anna's domain is

furnishing, so today they're bargain hunting at a local charity shop.

Specifically today, we were looking to find a cabinet that we

could use in our bathroom to put the sink on,

and we'll see if there's anything else that catches our eyes.

Given your tight budget, that sounds like a risky business,

Best to focus on the bathroom cabinet.

These places, though, are full of distractions.

What do you think, do you like them? Look, they're Lily-sized.

We have this little chapel that we want to restore one day,

but it's completely empty, so I think it could be a first

step of furnishing that chapel, could be these two chairs.

Do you like the chair? "Yes, that's a big yes".

"I like the chair".

Philipp isn't the only one who's had his head turned.

You see this one, Philipp, this wardrobe here.

This one? I thought it could be nice

if we painted it for the girls for their room. Hmm.

What do you think? No, I don't. You don't like it? Not at all.

I think it's quite nice, and it's only 30 euros.

I like this idea of this sort of style of wardrobe and painted.

I hate the idea of painting old furniture.

I'm going to convince you.

I'm going to show you some... That's such a cliche,

painted, old furniture.

Yeah. Do you like it? Yes, I like it.

So, we have our first.

I don't care. I'm just going to do it anyway, so.

Yeah, OK. You don't have a choice.

I'm staying out of this one.

This chair here, Philipp, it's only ten euros.

It's going to be nice if it's re-done, yeah, I mean ten euros,

come on. You can tell it has been repaired once, and you could imagine

it with a new fabric, and I think it's a good project for Anna.

Anna was always talking about upholstering...

Yeah, I want to sort of. ..things, it's like a fantasy of yours,

upholstery. Yeah, I would love to have a go anyway.

Yeah, let's get it. I think we can repair that one.

I think it's ten euros, yeah. Well, yeah, yeah, good find.

Now, that doesn't look like a bathroom cabinet,

but I'm pleased you've found something you can agree on.

No, I've never reupholstered anything in my life.

I really want to have a go. I think I'll be all right.

I think I could manage.

That's the spirit, Anna - nothing ventured, nothing gained,

and she's not the only person getting in to the swing of things.

What do you think of these? How much are they? 35.

Yep. Huh? OK. Yep?

I think we should get it. We have so many chimneys.

Yep. Yeah, no, it's beautiful. That's a beautiful chimney mirror.

Yep. What do you think about this mirror? Yeah, this one I like.

It's a little over-the-top, but... Why not? ..why not?

I think it's cool.

Yeah, cool.

They certainly aren't leaving empty-handed, but having

spent 165 euros, about £140, there's still nothing for the bathroom.

Merci beaucoup.

I think we just have to keep coming back here.

Yes. Every week there's new stuff, so we'll just become regulars.

That's fine when you have the time, but you'll need to keep moving

ahead with the renovations if there's any chance of opening that

B&B on schedule.

160 miles south, Scotsman Iain and his wife, Kate, are waiting

to start their own chateau adventure in the Loire Valley.

They've spent the last six years hunting for a property that's

large enough for their extended family as well as having

genuine moneymaking potential.

We need to have a business when we purchase the chateau to

allow us to enjoy the life and the lifestyle that we want to have.

And I think we will need the chateau to look after itself basically.

Iain and Kate have sold their home and a stake in their pharmacy

business in Australia to raise £1,300,000 for the move.

So far this trip, with the help of their family, they've seen

four incredible chateaux.

How beautiful.

While Kate is drawn to period detail and grandeur...

It still has original features which is really important to us.

..Iain has an eye for the business opportunities.

This is a lovely proportioned room, isn't it?

They even had a sneak preview of one that's

not on the market, which they loved.

This is so special, this room, just look at all the detail in there.

Got a good feel about it. I like it.

Iain and Kate have been impressed so far, but they have not yet

made up their mind, so today they're viewing the enormous 17th-century

Chateau de Rere, which boasts almost 6,500 square feet of

living space.

Built on the remains of a feudal castle, it sits in 25 acres

and has five large outbuildings.

Just look at that chateau driving up.

You can only imagine the events that we could have here,

and the family life here as well. Pretty excited to see inside.

Located in the Loire Valley, at around one and a half million

pounds, it's over budget but has tremendous business potential.

Estate agent Bertram is showing them around.

How are you? Nice to see you.

Good morning, good morning.

Along with their daughter Jade and her family.

A lot of history.

It's 17th century and a real original.

It has stayed in the same family for 22 generations.

22 generations, wow.

Let's go inside to visit the chateau.

Thank you.

First, the impressive entrance hall.

Oh, wow.

Beautiful condition, beautiful condition.

Beautiful beams with original stairs.

It is rare to have wood finish like this.

Yeah. Cause normally it's stone. Stone, yeah.

I like it.

Let's go to the corridor, and after you have access to the

principal room.

Wow. Wow, look at this floor.

Yeah, it's a real Versailles floor.

Yeah.

With the French gentry's desire to impress,

once introduced in the palace of Versailles,

it became fashionable in many other aristocratic homes.

I love that it's light in colour, not so dark.

You know when you usually see, it's really dark.

Have a look at some of the detail...

I know. ..alongside of the fireplace as well.

Beautiful, I love it. This is, like, perfect.

The original features have certainly got Kate fired up,

but they haven't seen anything yet.

Next stop is the chapel in one of the chateau's towers.

Do you like it, guys? Yeah, it's pretty amazing.

Yeah, it looks like it's untouched. Yeah, it really does.

Like it was like this when it was first built.

You can see the vitraille.

The vitraille. What's a vitraille?

Vitrified glass.

So, we call it stained glass.

Yes, vitre. OK. Wow. It's in very good condition,

it's been very well maintained. Yeah, really.

So, is this ordained, is that what they say, ordained?

We say ordained, so a priest can come in and conduct the ceremony.

Yeah.

Looks like Iain might be thinking about the potential of this

place as a wedding venue, a good call.

I wonder if it will be love at first sight in their modern kitchen?

Ooh! OK.

Kate, your thoughts? No, I don't like it.

How disappointing.

Oh, well, you get that, I suppose.

It's a project. But you could fix that, yeah.

It's fixable.

Definitely, cause there's a room right next door that you

could knock through to. Yeah. I like the floor all the way through.

Yeah, very much, just need to open up the space. And that's probably

all I'd keep. Yeah. What do you think, Jade?

Just knock it down and start again. Yeah. We'll knock it down, will we?

Knock the wall down, will you help me? Yeah, good man.

Looks like the whole family is in agreement.

Such a disappointment because everything in the chateau is

so grand and beautiful, and then you walk in there and go, oh, OK,

maybe '70s, '80s.

Someone had a red moment.

Well, so far it feels like this place is in the balance.

It could all depend on what they find upstairs.

Coming up...

Have you reached Australia yet?

Well, we've just got to find out where it's going.

At this chateau, they're up to their elbows in it.

Poor Daddy. He's halfway up a drain.

At our place, Dorothy and her grandad get to work.

Perfect.

But we're not the only ones with a pint-sized apprentice.

You have to pull it.

Ouch!

This is a 17th century Chateau de Sagonne Ville

believed to have been home to one of the three musketeers.

With six acres of land, several outbuildings,

and 42 rooms, it was bought for £645,000 last year

by music teacher Becky and her engineer husband, Mark.

Becky plans to move here permanently from the Middle East with

daughters Charlotte and Sophia next year.

We took ten years from, like, the first day we started

looking before we found this place, and we just don't regret it.

Every day this place just keeps giving.

When we open up the windows and look out onto the garden

and see the view, it's just absolutely stunning.

Sharing this chateau with them is Becky's retired father,

George, who looks after it when they're away.

These are not nearly as good as the more expensive ones, unfortunately.

Located 25 miles from Toulouse in south-west France,

Becky and Mark have taken the first step to making this their home,

hosting drinks for the village in their courtyard.

Mummy! Another visitor!

Ah, bonsoir!

Now, before they return to the Middle East,

they're turning their attention to an outbuilding

they eventually hope will be let out as a gite.

That will help to sort of put a few more pennies aside

for the day-to-day running of the property,

and hopefully going forward in the next ten years or so,

once we retire, we'll also have that as an income coming in to help us.

They recently discovered a disused well next to the proposed gite.

HE GRUNTS

Oh, my goodness me. Look at that!

Oh, it's water!

They're wondering if the well could be used to supply the gite.

If the chateau's drainage system in the courtyard connects to it,

it may be unusable.

The whole family's mucking in to investigate.

Oh, thank you.

HE LAUGHS Right.

I think we should get the hose and open up the drain here

and open up the well.

See where it's going.

OK.

The first step is to clear out the drains

to see where the water is going to.

Ah, Charlotte.

Mark, that job's got your name on it.

So, we've got quite a few roots in the bottom of the drain here,

but it is still draining down which is good,

so it's clearly going somewhere.

We've just got to find out where it's going.

Right.

How are you getting on, have you reached Australia yet?

At times like these, it's great to know your family has your back.

Poor Daddy, he's halfway up a drain.

Have we got anything that we could stick up there

rather than your hand?

Not really.

I think we've gone as far as we can with this.

Time to bring in the big guns.

BOTH: Charlotte.

Do you want to bring that water down here?

With as much gunk cleared out as possible,

they try to get some water to flow through.

Charlotte, you keep squirting and we'll see if the water is coming

through into the well.

Right, here we go, let's see what we've got, OK.

Is there any obvious sign?

It doesn't look like the water from the drain

is connected to the well here.

That could be good, but as that well also looks very clogged up,

you won't be sure until you've cleared it out - rather you than me.

Almost 400 miles north in Normandy,

the target date to move into the family apartment has passed,

and they're still months away from completion.

Philip is working flat out as winter's coming.

While Philip tackles the big DIY project upstairs,

Anna's mum Jenny has arrived and is helping out wherever she can...

BOTH: Woo!

..including Anna's new project to restore her bargain

from the charity shop.

Now, we understand why it was only ten euros.

This might be the most expensive ten euros that she's spent.

We could be opening a can of worms,

but we won't know until we've taken this off.

Well, nothing beats having a go to learn a new skill.

This is like a test, like a learning chair

and probably one of the most difficult ones.

Having taken off the fabric, they discover the old padding.

Is it attached to the back?

SHE GASPS

Look, look, look.

Whoa! Oh, that's kind of gross.

It's just got bits of hay. Oh, is it hay, or is it horsehair as well?

Yes, it's horsehair as well, actually.

Before man-made materials were available,

horsehair was often mixed with hay as cheap padding.

We'll leave these around the edge here. Yeah.

I think that's it, pull it through.

Let's take this off. Oh, gross.

Shall we get the Hoover?

I'm not sure I'd want to keep decades' worth of dust,

decaying horsehair and hay either.

Underneath the padding is a knotted string web

keeping the springs in place.

If I take a picture of it,

and then, like, we can remember kind of how it went.

Good idea.

There's a lot of bits to put back together again.

It's going to probably take another week at least.

It's going to be very nice when it's finished.

It is, I think it's going to be fine.

I love it, and I'm really excited to repair it and restore it

and see it when it's finished cos I think it's going to be beautiful,

and everyone will laugh and say... That was the chair.

..it was the ten euro chair.

A couple of days later,

Anna's moving on to the next stage of her chair refurbishment.

For simplicity and speed, she's invested in a staple gun to

put new webbing on the chair before reattaching the springs.

I've never done it before,

and I was really scared but actually it's not as scary as it looks.

Lengths of webbing are attached under the base of the chair

to form a lattice for the springs to sit on.

The more tension the better, basically,

and normally you have a special tool for stretching the webbing,

but it was quite expensive, and I kind of found a video online

that was basically some guy using a, um, it's a monkey wrench.

Well, this isn't a monkey wrench.

I actually should have a monkey wrench because then you can actually

fix it. This is just a normal wrench.

Sometimes, Anna, you just have to improvise.

A while later, with the webbing done,

it's time for the next stage - reattaching the springs.

OK, hang on.

Oh, we don't want to let go of our needle.

For this job, luckily, Anna has a little helper.

OK, pull the strings through so it's really tight.

And then with this needle we're going to go in on the other side

of the spring. Push it in, that's it.

And then we have to grab it from underneath,

and then we have to pull it.

Ow! I know, it's a bit tricky, isn't it?

Pull the thread nice and tight...

One, two, three.. That's it, well done.

What colour fabric should we put on this chair, Lily?

Eh, pink!

Is that because that's your favourite colour? Yes.

Pink here and blue here.

Oh, we could do that! A multicoloured chair.

Yeah. That could be funky.

You're a little way off making colour choices just yet,

but your bargain chair is really starting to take shape.

Now, obviously this is the first time,

so my skills of upholstery will improve hopefully.

I'm enjoying it, so I'll think I'll keep going.

I'll do some more projects after this one, for sure.

By the time you finish the chateau, Anna, you'll be a dab hand.

Spending quality time with our children

is one of the joys of owning a chateau.

At our place in the Pays de la Loire,

when there are jobs to be done, the whole family loves mucking in.

Now, now, now, how's this gonna work?

Arthur, can you pick up that one and walk over there?

Keep walking, keep walking.

No, no, go to your left.

Which side's your left? That side. Yes, pull harder!

It may not always be the fastest way to get things done...

ARTHUR: I can't see!

I need you to help me. We're not finished yet.

..but it does mean we all contribute to our life here in France.

What have we got to do?

Oh, come with me!

One job I recently got Dorothy to do

was assembling the new cupboards for our pantry.

Yeah.

Right, put that under there and see if we can get this open.

Well done.

Wow.

And she had an eager apprentice in Grandad Steve...

Do you know what? I'm going to do this one.

..even if the foreman of this crack flat-pack team

was rather easily distracted.

Dorothy? Right, shall we put this on?

Once she got started, she showed her grandad the ropes.

We need a hammer.

Can you just turn my hand so...?

Gosh.

Done. Feel that, does that feel nice and tight?

Clearly a chip off the old block.

And to finish the job off,

Dorothy called for the sacred Strawbridge mallet.

Oh, look. Perfect.

That's the special one.

Just tap it.

Right, you hold on.

Right, go.

Keep going.

Ouch!

THEY LAUGH

Ah, well, you can't make an omelette without breaking some fingers.

That's my girl.

And a couple of days later, and with all the cupboards built,

Dorothy left Steve and I to start fixing them to the wall.

Now, you're gonna lift it up. Yep.

I've got this side.

I can't see a thing from where I am.

It's on.

OK.

VOICEOVER: And a few hours later, the pantry was finished.

Many hands, old and young, make light work indeed.

Back in the Loire Valley, Kate, Ian and their family

are viewing 17th-century Chateau de Raire.

While the kitchen may have thrown Kate off,

the rest of the downstairs impressed,

so now they're checking out the eight en-suite bedrooms upstairs.

This is nice. Yeah, this is a good size.

Yes. Yeah, the original floors again.

And lots of natural light coming in.

ESTATE AGENT: Between two bedrooms, you have a bathroom.

Yeah. Yeah, excellent.

This chateau's been run as a B&B for the past ten years,

so there's real business potential here.

I like these thick walls. Mm.

You could turn it into, like, a suite.

Like, a bridal suite or something. Do you want to go to see the roof?

Yeah, this will be interesting.

The interiors have impressed,

but it's important to see that the bones of the building

are in good nick, too.

OK. The roof looks new.

It's a new one, yeah. Yeah.

Yeah. No, really good. Very happy with that.

Within the last couple of years they've done this, so...?

Five years ago. Five years? Yes.

Still looks very good. Yeah, it's in really good condition.

Good news, but will it be enough to seal the deal for Ian and Kate?

It's exceeded expectations

with regard to the actual grandeur of the place.

The fact that it has a moat there, as well, is an added bonus.

The chapel is just outstanding.

So very happy indeed.

I'm probably not as in love with it as Ian is.

It's very grand. It is very beautiful.

I don't know.

It'd need a lot of work for it to be homely for me.

Yeah. So, I'm not sure. You'll come round.

I'll come round! You'll see the light.

Yeah, maybe not. KATE LAUGHS

Thank you very much for your visit. Lovely to meet you.

Thank you very much. It's beautiful, thank you so much.

Thank you very much.

With a substantial amount of money on the line,

it's vital Ian and Kate are certain about this huge decision.

The question is, can they agree any of the five chateaus

they've seen is the place for them?

Coming up...

I've seen people doing this online.

It's once floor unto the breach for Philip.

I will try to get on and finish this tonight.

I don't want to think about the other five rooms,

or four rooms, that I have to do.

And in south-west France...

Oh, well, you've got pristine green boots on.

Yep, well, that's why I'm not going in the hole.

..all is not well.

Ugh, it's a bit smelly.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Becky and Mark are trying to find if the courtyard drains

feed into the newly discovered well

ahead of returning to the Middle East in a week's time.

So they've hired a digger to clear the surrounding area...

Ugh, it's so tight. Oh, God, that's heavy.

..before removing the heavy iron lid covering the well.

C'est bon!

The digger today did an amazing job, but the size of the roots

that we had to dig up were far bigger than we'd imagined.

Now they can access it, Mark's roped in his father-in-law, George,

to help clean the well out.

OK. Let's go see how deep this well really is.

So, what we're trying to do is to find out

the source of the water that's in the well.

We'll be able to identify how much of it, if any,

we can re-use as we develop the outbuildings around the chateau.

What's rather interesting is the use of the word "we",

because I think it's me,

and he'll be giving the orders, as happens as usual.

Yep, that's what project management is all about.

Poor George.

Oh, well, you've got pristine green boots on.

Yep, well, that's why I'm not going in the hole.

Right, you ready?

It's going down. It is. It's going down. Well, exactly.

That's why you need to go in

because I'm a lot heavier than you are, so.

At least you admit it.

That's from sitting around in offices all your life.

So says the desk jockey.

Ugh, it's a bit smelly. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

I know where that's going. Thank you.

On with clearing, and all this rubble

is a first clue as to why it's got so clogged up.

Now, what I'd like to do is to get some of this silt

into a wheelbarrow. OK.

Do you think you can get it a little bit closer, do you think?

Once enough silt has been cleared out,

they should be able to see if any water is coming in...

# Mud, mud

# Glorious mud. #

One bucket.

..even if that may take a while, one bucket at time.

If you can fill it, I'll empty it on the roses.

Oh, my poor roses.

Yes, but I'm already dirty. Ah!

A lot of graft and stinky buckets of mud later,

George spots something.

That's clean water. It is, indeed.

Goodness gracious me, we have found gold.

We've found the water, there you go.

They found where the water's coming in,

but they still need to investigate more.

For now, though, George at least has more pressing concerns.

I think I might need a wash.

I think you might need a hose-down.

So, we haven't got a lot of time left, we have just under a week

before we leave.

We'll probably have to get a pump in

to suck out the remaining water from the bottom.

So it's then going to be easier and quicker

to dig out the mud.

You agree? Yes. Well, as usual, I'm left with the dregs.

Exactly, well, you know.

I think I'll leave you two to sort out who does what.

Back in the Loire Valley, after viewing five chateaus,

Iain and Kate have made the decision

to return to the magnificent 18th century Chateau de Nuits.

It's so pretty.

Actually, this is probably my favourite view of it.

The chateau isn't on the market yet,

which means they could save tens of thousands of pounds on fees.

They already knew owner Francois from holidaying in a gite here,

so they got a sneak preview.

Wow. You see the dining room.

This is so special, this room,

just look at the level of detail in there.

And despite it needing a lot of work,

they fell in love with its character.

We pull into the driveway here, and it does feel like home.

I can imagine myself being here on a full-time basis.

I'm very comfortable with this place from a business perspective

because it has revenue streams rolling in already.

So it will allow us the permission to then go on

and make the chateau grand again.

Today, they're having a second viewing on their own

for a closer inspection of what they could be taking on.

Love this room, the heart of the home.

It's important Iain and Kate don't get carried away

and remember what they're looking for -

somewhere that feels like home,

but with that all-important business potential.

Love these doors, they're beautiful.

First up is the grand salon.

It's such a beautifully detailed room, isn't it? It's beautiful.

I forgot how much detail is in it.

It's preserved in time, isn't it? It is.

It's like we've walked back in time.

The floor needs a little bit of love.

Shall we go and have a look upstairs at the...

Yeah, great, that'd be lovely to have a look. ..other rooms?

Even though they've been here before, now they're on their own,

Iain and Kate can have a really good dig around.

Let's investigate.

Yes, this is it.

Love this room, look at the detail in the roof.

I'd forgotten how much I love it.

That fireplace.

I know. Isn't it amazing?

And the wallpaper.

I'd forgotten all of these details.

There is a lot to be done.

Like, there is, you know, damage that needs to be fixed.

But don't you think it would just be like a joy working in here?

Yeah, exactly. Like, you're working in an environment

that's actually just so nice, that you'd be like...

..and once you do a job, like, you know,

whether it be restore that or restore that.

Very satisfying. You'd be just like, yeah, very satisfying.

And the treats don't end here with this room.

Kate, there's something in here as well.

Wow.

I love that! Hey! Perfect.

Excellent. Yeah, good.

The secret bathroom is one of four bathrooms on this floor,

along with eight bedrooms.

But there's a fair bit of work to bring it all up to B&B standard.

OK, this is where the renovation mainly needs to be done.

Nice big space. This is a big space that he's already demolished. Mm.

But, really, he's just cleaned out.

Yeah. And you can just start again, can't you?

Beautiful and light, considering there's no... Yeah.

Great views, double aspects here.

Yeah, this could be a beautiful room.

Both the canal and the park. Great.

This room definitely has potential,

and while it needs major work, they seem to be up for the challenge.

I wonder if the six-year hunt for the dream chateau

could soon be coming to an end?

Back in Normandy and under pressure,

Philipp is still working on the attic apartment

in the race to get the family in before winter arrives.

The next major job he has to do is laying the flooring,

starting with the girls' 13 metre square bedroom.

And Philipp, being Philipp, has done his research

and come up with a novel plan for the chateau's skewwhiff floors.

We're using a flooring system that involves these little granules

to even out the old wonky floor.

And on top of these granules, we put some flooring boards.

We bought three and a half cubic metres of these,

and this should be enough to even out the whole floor

of our four bedroom apartment.

The granular board system Philipp's chosen for the floors

works out at twice the cost of standard flooring.

Given their stretched budget, I hope it's a decision that pays off.

I've seen people doing this online for hours!

The first step is to lay down a simple membrane

to stop any of the granules making an escape.

Step one, accomplished.

It looks OK. It looks OK, ready to go with the granules.

The trick here is to make sure they're completely even

before laying the flooring on top.

It looks level to me.

So, now we need to do the same on the other side.

And a little while later, the floor's ready for the next stage.

I think we're done with the preparation of that room.

So, we are ready to get the floorboards in.

The boards and clay granules help insulate the sound,

and with two children running amok,

that's good news for the eventual guests in the suites below.

Er, now, we need the second one.

I think that looks like success.

So far, so good, but it's slow going.

DRILL WHIRS

I will try to get on and finish this tonight,

even if it's going to be a late one.

Given how far behind schedule you are, Philipp,

I doubt it will be your last one.

Still, a couple of hours later,

this is one job that can be ticked off the list.

I think that's it.

Nothing squeaking, it's flat.

Ah!

And for the first-time, I can walk on a floor that's not dirty,

that's not dusty, that's not wonky.

I'm really pleased with it.

I don't want to think about all the other square metres

I still have to do,

which is certainly more than a week of work, but...

And if it all goes as smooth as this room, I'm really happy.

Whilst the family apartment isn't finished,

and they're not in when they wanted to be,

Anna and Philipp have certainly had a busy first five months

as chateau owners.

Oh, my goodness.

From picking up the keys...

OK, there's a lot to do. THEY LAUGH

..to starting to plumb the place.

High five. Well done.

And despite the setbacks they've faced...

It used to be a beam, and now it's dust.

..Anna and Philipp remain positive.

Nice.

We're happy, aren't we? We love it here.

We have definitely no regrets about our move. Absolutely not.

Like, we've learnt a lot of new skills,

and it's taken us a lot of time to figure things out,

but I feel like we're... once we get going,

we're gonna speed up, and I think we'll be fine.

Well, I'm staying positive anyway.

But with no end in sight for their family apartment,

they're feeling the strain, as the deadline to open as a B&B

looms ever closer.

There is a pressure, obviously.

It's a little scary to think about how much is left to do.

Good luck, you two.

It's always tough at the beginning, but I'm sure it'll get easier.

Coming up...

Have you found the gold yet? No, no, gold.

..Mark gets down and dirty...

It's just a nice break from the day job.

..and Iain and Kate edge closer to a momentous decision...

I can see us growing old here. Yay! And our family growing with us.

You like it. Yeah, we love it.

It's lovely. It's lovely.

de Nuit for the second time.

Ian and Kate are viewing Chateau de Nuit for the second time.

They've been looking for their forever home

and somewhere to run as a business for six years.

And although this place needs a lot of work,

that doesn't seem to have phased them.

The flue.

The place isn't yet on the market,

so it's time to sit down with owner, Francois.

Hello!

Everything all right? Good to see you again.

Well, thank you very much for your hospitality and letting us

look through your beautiful chateau.

We can see us growing old here. Yeah.

And the family growing with us.

It's just a wonderful place and all credit to you.

You like it? Yeah. We love it.

It's lovely.

It's lovely, and we've seen a lot of chateaus.

And some big, some small,

but nothing quite with as much heart as this place.

Look, on the basis of that, Francois,

we'd like to put an offer in for the chateau to buy because it's

so beautiful and it just feels so authentic and right for us.

So, I hope we can come to a deal that works for you

and works for us as well over the next little while.

Thank you very much for being so frank and nice.

Yes.

So.

Thank you very much, Francois, for your time

and also for your hospitality.

We will speak soon. Goodbye.

Thank you very much, all the very best. Thank you.

Ah, bye.

I'm very happy to report that a few weeks later, Kate and Ian had

agreed a price with Francois and signed on the dotted line.

Everyone that we know will be in shock that we finally made

a decision because it has been going on for so long.

It's just one of those dreams that never comes true,

but we're determined to make it come true.

I have no worries that this will be successful here.

Ian and Kate are currently back in Australia preparing to make

the full-time move to France in the spring.

I wish them all the very best.

In south-west France,

Mark is keen to finish cleaning out the well before he

and Becky return to the Middle East in a couple of days' time.

He plans to use an electric pump to clear out the standing water

and silt.

He should then be able to understand how the water fills it.

So, just by lifting this you can now hear the motors operating.

MACHINE CHUGS

You can actually see the water levels dropping.

What I am seeing is there is what appears to be water

coming in from the wall.

It's just a small stream right down in the corner.

Good to see, but there's still a lot of silt to remove.

Becky, though, has other things on her mind.

Have you found the gold yet?

No, no, gold. Still not.

Oh, OK.

Oh, well, at least Mark seems to be enjoying himself.

Getting in the bottom of a well and trying to clear out the mud,

it's just a nice break from the day job.

So it's, you know, that's part of the joys of owning a chateau.

You're doing something different.

It's different all right.

Let's just hope all this hard work pays off in the end.

I do think that's going to be about as much as we can do,

if I am indeed standing on the bottom, so.

After hours of pumping, and with plenty of silt yet to clear,

Mark's about to call it a day...

..once he's got Grandpa George's input.

What you started earlier with me is not finished,

but we are now at a point where confirmed the bottom, so.

OK, well, well done. That's very good. Yeah.

Nice to see you got muddy as well.

For me, I think the biggest concern is getting something on top of it

for fear of somebody falling down.

Sounds wise, George, although Mark is already thinking ahead.

So, you've got about 2,000 litres of water capacity in there,

and if we lined it and then allowed it to fill fuller,

we could get to about 3,000 litres.

So, what's the plan?

We could put a liner into this.

We should be able to then have water come into this,

but also effectively try and retain most of it,

and then we could start to use it to pump water into the, well, initially

into the garden and then for the gite as a reliable water source.

Nice to see you working, actually, for a change.

MARK CHUCKLES

I've been watering the garden practically daily

for the last little while

and I'm very conscious of the water meter.

Quite right, George,

but I'm afraid for the moment, using the well water is some way off.

It's been a busy first chateau summer

for Mark and Becky's whole family.

Along with discovering the well,

they've given their courtyard a face-lift...

Oh, that's a bummer.

That's not meant to happen.

Now, that looks lovely.

..and successfully hosted a drinks party for the whole village.

Fete de voisins at the beginning of the holiday.

It was lovely to have the gates open

and see all the villagers coming in, and I think we won them over.

And with their place in the local community now cemented,

the family can look forward to joining Grandpa George

and moving here full-time next year.

I'm very sad to be leaving. I really am.

There's lots of things I want to do.

It already feels like home and, you know,

we've barely lived in this house for two months.

It's no longer just a holiday home.

It is home.

Well, at least George will be here to look after

the place in the meantime,

and once you do make the move, I'm sure it will be all you ever wanted.

I know it was for us.

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