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00:00Across France are thousands of breathtaking chateaux.
00:06Many now being brought back to life.
00:09Oh, it's coming off. Quick, quick.
00:11This was a bad idea.
00:13By intrepid owners.
00:15It's digger time.
00:16I have to be careful and just make sure I don't hit any power lines.
00:20They're taking on the challenge.
00:22How hard can it be?
00:23To renovate these forgotten buildings.
00:26I never dreamt that we'd still be suffering too.
00:30Into stunning homes.
00:33That is incredible.
00:35It looks like you worked a decade on this room.
00:38And businesses.
00:40You may kiss your bride.
00:42They'll be triumph.
00:44It's fantastic.
00:48And tribulation.
00:50Look what he's done.
00:51You moan about my drive and you went into it toys.
00:54Please.
00:54But with great challenge.
00:57What can possibly go wrong?
00:59Comes huge reward.
01:02It just looks beautiful.
01:04I'll tell you.
01:05As they get to live the dream.
01:07Cheers.
01:08Cheers darling.
01:09As custodians of their very own castle.
01:15Today.
01:16Ugh.
01:18It's not a mistake.
01:20Will this monster fireplace.
01:22That weighs literally a ton.
01:24Ever make it to its second floor home.
01:28The worst and the hardest part is taking it up.
01:32Just building this scaffold leaves others flustered.
01:36Can you remember how to do it?
01:39No.
01:40Never mind fixing their crumbling ceiling.
01:43It's going swimmingly.
01:45And for another chateau owner.
01:47It's always important that the first few that go in are right.
01:50Because if they're not, all the lines in the garden are off.
01:52Always a bit nervous.
01:53One wrong measurement.
01:55And this garden could end up less grand design.
01:59And more gigantic eyesore.
02:06Close to the Bren National Park in Western France.
02:10Lies the charming Chateau de la Boutiniere.
02:15With its own 52 acre estate.
02:18And boasting 47 rooms.
02:21For the last four years.
02:24It's been lovingly restored by interior designer, Alison.
02:28There's no going back after this.
02:30But I do say I like it.
02:32And builder, Zion.
02:33It's been a big learning curve.
02:35I mean, we love living here.
02:37That helps.
02:38But when you're living together 24-7.
02:41Working together 24-7.
02:42That is a challenge.
02:43Good job is 52 acres.
02:46So I can disappear.
02:48Chopping wood and smashing down walls.
02:50Helps get rid of some of the frustration.
02:52Yeah.
02:55Located under an hour's drive from Poitiers.
02:59Alison and Zion bought the Chateau in 2021.
03:04For 580,000 pounds.
03:08Since then, they have been restoring it.
03:11To run as both a successful holiday let business.
03:15And as a luxurious wedding venue.
03:20Oh, my child.
03:22Oh, my child.
03:23Oh, my child.
03:23This is so amazing.
03:37This is so amazing.
03:41There.
03:42Including the creation of an intricate coffered ceiling from scratch.
03:47It's exactly what I wanted.
03:52And today, they're about to unearth something special in the barn, which they've earmarked for the bedroom.
04:00Where is it?
04:02Right there.
04:05Oh, wow.
04:06It really is stones, isn't it?
04:08This solid stone fireplace is currently in 10 huge pieces.
04:14This is ridiculous.
04:16Two floors up.
04:20Whoa.
04:23Oh.
04:25That's one there.
04:27The blocks weigh between 20 to 40 kilos.
04:32Oh, this is the heaviest.
04:37We found this fireplace in the second-hand store, Imaos.
04:41It's a place that we go regularly to buy furniture.
04:44And we just saw this dumped outside.
04:46And Zeon recognised it as a fireplace.
04:50And, I mean, these cost a lot of money, these stones.
04:52How much do we pay for it?
04:5450 euros.
04:5650 euros.
05:00It's a bargain find, which hopefully makes all the heavy lifting worth it.
05:06Oh, I've done a mistake.
05:16That weighs a ton.
05:18Literally a ton.
05:25Finally, all 10 hefty pieces are in place.
05:30Good.
05:31Giant Lego done.
05:33You've just got to carry it upstairs now.
05:36But first, Zeon must make sure the fireplace will fit its new home.
05:42So, I'll take this one.
05:48Sometimes I wish I didn't start.
05:55Currently, parts of the stone are too big for the bedroom and need cutting down to size.
06:08All the cutting is done.
06:10I'm going to get the tractor, put this in a bucket and drive it to the chateau.
06:18And the worst and the hardest part is taking it up.
06:23They have an impressive fireplace, which will now fit its new home.
06:29But there's still 80 chateau steps to go to get the heavyweight blocks in place.
06:42In the rich green countryside of Normandy, in northern France, lies the 18th century Chateau de la Lacelle.
06:51With 22 acres, a charming turret tower and 25 elegant rooms, the once derelict property stood empty for four decades.
07:07Before it became home to Middlesbrough couple Terry and Ashley, who live here with Terry's mum Tracy and nephew Jonathan.
07:18I think in France, we're blessed with very different culture to the UK.
07:23Yeah, definitely.
07:24And to be honest, like the way of life, it's sort of forced upon you.
07:28In like a good way.
07:30No, in an absolutely good way.
07:31Family time is so important in France.
07:33Like stepping back probably in the 50s and 60s and the way that families lived and the way that they
07:38all work together.
07:40Located an hour's drive from Le Mans, the couple snapped up the property in 2020 for £250,000
07:52and began renovating it into luxurious guest suites for a holiday let's business.
08:00At the rear of the chateau, they've transformed a neglected space into a stunning formal garden.
08:08This year, they're keen to bring the same opulence to the front garden.
08:15And when we last saw them, they were battling to install plumbing for two massive fountains.
08:27Well done.
08:29Well done.
08:29That was nice and easy.
08:36Today, the attention is still on the centrepiece of the front garden.
08:42The sun's out and perfect time to be getting on sorting these fountains out.
08:46Yeah, just so it looks a little bit more presentable than what this does at the minute.
08:50It looks like a bit of a waste ground.
08:52It's a blank canvas.
08:53It's a good starting point.
08:55It is.
08:55It is.
08:56But Ashley will be facing the garden alone as Terry has other jobs to complete inside the chateau today.
09:05We're going to jet wash it all down.
09:07That gets the majority of the dirt and all the muck out of the joints.
09:10Then I'll go around with trowel and pull all the weeds out, pull all the rooting out.
09:13Then I'll clean it down with a jet washer again and then I'll start my pointing.
09:24All done.
09:26Ready to pull the weeds out now.
09:31If the sun's shining and I'm working outside, there's nobody on this earth happier than me.
09:37I grew up on a council estate in Teesside, a million miles away from the setting that I'm in here
09:43right now.
09:43So this is, it is literally a dream come true.
09:52That's the weeding pretty much done.
09:54So next job's going to be getting it all pointed up and then we can start looking at getting the
09:58top in the next few days.
10:06That'll do me.
10:13Best tips for pointers, just push it in, just keep it going in.
10:18Put cement into the cracks, push it into the holes.
10:21It'll sturdy it up and it'll give it just a nicer finish.
10:24I absolutely love doing this work, I'd quite happily do it all day.
10:29It's just one of them things when you become a Châtelet, you have to pick up these new skills.
10:34Ashley still needs to cap the fountain wall, so there's a whole heap of work ahead.
10:44Still to come.
10:46I may be running with it.
10:48Zion faces an uphill battle.
10:52As he tries to reignite the past.
10:56While Ashley needs to finesse concreting around the fountain.
11:01Have you got all these right? Are they going to go in right?
11:03But it's his father's approval he's really trying to set in stone.
11:07That's the first one done. Another 45 to go now, is it?
11:1145 left to do.
11:18In the stunning Auvergne region of central France, within a small village setting, lies the imposing, part 14th century, Chateau
11:30d'Azera.
11:31A collapsed tower is clear to see.
11:36And inside, restoration work is ongoing, with the huge Great Hall currently doubling up as a bedroom.
11:46It made the perfect project for Cotswold antique dealers and serial renovators Catherine and Steve.
11:55Who bought the castle in 2022 for less than £100,000 and are slowly bringing it back to life.
12:06This building needs such an enormous amount of work and it's never ever going to be perfect.
12:13You need to come into it with eyes wide open.
12:17The first part of the mission is to have a working home, a kitchen, a bathroom, a living room and
12:25a bedroom.
12:26At the moment, everything happens in the Great Hall, which is the room we're in at the moment.
12:31Which is how it would have been used when it was a fortification.
12:35It's like being in a museum, but it's living and you get to play with.
12:43You do get to play.
12:49Located just under three hours from Lyon.
12:52Looks really good.
12:54The couple have been working hard to give their medieval castle a more modern kitchen.
13:01And the last time we saw them, Catherine had created a panel of faux drawer fronts to hide away all
13:09signs of modern white goods.
13:12It looks so good.
13:14Today, there's a final job to focus on as they push to finish the kitchen.
13:21We need to start getting the plasterboard up on the ceiling of the kitchen.
13:26The problem is it's quite high and the scaffold tower at the minute is still stuck up on the top
13:32floor and won't fit down the spiral staircase.
13:34So the scaffolding are going to have to come out the window and then back up and into the kitchen.
13:40Nothing's easy.
13:41And then the easy bit, which is plasterboard the ceiling.
13:44Dozzle.
13:49OK.
14:07Ow, stinging nestle.
14:13With the scaffolding parts safely inside, the build can begin.
14:21Can you remember how to do it?
14:23No.
14:27That's jammed.
14:32His favourite phrase is, hit it with a hammer.
14:36I have no idea what that looks for.
14:39Think!
14:40These just clip on, but I'm not sure.
14:43He has so many ideas.
14:47He needs kind of a soothing kind of, let's do one thing at a time.
14:51Like, let's try and finish a couple of rooms rather than a scattergrunt approach.
14:55So he needs some focus.
14:58I'd like to think that I bring some of the focus, but I'm not always successful.
15:03Right, can't get the wheels on.
15:04Don't know what those are for.
15:06It's going swimmingly.
15:17OK.
15:18Yeah, they do need WD-40.
15:21They're all sticking.
15:23In.
15:24In.
15:24Got it.
15:25Right, that's as solid as a rock.
15:27Brilliant.
15:28Right.
15:28Are you going to be able to lift it?
15:30Because obviously we're going to have to move it around.
15:32Would you stand on it?
15:35Building the scaffold tower has proved a project in itself.
15:40Now Steve can reach new heights and start to plasterboard the whole ceiling.
15:49Four hours away in Western France.
15:52Off we go.
15:54One, two.
15:56Zion and his team have got around 160 kilograms of stone to carry up the 80 steps to their new
16:05second floor suite.
16:10I'm even running with it.
16:13I'm glad we had the boys working with us and helping us today.
16:17Otherwise, I'd be dead.
16:21Two floors up with all those stones.
16:23I don't think that would be you and me on our own, somehow.
16:26It would be, one stone a day.
16:28Yeah.
16:29With all the pieces finally up in the new bedroom, Zion can get to work.
16:38It's important that he will sit and he is attached to the wall.
16:53These stones are heavy, I tell you.
17:01It just shows you the wall is out.
17:07Zion's skill as a builder ensures the fireplace gradually begins to take shape.
17:15OK.
17:19You can't believe it, but the glue is already holding.
17:24I think we achieved what I didn't think we will achieve today.
17:28Oh, my word.
17:31That looks amazing.
17:36It's perfect, isn't it?
17:38Perfect proportions.
17:40Very happy with that. That's fabulous.
17:45A week later, and the fireplace is in its new home, and interior designer Alison can get creative.
17:55My curtains are here, and this is the fabric.
17:58Look at that choice of colours.
18:00I mean, for somebody who loves colour like me, that is just sweetie shop.
18:05I've gone for the palest grey for the walls, and then for the ceiling.
18:10I've gone for not the, not that green, but I've gone for this tiny speck of blue.
18:16Because what happens is, when you use the tiniest fleck in a large quantity, it will make these curtains zing.
18:26Colour schemes chosen, and Alison can test out the pre-mixed paint shades.
18:32This is the stage where I'm just watching.
18:39Now the moment of truth.
18:41This is going to be your ceiling.
18:43Your ceiling.
18:45Our ceiling.
18:47Look at that. Isn't that gorgeous?
18:53This is the grey.
18:55It's going to go on the walls.
18:59Mmm, look at that.
19:02It's so lovely.
19:06So, if I put this next to it.
19:09Here's the fabric.
19:12In all its yumminess.
19:15I think it's looking fab.
19:17That's going to look very nice.
19:22Very happy all round today.
19:24Good decisions.
19:25Now you've got the wall colours.
19:27Now we can fix.
19:27Now we can all roll forward again.
19:30Alison and Zion are well on the way with their huge sweet renovation.
19:36Now the decorating can begin.
19:45Nearly 170 miles north in Normandy, Ashley's dad Graham is visiting from the UK and all set to lend a
19:55hand with the massive front garden project.
20:00So, we're going to start at that end.
20:01Yeah, we'll go up that end because that's our highest point and we can get it level all the way
20:06around.
20:06Yeah.
20:07The capping stones for the two fountains have been measured and cut and are ready to be cemented on.
20:14I'll do the mixing.
20:16You can get it all flat so I don't get the blame.
20:19Come on then.
20:19Let's go and get one on.
20:24Oh, that's the proper mix.
20:26Just watch and learn.
20:29When I'm moving in France, I love being here.
20:31I love working.
20:33I've been retired ten years.
20:34Yeah.
20:35I've done DIY all my life so I just get on with it and it's good.
20:39It's good to get my hands dirty again.
20:42The best one's the most important one really once you get that level.
20:47That's what a bricklayer said to me.
20:49I think you might need some more mixing there, Ash.
20:52I think so too.
20:57You want to be over the top with it to mix so you've got something to sit on.
21:01Yeah.
21:05Right, we're high now so that's good.
21:13I think that's about perfect, isn't it?
21:15I think that's good.
21:17That's the first one done.
21:19Another 45 to go now, is it?
21:2145 left to do.
21:23I've cut 44 of the slabs.
21:27I get all the graft work where Ash just gives a little tap with an hammer and
21:35I'll let you take all the credit with Terry as well.
21:41Actually I only see him maybe eight weeks a year.
21:44When he lived in England we used to go to football together and we missed that time together with each
21:49other.
21:50Have you cut all these right? Are they going to go in right?
21:51The last one is the only one that's most important which you have to cut spot on.
21:56All the rest I've been guessing.
22:00Right, we are.
22:01Yeah, we're in the bubble mate.
22:04I love working with my dad.
22:05He's so much fun to work with and he always just makes every job enjoyable.
22:09And he's taught me lots of tricks of the trade on the way which has been extremely helpful.
22:18When he first came here, he was useless.
22:21And I taught him all I know.
22:23He's getting up to my standard now.
22:26Wherever I put my spirit, it's sat in the centre so it's as good as I could have hoped for
22:32an old structure like this.
22:37With just one slab left to place, they make a spot check from overhead.
22:48Yeah, it looks good there.
22:50Does doesn't it?
22:50Yeah.
22:52Carry on like that, I think we'll be good.
22:54Yeah.
22:56Right, let's crack on.
23:00I'm nervous for this last one.
23:01I know it's going to work.
23:12Well, does it fit?
23:18Oh, my.
23:19What more can I say?
23:24Ho, ho, ho, ho, ho!
23:28And...
23:29We're all 11 as well.
23:30Well done, son.
23:31Well done.
23:33Oh, that's a relief.
23:38Considering how bad a state this was in, to get to the final one and we're leveled right the way
23:42around, that is an unbelievable achievement.
23:44Yeah, I think we've done really well.
23:46Calls for a pint, I think, to celebrate.
23:48I think we've deserved one.
23:50A cold beer.
23:52A cold beer might be calling, but with the second fountain to tackle and the whole front garden to landscape,
23:58they can't afford to down tools for too long.
24:04Coming up...
24:0537.
24:07Sometimes they're absolutely true and parallel, and sometimes they go all over the place.
24:13Steve faces an impossible challenge.
24:16It's just a couple of mil too long.
24:19And Terry and Ashley are laying the groundwork for one of their biggest challenges yet.
24:27Two at a time, my arms can't take it.
24:30It's a dinner time yet.
24:39Back in Western France, it's been two months, and the renovation of Alison and Zion's bedroom suite is well underway.
24:48The newly exposed beams have been treated and stained, and the salvaged fireplace and pastel walls lie beneath a bespoke,
24:59coffered ceiling.
25:03Today, Alison needs to decide on curtain rails.
25:07I have these beautiful curtains, which I've had made, and they're going to look wonderful.
25:13But because they're already made, I've got to fit the pole to the curtains.
25:19It's another job for Zion, and with a triple bay of inward opening windows, it's going to be a tricky
25:26one.
25:27My need, if possible, is to have one pole, and then be able to pull the curtains back. Is that
25:35okay?
25:35Yeah, yeah, that's fine.
25:37Alison, for me, is always, I feel like she's challenging me.
25:42She's always trying to see, when would I say, hmm, I can't do that.
25:47So she's pushing her luck, basically. And so far, I deliver.
25:53And there's more jobs to add to his list.
25:56And over here is totally different to over there.
25:59So we've got no ceiling height, we've got no width on the walls.
26:05So I wondered if we could do a nice little sort of opening pair of...
26:10Swinging arms.
26:11And I did ask them, that's a good point, I did ask them to put a double fabric back and
26:15front.
26:16So hopefully they remember that.
26:18And when we close them, and when we open them, you can see the colour and pattern.
26:24OK.
26:26It's a big ask.
26:28But Zion loves finding a solution.
26:31It's saying 58, it's very tight on here.
26:34Tell you what I can do.
26:35I can make them here.
26:37And the end base, you can extend.
26:42Might work. Try it.
26:45No harm in trying, I'm just trying to save your work.
26:48Moving down to her workshop in the chapel,
26:51Alison wants to make sure she hasn't made a mistake.
26:55I'm wondering if my order for the curtains went through OK,
26:59because two of them have to have double fabric.
27:02And I'm just, I haven't seen that yet,
27:04so I'm hoping I've got the right number of curtains and the right fabric on both sides.
27:11In his workshop, Zion has made a start on the bespoke curtain rails.
27:17You know, Alison have her own design, I'll have my own design.
27:23She can't have a say on this one.
27:25But the fabric's on both sides, look.
27:30Phew.
27:31That was just a slight panic.
27:35His idea is to create a metal arm for the heavy curtains that opens into the room.
27:42The idea is this, I'm going to weld this on there.
27:48And this will be here.
27:52And imagine, this is how it's going to swing.
27:58Zion has no problem visualising his creation, but will it pass Alison's taste test?
28:09Four hours' drive away in central France at Chateau d'Azerra.
28:15There's a pressing job Steve has to tackle before he can start plasterboarding the kitchen ceiling.
28:24Removing an old and empty swallow's nest.
28:28That's the top floor.
28:33Oh!
28:35Outside you go.
28:38My plan is, these pieces of timber here, I need to get rails along both sides,
28:43so that I can just whizz along, filling the gaps with plasterboard.
28:49The couple strive to keep as many historic features as they can,
28:53but also need to make it work as a home.
28:57At the minute, that's the floorboards for the Great Hall.
29:00So we get a lot of dust come down through.
29:1038 and a half.
29:14Plasterboarding a 14th century ceiling comes with challenges of its own.
29:2037.
29:23Sometimes they're absolutely true and parallel,
29:26and sometimes they go all over the place.
29:30Right, let's go cut a piece of plasterboard.
29:33Woo!
29:42Catherine's my inspiration.
29:43She's a tour de force.
29:47We bounce ideas off each other.
29:50It's just a couple of mil too long.
29:53She puts up with my craziness,
29:55and we just really enjoy each other's company and what we get up to.
30:08Does it fit all right?
30:10I think now, with that minor adjustment, it should be perfect.
30:15Sure.
30:16Yeah.
30:26How's it looking from down there, Catherine?
30:28It's looking a lot cleaner, I have to say.
30:34But I'm also thinking there's a long way to go.
30:38Catherine and Steve are taking another vital part of the restoration in their stride.
30:46Putting the scaffold tower together was trickier than doing the plasterboarding.
30:50We haven't done it for a long time, have we?
30:52No.
30:53When we first got here, the kitchen was like a real blank canvas, wasn't it?
30:59Totally, yeah.
30:59It was a big open space with a ginormous fireplace for roasting oxen.
31:04I love how the kitchen's coming together.
31:06It's evolved over time.
31:08The more you live in a renovation, the more your ideas adapt.
31:12I think it's going to look amazing.
31:14This kitchen project is on a slow boil, but is gradually coming to life.
31:26350 miles north, at Chateau de la Lacelle, more than a month has passed, and both fountains have been capped
31:35in stone.
31:36Are you all ready now?
31:38I'll get the van, and then we'll just unload them all.
31:40Yeah.
31:41And borders and pathway edges have been dug out to start landscaping the formal front gardens.
31:49It's been a nice off for so long now.
31:51The plan is to try and get the first stretch, the central driveway, done by the end of the day.
31:57That's my aim.
31:58Hopefully.
31:59In a couple of the other bits.
32:00No.
32:04Two at a time, guys.
32:06Two at a time, my arms can't take it.
32:09Aww.
32:11Today, Terry, Ashley and Tracey are starting to edge the central pathway.
32:17So these are all our border blocks.
32:20We buy them at a pallet at a time, makes life a bit easier.
32:23And we'll probably need six more pallets to do all of the borders.
32:32Is it dinner time yet?
32:35Long time before dinner, Patrick.
32:38What we're doing now is getting the edging blocks in place.
32:42We've got all of the, like, trenches dug for the design.
32:45So we've got, like, a rough sort of spacing where the blocks are going to sit in.
32:50There are around 1,000 stone slabs to cement into place to create the outline for a massive gravel pathway.
33:01This is just literally a dry placement.
33:03So by the time the cement goes in, that'll probably sit about right to us.
33:06Yeah.
33:07So, if you go and set the one that you want down there with a string line, and then I
33:14can put a midpoint as well.
33:22You got it in, yeah?
33:23Yeah.
33:28Once the first blocks are in, we'll kind of know where we're at, and then we can work from the
33:31first ones and measure everything off it, so it'll be good.
33:39Is that all right?
33:40Yeah.
33:46It's always important that the first few that go in are right, because if they're not, all the lines in
33:50the garden are off.
33:51So I was a bit nervous, but it's good.
33:54It should go well.
34:00First three blocks in, only, what, 1,000 miles?
34:04Probably.
34:18After a full day's work, the progress is clear to see.
34:27And I think that is all looking good, Tez.
34:31It's looking brilliant.
34:34Now we've got this one in, we can work everything off this line.
34:37Absolutely.
34:37I think it's brilliant.
34:39I think it's time for a beer.
34:40I think it is.
34:41Go on.
34:44The formal front gardens are growing in stature, but there's 100 tonnes of gravel to go down and huge flower
34:54beds to create before the summer season starts.
35:01Still to come.
35:03Anxious times ahead for Alison.
35:06I do wonder, with all this, whether I've given myself too much work.
35:10And it all gets a bit too much for Steve.
35:13It is emotional.
35:15The flipping is.
35:17Yeah.
35:24In Western France, at Chateau de la Boutiniere, Alison and Zion are pushing ahead on their new bedroom suite.
35:35And while Zion continues work on his bespoke curtain rail, Alison is hand-decorating panels for in-between the beams
35:45of the suite's coffered ceiling.
35:48It's quite a finicky little job doing this.
35:52Having created an intricate design, she now has five separate stencils to overlay.
35:59I do wonder, with all this, whether I've given myself too much work.
36:04But typically, we always go over the top.
36:08The secret with stenciling paint is not to put too much on the brush, otherwise you end up bleeding under
36:13the edges of the shape.
36:15Once you get the idea of the layers, it's very simple.
36:17And I've got something like 20 panels to do.
36:21And then there are five layers to each one.
36:26That's going to look fabulous for me, from the ground when we're looking up at the ceiling.
36:30Or when our guests are lying there in bed and going, oh, look at that!
36:41Zion has almost finished his latest invention.
36:47All what I need is her approval.
36:51And up in the new suite, he can demonstrate his design in action.
36:57And then when this is open, it says you just miss it.
37:01That's a good weight. Very good.
37:04Nice.
37:05What do you think about that?
37:07Love it.
37:08What I love about it is it's that rustic, slightly medieval feel.
37:13They probably never even had medieval curtains in those days, but they do now.
37:19I'm really happy with those.
37:22I'll make another one. I'll get another kiss.
37:26First things first, they want to try a few of Alison's decorated panels out for size.
37:34Everything has to be bespoke because none of the ceiling panels are exactly the same.
37:38The ceiling was never square.
37:40So literally every single one has to be measured and cut specially.
37:55We have a slight hanging of the arch problem in that the panels where they've been stored upright are slightly
38:03bowed and the ends are lifting up, which needs a gap.
38:07So somehow we have to pad them out from behind with a spacer, so it's going to take even longer.
38:13With a few wooden spacers in place, the first panel is up.
38:28It's just gone to a whole new level because each panel has to be adjusted slightly, so the whole job
38:34is going to take probably twice what I was expecting.
38:38The pattern is right, the colour is right, so that's a big step forward.
38:43And it works.
38:46And it's going to make this room wow.
38:51Alison and Zion's new bedroom suite is turning into an epic feat of design and ingenuity.
38:59But there's a way to go before they reach the finish line.
39:08Over 200 miles southeast, at Catherine and Steve's, it's been six weeks, and the couple have a completed ceiling.
39:18But today, want to add the final touches before their visitors arrive.
39:24We have worked our socks off to try to be ready for the boys' arrival.
39:32The last time one of my sons was here, we had a standpipe in one of the cellars to get
39:38water.
39:39No glass in the windows, and he slept in the kitchen fireplace, and it was a dirt floor.
39:45So I couldn't be more excited to show him what we've done.
39:49That'll be the first finished room.
39:51Yes.
39:52Which is monumental for us.
39:54Yes, it'll transform the way we live here, won't it?
39:57Yeah.
40:02Right, finishing touches.
40:05With just a few hours to spare, the couple want to personalise the space.
40:19Yep, love it.
40:25Catherine and Steve have a wealth of French treasures, including servant bells, dating back to the 1900s.
40:34You're going to tell me it's not level, ma'am, aren't you?
40:36I'm not sure. I don't think it is.
40:39It's like Laurel and Hardy.
40:42Yes, that's it.
40:43See, I always planned to do it that way.
40:46Woo!
40:48Hey, thank you.
40:50Hey, thank you.
40:58It's quite nice to have collections of things. It makes it so much more cohesive.
41:03My gin and tonic glass.
41:06It's a leech jar.
41:09Every kitchen should have one.
41:17You all right?
41:19Yeah.
41:21Ready?
41:24Perfect.
41:26Now it feels like a real kitchen.
41:28Just need to clean it.
41:34Three years ago, the room was nothing but a neglected, empty shell with a dirt floor and no electrics, water
41:43or glass in the windows.
41:45With crumbling walls, this dust-filled space had lain abandoned for years.
41:55Now, Catherine and Steve have created a charming kitchen, which is perfectly in keeping with the history of this 14th
42:05century castle.
42:07The hefty stone slabs had to be painstakingly cut and lifted into place to form the floor.
42:17The beamed ceiling is now boarded over and painted to prevent dust and noise from the great hall above.
42:27While the modern white goods are all hidden away behind six handmade faux drawer panels, lovingly decorated by Catherine in
42:37an old apothecary style.
42:50This room's been in my head for three years.
42:53Could not be happier.
42:55If somewhat exhausted, bruised, battered.
42:59And I absolutely love the floor.
43:01So do I.
43:02I'm going to spend a fair bit of time just sitting and soaking it in because it's just a privilege
43:10to get to bring it back a bit.
43:19Oh, don't. I'll flippin' start.
43:24We flippin' did it.
43:30It is emotional.
43:31The flippin' is.
43:33Yeah.
43:39Hello.
43:40Hi, Mum.
43:40How are you?
43:41How are you?
43:42Come on in.
43:43Cool, lovely.
43:44Got stuff to show you.
43:46Can't wait.
43:46Catherine's son, Callum, and his girlfriend, Kitty, are here to see the end result.
43:54Wow.
43:55Oh, my gosh.
43:55Look at that.
43:56Oh, stunning.
43:57I can't believe it's the same room, honestly.
44:00That's amazing.
44:01I've seen the pictures.
44:02Look at the ceiling as well.
44:04Oh, my gosh.
44:05You've got tears in your eyes.
44:06Yeah.
44:06We've just had a real moment.
44:08Oh, you're making me do it again.
44:10Yeah.
44:10Oh, look at you.
44:11Flippin' at Callum.
44:12Don't.
44:14Wow.
44:15It's night and day.
44:17It's unbelievable.
44:18It is amazing.
44:19We have been here.
44:21Yeah.
44:21Yeah.
44:23Just a little bit.
44:24Just a little bit.
44:25Good.
44:25Yeah, that's lovely.
44:27Oh, I can't believe, yeah, you've paved all the way into that.
44:29That's brilliant.
44:31Everything's got better.
44:31Everything's impressive, but this is very...
44:34Jaw-dropping.
44:35Yeah.
44:36Stunning.
44:38It is overwhelming, isn't it?
44:39It really is.
44:41Catherine and Steve have the kitchen of their dreams, and it's on to a much-needed bathroom next.
44:49Their restoration marathon continues.
45:00Next time, Pandemonium.
45:02It doesn't want to stick.
45:04On an epic suite renovation.
45:06Hang on, let me hold it there.
45:07Hold it there.
45:08Oh, it's coming off.
45:09Quick, quick.
45:09I like it.
45:10Crafty business.
45:12That looks great.
45:13In a barn makeover.
45:15I have never in my life done this.
45:17Never on the floor.
45:18And it's the final hurdle for Alison and Zion.
45:22That's it.
45:23You don't need to be perfect.
45:51That's it.
45:53That's it.
45:54That's it.
45:54That's it.
45:55That's it.
45:56That's it.
45:56That's it.
45:56That's it.
45:56That's it.
45:57That's it.
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