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00:00Across France, there are thousands of glorious chateaux.
00:06Many have been forgotten and abandoned.
00:11OK!
00:12Now, they are being brought back to life by adventurous owners...
00:17I'm coming, Brian.
00:18You've got to be 50% mad and 50% brave.
00:22...who are taking on the ambitious challenge...
00:25This is going to take a while.
00:27..of restoring these timeless treasures...
00:30I think I'm going to have to make a big hole.
00:32I thought this would be a doddle.
00:33I've got no idea what I'm doing.
00:35..into incredible new homes...
00:38Wow!
00:39Goodness me!
00:41Impressed!
00:42..and thriving businesses.
00:442022, direct from the chateau.
00:47Oh, this is great!
00:47..there'll be triumphs...
00:50Woohoo! Look at that!
00:51..and setbacks.
00:53You never know when you drill a hole round here
00:56whether you're going to get something solid or not.
00:59..but however tough the going gets...
01:01It's at times like this I wish I knew what I was doing.
01:04..those who make the move...
01:07..get to live like kings and queens
01:10in their very own castle.
01:17..today...
01:17Get as many as you can.
01:19..these hands need a brush-up...
01:21Who doesn't like a challenge?
01:23..to achieve a full chateau facelift.
01:26Somebody's going to have to get out on that roof.
01:28Someone's going to have to put a rope on.
01:30..a Chatelaine goes cloak and dagger...
01:33..but they are polystyrene, so you have to disguise them.
01:36..with an apartment upgrade.
01:37It's going to look like it's always been there, hopefully.
01:41..and this newbie...
01:44..finds himself envined.
01:46Now, stop.
01:48No, you have to cast a film.
01:50Oh, yes.
01:51It's not bad.
01:59Set in the Seine-Maritime département in Normandy...
02:04..is the elegant 19th century Chateau Trois-Cloches.
02:12..boasting 20 rooms, a striking bell tower...
02:17..and an orangery designed by the engineer of the Eiffel Tower.
02:24It was a dream purchase in 2022
02:28for celebrity assistant Chris
02:30and his husband, Jolion, a civil servant.
02:35We both had, like, a mutual love for chateaus.
02:37Me, when I was younger, I used to travel around France
02:40and then, like, see a chateau and have photos with it.
02:42And there's loads of me as a kid.
02:44And then you had a separate kind of dream
02:46of owning a chateau, didn't you?
02:47Yeah, I sort of dreamed of having a hotel
02:49but also, like, a stately home.
02:50But then chateaus, when I saw them,
02:53I really fell in love with them too.
02:57Located just 30 minutes from Le Havre,
03:00the couple bought the property for £520,000
03:04and run it as an event's venue.
03:08It's also a passionate restoration project.
03:13In just three years,
03:15they've created a luxurious guest suite in the East Wing,
03:22a magnificent grand salon
03:26and a sophisticated dining room.
03:31The last time we saw them, they were going the extra mile...
03:36One down, 39 to go.
03:38..to give the chateaus' tired shutters
03:41a new lease of life.
03:47And with those looking vibrant,
03:49they've now decided to give the entire facade
03:53a much-needed facelift,
03:55which has called for a little shopping spree.
03:59We've got 138 litres of paint to get on those walls,
04:02so we've got a huge job.
04:04It's like painting 30 rooms.
04:06I think this is probably one of our biggest jobs,
04:08the most ambitious jobs we've ever done.
04:10Yeah, we've got two days to do it in,
04:12so the pressure's really on.
04:15And there's nothing like a DIY problem shared.
04:20Luckily, Chris's family are here on a visit.
04:24So we've got seven family here today helping out,
04:27so everyone's got a jog, everyone's got a roll,
04:29they're going to get a paintbrush, a roller,
04:30and just get stuck in.
04:32Thank you so much for coming out.
04:34It's going to be really exciting,
04:35but such an epic job today.
04:37All of that pile of paint has got to go on the walls,
04:40ideally in an orderly fashion.
04:45So, Si, I think you just call the shots today,
04:47you know the cherry picker,
04:49and, yeah, just let us know what you need.
04:51All right, guys, we've got loads to do,
04:52let's grab some paint and get going.
04:56Happy to scale the chateau's heights are Jolyon and Chris's brother Simon,
05:03who is a seasoned builder.
05:07I'm avoiding getting on the scaffolding.
05:09I'm not a massive fan of heights.
05:11And also I'm tall and I've got a long pole,
05:13so, you know, I can avoid it, I will.
05:17So we decided to go for two colours.
05:18One's like a nice off-white cream colour for the main walls,
05:22and then the other colour is like quite a white colour.
05:25It just highlights all the nice architrave bits.
05:27There she is to save the day.
05:30Well, I'm not coming up there.
05:33There's no way we could have done this project without the family.
05:35It's not really a holiday for them.
05:39It's certainly a French vacance with strings attached,
05:43as Chris's sister Laura is realising.
05:48I don't know anyone who would be crazy enough to take this on,
05:50but it was always a dream, especially of Chris's,
05:53to own his own chateau, and now he's done it.
05:56He's just got to finish it.
05:59But despite Chris's meticulous planning,
06:02something is not quite adding up.
06:07How much white paint have you got there?
06:10I've got about half a pot.
06:16We definitely won't have enough to do the front.
06:19I thought you worked it all out.
06:21I know, and I added 10%, but I obviously messed up somewhere.
06:27If for any reason they don't have it,
06:29let me know and I can send you somewhere else.
06:31OK.
06:33They did have quite a bit of paint in there earlier.
06:34Yeah, I think they will do.
06:35Right, lovely. I'll rebound now.
06:37OK. Thanks, Laza. See you soon.
06:41So I just started to panic and think there wasn't enough white paint,
06:45and I just did a little stock check around the building and we've got one tub left.
06:50Just sent Lauren to the shop and hoping she can get a paint that matches the same colour.
06:55If we can't get the paint or it doesn't match with the other paint, it's going to look awful.
07:00And I don't know what we're going to do.
07:03Everything hinges on this paint, really.
07:06Oh, mon Dieu.
07:08With just one third of the façade painted, this project may well be over before it's begun.
07:23In the world-famous wine-growing region of Bordeaux, in southwest France, is the imposing 18th century Chateau Mayome.
07:33With a sizeable 250 acres, it boasts 20 stately rooms, several outbuildings, and an exclusive lake.
07:49Home to retired corporate executive Mark and his Canadian wife Sandra, a former architectural planner, it's a lifelong dream.
08:03I love the place. I think it's amazing.
08:05I actually came here as a sort of a teenager, about sort of 1979.
08:09It was an amazing experience, and it always resonated with me.
08:13And then, luckily, Sandra supported me to go after it.
08:17I thought, it is a beautiful home, and, you know, I'd like to sort of swan around in dresses and
08:21entertain and the whole thing,
08:23which hasn't happened, or happens, but doesn't happen as often as the other work that goes on.
08:34Located close to the town of Maronzin, the couple bought the Chateau from Mark's uncle in 2019 for £735,000,
08:46and stepped into the unknown to manage vineyards that produce a whopping 150,000 bottles a year.
08:56We have no background in wine.
08:59I like to say I'm very good at drinking it, but in terms of actually producing it, it's only what
09:05we've read and studied.
09:06Sort of like having children. We learned on the job, and it's a steep learning curve.
09:11This season, they're looking to harvest a new type of business, creating a rentable four-bedroom jeet in one of
09:19the Chateau's outbuildings.
09:23Here, we're in bedroom one. Bedroom one and bedroom two are actually identical.
09:28They both have ensuite bathrooms.
09:30As we've been able to maintain and even bring out the beautiful beams that we have, I'd have to say
09:35that's a big success.
09:37But with plans to open the jeet for guests later this year, it's still nowhere near finished.
09:46Today, there's new travertine tiles to lay on the kitchen floor.
09:51Here goes.
09:54OK, it's slightly under the edge.
09:57I'm ready for the next one.
09:59And DIY novice Mark has enlisted help from his friend, Derek.
10:07It's going to be rocking about a bit, so we've got to find where the bump is.
10:13So we'll take it up.
10:17You feel a bit of a bump there.
10:19So we've got to get the breaker on and break some things up.
10:29This floor has been a bit of a nightmare because we have to do each tile individually to make sure
10:34it's flat.
10:35And it's taking a lot of time.
10:44While Mark and Derek keep their noses to the grindstone, out in the vineyards, gardening on a chateau scale...
10:53This one broke off, so this one's no good.
10:55...are Sandra and the couple's son, Hugo, who is here on holiday.
11:00It's pruning season.
11:02We prune in the winter because the vines are dormant.
11:04This is Merlot.
11:05So if you've done it correctly, you'll have great fruit for the season.
11:10It's quite a slow job.
11:13It feels like you make no progress because you go all day on one row and it feels like you
11:16get nothing done.
11:20So what I love about working here is that you find things in the vines, chives, wild garlic.
11:27I actually like finding something for free, cooking with something that I found, you know.
11:33One, two, three, four, five, six.
11:37With 76 acres of pruning and their first guests for the gite due in a few months' time, Mark and
11:45Sandra need to get a move on.
11:55Coming up, cutting corners...
11:59Measure twice, cut once.
12:01..doesn't go to plan for this chateau.
12:04I've cut that the wrong way, so I'll do that again.
12:07There you go.
12:08..and it's Jolyon's one moment to reach for the stars.
12:12I feel like Whitney.
12:22Nestled among the vineyards of the Loire Valley is the gracious 19th century Chateau La Grande Maison.
12:33This three-acre estate comprises 45 rooms, including an opulent ballroom.
12:43Since 2011, it's been home to musicians Ben and Billy, who live here with their daughter Ella.
12:54One of my favourite things is the land.
12:57You go out for the morning and you can just be on your land, you know, it's just fantastic.
13:01We've got a lovely river, we've got some beautiful trees.
13:05It's great having so much space.
13:06It comes to life when people are here, doesn't it?
13:09So it's always good to share.
13:11We've built the business up, living the dream, French food, French wine, and whatever this building requires, which is always
13:19a lot.
13:25Located 30 miles from the town of Saumur, the couple run the chateau as a boutique B&B.
13:32Oh, look at that!
13:35And events business.
13:38This year, ahead of their very first social occasion of the season, they've decided to give a guest apartment an
13:46upgrade.
13:47If I had a pound every time I was painting in this place, I'd have a lot of pounds.
13:53Having repainted the two bedrooms and retiled the bathroom.
13:59Oh, yeah, that has come through.
14:02Ben's fresco photos have been turned into wall art.
14:06I always wanted to do something with my photography.
14:09I love it, Ben.
14:11You're so clever.
14:14With just two days left, until the big event, Ben and Billy are on a mission to get the apartment
14:21ready.
14:22Today, we're going to put the coving up.
14:25Bit of a fiddly job, but it should make a big difference, the room, but we've got two rooms to
14:29do, so we've got to get that all up.
14:37On paper, this looks like quite a simple job, because we're just making mitres and all the corners, but it's
14:42actually a lot trickier than that, because we've got to pattern match the joins.
14:45And because of the lovely, ornate fireplace, we're going with something that's got a flower motif.
14:51There's a real wonderful finishing touch to the room.
14:56While Ben tries the coving out for size...
14:59Oh, that looks actually quite nice.
15:01Downstairs, Billy is working on a cover-up.
15:04Painting white on white, we need to make sure it just looks like it's always been there.
15:09They are polystyrene, so you have to kind of disguise them, and we find the best way is to use
15:14a bit of matte white paint, then it kind of looks like plaster.
15:18To get in all these little flowers. They're kind of awkward to paint.
15:23It's going to look like it's been there since the place was built, hopefully.
15:33Measure twice, cut once.
15:37OK.
15:42So that'll be like that.
15:45Er... I've done this wrong, I think.
15:47I've cut that the wrong way, so I'll do that again.
15:55So that's going to be like that.
15:57That should be right.
16:00Let me try it up there.
16:05Right, that's going to work.
16:07This is going to look really good.
16:16Yay, Ben, that looks great!
16:18It's getting there, isn't it?
16:19The blue tape.
16:20I mean, I'm not too sure about the blue tape look, but you know.
16:23No.
16:23It looks like when you've had a bad shave and you've got loads of plasters all over this.
16:28It does.
16:28But that's just a temporary hold it up against the ceiling while it's all dry.
16:31Oh, that's really good though, Ben. That's really good. What a difference.
16:35With both bedrooms to cove and dress, and the bathroom to finish in just two days, Ben and Billy are
16:43cutting it fine.
16:54Back near Bordeaux, Mark has laid all the kitchen tiles and has put the first of the appliances in.
17:02I'm going to finish the last of the grouting in the kitchen.
17:07Truth be told, I had no idea how to do this.
17:09And my sensei, Derek, taught me.
17:13So this is my newly acquired skill.
17:17DIY is a far cry from the three decades Mark has spent working in the corporate world.
17:23So I think that's about right.
17:26So, I'm ready to apply.
17:29Determined not to miss a trick, he's planned ahead.
17:33Make sure I don't forget anything.
17:35I video Derek actually doing it.
17:38So I just play it along.
17:45I'm making a similar noise to Derek on the video, so that must be a good sign.
17:50If I learn something, I want to be able to do it properly and to figure it out.
17:56So I really need to work it into the gap.
18:01While Mark gets to grips with grouting, architectural planner Sandra has a game plan for the vineyard's waste.
18:10I'm going to collect some of the vine cuttings and I'll be able to tie them in bundles and use
18:15them for the barbecue in the summer.
18:17Nothing gets thrown away here.
18:21It's nice to use what you already have, not have to spend any money.
18:27That's always very satisfying.
18:29That's a nice looking size.
18:32The vineyard is a huge undertaking.
18:35But Sandra is no stranger to getting her hands dirty.
18:40I grew up on a farm in northern Canada.
18:42I like being outside.
18:44In the beginning, I said to Mark, I think it's a lot of work.
18:49You know, maybe we should start with something smaller.
18:51And he said, no, I want this place, because it has a lot of family meaning to him.
18:55And then I just realized, like, yeah, this is Mark's goal.
18:58I'll support him.
19:00And I do like it, but I didn't want to tell him that in the beginning.
19:04You know, I can't give it all away.
19:07But I do really like it.
19:09I'll just make a few more of these and that'll burn nicely.
19:19I am actually reasonably pleased with this.
19:25Hello.
19:26Here comes management.
19:29Did you not miss a spot right here?
19:31No.
19:32Right here.
19:33Good. Management's here, checking on me.
19:35That's what I'm here for.
19:39I'm going to work on my speed.
19:45Good.
19:46I'm okay with that.
19:47Yeah, it looks good in here.
19:49Did a good job.
19:50I'm actually quite happy with that.
19:52A bit of pressure.
19:53I'm super happy about it.
19:55This is a dramatic change from being a bit of a desk jockey.
19:58And surprisingly, I've found it very therapeutic and very enjoyable,
20:02which I never thought I would.
20:04It's been a successful afternoon, but with the rest of the gite to complete,
20:10Mark's DIY journey is just beginning.
20:21400 miles away in Normandy, nervously awaiting supplies,
20:26Chris and Laura are eking out the last of the white paint.
20:31It is a bit of a task that you both have given us.
20:34Who doesn't like a challenge?
20:36You don't.
20:38Wisely keeping her distance is their mum.
20:41Yeah, mum's the only one who's allowed to make it a holiday.
20:45She is 80 years old, so we'll let her off.
20:48I think we're the worker bees, and she's like the queen bee.
20:53It's amazing, everybody's come and slapping away with a paintbrush.
20:58Chris, we said, come over for a few days, and you get here,
21:01and you find the whole place needs painting.
21:05That goes over your left shoulder.
21:07Meanwhile, Jolyon is preparing to take his paintwork to the next level.
21:15Yeah, clever.
21:16I'm quite excited.
21:18I've never used a cherry picker before.
21:20I'm kind of okay with heights, but if it's wobbling a lot,
21:24I might be a little bit nervous.
21:33I feel like Whitney.
21:38Good luck.
21:42But his one moment in a cherry picker is about to be cut short.
21:50Somebody's going to have to get out on that roof,
21:52because there's no way the lift is going to go low enough
21:55for you to work on that.
21:57Because there's a pitch.
21:57So, someone's going to have to put a rope on
22:00and just paint at least the first metre.
22:05Jolyon's task is about to get more perilous.
22:12Ah, that's the other rope.
22:19I will make sure he's safe before I leave him to it.
22:23I think if you pull it tight, that's probably about the right amount.
22:29Let me just check that for you.
22:33Oh, Joly.
22:35Literally the most important thing.
22:40Safety checks done.
22:42Jolyon takes his chances on the orangery roof.
22:47So, Gustav Eiffel, who obviously designed the Eiffel Tower,
22:51he also designed the orangery, which I'm stood on.
22:54So, I'm really hoping that his engineering prowess holds my way
22:59as well as the roof.
23:03I'm holding on for dear life and not looking down,
23:06and it's fine.
23:08I just need to keep focused on the job in hand.
23:13Here we go.
23:14Oh, well.
23:15On safer ground, Lauren's return provides some welcome relief.
23:20I reckon that should be enough.
23:22They're massive, aren't they?
23:22They are huge.
23:23Thank you, thank you.
23:25All right.
23:26Oh, well done.
23:27What a mission.
23:27I thought it.
23:30We've got the new paint.
23:31I think it's going to be okay.
23:33Crisis averted.
23:34It's late in the day.
23:35People have been at it all day.
23:36They're exhausted.
23:37I need to somehow boost the morale a little bit.
23:39So, I need to get them all working harder.
23:48Right, guys.
23:49We've got a little aperitif to wet the taste buds.
23:55I love the toys.
23:56Get back to work.
23:57Are they all mine?
23:59Age before beauty.
24:02Go on, then, Lauren.
24:06Hands up for those who think we're going to get it finished by the end of tomorrow.
24:09Yes.
24:11Oh, wavering.
24:12Oh, look at the negative people over here.
24:15Cheers, guys.
24:18Cheers.
24:20Cheers.
24:21Back to it.
24:23Back to it.
24:25Oh, you're not.
24:26Come on.
24:27It's a well-earned break.
24:29But with the first coat of paint still to complete, it's a little early to celebrate.
24:40Still to come.
24:42Okay.
24:42Mark gears up for an even bigger leap into the unknown.
24:50This is nerve-wracking.
24:54And it's crunch time at Chris and Julian's.
24:58We only have one hour left with the cherry pick-up.
25:00Confident?
25:01No.
25:12In Bordeaux, Mark has put the DIY on hold to try his hand with another new skill out in the
25:21vineyard.
25:24The idea is to teach me the control of driving between the vines.
25:27I'm a little bit nervous because if I get it wrong, I knock over a vine and some of these
25:31vines are 40 years old.
25:33And, yeah, that would be really bad.
25:37Bonjour, Mark.
25:38Bonjour.
25:40Okay.
25:41Here to keep him on the straight and narrow is instructor, Elisa.
25:46Première.
25:47Première.
25:50Elieté.
25:51Et en avance.
25:52En avance.
25:52It's only Mark's second ever lesson.
25:56And a far cry from his corporate desk job.
26:00Attention aux branches.
26:06Is it kill?
26:08Encore.
26:11Encore, encore, encore, encore, encore, encore, encore.
26:15Tournez.
26:17Tournez, tournez, tournez, tournez, tournez.
26:19Là , voilà , c'est bien.
26:23Wow.
26:25C'est pas grave.
26:26Ça arrive de toucher.
26:27OK.
26:30LÃ , stop.
26:31C'est pas grave.
26:33On roule.
26:34C'est pas grave.
26:35C'est pas grave.
26:35C'est OK ?
26:36Non.
26:36Vous avez cassé un fil.
26:38Ah oui ?
26:38C'est pas grave.
26:42On roule.
26:44Allez.
26:46Lâchez, lâchez, lâchez les tapeurs.
26:52Voilà .
26:53Hop, on redresse.
26:55OK.
26:56Et allez, tout droit.
26:57Despite a few broken wires, thankfully, the vines are currently still intact.
27:05Avance un petit peu plus, que je puisse sortir.
27:07Oh, pardon.
27:07On roule.
27:37OK.
27:37here we go the last thing don't want us make a mess of this right hang on so stop
27:47slowly go up the bank which is a little bit nerve-wracking
27:56okay
28:02professional i'll take that as a positive second lesson
28:11yeah it was a little bit nerve-wracking beginning it's tough in that big tractor because there's
28:14so little space other side of the wheels i felt better the first lesson was terrifying this was
28:19just scary the vineyard has survived but there's lots still to be done in the sheet
28:26to get it ready for its first paying guests
28:38back in the loire valley
28:43with the coving put up and the bathroom finished
28:49ben and billy have just 30 minutes to get the roman photo prints up before guests arrive
28:56for a romantic weekend break okay if you could look along the wall to tell me when i've got the
29:02chain
29:02higher than the screw then we can just drop it into place
29:09yeah i think that's on
29:14up up up stop
29:18i think i'll have to get into the wardrobe ben to see this one careful you might end up in
29:23narnia if
29:24you can there okay forwards no stop it's left no mistake no that's all right there that's it great excellent
29:37well done
29:38that's from our photos beautiful
29:41so far ready yeah one two three great okay now for some final touches they look good
29:59everyone gets champagne and chocolates with a few petals how romantic
30:09after transforming the lower floor into a luxury kitchen and diner three years ago
30:17upstairs the couple have now overhauled a dull and dated double bedroom
30:25into an elegant guest space with freshly painted walls and unique roman wall art
30:35a bland twin bedroom
30:39has been revamped with bright colors and elaborate coving and next door
30:48the marble tiled contemporary bathroom completes the finished apartment perfectly
30:56you've got plenty of space to relax i'll let you go up first
31:01and right on time the guests arrive in you go
31:08oh it's lovely it's cozy and it's stunning there's just so much to look at
31:14the colors match really well and i love how that we've tied it all in with the room
31:19yeah thank you so this is your shower room brand new oh it's so fresh and clean isn't it it's
31:25gorgeous
31:27glad you like it
31:31oh wow this is the twin room oh this is stunning
31:35this is really really really very lovely isn't it oh it's so unique i'm a bit lost for words
31:41actually it doesn't often happen to me that's lovely that's really lovely we're looking forward
31:48to staying here very much it's a lovely cozy room i think it's a total privilege to be able to
31:54come to
31:54a chateau like this and stay ben and billy have worked wonders and with a romantic weekend event to
32:03prepare next they need to down tools and get their party hats on
32:14300 miles away at chateau trois cloches it's the morning after and work is at a standstill
32:24we got a bit excited last night with the family it was really nice but everyone's a bit slower this
32:28morning and we need to be picking up the pace we do yeah with his sister laura first to emerge
32:35i brought you uh i thought it's a parachute tomorrow thank you it's back to the grindstone
32:46this job's great this is a real quick one and also you see the results straight away so this is
32:50my perfect job yeah i know what we needed this morning isn't it when we're definitely a bit
32:55delicate when we're all a bit achy a bit tired there's definitely some noticeable absences today
33:00this morning might go and ring the bell in a minute get them up oh yeah
33:07while chris's sister-in-law deb gets brunch on the go
33:12simon and jolian hit the chateau's heights once more
33:18nearly there feels like i've been painting for an eternity now if i drop any on your head it's an
33:24accident yeah yeah
33:32how do you think it's going say i think we've got an awful lot to do in the time that
33:37we've got left
33:38yeah you've just got to keep going i don't think i could paint any faster if i tried yeah i
33:43know what
33:44i mean i feel like i've got smoke coming off the end of my brush i'm definitely definitely going
33:49to be busy the week that you want to paint this next year
33:56how's it going doing our best going a lot faster now ads is helping great um we only have one
34:02hour
34:02left with the cherry picker what do you reckon bloody hell i know
34:07do you reckon we could do it guys yeah yeah confident no okay well good luck if you need
34:14anything with the clock ticking the family dig deep this is what i look for this man to get the
34:21project
34:22over the finish line
34:31before this weekend the chateau facade was tired and shabby with peeling paint and years of grime
34:43now it's had a complete facelift with freshly painted walls in a classic cream
34:51and bright white architraves perfectly complementing the adjacent blue shutters
35:00it's a fantastic team effort all round here we go this is the moment
35:09wow that's amazing wow didn't think you'd do it but here we are it's great many hands make like work
35:22stunning i wouldn't say it was light
35:25well we couldn't have done it without you guys thank you all and i've got a little extra surprise
35:33so the lofty heights award goes to
35:37simon
35:41and then we've got gardening queen who could that be
35:45this is amazing this is amazing well done thank you last but no means least we have chef extraordinaire
35:59well done thank you very much would you like a speech
36:03cheers to you guys cheers thank you so much
36:15i'll see you next time
36:15with a fresh new look the chateau facade has been restored to its former glory
36:22ready for the busy summer season ahead
36:29coming up problem peace it's make or break watch your light with mark and sandra's jeet kitchen
36:36renovation okay table yeah and wall and it's a labor of love at ben and billy's romantic
36:43soiree we're gonna set the place on fire tonight not literally
36:55in bordeaux it's a day of upheaval for mark and sandra all right who need a working kitchen
37:03in their soon to be rented out jeet okay well good yeah we're gonna try and move in all the
37:13furniture and just make sure that it fits properly we're desperate to see what it looks like and get
37:18it all in place so we can have it set up and then if it all works and it's all
37:22put in the right place
37:23then kitchen done and then we can start moving on to the next one but getting custom-made furniture
37:30because this one's gonna hit the wall through old stone doorways
37:37is quite a tall order
37:43all right now we've got problem problem piece
37:48i don't think we'll be able to use the wheels because we won't get through the door
37:51so if we can lighten it as much as possible taking out the drawers hopefully we'll just tip it and
37:55pick
37:56it up and walk it through so this is made by our friend who has a brokant not far away
38:01from here
38:01he reclaims old wood and makes it into old looking furniture you just tilt it that way yeah
38:09then shove it under
38:14watch the light
38:20nice job okay watch the door okay you gotta slide back on the blanket
38:33and i think i'll just tilt it while you grab that blanket again okay okay just put it down on
38:38the
38:38ground
38:43uh which way is the cupboard going oh
38:48oh yeah i thought it was going like the last cupboard okay
38:55okay
38:56okay we like
38:59but the next piece is also supersized and it's sandra's pride and joy i don't want to scratch it
39:07this paint we can't we can't touch it up so if we make a scratch we have to live with
39:11it
39:12push to me to not drop the buggy i have to go okay table okay
39:18the end wall okay oh you're going in this way i know i know i'm turning i'm turning around
39:25so i can come in straight okay okay yeah okay all right good
39:32you don't really have much room with the fridge doors then okay then plan b so we got to do
39:38it on
39:38the other side yeah okay
39:44second attempt yeah a bit more space do you when do you have to turn not yet my hand is
39:52on the stone
39:53so turn slowly whoa we're in amazing good job sandra okay yeah that's good
40:07catastrophe avoided sandra and mark's bland stone kitchen
40:15is now looking much more welcoming with a new tiled floor
40:22farmhouse style units and modern appliances
40:30i think it's looking good roll on to the next room good job yeah
40:38having created a beautiful new kitchen mark and sandra have just months to get the rest of the jeet
40:46renovated for their first paying guests
40:58three hours north in the loire valley ben and billy have an evening of fine dining and music
41:05planned for their weekend guests it's just wonderful every time we get to have an event in the ballroom
41:12because there's that space that we work so hard on and it looks so beautiful and we get to create
41:17another evening of magic in there while ben sets the stage daughter ella and boyfriend antoine
41:25are setting the scene for amour so this event space is so perfect for millions of kinds of events and
41:33i actually had my 20th birthday party here in november and it was just so magical and
41:38yeah really great i hope tonight will be just as beautiful we've got some music in the ballroom
41:44tonight um billy is singing for us this evening which we're really looking forward to nice little
41:48cabaret vibe in the ballroom what a lovely setting it's going to be great tonight ben and billy's
41:55weekend guests will be served up a three-course gourmet meal cooked by professional chefs
42:10i'll put the lights on on the top floor the room looks amazing
42:16gonna set the place on fire tonight not literally but we're gonna rock it this evening hopefully
42:22everyone's gonna love it with the ballroom finally ready it's time for the fun to begin here we go
42:31show time follow me
42:35oh this is beautiful hello hi how are you
42:41so this evening you eat at the entrance there's a quenelle de saint-jacques with a carpaccio de saint-jacques
42:52d'accord a bouillon to citronnelle and then a vinaigrette of crustaceae
43:09it's going so well it's really going
43:23so we are waiting please put your hands together for billy godfrey
43:54we've had a super evening
43:56great scene leap magical evening you couldn't answer better
44:02it's been brilliant we've loved it yeah absolutely loved it good food good company it's been really
44:08great i don't know how we're going to actually top this
44:15oh it's been absolutely amazing absolutely brilliant everyone loved it one of the guests
44:20they've never danced before in their life that's why you can't do better than that best one yet i think
44:25definitely no it's been fantastic
44:31having kicked off the season in spectacular style ben and billy can start making plans for the rest of
44:39their events calendar
44:54next time
44:56there are shocking ideas i've never electrified a chandelier and i think we picked the biggest
45:02chandelier we have in the chateau
45:03hard labor it's a little bit like prison i guess cleaning with a toothbrush behind bars
45:10and a chateau scale stairway to fix i'm trusting the process even though inside of me i won't say don't
45:18do it
45:43that's what we're doing
45:50it's a little bit like if we're to follow you
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