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Chateau DIY - Season 11 - Episode 11
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00:00Across France are thousands of breathtaking chateaux.
00:06Many fallen into rack and ruin.
00:09Oh my goodness.
00:10I want the state of it.
00:12Now being brought back to life by plucky new owners.
00:17Careful!
00:18He doesn't have any idea of danger.
00:21They're taking on the challenge.
00:24These floorboards are gone.
00:26The only thing they're good for is the fire.
00:27To transform these once unloved buildings.
00:31Hands down recommend a cherry picker to anyone.
00:34Back into incredible homes.
00:37Holy chandelier.
00:39This is just phenomenal.
00:42And businesses.
00:43Thank you so much.
00:45You're welcome.
00:46There'll be successes.
00:48I'm a bit giddy.
00:49Giddy? Giddy?
00:51And setbacks.
00:52Oh my God, what's that? It's a bat.
00:54But however hard the going gets.
00:58Oh my poor patio.
01:00These intrepid DIYers.
01:02No, not on the...
01:03I know, I know.
01:05Get to live the dream.
01:08Cheers.
01:08As kings and queens of their very own castle.
01:15Today, one couple, one ancient staircase, no room for error.
01:23I'm trusting the process, even though inside of me I want to say, don't do it.
01:28Another Chatelaine is doing hard labour.
01:31It's a little bit like prison, I guess.
01:33Cleaning with a toothbrush behind bars.
01:35While for this pair, one wrong move, and centuries of history could come crashing down.
01:44I've never electrified a chandelier, and we pick the biggest chandelier we have in the chateau.
01:53Amongst the stunning countryside and vineyards of southwest France stands the breathtaking 15th century Chateau Lagosse.
02:06Outside, the grounds stretch for 71 acres, including a private lake, and a luxurious pool set at the foot of
02:17a magnificent stone staircase.
02:20While inside, it boasts over 100 rooms, including three elegant salons.
02:29Today, it's the home of Anna, Edward, and their two children, Charles, and Emma.
02:37And since it was bought in 2003, the couple have turned it into a highly successful wedding venue.
02:46I think with Chateau Lagosse, the big thing is the setting.
02:51The three terraces, the monumental staircase, the Disney Tower, and it just goes on and on.
02:56It's sprawling, and you just can't get the feel of the place until you're actually stood here.
03:01The fact that you can just go for a walk around the lake, and there's always a point where you
03:05can take the perfect picture with the lake and the chateau in the background,
03:09that once you walk onto the terrace, past the hysteria, it just opens up, and you just fall in love
03:15with the place.
03:16I think there's no better place in the world.
03:21Located just over half an hour from Bordeaux...
03:25Welcome, guys. Cheers!
03:28Last year, we saw Anna and Edward expand their business by hosting an event weekend,
03:34which included wine tasting...
03:38Left. Right.
03:40..a spot of antique shopping...
03:43A little bit hot.
03:45..and a slap-up gourmet meal.
03:51Today, following its success, they're preparing to host a second one in just a few weeks' time.
03:59We're getting ready for the start of the season.
04:01We have our first event happening, a gourmet wine stay.
04:06We need to get the chateau ready, and there's lots to be done.
04:10Today, we're going to start off with a job that's been niggling probably Anna as well.
04:13We have two steps on our huge monumental staircase outside,
04:17and they've kind of dipped a little bit.
04:20It needs to be looking right for the season, because every single bride goes down those steps.
04:25Every single guest over the weekend goes down those steps.
04:28So it's a really important feature.
04:38Could you push it up a bit?
04:40And again, and again.
04:42I know that we've gone really high.
04:43Now let go.
04:45How's that?
04:46I think that's good.
04:47I'm going to do work so that if, in the future,
04:50we get on to properly renovating these,
04:53without kind of ruining the style and the ancientness of the step,
04:57it won't be a problem.
04:59On a closer look, Edward finds the unexpected.
05:04I think this has actually been repaired sometime recently.
05:08You mean?
05:09Well, recently.
05:10In the last 40 years, we'll say.
05:13Because we've never touched them.
05:14We've been here 22 years.
05:15But yeah, you've got some kind of cement-y concrete there.
05:19Yeah.
05:19Now that piece from probably in the 60s or 70s,
05:23that can come off.
05:26I think Ed knows what he's doing.
05:29But you can't make an omelette without breaking eggs,
05:32so I'm trusting the process,
05:35even though inside of me I want to say, don't do it!
05:43Somebody's put a lot of concrete there.
05:45I'm thinking if I just break a little bit of the concrete,
05:48it'll save me having to take three steps up.
05:53All I'm thinking is, how much more work will it be?
05:56But Ed always has a solution, so I'll just assist when I'm needed,
06:01but that's it.
06:02I can't...
06:03It's way over my head, all of this.
06:06OK, I'll see you in a bit.
06:07All right.
06:12Right.
06:13Edward has taken the first step in a giant chateau job.
06:19Whether it'll take him on the stairway to heaven
06:21or the road to hell is yet to be seen.
06:31In the Vendee region of Western France
06:34is the spectacular Chateau de Bornou.
06:40Set in 40 acres,
06:43this 19th-century property comprises 55 rooms
06:48and sits in the middle of a majestic moat.
06:53The lucky owners are former anaesthetist Erin
06:57and her French-born engineer husband, JB,
07:01who run it as a thriving events venue.
07:07That's what I want to hear.
07:09I think it's an incredible privilege and honour
07:12that people choose to celebrate their special moments at our home.
07:16This is where we get a little bit of our reward
07:19for all the work we put in.
07:20It is essential for us to carry on looking after this place.
07:29Located just over 35 miles from La Rochelle,
07:33Erin and JB bought the chateau
07:36for £560,000 in 2018.
07:41And when we saw them last summer,
07:44they'd transformed a disused turret room
07:47into a stylish arts and crafts studio.
07:51All in all, good job.
07:53Good. Thank you.
07:55Thank you, boss.
07:58This year, they want to create a new event space
08:02in the Red Salon
08:04and are hoping to light up the room
08:07by converting its chandelier to electricity.
08:11One of the reasons we don't use this salon
08:13is because it's far too dark.
08:15I've never electrified a chandelier,
08:18neither did you before,
08:20and I think we picked the biggest chandelier
08:21we have in the chateau.
08:23It's a huge challenge,
08:25especially as they're planning to host a cocktail party in here
08:28in just a week's time.
08:32So here's the beast.
08:36The chain looks like it weighs tons.
08:39Yeah, well, I think if we take it down in sections,
08:42that might be the safest way of approaching it.
08:45Right, we just need to make sure
08:46there's nothing fragile underneath.
08:48Great, I'll move the glassware.
08:52Not trusted with it.
08:53Yeah.
08:55As chandeliers are notoriously tricky,
08:58Erin and JB aren't taking any chances.
09:03Incoming.
09:05Especially as it weighs over 75 kilos.
09:08I'm going to be in charge of these two branches.
09:11Oh, lost a candle.
09:12You broke it.
09:14And you're taking those too?
09:15Yeah.
09:17Do yours.
09:23And on that side, it's good.
09:26Yeah.
09:31It is still balanced-ish.
09:35Unhook yours.
09:39Yeah.
09:39Good.
09:40Yeah, yeah.
09:41OK.
09:41You still holding it?
09:42Yeah.
09:43Well, then you're fine.
09:44Can you drop it?
09:46Yeah, yeah, yeah.
09:46No, we're good, we're good.
09:49Hang on.
09:49Hang on.
09:50I can get it.
09:52Good.
09:54Oh.
09:55It's fine.
09:55You can let it go.
09:56Let it go.
09:58Yeah, it's heavier than it looks.
10:00Yeah, that is actually pretty heavy.
10:03But we didn't smash anything, so that's good.
10:06The hard part, though, is about to begin.
10:10How to wire it discreetly.
10:14Basically, it's going to be round like this.
10:16Mm-hmm.
10:17That fits on top.
10:18That's on top.
10:19Bulb.
10:20Bulb.
10:20Looks amazing.
10:21So you're going to have to drill a hole through the cup, right?
10:24Because how is that going to get into there?
10:27Yeah.
10:28Otherwise, that's going to look pretty ugly, isn't it?
10:30Okay.
10:31What sounded like just running a couple of wires
10:35might turn into something a bit more complex.
10:38Seeing the chandelier up close, all the beautiful details
10:40and very intricate workmanship,
10:42you don't really want to be passing cables
10:44and hiding all of those beautiful elements.
10:47So a lot of pragmatic but also aesthetic decisions
10:51need to be made.
10:51We like a challenge.
10:52That's what chateau life is all about.
10:54So, yeah, we'll just have to think quite carefully
10:58about how we approach this, I think.
11:00Erin and JB will need to put their thinking caps on
11:04because until the puzzle's solved,
11:07it'll be lights out at their cocktail party.
11:16Coming up.
11:18Only nervousness that I have,
11:20if he grabs his string around the bottom, it tips.
11:24There's an expensive balancing act
11:26and JB discovers that rewiring comes at a cost.
11:32Focusing strongly not to drill my hand.
11:43In the idyllic Gascony Hills of southwest France
11:47stands the beautiful 18th century Chateau de La Salle.
11:52This former hotel comes with 21 stylish bedrooms,
12:01outbuildings and a pool,
12:04all enclosed within a 20-acre estate.
12:09Since 2022,
12:12It's Chatelain have been American-born Christina
12:14and her Iranian husband, Sasan.
12:17Cheers.
12:18Who left behind their hectic lives in London.
12:23The Chateau life has changed our life in every aspect.
12:27Our mind, our heart is in the Chateau.
12:30We even dream about it.
12:32Sometimes crazy dreams, but...
12:38It's been quite a journey so far.
12:40I think, in the beginning, we moved in.
12:43You know, we just were looking around wide-eyed,
12:46thinking there's a million projects that we have to get done.
12:48I look at my to-do list every week,
12:52and it doesn't get smaller.
12:55Not when you walk around with me, it doesn't.
12:57True.
13:04Perfectly positioned between Bordeaux and Toulouse,
13:07the couple have been busy transforming the Chateau
13:11into a luxurious holiday let,
13:15giving the outdated swimming pool
13:17a stunning makeover,
13:23and creating a high-end poolside dining area
13:27for their guests.
13:31Santé.
13:32A la tienne.
13:33Pardon.
13:34Pardon.
13:35Teamwork.
13:36Yeah, teamwork.
13:37Makes the dream work.
13:38Last time, we saw these DIY novices
13:42transform a cluttered storage room...
13:45There is a ton of stuff to move out.
13:47...into a sumptuous guest library.
13:50Wow!
13:53Ah, oui.
13:54Ah, oui.
13:55Très, très belle pièce.
13:56Magnifique.
14:02The next project they want to tackle
14:05is on almost every Châtelain's to-do list.
14:09Today, we are going to finally try to get the gate cleaned up.
14:15It has lots of moss and things on it.
14:17It's the first impression that the guests will have,
14:20anybody who drives in, will have.
14:22The place is beautiful.
14:23I think the welcome is not quite.
14:27But like every job here,
14:29it's on a Château scale,
14:31with four-metre-high iron gates
14:34situated at the far end of a 500-metre driveway.
14:41This is just a cleaning product that you dissolve in house water.
14:45I don't think it's anything chemical, necessarily.
14:48It's just the cleaning of very heavy-duty products,
14:51especially for moss.
14:53So I have never tried it.
14:54This is the first time.
15:01It's like magic.
15:03Is that working?
15:05Yeah.
15:06This is very difficult.
15:07You can't get everywhere.
15:11This cleaner does really work, though.
15:13I thought we'd have to scrub the mold off.
15:15Hey, show me your sponge.
15:18It looks like I've been doing a lot more work than you.
15:24Hey, I think we're going to need clean water and more product,
15:28I think, because it's just getting dirty again.
15:29OK, thanks.
15:31See you. Bye.
15:33While Christina makes the long walk back to the nearest tap,
15:38Sassan is already thinking about the next stage of their plan.
15:43Definitely wanted to change the colour of the gate.
15:46Originally, we were thinking to paint it the same colour as our shutters,
15:50but we were very much impressed by a few gates that were black
15:56with some gold on.
15:58And it makes it very bold, if you like.
16:02So that's the idea.
16:04With a lot of cleaning and sanding ahead, though,
16:07the couple's dream of golden gates is still a long way off.
16:20Over 200 miles away, at Chateau de Borneau,
16:25Erin and JB have finally worked out how to wire up the brass chandelier
16:30that has illuminated the Red Salon for the past 160 years.
16:36So we've decided to try to drill it here, the very bottom part of the kennel,
16:42that we are thinking like this is the most discreet part of it.
16:47And so, yeah, just need to get the safety gear on and start.
16:53Having never attempted this before, JB needs to tread carefully.
17:03I'm focusing strongly not to drill my hand.
17:14It's going to take forever.
17:16How many do we have to do?
17:1716.
17:18Fun.
17:19But won't it be amazing when we have light in that room?
17:22Hmm?
17:24Yeah.
17:24An arduous job, but it'll be worth it, honestly.
17:28While JB puts his plan into practice,
17:33Erin is busy restoring the rest of the brass.
17:37I'm testing a technique that's worked really well with copper, actually,
17:42is just using a tomato-type sauce with vinegar in it.
17:46It just saves a lot of buffing and polishing.
17:49I mean, you can see already as it's sitting there,
17:51it's already coming out gold.
17:53Just the, like, acid content is already working.
17:55So, yeah, that's good.
17:58So that's the first lot done,
18:00and then I'll just go and check in the oven
18:02if the others have all melted, and then I'll continue.
18:05To remove decades of candle wax,
18:09Erin has had the novel idea
18:10of first putting the wax-covered pieces in a warm oven.
18:15So you do have to work quite fast
18:18all the wax sort of re-solidifiers again.
18:20You see, that's much better.
18:22Because this one was particularly bad.
18:25Especially because there's all these grooves on the back of the plate
18:29where if you had to chip it off by hand, you never get a nice finish.
18:32So this is actually a really, really great technique for this.
18:37This project, what I love about it is it's a genuine 19th-century grand chandelier,
18:45which has always been here.
18:46This chandelier has always been on my wish list to do up.
18:50Because that room is a really beautiful time capsule,
18:55it really is very much how the house was built
18:57and hasn't been touched in probably over 100 years.
19:00It's coming up nicely.
19:02Really nice to see it coming back to beautiful again.
19:05I think it will look amazing.
19:07With the brass starting to sparkle...
19:13..it's down to JB not to get his wires crossed.
19:21Right, so...
19:22..yeah, so that's how he's going to be.
19:24So he's very subtle.
19:26We barely see the wire.
19:27I don't think he'll notice it at all.
19:30One done.
19:31Sixteen still to go.
19:34It's taken JB a long time to work out,
19:38but at least there's light at the end of the tunnel.
19:50Back near Bordeaux, at Anna and Edward's,
19:54work on repairing two steps of their magnificent chateau staircase
19:58is continuing.
20:01OK, well, it's free.
20:03And all of the old concrete has been removed.
20:06I think I'm kind of ready to get that first step.
20:11All blocked up and ready.
20:13Can't really complain too much
20:15about somebody putting that concrete underneath.
20:18It's pretty much exactly what I'm going to do now.
20:20So it's really important to respect the stone
20:23and respect the age of these stairs.
20:24If I thought that I couldn't do it
20:26without endangering the kind of lifespan of these stones,
20:31I wouldn't touch it.
20:32But what I'm going to do is going to be something that you won't ever see
20:35and it's just going to support, basically.
20:39However, prizing away the hefty 200-year-old chunk of stone
20:45unearths a larger problem.
20:48Quite a lot of material missing under there.
20:51I think I'll go find some kind of...
20:55They're called Muelon local stones, so I've got a stock of them.
20:59You can pop those under and then pop a bit of cement around,
21:02just like I say, to keep it in place.
21:08But every bucket of stones or cement
21:13involves a steep climb to the top and a tough trip down.
21:18So, while Edward tackles this back-breaking project,
21:23Anna starts to bring one of their three terraces up to scratch.
21:27There's always a huge list of jobs to be done
21:31for chateau experience, gourmet, wine, stay
21:35or any event that we hold at the chateau.
21:37So, what we try and do is prioritise
21:40and then do the major parts
21:42and then the little jobs will still do them.
21:45I mean, we won't be sleeping much,
21:48but they need to be done.
21:50Everything is important and everything has to be right.
21:56So, the idea is when I put some more mix on that,
21:59it's going to kind of create a little wall
22:02that's just supporting the front of this step.
22:04And with it being all together,
22:06I think it should last a few years.
22:09We live and work at home
22:10and we live and work for the home,
22:13even though the home is a huge scale.
22:15To maintain it and to make it look pretty,
22:18it's one's life mission.
22:20I think we both feel the same.
22:22And sharing it with people,
22:24there's nothing better
22:25because we have people that have been here last year,
22:30they're coming back this year
22:31for the Gourmet Wine Stay.
22:32We've had people that have been here five, six times
22:34over the last 20 years
22:37and there's nothing better than that
22:39than for people wanting to come back
22:41and to share the love and joy.
22:44The countdown to the new season of events is on,
22:48but the restoration work
22:49on their showstopper of a staircase
22:51is set to run and run.
23:01Still to come,
23:03Christina and Sassan have some unexpected guests.
23:07Look how big they are.
23:09And Edward thinks he's made an enormous mistake.
23:14Only 200 steps more to go.
23:23In the Vendée,
23:24in the western part of France,
23:27it's the day of Erin and JB's cocktail party.
23:31And after almost a week of cleaning
23:33intricate pieces of brass,
23:36as well as freshly wiring 16 individual lights,
23:41the chandelier is finally ready to be rehung.
23:45Well, it took us longer than we expected,
23:47but I think I'm pretty pleased with it.
23:49We don't actually know whether our wiring has worked or not.
23:53We are inviting guests over this evening
23:55to see our chandelier,
23:57so it's going to be a little bit embarrassing
23:58if we turn it on and there's no light.
24:09We are going to put the lightbulb on now, I think,
24:13because in case we drop it.
24:14Yeah, exactly.
24:15We've got 16 lightbulbs and not a spare one.
24:18Yeah.
24:18But before the big switch-on,
24:21they have the small matter of reattaching the 75-kilo chandelier
24:27to its hooks,
24:28hanging more than two metres off the ground.
24:32This is really, really heavy,
24:33and I'm not sure how much upper body strength I have for this thing
24:40because it is very, very, very heavy.
24:42It's dense brass.
24:43It has all these extra kind of fittings and things on it as well,
24:47so it is a really heavy and fiddly job
24:49because not only do I have to have the strength
24:51to actually put it up there,
24:54you've got to also align it with the hooks,
24:56which are obviously kind of floating from the ceiling,
24:58so I'm not very convinced
25:02that I'm going to do this in any elegant or skillful way,
25:05but I shall certainly have a go,
25:07and I think if it's too heavy,
25:08we'll have to try and find another solution before everyone arrives.
25:14Okay.
25:15Are you ready?
25:15Yeah.
25:16Three, two, one.
25:17Jesus.
25:20Okay.
25:22Can you hold it?
25:24Kind of.
25:26Okay, line is in.
25:29Ooh, yeah, yeah.
25:31Okay.
25:33Right.
25:35Like a jigsaw.
25:39Okay.
25:43Okay.
25:44Good.
25:46Oh, success.
25:48Success.
25:48No celebration because we still don't know if it works.
25:52Before securing it, we'll try it, the chandelier.
25:56Yeah, okay.
25:58Suddenly my self-confidence is like melting away,
26:01but like, is the wiring right?
26:03Oh, brilliant.
26:06There's only one way to know if it works.
26:09There's only one way to know for sure.
26:10Are the light bulbs fitting okay?
26:13Um, so far, yes.
26:17Looking good.
26:18With all the bulbs in place.
26:21I hope it turns on.
26:23Shall we test it?
26:24Yeah.
26:24Well, it's the moment of truth.
26:28Close your eyes.
26:29It might be bright.
26:30Hopefully.
26:32Oh!
26:33The first time in 160 years that we've had proper light in this room, so it's pretty good.
26:39Bravo!
26:40This is very good news.
26:42Seems to be one bulb that's not working.
26:44What's going to say?
26:45Oh, hang on, there's two.
26:47Oh, gosh.
26:48So, is that a wiring fault?
26:51I love the fact that your first suggestion is that it would be a wiring fault.
26:56With their guests due in just a couple of hours, JB can only hope it's an easy fix.
27:04It cannot be a wiring issue.
27:06It's been done, like, at the highest level.
27:09But until he can solve the problem...
27:12Not working.
27:13Uh, okay.
27:15Uh...
27:16Their celebratory cocktail party is hanging in the balance.
27:28Over at Chateau de La Salle, Christina and Sassan are heading back out to work on their enormous front gates.
27:37An essential job, because not only are they the first thing guests see,
27:42but they mark the start of a beautiful 500-metre drive.
27:49It was love at first sight when we first came down the driveway,
27:52because one of my criteria was that I wanted a tree-line drive.
27:56Yeah.
27:56And we saw a few places that were fantastic, but when we realised this property, actually, it's eight hectares and
28:03three hectares of woods.
28:05To see the size of our woodland is quite special.
28:08Yeah.
28:08So they're just the trees lining the driveway.
28:10We actually have the whole park, which is a huge bonus.
28:14While working on the gates, the couple have also discovered they share their woodland with some interesting locals.
28:23Look at how big they are.
28:25We decided to put the wildlife camera here.
28:29One night, there was a family of 27 white boar crossing the camera.
28:37Our neighbours have told us that, uh, this area has truffles and that there might be some mushrooms and truffles
28:43in here,
28:44but we've never seen them.
28:45I think these guys get to them first.
28:49Common across France, there are estimated to be over a million wild boar roaming the countryside,
28:56often living in large family groups.
28:59Living on such a property has been such a blessing for us.
29:02We both love the wildlife.
29:04You know, being able to see things like this kind of makes it all worth it, right?
29:09And on the camera or live, I think, really makes it special.
29:14And now they've discovered how wonderful their woodland is,
29:19Christina and Sasan are determined to make the entrance to it even more impressive.
29:25So, while Sasan removes the last bits of loose paint...
29:31All these shapes, it's very difficult to find.
29:38Christina's confined herself to cleaning up.
29:41It's a little bit like prison, I guess, hey?
29:44Cleaning with a toothbrush behind bars.
29:48Eventually, it's time to try out the new colour scheme.
29:53Sasan and I actually had differing opinions.
29:55I wanted to do it the same colour,
29:58and Sasan really liked the striking black and gold combination,
30:01so I let them have this win this time, so we'll see how it looks.
30:08I'm sure there's an easier way to do this,
30:10but we're quite far from electricity or from water.
30:14It's, you know, 500 metres down the driveway to get anything that we need.
30:19It's very fiddly, because we're not taping anything,
30:21and I don't want to get black on the parts that I'm going to do gold.
30:25And we haven't really decided where I'm going to do gold yet.
30:29But Sasan has a good idea of which bits to bling.
30:34Today was always supposed to be about the colour, the style.
30:39It's fine, it's definitely better.
30:44I don't know if it is the gold I wanted,
30:46but we give it a second coat in a few days when it's dry
30:50and see how it looks, and that's it.
31:02I think I, we end up leaving the gold painting to you,
31:07because you're a lot more patient.
31:10With a test section painted,
31:13it's the moment of truth for Sasan's colours.
31:18I think we've made fairly good progress today.
31:20I mean, the gates are huge.
31:22We knew that they would take a lot longer than we would expect,
31:25but we've at least got those done,
31:27and I can start to visualise what it's going to look like.
31:29I think it'll be really impressive with the black and the gold accents.
31:33It'll be a much, much better entrance than it is now.
31:38But with a lot of intricate painting to do,
31:41and grand plans for the stone columns as well,
31:45there's still plenty of work ahead.
31:54Back at Chateau Lagasse in south-west France,
31:59Edward has filled the gap under the top step with stones and concrete,
32:05and is now ready to move the lower ones back into place.
32:19I'm just wedging that last one up a little bit.
32:22It's not a level job.
32:23It's a looking good job.
32:25It has to look like the rest of the stones on here.
32:30I think we're getting there.
32:41I didn't want to do the joints,
32:44because I don't like the concrete joints,
32:46but you know what?
32:47It's turned out quite good.
32:48It's looking like I've not really touched it,
32:52which is what I was looking for.
32:55I'm going to get Anna to sign off on this now.
32:58And when you live in an enormous chateau,
33:02modern technology is easier than shouting.
33:05Yes, Ed?
33:07I've done.
33:07Can you come and have a look at the steps, see what you think?
33:10Yes, I'm coming to have a look now.
33:15I'm really liking the look of this from below.
33:18It's the most important view,
33:20because, you know, you see the...
33:23We used to see the problem from below.
33:26Can't wait to see this, Ed.
33:28This has been a sore spot for a long time.
33:32It's looking really good, Ed.
33:35Oh, thanks.
33:35You've done a great job.
33:36I wasn't... I mean, I wasn't sure.
33:39I knew you'd do it, but I wasn't sure how long it'd take,
33:41and you've done it in...
33:44Record time.
33:45You have, yes.
33:46I'm impressed.
33:48Yeah.
33:48Only, I'd say, somewhere in the region of 200 steps more to go.
33:53Well, you made the start.
33:55And that, that was, like, the worst point,
33:58and that looks amazing now.
33:59Yeah, we won't be embarrassed coming back up
34:01every time we show people around now, will we?
34:03Definitely not.
34:12I'm really happy with how the steps turned out,
34:14because they're in keeping with the rest of the steps.
34:17They're not perfect, they're not level,
34:19but they're in keeping, they're looking good,
34:21and that's the main thing.
34:23It was pretty frightful, going away,
34:26but coming back and see it all done and finished,
34:29that was amazing.
34:30That was the cherry on top of the cake.
34:31That was a beautiful job done.
34:33You've just got to keep that rhythm going,
34:35and if we can get the other jobs done
34:37in as good a time period as that,
34:39we've got no problem whatsoever.
34:41Anna and Edward's monumental staircase
34:44may be ready for the first guests of the season,
34:48but with a chateau of this scale,
34:50it's going to be a real struggle
34:53to get everything else done on time.
35:01Still to come, there's trouble at the top.
35:05They say, s'il vous plaît, un peu plus.
35:08What do you think, JB?
35:10And Erin and JB's party is in peril.
35:14Let's hope we can find a solution.
35:23In southwest France at Chateau de La Salle,
35:26the grand entrance gates are painted,
35:29and now Christina wants to add a final flourish.
35:34Today we are finally going to put the pine cones up on the columns.
35:38When we first moved in, it was almost like Christmas.
35:41Every time we walked somewhere, we found something new,
35:43and the pine cones were one of the things that we found.
35:45They were just sitting on the ground,
35:47and I realized that the gates seemed a bit bare,
35:50so they seemed like the perfect thing
35:52to kind of re-utilize and put up on top.
35:56Each stone pine cone, though,
35:58weighs an enormous 80 kilos.
36:01So they've called in local crane operator, Ludovic, to help.
36:06You agree?
36:07You agree?
36:07For me, I'm here, on the ground.
36:10And you're going to take...
36:12You have to hold it.
36:13Yes.
36:13Yes, exactly.
36:15The weight is on your crew.
36:19Yes, yes, yes.
36:20Exactly.
36:20I'm going to guide you.
36:24Only nervousness that I have
36:26is that the main weight of the pine cone is on the top.
36:30If he grabs his string around the bottom, it tips.
36:34So I'm not quite sure how exactly we can do,
36:37but we will see.
36:39I think I'm okay with the two.
36:42I'm going to take a look at the two.
36:44But as the weight is there, I'll make it happen.
36:47Exactly.
36:47I've put the little five to hold it here.
36:49Ah.
36:52Once the first of the two pine cones is safely strapped up,
36:57they need to lift it up four meters
36:59onto the top of the column.
37:05If you want to lift it up, please.
37:08A little more.
37:10Yes.
37:13Lift it up.
37:15Woo-hoo!
37:16It looks very tiny now.
37:21Now that it's up there, it looks a lot smaller
37:23than it did on the ground,
37:25but I think by the time it's in place,
37:27they'll probably look like they've been there the whole time.
37:29So that's what we're hoping for anyway.
37:34Only when both of the solid stone pine cones
37:38are safely in position...
37:40Oui, merci.
37:45...will Cristina and Sasan
37:47know if their idea has worked.
38:01Well, that is a massive relief to have those up.
38:04Let's go.
38:06All right.
38:09A few weeks ago,
38:11the chateau gates were far from an impressive entrance.
38:15With old peeling paint,
38:18covered in years of muck and moss,
38:22uninspiring and uninviting.
38:27Now...
38:29They've been transformed.
38:32The ironwork brought back to life
38:34with Sasan's bold black and gold color scheme.
38:38And Cristina's salvaged stone pine cones
38:42adorning the pillars on either side.
38:45Before the first guests of the summer arrive,
38:48the couple are keen to show them off
38:50to some local friends.
38:52Oui.
38:53Ah oui, les pines.
38:54Ah oui, les pines.
38:55Ah oui, les pines.
38:57C'est très, très bon.
38:58J'adore le...
39:00à moi, le combinaisant de noir.
39:03Cristina and Sasan's new gates
39:06certainly make a great impression.
39:09Et ils travaillent beaucoup
39:10et ils ont un lieu plein de charme
39:12qui est absolument magnifique.
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