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00:00Across France are thousands of breathtaking chateaux.
00:06Many are forgotten and abandoned.
00:10Now, they're being brought back to life by courageous owners...
00:15Give me a heart attack, then.
00:17..who face extraordinary challenges...
00:20This is crazy. Breathe!
00:23..to transform these historic buildings...
00:26This has been squashed.
00:28The water is probably splashing everywhere now.
00:30..into stunning new homes...
00:33That certainly looks beautiful.
00:35Well done, team.
00:37..and flourishing businesses.
00:39Come in and see what we've done to the cookery school.
00:42Oh, my goodness.
00:44There'll be triumphs...
00:46I think we're doing amazing.
00:48..and setbacks.
00:50Right.
00:52Watch out!
00:54But however hard the going gets...
00:56It looks like the place is on fire.
00:59..those who've made the move...
01:01That's exactly what I wanted.
01:03..get to live the dream...
01:05This is what I call chateau life.
01:08..as custodians of their very own castle.
01:16Today...
01:17It'll be quite fun just to press a button and it'll go...
01:21..sparks fly as one owner prepares for take-off...
01:25This is as far as I'll get to having my own private jet.
01:29..exacting standards cause family friction...
01:33Jake and Jenny are very much the quality control aspect of the team.
01:37Just that side, Dad, and then there's a little bit that side up.
01:41And then I oblige by redoing a lot of stuff.
01:44..and a road-building project...
01:47Straight back, left hand down!
01:49..veers off the rails.
01:51Whoa! Stop!
01:58In the heart of the Languedoc region of southern France
02:03lies the majestic 19th-century Château de Puy-et-Prin.
02:11With seven acres...
02:13..and 39 magnificent rooms
02:16set around a central courtyard,
02:19this former winery was bought by Tim and Sasha in 2003
02:25for £390,000.
02:28One, two, three, four.
02:32Just like that.
02:34They now run the chateau as a thriving wedding venue...
02:38Confetti, confetti!
02:40..along with daughter Lily and son-in-law Luke.
02:47I don't know what possessed us, but we thought,
02:49well, this sounds too good to be true.
02:52Let's go and have a look. And we did.
02:54And it was too good to be true. And it was too good to be true.
02:57What captivated me most was this magic that I felt
03:03when we entered the courtyard.
03:05I mean, coming from a relatively normal-sized house in England,
03:10it felt like a palace.
03:12It was on sale for the same price as a house in England.
03:18Located two hours from Toulouse, near the famous Canal du Midi...
03:25..when we last saw Tim and Sasha,
03:28they had renovated a new guest bedroom...
03:31Well done, you.
03:33Routine artist.
03:37..as well as transforming one of the chateau's original wine barrels,
03:41or foudre...
03:43Wow.
03:44..into a quirky dining space.
03:47180 years of history.
03:52Well done.
03:55Now they have ambitious plans for a second barrel.
03:59Today we're tackling two projects that run parallel with each other.
04:04One is extending the existing bar,
04:07which is in the original wine press,
04:10and the other is opening up the barrel that's adjacent to the bar
04:14that I want to make into our wine store, with two doors.
04:17The door that opens up and the door that opens down
04:20with a staircase inside that we'll pull out.
04:23I can see it in my mind, that's the easy bit.
04:27It's seeing it in reality that will be more difficult.
04:33Both projects are in the former wine barn,
04:36which the family now use for wedding receptions.
04:40This is the original wine press.
04:42This is where, back in the day, they would have pressed the white grapes.
04:46To me, this was a piece of sculpture I wasn't going to destroy,
04:50and we've been using it now for the last 15 years as a bar,
04:54but it's time to make it bigger.
04:57Tim and Luke have started to open the circular press
05:01to make a larger worktop.
05:04I'm suggesting that it goes...
05:06I'm suggesting we put it there. OK.
05:09And then continue that to the wall,
05:11which makes a really lovely curve. Yeah.
05:14That's a great idea. Love it.
05:16Yeah, that'll look really good.
05:20So what I'm doing here is following the line of the worktop,
05:23just moving the barrel around as I go,
05:25and then just marking where I need to chop these pieces off at.
05:31On a busy night.
05:32It was almost like you were dancing with the person you were working with,
05:35which was interesting, but, yeah,
05:37I'm so happy that we're actually extending the bar.
05:42Tim's plan for this 3.5-metre-high barrel is a little more complicated.
05:49All these bands are fairly loose,
05:52so to make cutting a doorway here secure,
05:56I need to screw in these bands into every cross member of wood.
06:03OK.
06:05Let's start drilling.
06:14He's got 60 holes to drill
06:16so that he can screw the steel rings into place.
06:21So there's lots of work ahead
06:24before anyone's rolling out drinks from this barrel.
06:32Surrounded by the green pastures of the Puy-de-Dôme in central France
06:38stands the 16th-century Château de Bruges.
06:44It boasts fairytale towers,
06:47ten opulent bedrooms and five elegant living rooms,
06:52as well as numerous outbuildings,
06:55all sitting in a seven-acre estate.
07:01Since 2022, it's been home to Graham,
07:05his son Jake and Jake's fiancée, Danielle.
07:09I ran an IT business which I had the opportunity to sell in 2017,
07:14and having seen other Brits renovating chateaus,
07:17it was something I was really keen to get my teeth into.
07:20I mentioned it to Jake and Danielle
07:22and they were immediately keen to come on board
07:25and get involved in the project.
07:27As soon as the question was posed,
07:29me and Danielle glanced at each other very quickly
07:32and we said, yeah, absolutely,
07:34we'd like to come and do that with you.
07:37We knew that if we didn't take up the opportunity,
07:40we knew we'd regret it.
07:44Located less than 40 miles from the famous spa town of Vichy,
07:49Graham bought the chateau for £605,000
07:53with wife Rachel, who's working in the UK.
08:00And the family have been breathing new life into the old building.
08:07I think we've achieved a lot in the time that we've been here.
08:10Six months of the year we are full-time renovating
08:13and then the other six months of the year we are full-time hoteliers.
08:18Soon they'll be hosting some special guests
08:21as Graham's parents are celebrating their diamond wedding anniversary,
08:26so the chateau needs to sparkle.
08:30We are in the hallway and this is one of the first places
08:33that guests will see as they come up to their room.
08:35So currently in its state, it's not awful,
08:38but it's just not in a state that we would like
08:40and we want to make it look a lot better.
08:42So we've got a lot of work to do up here,
08:44just to make it less tired, I think.
08:47So, yeah, we're going to bring a bit of life and a bit of colour.
08:51The 20-metre L-shaped hallway has already been cleared,
08:55except for some very solid sideboards.
09:00One, two, three.
09:03Look at that. Easy.
09:08Heavy lifting over...
09:10This is the longest bit.
09:12..it's time for everyone's favourite DIY job.
09:16It's always a satisfying job for about a minute
09:20and then it gets really quite dull.
09:25Helping tidy up is Merlyn, the spaniel.
09:30I have to leave that bit for the oversized person.
09:33That'll be me, then.
09:37Some paper balls.
09:40We cannot wait to see these corridors finished.
09:43We've got chandeliers to put up
09:45and it's just going to make a massive difference
09:47compared to how tired and boring it is currently.
09:50It's going to make a really big impact.
09:52Jake's doing a sterling job of taking off the top layer.
09:55Danielle's steaming off the bottom layer,
09:57so I'm now going to get on and start filling the holes
10:00and cracks and stuff in the walls.
10:05Since they started living and working together,
10:08the three of them, plus Merlyn,
10:11have perfected the art of teamwork.
10:14That's been a relatively successful start to the hallway.
10:18I think I've managed to do about 70% of the top layer
10:21wallpaper stripping now.
10:23Yeah, then I've done about 70% of the first layer
10:27off with the steamer.
10:29Yeah, and I'm about 50% through the filling of the holes.
10:33So, yeah, good start.
10:35Between us, over 100% done.
10:37Good work. I'm not sure it works like that.
10:41They'll need to keep up the teamwork to get everything ready
10:45in time for the big family party.
10:51Coming up...
10:54..one couple's dreams are crumbling.
10:57It does make the job easier.
10:58It's just falling apart at the hands,
11:00but it's quite soul-destroying.
11:03And Tim's creativity is on fire.
11:07That's smoke from the burning oak.
11:16Amongst the vineyards of the Charente-Maritimes
11:19in western France
11:21stands the 19th-century La Grande Maison Lapinelle.
11:29Set in 4½ acres,
11:31the property includes a 22-room manor house,
11:36a second smaller house
11:38and an antique cognac distillery.
11:42We would have looked at over 40 properties
11:45because we just couldn't find the one.
11:48We came in here, we had a look around,
11:50didn't say a word to each other
11:52after three hours, the first viewing.
11:55I said to him, what do you think?
11:57And he went, what do you think?
11:59I love it.
12:00And he went, oh, my God, so do I!
12:05Its proud new owners are in-flight manager Sarah
12:09and former military dog handler Bart,
12:12who bought it for £335,000 in 2023.
12:18We fell in love with the Charente
12:20because the weather is fabulous,
12:22the people are great,
12:23the countryside is beautiful,
12:25you just look out, it's just amazing.
12:29Located half an hour's drive north of Cognac,
12:33when we last saw the couple,
12:35they had picked up the keys...
12:37There she is!
12:42..and were moving in with dogs Bonnie and Minnie.
12:46Go, go, go. Go on, big girl.
12:49I'm going in.
12:51..and the scale of the project started to dawn.
12:55Oh, my goodness.
12:57There is a monstrous amount of work to be done.
13:00Yeah. We'll find a way.
13:02I'm glad you have faith. I do.
13:04We've got to make this work, we haven't got a choice.
13:08For now, the couple are living in the smaller property
13:12while they tackle the main house,
13:14which has been uninhabited for 50 years.
13:19Their top priority is the damp affecting the whole front
13:23and endangering Sarah's favourite feature.
13:28One of the things I desperately wanted
13:30was a staircase in Chavante style.
13:33At the minute, it's in a dire state,
13:35it's in desperate need of repair.
13:37It's completely collapsed
13:39and that's because of the floors giving way.
13:41We need to see what's causing the damage
13:44and what can be done to fix it.
13:48The work means Sarah has to face her demons.
13:53Do you like to muffle your screams?
13:55Oh, yeah. There's going to be plenty of those today, I reckon.
14:00Oh, my God, he's a monster!
14:03He is huge!
14:07Gee, that's completely rotten, isn't it?
14:10Yeah.
14:12Wowzer.
14:14That is just about to collapse underneath the weight of me.
14:17Oh, look at that.
14:19That's floor joist.
14:22This area is completely damp
14:25as a result of this concrete walkway,
14:27which is on the other side,
14:29and that has stopped the water, A, getting out,
14:32which has been in here,
14:34but also it's been hindering any of the moisture
14:37that's been stuck underneath the floor,
14:39which has then affected all the floorboards and dry-rotted them
14:42and everything else is starting to catch on as a result.
14:45It's quite hideous. It's just damn awful.
14:48Worse than you expected? Yes.
14:50I don't think we're saving any of this wood, which is a shame.
14:53Yeah, it is.
14:55To stop the rot, all the affected wood has to go.
15:04It does make the job easier.
15:06It's just falling apart in our hands,
15:08but it's quite soul-destroying.
15:13With the staircase in danger of collapse,
15:16they need to be very careful.
15:20I don't think you should dislodge this. No, I'm not going to.
15:23That's my favourite part of the whole house.
15:26If you destroy that, I might destroy you.
15:31Removing the rotten boards
15:33will prevent the damp spreading to the staircase.
15:36Job done. Result.
15:38Boom.
15:40But it's come at a cost.
15:42Gutted that there's no wood that can be saved.
15:45It's all got to go on a bonfire.
15:47It's all rotten.
15:49We've cut it out, so it can't infest anywhere else pretty much.
15:53Bit of perseverance, we've got it done. Yes.
15:58They've put the staircase on the path to recovery.
16:02But with the damp much worse than they thought,
16:05there's a long road ahead.
16:14Nearly 200 miles away, in central France,
16:18Graham, Jake and Danielle are giving their large hallway
16:22an exciting new look.
16:27So, we're on the home straight for the stripping now.
16:30Last little corner to do.
16:32With the whole family coming to stay soon,
16:36it's full steam ahead.
16:43Firing up, everybody.
16:45To get the finest finish, Graham brings out the big guns,
16:49his electric drywall sander.
16:52We use it for when we're preparing the wall,
16:55just to make sure they're nice and crystal smooth and glass-like.
16:59Cool feature of this one is it has an LED light at the busiest end,
17:03so when we've got that on the wall,
17:05we can easily see any bits that need sanding.
17:08And it's not just Graham who's got the DIY gadgets.
17:16Where is it? Here? Yeah.
17:18That's right, that's good enough.
17:20That's the sort of accuracy we like.
17:24The trio are planning to hang seven murals along the corridor,
17:29each with a custom-sized frame.
17:32So, these are the corners of the mouldings that we've got,
17:36and for now, all we're going to do is just temporarily fix them
17:39to the wall with some masking tape,
17:41so that we can then measure the straights in between,
17:44and it's important to place these on the wall first
17:46because the pattern is then repeated onto the straights,
17:49so we've got to cut the pattern correctly
17:51to make sure that it all lines up nicely.
17:54Little bit of pressure,
17:56and hopefully the masking tape's going to hold it there.
18:05With no spare pieces, there's no room for mistakes.
18:15Oh!
18:20First cut. Little pressure.
18:24Like a hot knife through butter.
18:27Does the pattern match? Yeah, it looks good, yeah.
18:30Superb.
18:33Once Jake's cut all four sides,
18:36it's time for the tricky, sticky bit.
18:40OK? Yeah, I'm on the line.
18:42So am I.
18:44OK, just make sure it's pushed in nice and tight.
18:50OK.
18:53That all matches up.
18:56I mean...
18:58OK, and I've got a gap.
19:00Is yours right up against it? It is now, yeah.
19:03I've probably got two or three mil, maybe four mil.
19:08We'll just go two mil your side, two mil my side.
19:11And then that'll cork all right.
19:13No-one will see it up there.
19:19Let's have a look at it.
19:21Wow.
19:22Looks nice. Yeah.
19:24It's going to be a nice big mural. Yeah.
19:26The good thing about it is that we saved the top till last,
19:29which means it's further away from the eye line,
19:32which was intentional. Mm-hm.
19:34And hopefully no-one will see it.
19:36Once we get the mirror in it, it'll be lovely.
19:39Mirror? What, it's not having a mirror in it?
19:41Mural. Oh.
19:45What isn't a joke, though,
19:47is that there are still six more frames to put up,
19:51murals to fit and decorating to do
19:54before this hall is ready for guests.
20:03In the Languedoc region...
20:06..Tim wants to repurpose a huge wine barrel
20:10into a walk-in drink store in their wedding barn.
20:16The plan will be one hinge there
20:19and then there'll be another hinge there.
20:24But creating an entrance in the thick oak won't be easy.
20:29Because both the small door at the top and the main door
20:33going down are going to be really heavy,
20:36particularly the bottom door.
20:38I want something to cushion that weight
20:41and to, rather like a private jet,
20:44not that I've ever been in one, but, well, I've seen on television,
20:48where just to press a button, in an ideal world,
20:51press a button, which, and that,
20:54the door will then just slowly slide down and stop.
20:58That's in my head.
21:00Whether it quite works out that way, we'll see.
21:07That is nice.
21:11Right.
21:17All we've got to do now is cut the wood.
21:19Luke, I need your help. OK.
21:22If you could make the initial cut
21:24so I can then get the other saw in.
21:27Understood.
21:29That would be great.
21:34I think Tim thinks of the general aesthetics,
21:36what the end result's going to be.
21:38The in-between process kind of like happens
21:41as we're progressing through the projects,
21:43because it means you have to start
21:45and then you have to think of how you're going to finish it
21:48because you've already started.
21:50Oh, well done, Luke. Shall I take it from here?
21:53Yeah, sure, sure.
21:55With all your stuff.
21:57We come up with great ideas
21:59and we complement each other quite well.
22:08That's smoke from the burning oak.
22:18Job done.
22:22Right, so here we go.
22:27So good. Wow, it's heavy.
22:31There you go.
22:33It's the first time Tim has seen inside this 180-year-old barrel.
22:43That's interesting.
22:45That is solidified wine
22:47that was just stuck to the inside of the barrel.
22:50Hundreds of years old.
22:53Past its best.
22:58How's it going, chaps?
23:00I want to introduce you to our new home.
23:03Oh, look at that.
23:07OK, have a look in there.
23:09Ooh, look.
23:11Welcome to my new barrel.
23:13Brother, my new old barrel.
23:15Wow, see? Look at that.
23:17And you're going to put shelving over the side for wine?
23:20The wine. There are going to be shelves either side
23:23for storing our wine.
23:25That's going to get lots more space, isn't it?
23:28It will.
23:30Tim has become a bit of a barrel expert.
23:33He's going to run out of barrels soon.
23:38If we were sensible people,
23:40we'd probably rip them out and use the space accordingly,
23:44but that would take out the history from the whole building.
23:49The barrel conversion is under way.
23:52But with a second door to cut and private jet steps to build,
23:57the wine store is still a long way from take-off.
24:04Still to come...
24:06Can I have a little go? Of course you can.
24:09..Sarah tackles a power tool...
24:14Hold it there, hold it there.
24:16..while Graham may have bitten off more than he can chew.
24:20Just when you think you're about to finish, Chateau bites back.
24:31In the Auvergne region of central France,
24:35Graham, Danielle and Jake have a long to-do list.
24:40The plan for today is to continue with work in the hallway.
24:43We've got an awful lot of woodwork to paint
24:46as well as the decorative panels that we've put up
24:49and hopefully it's all downhill from here on out.
24:53Downhill? Is that not right? It's all easy. All downhill.
25:02Their family are visiting soon, so speed is of the essence.
25:08So we're using the spray painter because it gives a nicer finish
25:11on the mouldings, but it's also much, much quicker.
25:14To do this all by hand would just take an incredible amount of time.
25:17We use that for all the woodwork, all the doors, it speeds things up.
25:25While Graham sets to work with his latest gadget...
25:32..downstairs, a special delivery has arrived.
25:37So what I have here is the mural wallpaper for the hallway,
25:41which are going to go inside of the mouldings
25:44that Graham is currently painting.
25:48It's going to be a white peacock
25:51with some sort of woodland floral background.
25:55I'm quite a fan of peacocks and I thought it was only right
25:59to have our own peacock at the chateau, even if it's not real.
26:05But before there can be any peacock display,
26:08there's still the small matter of the painting.
26:12Jake and Jenny are very much the quality control aspect of the team,
26:16so they go round and make sure that my work is up to the high standards
26:20that we expect here at the chateau,
26:23and I oblige by redoing a lot of stuff.
26:26Exhibit number one.
26:33Just that side, Dad, and then there's a little bit that side.
26:38When you do this bit down here, Dad,
26:41that corner needs just a quick spray as well.
26:47Once Graham finally passes the test...
26:50First coat, done.
26:54..the trio can get a first taste
26:57of how their revamped hall is going to look.
27:01That was a very blank space this morning,
27:04so to see a bit of colour in there has really started,
27:07to show what it's going to look like and what that space is going to feel like.
27:10All done for the painting for now, other than the wall paint,
27:14and then, yeah, mural time, wallpaper time,
27:17so that'll be the exciting day in Cherry on Cake.
27:20Whether they have time to complete it before their family arrives
27:24is another matter.
27:34Back in the sunny Charente,
27:37having ripped out the rotten floorboards in their entrance hall,
27:41Bart and Sarah need to tackle the suspected source of their damp problem.
27:48The big intention today is to get rid of this path,
27:51the reason being is it is blocking all the lime mortar and the limestone,
27:55which is what the house is originally built out of.
27:58It stops the air getting in,
28:00which is what we think is causing the dampness inside the house.
28:03And it's ugly.
28:07Can I have a little go? Of course you can.
28:09Hold on to that. Yeah.
28:11And then I just pull this trigger? Yeah.
28:21Hold it there, hold it there.
28:23Ooh, get your fingers away from it.
28:25First bit done.
28:28Yeah.
28:30OK, I think I could do that. I'll leave it to you.
28:33OK, thank you.
28:37Do you know what? It was quite good fun.
28:40A bit nerve-wracking cos I was worried about taking my toes off.
28:43I think after about ten minutes, I'd be having a tea break.
28:49While Bart cracks on,
28:51Sarah is looking after the newest addition to the family.
28:57This is Titus. He came to us less than a week ago.
29:01And he was a farming dog.
29:03He's a lovely collie, but he's blind.
29:06So constantly we have to introduce him to new smells
29:09and direct him around the place.
29:11And as you can imagine, on a property like this with renovations,
29:14it's really quite a challenge
29:16because we don't want anything to happen to him.
29:21All boys need their toys.
29:23Midlife crisis? Who knows?
29:27Now that the first section of path has been broken up,
29:30there's the small job of moving all the concrete.
29:35Hello, my lovely.
29:37Looks like you've got a fair bit done.
29:39Are you going for any particular piece or everything's just going in there?
29:42Everything in apart from rebar.
29:44OK. I'll start on this bit, then.
29:46All right, thank you.
29:49Who needs a gym membership when you've got DIY?
29:54This lovely tractor is Bart's baby.
29:57I think he likes it more than me.
30:01Are we ready to roll? Ready.
30:03OK.
30:05Nice and gently, please, darling.
30:08And Bart's also quite attached to the debris.
30:11I hate throwing anything away, so I have a load of rubble.
30:14I'm going to use it to make a little road
30:17from the hangar where I store the tractor to the gate.
30:21That way, there'll be less mud coming into the hangar.
30:28One load down. About 1,000 to go, would you say?
30:32Yes.
30:34I'm going to make a little road
30:36from the hangar where I store the tractor to the gate.
30:40About 1,000 to go, would you say?
30:48With the rest of the 30-metre-long pathway to tackle,
30:52it's a demolition date for two.
30:58I feel like we're getting there at snail's pace.
31:04It's tough work,
31:06but the boys are discovering that doing things on a château scale
31:10is a marathon, not a sprint.
31:20Further south, in the Occitanie region...
31:25..at Château du Puy-et-Pras...
31:29..Tim is working hard on his wine barrel project.
31:34He's opened up the side to make a second door.
31:38On the inside of this door, when it drops down,
31:41these will have three steps on.
31:44And these three steps will come down with the door when it opens.
31:49I just thought it would be quite fun
31:51to actually open the barrel up in the side,
31:54just to press a button that goes...
31:57..as I imagine a private jet would be.
32:00So this is as far as I'll get to having my own private jet.
32:06As well as helping Tim,
32:08Luke has been extending the drinks bar
32:11that's made out of an old wine press.
32:16Basically, I've had to strip back this back section of the press,
32:20cut it into several smaller sections
32:22so I can make it more of a straight line rather than one large curve,
32:26and we're extending everything back to the wall.
32:30WHIRRING
32:34Now Luke and Lily have taken over the daily running
32:38of the wedding and hotel business.
32:40It's freed Sasha and us up to enjoying being open to our creativity
32:46that we didn't have time for when we were running it as a business,
32:50like Luke and Lily are now doing.
32:54While Tim flexes his creative muscles inside,
32:58out in the garden,
33:01Sasha is using her artistic eye
33:04to revamp one of their wedding photo spots.
33:09This time of year when we're closed,
33:11I have to take out all the plants from the bassin,
33:15divide them up, make new plants, clean the pool.
33:20Oh, that's better.
33:24I think Tim as a boy loved his Meccano,
33:27had dreams of being an engineer, an architect,
33:32and ended up battling with a natural creativity.
33:39And he ended up as a photographer,
33:41which he's loved for the whole of his life,
33:44but he does hanker for a bit of engineering.
33:48He's forever taking things apart.
33:51Just checking that gap's wide enough to take the angle iron.
33:54It is, it's perfect.
33:55He never bites off more than he can chew.
33:58He will make it work.
34:00Simple. He'll make it work.
34:03I have full confidence.
34:06I will never interfere with what Sasha does.
34:10We know our relative skills, what we enjoy doing,
34:14and they're very different skills.
34:18So this is step number two.
34:22But repurposing the rounded barrel
34:25is testing Tim's invention skills to the limit.
34:30The difficulty is working with the curved surface of the door,
34:34which attaching steps is not easy,
34:37so I put these pieces of angle iron to create a flat, straight surface.
34:48Oh!
34:54That's pretty firm. That won't be going anywhere.
34:58So, here we go.
35:00I'm going to put my great Claude Hopper on the step,
35:05and hopefully it'll...
35:07Yep, another step for mankind.
35:10Well, another step for my private jet.
35:13The unique drink store is taking shape.
35:17But it's going to be a further test of Tim's ingenuity
35:21to make the heavy doors open automatically.
35:32Still to come...
35:34Straight back, left hand down!
35:36Oh!
35:37Bart's makeshift trailer gets a red flag.
35:41It's working. It's bloody brilliant.
35:44However...
35:45It's not safe.
35:46..while Graham is feeling the heat.
35:49Time's getting tighter and tighter.
35:51Jake's working as fast as he can,
35:53but we are really up against it now, and I'm getting a bit worried.
36:03In the Charente, Bart is taking a break from concrete demolition
36:08to start work on the path to his tractor barn,
36:11which he's planning to make from the debris.
36:16This is what I'm hoping to use to crush the concrete.
36:21Initially, I thought it was a garden roller,
36:24but it's actually a millstone.
36:28The enormous stone hasn't been moved for over 50 years.
36:34It's a job for Bart's beloved tractor.
36:38But he'll need to find a way to attach it.
36:41This is just like playing with a big boy's toy box.
36:46Just make it up as you go along and see what happens.
36:55If in doubt, give it a clout.
37:02It's not ideal. I'm going to give it a try.
37:05Fingers crossed. OK.
37:07Right.
37:09Wish me luck, my lovely.
37:10I wish you all the luck in the world, darling.
37:20Once he's dragged it out with rope...
37:28..Bart can hook up his makeshift frame.
37:32OK, we are connected.
37:36Steady.
37:38Oh!
37:40Stop! Stop!
37:43What's happening is, this running bit is getting caught on your tyre
37:48when you go too far down.
37:52He's forced to remedy it with a quick trim.
37:55Gently, gently.
37:58Gently, gently. Go on, gently.
38:01But it's still not easy to manoeuvre.
38:04Just watch your left tyre on the gate. Yeah.
38:07Whoa! Whoa!
38:10Whoa! Whoa!
38:13Straight back. Left hand down! Left hand down!
38:16Stop!
38:19Stop!
38:21Stop!
38:22Stop!
38:23Stop!
38:28It works?
38:29It's working. It's bloody brilliant.
38:32However... It's not safe.
38:36Until they come up with a better solution, the rubble path is on hold.
38:42I know. You're a good girl.
38:44But the rest of the concrete in front of the house still needs to be removed
38:49to stop the damp inside the property from getting worse.
38:59This section's a little bit tougher.
39:01Thankfully, Demolition Diva is cracking on.
39:12I've got a big bit, my lovely.
39:14Wowza!
39:15Fire back all it likes. It's not going to win.
39:18Ooh! Yeah, baby.
39:22It's a hard slog,
39:24but they're hoping their damp problem has been stopped in its tracks.
39:29That's a relief to get this job done.
39:32Kudos and credit to you, because you've done most of this.
39:35Well done, you. You made the job a lot easier for me. Thank you.
39:38Most importantly, I think, for the building itself,
39:41now that she can breathe, I feel like I can breathe a sense of relief.
39:45I think it's going to be brilliant for her,
39:47and I really think this is going to make a difference to what's happening inside,
39:51so I think that's a really big positive.
39:53Bringing this manor house back to life is an enormous task,
39:58but after a few days' toil,
40:00Bart and Sarah's grand project is firmly under way.
40:12Back in central France, at Chateau de Bruges,
40:16Graeme, Jake and Danielle are on a deadline.
40:21It's my parents' diamond wedding anniversary today,
40:25and we have 13 family members arriving in about four hours' time,
40:29and we need to have this hall finished, so let's crack on, guys.
40:35First, they need to hang the last of seven wallpaper murals.
40:41Fitting it around the intricate mouldings.
40:46OK, the roller, please.
40:51I do feel a little bit like a lead surgeon.
40:55Roller, scalpel, suction.
41:03Trying to get it done as quick as I can.
41:11And breathe.
41:13Lovely job.
41:16Now it's over to Graeme to add a bit of sparkle.
41:20Don't stop it.
41:24This always makes a room feel a bit more glamorous,
41:26so it's always nice to be putting up the chandeliers.
41:33The last job is to refit the window and door latches,
41:37which have been stripped of years of old paint.
41:44Time's getting tighter and tighter.
41:46Jake's working as fast as he can,
41:48but we are really up against it now, and I'm getting a bit worried.
41:53But with just minutes to go...
41:56It's not going into the latch.
42:02Just when you think you're about to finish,
42:05the chateau bites back.
42:08Graeme's nightmare has become a reality.
42:22Yay!
42:26Victory.
42:28The work here is done.
42:30There we go.
42:33They don't even have time to change before their family arrive.
42:38Hello.
42:47Here we go.
42:49Jake can't wait to show off their showstopper hallway.
42:54Kind of a combination of a mural, so they all fit in the same scene,
42:58but we've cut them up and put them into the mouldings.
43:07You see what it was before and see how it is now.
43:10It's absolutely beautiful.
43:13What were once two characterless corridors
43:16with yellowing wallpaper and dull, plain woodwork...
43:21..are now a jewel in the chateau's crown.
43:27An opulent new colour scheme adds warmth and character,
43:32with painstakingly restored locks on the doors and windows...
43:38..shimmering chandeliers providing some chateau glamour...
43:43..and seven intricate panels
43:47displaying their very own ostentation of peacocks.
43:52It doesn't feel like the same hall.
43:54And it feels like you're royalty walking in here.
43:57It's just got that beautiful feel to it.
43:59It's made a massive difference.
44:03Finally, it's time to relax and celebrate.
44:07Thank you all for coming. It's great to have you all here.
44:10And a quick toast to Mum and Dad on a fantastic achievement,
44:14a common wedding anniversary.
44:16Best parents in the world.
44:18ALL CHEER
44:20The reaction was brilliant,
44:22and the comments that people were saying,
44:24it's more than we could have hoped for.
44:26And I think the finish is fantastic,
44:28and testimony to these two for the vision and the design.
44:34Graham, Jake and Danielle hit their deadline this time,
44:38but they still have a lot to do before they open for the season.
44:43Well done, and cheers.
44:45Cheers. Cheers to you.
44:49Next time...
44:51..one chateau owner suffers technical difficulties.
44:55To have that straight, that's got to come that way,
44:57but then if I come that way, then it's not straight here.
45:00Sasha is feeling the pressure.
45:02Our first wedding is in a week's time.
45:04The carpenter's here, the electrician's here,
45:07and I'm going, ah!
45:10And this owner deals with unexpected guests.
45:14This isn't your party.
45:40.