All language subtitles for Escape to the Chateau DIY S05E09.540p.HDTV.x264-GTi.English

Hello! ..and our two
children,

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

Aw, it's lovely.

It's my little corner of paradise.

It's not just our home...

Woo!
THEY LAUGH

..but our business.

That's a proper kiss!

And with over 1,000
chateaux in France...

Wow. My God!

Absolutely incredible.

..we're not the only Brits
buying in to the French fairy-tale.

Do you like it? Wow. I mean,
yes. It is gorgeous.

We'll follow more daring owners...

It looks to be a
massive undertaking.

..and familiar faces...

Why?

..as they battle to
renovate their homes.

That is disgusting.

And we'll reveal more
about our own chateau life.

That is lovely.

There will be ups...

SHE GASPS
Well done! This is beautiful.

..and downs.

What are you gonna do?
Not doing it today?

Well, it's gonna take all day.
Yeah, but there's no alternative.

But however hard the going gets...

No!

..these plucky Brits.. Ugh!

..get to live the dream,
as custodians...

God bless France.

..of their very own castle.

Today...

Hey, I got you! I got you!

..one family continue their
marathon restoration project...

Do you reckon that's
OK, Philip? Yeah.

Feels like this bit is really out.

Happened to me in
my early years, as well.

..three generations of
new chateau owners...

Mummy! Bonjour.

..attempt to win over
the local community.

It seems to be going all right.

Get them all a little
bit tipsy. So, it's nice.

And this couple hope to find
their dream French castle...

This is so special, this room.

..six long years after first
starting their search.

It has the look of a room, Francois,
that would have a secret door.

We do have one. Oh, that's awesome!

When asked their
ideal place to live,

four out of five French people
opt for the countryside.

More and more Brits
are in full agreement,

and you can buy a chateau here

for the price of a
regular house in the UK.

Take the beautiful
Chateau de Seguenville.

With parts dating back to the
17th century,

it's believed to once have been home

to one of the
real-life Three Musketeers.

Today it belongs to engineer
Mark and music teacher Becky,

who bought it for
£645,000 eight months ago

as a family home for them and their
daughters, Sofia and Charlotte.

When Becky's father
and I drove past here,

it was just that moment where
I just went,

"This, is it."

Last night, we managed to
actually sit out on the veranda,

and I was saying to Mark,

"It's amazing, isn't it? It's ours.
It's our home. Can we believe it?"

Located 45 miles from the
Pyrenees, in southwest France,

the family don't yet
live here fulltime.

Becky plans to make the move
from their home in Abu Dhabi

with the girls next year,

while Mark will continue
overseeing engineering contracts

across the Middle East.

For the, sort of,
next three to five years,

it's just going to be about
slowly developing the house,

getting it into and maintaining
it very much as a family home.

While the family travel back
and forth, Becky's dad, George,

a retired headmaster,
has moved here permanently

from the Isle of Wight, to look
after the chateau when they're away.

It is a new sense of life.

Suddenly energy
returned and a purpose,

and as long as I can
keep active, I'm happy.

Well, George, with the
amount of work to do,

keeping active
shouldn't be a problem.

Yeah, there's a lot more to
do in here, isn't there?

These rooms really
haven't been touched

in the best part of 60 years.

The floor, actually, is very good.

Yeah.

They've also made some interesting
discoveries, like rotating urinals.

If we get these...
Cleaned up. ..cleaned up...

So, on this side, it's
difficult to see in the paint,

but I think that might
actually say... 1802?

..1802, or something like that. Hmm.

Has somebody written
a history of the pissoir?

No.

Before they start on
the inside, though,

the family wants to
lay the foundations

of making this their forever home
by integrating with the locals,

so have offered
drinks in their courtyard,

before the village fete,
in a month's time.

The Fete de Voisins is a
really important event,

both for the community,

because it is effectively
the fete of neighbours.

The hope is that when we have
the Fete de Voisins next door,

that we're going to get the
community to come in for

a few drinks beforehand,
to celebrate.

Dying to chop down some brambles?

Shall I do it, or
are you going to do it?

Mark and Becky want to create
the best possible first impression,

so it's down to young...

Do you want to help pull
those bits of ivy off?

..and old to tackle
the years of overgrowth

at the front of the chateau.

So, now we've got all the fun part

of tidying and
clearing away everything

that we've managed to pull off.

This is when I go flat on my back.

Right, that's looking a lot better.

Got to finish up round here,

and then we're almost
done in this section.

Working at the front of the chateau

provides a chance to give
out some more invites

to the courtyard drinks to
some of the passers-by.

IN FRENCH

IN ENGLISH: This is exactly the
sort of thing that we wanted

when we came here is, you know,

to be able to integrate
into the village.

Engagement like that
is just brilliant.

We'd better crack on with
getting the place looking tidy.

You better had!

Becky and Mark are leaving
over the next few days,

and before they do,

they want to spruce up the
barn doors in the courtyard

where they're hosting
the welcome drinks.

Let's have a look to see
how this is going to lift.

OK.

Do we need some WD40
or something on them?

I'm gonna try and just see whether
I can lift this with a pick axe.

First, they want to get the
heavy oak door off its hinges

so they can sand it out of the sun.

Can you bring the metal bar in?

Do you want it there?
Yeah, that's right. OK.

One, two, three.

OK. Done it.

OK. Yeah.

That's it. Fantastic.

Will it fit in the garage doors?

We'll soon find out.

OK.

OK.

OK, there we go.

I don't think this is going to
take more than a couple of hours.

But with the rest of the courtyard
doors to sand, it's not a small job.

I go tomorrow morning and
come back on Thursday morning,

it should be done. Yep. Excellent.

As Mark and Becky are both heading
away, George will be flying solo.

No pressure.

About 250 miles north, in
the glorious Loire Valley,

Scotsman Iain and wife Kate

are trying to find a
chateau to call home,

after six years of searching.

In the early years, when we were
looking, we were looking at,

"Wow", you know, everything was
just so pretty, and it's just...

But now, I look at
windows, I look at the roof,

we look at plumbing,
electrics, heating.

And I think that's where a lot of
the horror stories emanate from,

with chateau purchases.

You're so right.

Having sold their family home

and a stake in their business
in Australia, a lot is on the line.

For their £1.3 million budget,

they're on the hunt for somewhere
with business potential

that's also large enough
for their extended family.

Well, we have a healthy budget.

We feel we will get...there will be
opportunity to buy something

in that budget that will
meet all of our needs.

And perhaps we may need
to raise it a little bit.

Sure, sure. And I'll probably
continue working until I'm 75,

in some capacity. No.

Packed with pretty
villages and scenery,

the Loire Valley's
strong tourist appeal

will help their plans to bring
in income from holiday lets.

Not only that, there are plenty
of chateaux here to choose from.

I'm blown away with
just how impressive it is.

They're already seen two.

The first was a financial stretch,

but as an up-and-running business,
appealed to Iain.

This will be difficult
to surpass. Definitely.

This has set the bench pretty high.

The second came in under budget,

and not only delivered
on character for Kate,

but got a big thumbs
up from the family.

This is exactly what
we're looking for. Yeah.

Today, they're heading about 30
miles for the town of Tours,

to the 18th-century
Chateau de Chanteloire.

Hi. Bonjour. Welcome.

Agent Celine is here
to hand over the keys

for an unguided private tour.

With an asking price of £687,000,

this seven-bedroom chateau
is well below budget.

Fantastic, thank you.

Joining them are daughter Jade,
husband Ryan, and their children.

They start with the entrance hall.

Oh, wow, look at the floors, Mum.

It's very authentic. Oh, wow!

It's a really traditional
hallway. It's really lovely.

Yeah, I really like this.

Just, like, instant character
as you walk in, isn't it? Yeah.

A great first impression.

There's also income potential here,

with five guest rooms and a large
reception room for hosting events.

Good to know that they've had
a business running here. Yeah.

And accommodation. Yeah.
So, perfect.

So far, so good.

Next, into the salon.

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

And it just lets in all the light,
and still has original features.

Wouldn't take much.

And the original marble fireplace,
as well, which is stunning.

I know, which is
really important to us.

Whilst it's easy to
have your head turned

by the grandeur of these places,

it's vital to look beyond
charming appearances.

That's actually...
That looks like water damage.

I would say, yeah, dry rot.

It's all the way over.

Sometimes dry rot goes up,

so it could be something
happening in the footings.

Well spotted, Kate.

Left untreated, dry rot can
result in an expensive battle

to eliminate it.

This needs to be kept in mind

if there are other jobs
that need to be done.

There's nothing here!

You'd literally would have to
get out the whole kitchen,

which I suppose, if you're starting
from new, is not a bad thing.

Proportions-wise, I suppose you
could maybe knock out walls?

Yeah, so that's just a plaster wall.

It really is a blank canvas, we
could do whatever we like with it.

Looks like this one has
the creative juices flowing,

but I wonder whether perhaps
it's a bigger project

than they had in mind?

I couldn't say that
I'm in love with it.

I could definitely
make it work for us,

but I'm not in love with
the building at this stage.

Coming up...

Right, here it goes.

..home alone, Grandpa George
takes the rough with the smooth...

Oh, that's a bummer.

..and a new chateau dad
faces a mammoth task...

..building a bedroom
for his daughters.

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

It's a bit difficult to imagine
having two children living in here.

This is the 16 room
Chateau de Gonneville.

Set in a 15-acre wooded estate,

its owners are British fashion
designer Anna

and her Italian husband, Philipp,
a film-maker,

who moved from Paris with their
daughters Ella and Lily

a few months ago.

I think that
when our second was born,

we just realised that the city life
wasn't really for us,

as a family any more, and we wanted
to move to the countryside.

And that's where the idea to buy
a chateau kind of came from.

The kids completely forgot
about the existence of a television,

since we are here. So they,
you know,

they have so many other things
to do.

Situated near to the Normandy coast,

they bought the chateau
for £900,000 with a huge loan,

on the basis of opening
a B&B in seven months' time.

But it's been far
from plain sailing.

Before starting work
on their business, though,

they decided to transform the attic
into family accommodation.

With money tight, Philipp is trying
to do most of the work himself.

I'm lacking in experience, so it is
sometimes a little bit stressful.

Everything needs precise
measurement, and a lot of patience.

That's just not me.

As the family is currently living
on the lower floors,

the pressure's on to get
the bedrooms habitable.

Today he's replacing the rotten
window frames in the girls' bedroom,

with the help of carpenter Benoit.

You think, when you change
the windows,

you look at the price of the windows
and you think, oh, that's OK.

That's the wood that we found,
underneath the window.

In all buildings like this,
exposed woodwork, that hasn't been

regularly painted and properly
maintained, can often be a problem.

Now what we're getting out here
used to be a beam,

and now it's dust, literally dust.

Right now it's a bit difficult
to imagine having two children

living in here.

With such a major problem,
Philipp's had no choice

but to pay to get Benoit in.

Usually you don't have to replace
the structure of the beams,

when you replace a window,
but that's a chateau, isn't it?

That window frame is beyond repair,

so the whole thing needs replacing,
and it's going to cost.

In theory, this should be the only
windows that have a rotten base.

So replacing another window
shouldn't take half as much.

At least, that's what I hope,
because otherwise it's getting

really expensive to
replace all the windows.

Sorry, matey,
but speaking from experience,

I would brace yourself for a few
more bumps along the way.

I say it's a win.

That's really nice, look at this.

Took us four hours.

One window, four hours.

Taking on a chateau can be
a steep learning curve.

But at least you're still smiling,
Philipp, and it's a good job,

because there's still a long way
to go with that room.

Just under 400 miles south,
with Becky and Mark away,

Grandpa George is home alone,
sprucing up the courtyard,

ready for the village drinks
in three weeks' time.

I asked them to tell me
which tasks they'd like me to do.

They will want me to do it
before they return.

The courtyard door they took off the
hinges together has been sanded,

so now he's prepping to tackle
door number two.

I don't even know if I'm putting
the mask on the right way round.

I'm always assumed that the little
bit, here, comes at the bottom.

Actually, George,
it's the other way up,

and you pinch that little piece of
metal over the bridge of your nose.

I asked for a pair of goggles.

Well, these are, I think, meant
for when you're swimming,

but never mind.

And here we are.

The goggles are good.

As there's no-one to help him
take the door to the workshop,

George is doing it in situ.

I think my biggest concern is
when a professional comes along

and looks at what I'm doing, and
says, "You're doing it all wrong."

But, never mind,
I'm doing what I think is right.

And off we go!

Well, that's a bummer.

That's not meant to happen.

Just don't know what went wrong.

These were a bargain,
in the local shop.

And here we are.

Cut-price sanding disc back
in place, George can get back to it.

That's actually going quite well.

And it's stuck on.

Right, much better than doing it
by hand, as we were to start with.

Now to tackle
the awkward lower section.

Right, here goes!

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

And this one's just
lost its stickiness.

Come on, stay.

Perhaps they were cheap
for a reason, George?

Yes, well, let's try another one.

Oh, dear.

Oh, here we go.

I'm afraid there's only so far
grit and determination can get you.

This point, I think we have reached
the end of the sanding discs.

So I may end up doing it by hand.

Good luck, George.

I'm sure Becky and Mark
will be impressed

with your efforts, regardless.

Back in the Loire Valley,

Iain and Kate are viewing
Chateau de Chanteloire.

It's very authentic. Wow!

At £687,000, it's under budget,
but the ground floor reveals some

costly renovations
would be necessary.

You literally would have to kit
out the whole kitchen.

Now it's time to see the state
of the seven bedrooms upstairs.

Actually, I quite like these stairs.

I don't like the wallpaper.

I think everybody
has their own taste,

but shiny stripes are not
really my thing.

I'm loving the floor.

I do love the floor.
I do like it.

Shall we go into this bedroom?

And have a look. And have a look?

Wallpaper is a relatively
easy change,

but bedroom two has a more
challenging issue.

Oh, OK.

Definitely have to take that down.

I think it's to cover up
the bathroom, the entrance.

Oh.

And, it definitely has to go.

Yeah, because it makes the room
look way more smaller than it is.

Upstairs seems to be
leaving them cold,

but perhaps that will change
outside, where the

former caretaker's house is ripe for
generating income, as a holiday let.

OK, it's a good size.

The stone walls are tremendous.
They look really nice. Yeah.

It's just taking the skin off,
all the way round. Yeah, exactly.

And, it comes back to what it was.

And you love to demolish things,

so I think demolishing that will
definitely be a good thing in here.

Yeah.

As Angel and I have found,
knocking down walls can be fun.

But, for now,
it's time to hand back the keys...

A bientot.

..and reflect on what they've seen.

The chateau has
a lot of positive attributes.

However, I think that
the structural integrity

may require a lot of attention.

I feel like it's a bit
hollow in there.

It feels like it hasn't been
a home that's been loved.

It's literally been stripped
of all of that.

It's quite cold and unloved.

Oh, well, perhaps the next viewing
will give Kate

that homely feeling she's after.

After saying goodbye to the
rest of the family,

they're travelling
an hour southeast.

Chateau des Nouies isn't yet
officially on the market,

but they've had their eyes on it

since renting a cottage in its
grounds, on previous holidays.

Now, having contacted the owner,

they're viewing it
ahead of the crowd.

You can be blinded by the romance.

Perhaps I've glamorised it?

And I'm sure that might be changed
today.

Very focused,
in terms of looking at it as buyers.

So, yeah, excited, and nervous, to
see how much work needs to be done.

Hello, Francois.

How are you? Nice to see you.

Owner Francois, has been
restoring the 34-room chateau

to its original splendour,
for the past six years.

Would you like to come in?
Yes, that would be lovely.

So, let me open the second door.

It was built as a grand family home,
at the start of the 1700s,

but many of the period features
were added a century later.

This is the dining room.

This is so special, this room.

Just look at all the detail
in there.

It's "always drink,
and you will never die."

Good sentence.
So it's a good promise.

I think I'll try it.

The place is bursting with
the kind of original features

Kate and Iain love.

Would this be to allow the food to
come through, whilst it's still hot?

In fact, that's why you have
this piece. Yes.

Oh, perfect. I love that. I love
those details. It's basic.

So you think of how many dishes...

I know, that's awesome.

It has the look of a room, Francois,
that would have a secret door.

There must be one in here somewhere?
A button somewhere, or something?

You're nosey.

I won't tell you everything.

You have one upstairs.

Is there? Yes. Oh, now I'm excited.

But he's not going to tell you
where it is, so.

You're right!

An exciting start,
and plenty more secrets to uncover,

but it's important Iain and Kate
don't let the romance take over

when it comes to a final decision.

Coming up, with their apartment
schedule slipping,

Anna and Philipp cut corners.

Trying to use a leftover, because
these things, they cost a fortune.

Oh, yeah?

And Becky and Mark get technical.

At what spacing do you want them at?

This is the million dollar question,
darling.

Being an engineer always helps.
Fantastic. Right, time for a G&T.

That's a good idea.

past the date Anna and Philipp
hoped to have had

the attic apartment finished,
and winter's

fast approaching.

I'm just sticking it up here.
I don't know if it needs it up here,

but... Oh. Yeah. Don't look. Huh!

With their daughters'
bedroom now insulated,

they're pressing on with fitting
a damp-proof membrane.

This is the actual membrane.

That's the damp-proof membrane.

That prevents moisture to go
into the insulating material.

Do you reckon that's OK, Philipp?

Yeah. Like that? Yeah.

It's a good start for
a complete beginner.

It feels likes this bit is
really out. Yeah. That's all right.

It happened to me in my
early years as well, so...

A gentle reminder,

that wasn't so long ago, Philipp!

And at £350 for a 70-metre roll,

this high-tech membrane
is a very good investment.

You could try to use a leftover,

to save some... Cos these things,
they cost a fortune, so...

Oh, yeah? Oh, yeah.

With costs adding up by the day,
the pressure is really on Anna

and Philipp to get
their apartment ready

as soon as possible,

so they can move onto the
business side of the renovations.

We've run out of tape... Oh.

..so I won't be able to
finish that tonight...

Oh. ..unfortunately. That's a shame.

You see, that's a special tape,
because you can just plaster...

plaster over the tape. OK.

Uh...

There'll be no
plastering or decorating

until this job is finished,
so it's a frustrating delay

for them to contend with.

Anna, though, is keen to get a
move on with aesthetics, so is

putting her fashion background

to good use, designing wallpaper

for the girls' bedroom.

I wanted to do something kind of fun

and unique for their room.

Lily specified that she wanted
to have a pink bedroom,

that's her favourite colour.

I've been looking at kind of
French antique wallpapers

that have that feeling of
something that's quite aged.

Once she's finished the design,
she'll retouch it digitally,

before sending it to
a printing company.

First, though, it needs client

approval - from four-year-old Lily.

What do you think?

I think I want to put this...

You like that green, do you?

And pink. And the pink. Yeah, I made

it pink. Do you like the pink?

Is it a good colour? Yes. Yeah?

Painting complete, Anna needs
to piece her design together,

to create seamless wallpaper.

So, I've now scanned the artwork,

and now I'm gonna put it back
together on the computer.

So, it's just like collaging
it back together, basically.

They match perfectly,
but they have a white edge.

So, all of this part that's got
the white has to be filled in.

I'm just gonna cut out some of
the leaves from other parts of

the artwork, and try to
fill it in like that.

It's quite a lengthy process now,
doing this.

but there's no other
way to do it really.

It may be a lot of effort, but
there's nothing more rewarding

than putting your own 21st-century
stamp on these historic buildings.

Fingers crossed those walls
will be ready for papering soon.

In South-West France, Becky,

Mark and the girls are back,

after having left Grandpa George
in charge of the chateau.

Well, we're not worried about the
inside really, are we? Not really.

Now is the day before
the courtyard drinks party

for the local community, and they're
taking a close look at the work

George did to the barn doors,
in their absence.

Now, that looks lovely.

It's all right. It's beautiful wood.

It looks lovely, Pa, it really does.
It's fantastic.

The spruced-up doors have given
the courtyard a much-needed refresh,

but there's still lots to do
before tomorrow's guests arrive.

Not least, sorting out the drinks.

So, we've got about 100 in total?
Yes, about 100.

And we've got no Pimm's? No.

So, we'll have to do a
gin cup. Oh, joy! OK.

Becky also needs to finish making

the decorations for the courtyard.

I've made some bunting.

I've taken some burlap,

and very basic, but I've sort of

put a hem on it.

So, I'm just threading them through.

I need to find the end again.

And Mark is on hand to help.

You've got about another 40 or so
triangles to thread on.

I might get picky. I might tell
you to take some of them off,

back to front.

Too late now. Erm...
SHE GIGGLES

You should have chosen
a better partner.

Tomorrow is an important step
towards the family being integrated

into village life, ahead of their

moving here full-time.

This is a community that sort of

gathers round. So, for us to be able
to be part of that is quite special.

There's quite a few of the
neighbours we haven't met yet.

It's a good challenge for us, for
our French. So, I'm up for that.

What spacing do you want them at?
Well, this is the million-dollar

question, darling. I don't really
know until we put it out between

the courtyard, to a certain extent.

Well, do you want to come and hold
here, and let's see if I can...?

I'll come and hold it for you.

Go back, and pull it tight.

Being an engineer always helps.

Got to keep your steps up.
Keep going.

SHE LAUGHS

How are we doing? OK.

Are we almost to the end?

I've got 41 pieces, at the minute.

Looks like the bunting
is measuring up.

OK. So, I think that's us done
today. So, tomorrow is just...

hang the bunting, hang the lights,

set up the tables, and get the food
out, and drinks out. Yeah. Yeah.

That's great. Great. OK. Fantastic.

Right, time for a G&T.

With 100 locals to impress
tomorrow, you could practise

your cocktail mixes
while you're at it!

North, in the Loire Valley,

would-be owners Iain and Kate

are viewing a chateau they've

been keen on for a few years.

So, you would love to see the salon?
Yes, please, thank you.

Owner Francois
is showing them around,

before it goes on the market.

Next up is the kitchen, with a large

family space - something

high on Kate's wishlist.

More family room, really. It is.

This fire always on!

Exactly. Even... Inviting.

And the room has a
surprising feature.

And here, it's built on a well.

So, we can get water here.

So, do you use the well? Yes.

It provides you water,
as much water as you want,

to grow your plants around here.

The chateau is also on main supply,

but having their own well to water

the large estate could mean
a big saving on bills.

The kitchen and utility space
next door

once produced meals for
a large household,

but needs a lot of work
to update it.

OK, a smaller utility room here. OK.

Like a small shed within the house.

So, you didn't only have,
you know, grand rooms,

but utility rooms for the...

for to cook and to
preserve the food.

It has a fascinating history,
and lots of potential,

but is it what Kate
and Iain had in mind

for hosting family,
or catering for paying guests?

The kitchen... I feel like the
bottom floor, we could live in,

but it is a lot of work.
Yeah. We'd have to be

quite conscious of money... Yeah,
absolutely. ..for the renovation.

Iain's also keen to see
the state of the roof, as he knows

it could be a costly repair job.
So, they're heading to the attic

that, in the 1820s,
housed a theatre.

So here, now, you're
on the second floor.

It's, er... It's a lovely big
space. It's a great space, isn't it?

Yeah, it's a square. A large square
room. People would come, you know,

riding horses,
or with sheep and cows,

come here and have a play, before
the play would be showed to Paris.

Fantastic. That's amazing.
The carpentry's rather impressive.

Fantastic carpentry.
Love the beams. Yeah.

17th century? It's 18th century?
Oh, this part is 18th century.

18th century. 18th century.
Phenomenal craftsmanship.

Iain and Kate fell in love with

this place as holiday-makers.

Francois, thank you
very much indeed.

Now they've had a good chance
to assess what's on offer,

it's time to consider
if they're up for

the massive challenge
of taking this on.

I still love it dearly.
It doesn't diminish.

It's still a frontrunner, for me.
Oh, and me too.

It feels right.
And I know that's not objective,

but I could see everything I want
to achieve and do in this chateau.

Well, destiny has brought
us together with Francois.

I believe in destiny, and
I feel like, I don't know,

I feel like... Meant to be,
sort of thing. Maybe meant to be.

And the local village has the best
cheese shop in the area, so...

SHE LAUGHS
..so that also has a...

Exactly. Cheese is good.

Fromage aside, Kate and Iain

do still have more chateaux to see,

so a final decision
is on hold, for now.

Coming up...

OK, so hats on,

sun cream on, into the courtyard
for bunting. OK.

..preparations for Becky and Mark's
village welcome drinks run late.

We've got half an hour,
and we haven't got the drinks out.

And in Normandy...

If I make a mistake, I don't
have extra paper to redo it.

So, I'd better do a good job!

..Anna comes unstuck.

In Normandy,

ten weeks after starting work on
daughters Lily and Ella's bedroom,

the wallpaper Anna's designed
is back from the printers,

at a cost of 180 euros.

That works out to be
just under £160.

I'm quite proud of it.
I'm quite pleased with it.

And you should be.

First, Anna wants to check

the sections of the
bold repeat pattern align.

Just need to find this last piece.

Ah, I think that's it. OK.

OK, so then I know
that this is the corner.

Double check that this fits.

Like Philipp, Anna is
relatively new to DIY,

so has been watching online videos
for wallpaper hanging techniques.

If I make a mistake, I don't
have extra paper to redo it.

So...yeah, I better do a good job.

Here goes nothing.

Oh.

Might help if I have it
the right way round. Ah!

If in doubt, it's always a good
idea to mark the top and bottom.

It's almost perfect.

I think it's OK. Yeah.

I think I'm getting the hang of it.

And a little while later,
Anna can survey her handiwork.

I think it looks really nice.

So, yeah, let's just hope
it doesn't fall off the wall

when I wake up tomorrow,
and come and have a look,

and it's all on the ground.

Time to show the girls
their finished feature wall.

Are you ready?
SHE GASPS

And, woo!

Wow! What do you think?

Do you like it? Yes.

Has Mama done a good job? Yeah.

I think you've done a wonderful job.
Yeah? I'm really, really impressed.

Thank you.

Well done.

The wall is a beautiful
personal touch.

Now to get the rest of the room
finished so the girls can move in.

Almost 400 miles south,

Becky and Mark are also
in a race against time.

It's the day of their
village welcome drinks

and their big chance to win
over the local community.

Get things ready. We want
to get the tables ready,

and then we have to make the
English garden mixed cocktail.

But with four hours
until guests arrive,

for now, there's a
more pressing task.

The bunting...
The bunting we should do now.

It'll take us about 20
minutes to get that erected.

Well, could Becky and I do
the bunting, and you go? No.

It would be better if Mark's
going up and down the ladder.

So let's do that first, and
then we'll work out what...

Then I can happily do all the
tables, and the setting of that.

That's easy. Yeah.

OK, so hats on, sun cream on,
into the courtyard for bunting.

Right, OK.

Engineer Mark has come up
with some precise measurements

to make sure there's an
even length of bunting

strung between all four
corners of the courtyard.

three metres to the left.

Having beautifully placed
the flags at equal distance,

I have a horrible suspicion
it's all going to fall apart,

and it will no longer
be that equal distance.

WHISPERS: But don't say anything,
we'll just see what happens.

It should look quite nice.

HE EXHALES SHARPLY
Find something to hook on to.

Oops. Darling, we're
hooked on the table frame.

Yeah.

Yeah, now, after this, I think
we need to try the drink.

Well, we need to go and get
the ingredients to mix it.

First things first, to check how
the bunting looks now it's up.

And Becky's not convinced.

Now, of course, it doesn't
look that big a contrast

between the walls itself
and the bunting.

SHE CHUCKLES

Never mind.

No time to dwell on
it now, because next,

they need to find elderflower
cordial for their drinks.

All right, let's go, girls.

So Mark and the girls
head to the shops,

while Grandpa George and
Becky set about creating

outdoor seating for
the local guests.

Which way are you putting it?

I don't know, which way do you
think? That way, or the other way?

No, that's fine.

The wheelbarrow has
just fallen on my toe.

I now have a black toe.
SHE LAUGHS

Shall I put it down and lift
up the wheelbarrow for you?

That's awfully sweet of you.
Shall I give it a push?

No. No.

After getting to grips
with the wheelbarrow,

they can start moving
the benches into position.

So, one down. Left down.

Oh, you've put right down. OK.

But all this work is enough to
make anyone hot under the collar.

Mr Savage.

Stop!

You're going to be exhausted.

At least now there's
plenty of places to sit down.

Stop.

Less than an hour before the guests
are due and Mark's finally back.

But it's not exactly
mission accomplished.

No elderflower syrup.

So, we've ended up going
with a lemon citrus approach.

So, hopefully, nobody'll
notice the difference.

Can we get everything ready then?

If people are really coming
at seven, we've got half an hour,

and we haven't got the drinks out.

Well said, George.

And with guests imminent,
it's all hands to the pump.

Daddy's actually
in charge of the gin,

but he told me to get the spoon.

I know it needs mixing.

It came right down to the wire.

Bonjour.

THEY CHATTER

Bonjour. Bonjour!

Very well.

But Becky and Mark
have their courtyard

and cocktails at the ready to
welcome the local community.

Bonsoir. Bonsoir.

Rebecca. Mila.

It looks like everyone is
enjoying the refreshments...

Mummy!

Another visitor.

..and getting to know each other.

IN FRENCH

Clearly, they've made
a good impression,

both on their French neighbours
and fellow expats.

Bonsoir, monsieur. Bonsoir.

Merci beaucoup. Merci.
Je suis George.

And it's so nice to have
a family back in the chateau.

Mark and Rebecca, lovely
people, and their children,

and George, especially.

THEY SPEAK FRENCH

It seems to be going all right.

Get them all a little bit tipsy.

So, yes. No, it's nice.

And a good turnout. Very happy.

It's going brilliantly.

One of our fears was that perhaps it
would take a long time to integrate.

So, but, for me, without doubt,
this has been brilliant.

With all three
generations of the family

getting into the
swing of local life,

Mark and Becky's hopes of
becoming part of the community

are starting to be realised.

And Becky couldn't be more pleased

with the way their
chateau move is working out.

We've waited a long time
to find the perfect house.

The neighbours have just
been absolutely amazing.

We're absolutely
thrilled to find it.

Next time...

You see this one, Philipp?
This wardrobe here?

..Anna and Philipp have a
furniture fall out...

It could be nice, if we painted it.

That's such a cliche,
painted old furniture.

I don't care. I'm
just gonna do it anyway.

..a new discovery
at Becky and Mark's...

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

..causes a stink.

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

At our place...

Ah, look, perfect.

..Dorothy gets to work...

That's my girl.

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

We can see us
growing old here... Yay!

..and the family growing with us.

You like it? Yeah,
we love it. It's lovely.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media