Escape to the Chateau DIY

Escape to the Château DIY

Just over a year ago we were contacted to take part in a television series about Brits renovating chateaux in France. I thought it sounded fun and, on a whim, agreed to participate, (mainly imagining the hilarity of my mother on film!). We all expected to be a tiny part of an obscure show on an even more obscure television channel, and were surprised when we first learnt that it was to be a Channel 4 spin-off series from Dick & Angel’s legendary ‘Escape to the Château’! Even so, nothing could have prepared us for the incredible public response to ‘Escape to the Château DIY’, which has quickly become a cult classic!

Unlike some of the other chateaux owners, we have been at the Château de Lalande for over 12 years. Nic and I have been best friends since university. The very first time we met, I told Nic, ‘We’re going to buy a château together one day.’ He thought I was mad, but the idea didn’t go away. 10 years later, at the age of 29, we each sold our two-bedroom London flats, and bought Lalande. Everyone thought we were mad. Everyone with the notable exception of my parents and my then boyfriend, Michael.

The first three years were hard - we lived amidst constant building work as we tore down walls to rediscover the original proportions of the rooms, removed asbestos, created a huge new sewage system, dug hundreds of metres of boreholes to install geothermal heating, and redid all of the plumbing and electrics. And at the end of this mammoth task, we still hadn’t started decorating! My parents, Nic, Michael and I were all living in insane discomfort (-10 degrees in the house during our first winter), but I was loving every minute. As was my father, who never once doubted his daughter’s sanity in taking on such a behemoth.

Sadly, at the end of these big renovations, my wonderful father became sick and he died in 2005. In quick succession, Nic had to move back to London for work, Michael and I split up after 10 years, and my mother and I found ourselves at Lalande without them. The death of my father sent me into quite a tail spin, and work on the château stalled for a while. But Lalande is a happy place and it gave me the strength to carry on. Michael remained part of this crazy family and his love for Lalande never wavered. We started decorating and hosting workshops and eventually my mother found her wonderful fiance, Percy. I couldn’t have dreamt of a nicer man to welcome into our family.

Although there is still an unimaginable amount of work to be done, Lalande is flourishing. There’s no doubt in my mind that this is what I was meant to do with my life. I love nothing more than bringing this magnificent building back to life, welcoming people to our home, and letting them discover the magic of this place.

I want to thank everyone for their support of ‘Escape to the Château DIY’. You can’t imagine how much it means to all of us who are struggling to ensure these buildings make it through our watch intact (and improved!) for future generations.