Tim and Rebecca Jones found themselves in something of a mid-life crisis. A software engineer and a writer respectively, the pair were looking for more from life and quickly found their calling after watching an episode of the UK property programme Escape to the Château.
The couple immediately started hunting online for their own period property and found a listing for Château de la Ruche. Within four weeks, Tim and Rebecca arranged to view the castle and fell head over heels, putting in an offer of £345,000 ($478k) and listing their Lincolnshire house for sale. After a very quick sale, they moved into Château de la Ruche just six months after their search began.
Tim and Rebecca spent 18 months transforming the 18th-century property into a luxury B&B. Little did they know that they would soon be on television themselves, taking part in Channel 4's spin-off show, Escape to the Château: DIY. These before and after pictures show the huge amount of work required to transform the old building into a comfortable home.
The couple had previous experience of renovations, having already refurbished a cottage and a Victorian townhouse back in England, so Tim and Rebecca took on a lot of the modernisation work themselves, rescuing the home's interior piece by piece.
Since France offered much more bang for their buck, the pair knew that they could turn the rundown pad into something very special. But after spending all their finances on the building itself, there was a limited budget left for anything else!
The couple spent a cold winter living in one room which had no heating, carefully restoring the building's windows and plasterwork, upcycling antique furniture and installing plumbing. The result of their hard work is a classic yet contemporary home with elegant furnishings, plush fabrics and plenty of period detailing.
Assisted by château renovation pros Dick and Angel Strawbridge, Michael and Jonathan Halpin, pictured here with Angel, transformed a derelict castle into a dream events venue. The pair sold their two London flats and with their combined £750,000 ($1m) budget from the sales, purchased Château de Jalesnes in 2013. Located in the heart of the Loire Valley, France, the palatial property came with 20 acres of land and bags of potential.
The 30-room property was built back in 1610 and during the French Revolution, Charles Henri François de la Tour Landry sold the château to the Marquis de Maillée for the sum of £60,000 ($83k). In 1793, the castle was left abandoned and was heavily looted. Luckily, the property was rescued and restored in 1862, when a chapel and avenue of trees were added. Further renovations took place in 1886.
During the Second World War, the castle became the headquarters of the German 1st Cavalry Division and was used as a first-aid station. While the soldiers took residence in parts of the building, a school run by nuns occupied the property's other rooms. The castle changed hands a number of times over the following decades, but it sadly fell into disrepair, until Michael and Jonathan rescued it in 2013.
To fund their ambitious project, Jonathan and Michael took out a bank loan and carried out all the unskilled work themselves, before bringing in professionals to complete the more challenging structural elements. The renovations took three years and cost in the region of £3.5 million ($4.8m).
In the Channel 4 series, Escape to the Château: DIY, viewers watched as the couple struggled to transform the rundown castle into a luxury hotel and wedding venue. Now, Château de Jalesnes is an award-winning business with a breathtaking interior to match – just look at that incredible staircase!
Kitted out with elegant private suites, high-end fixtures and sweeping landscape views from almost every window, the fully restored château offers 15 self-contained apartments, a private chapel, a swimming pool and extensive lawns that can accommodate a helicopter. Now that's what we call a revival!
Back in February 2016, Spanish architect Jamie Fernandez and his wife Mimi purchased Dinton Castle for the sum of £100,000 ($139k). Before taking on the restoration project, Jamie had converted an old church hall into a stunning family home, giving him a great insight into working with historic buildings.
Positioned in an acre of mature grounds classed as an Area of Attractive Landscape (AAL), development to the building could have been tricky and they were ordered to conduct an archaeological survey before work commenced. Yet Jamie and Mimi were able to secure planning permission relatively easily, providing they worked around a protected tree.
Featured on the 2018 series of Grand Designs, Jamie and Mimi spent 12 painstaking months transforming the historic castle into a truly magnificent family home, with two bedrooms, a large kitchen, living room and bathroom, laid out over three octagonal floors.
Employing the latest technology to carry out the work, Jamie used a 3D laser scanner to assess the building. He also used the machine to design the home's statement staircase, which was cut using a computer and assembled in a workshop before being installed inside the building.
Spending £300,000 ($415k) on the restoration work, each room was finished to the highest standards, featuring plenty of period details, exposed stone, brickwork, and oak ceiling beams. This unique pad even benefits from a roof terrace with 360-degree views over the surrounding landscape.
The remarkable piece of real estate history went on the market in 2019 for £765,000 ($1.1m) and was relisted in February 2020 for £675,000 ($933k), before mysteriously being taken off the market. We wonder what will become of the one-of-a-kind property.
Angela and Stephen Hall swapped their lives in Chester in the UK for a palatial pad back in 2004, after spending three years renovating their 10-bedroom house there.
Ready for a new challenge, the couple discovered that their money could stretch much further in France. They scoured the French countryside for the perfect palatial property with B&B potential. After viewing an array of options in Lot-et-Garonne, Steve and Angela fell in love with Château Caillac.
And it's not hard to see why! Positioned in the heart of Fongrave, the fairytale castle stands in picturesque gardens with manicured lawns, mature trees and 328 feet of river frontage.
Steve and Angela worked on each room one at a time, renovating the seven-bedroom house with care and attention. So far, the couple has spent around £150,000 ($207k) improving the house, investing in high-quality equipment to do the job properly.
Renovations are still being carried out, despite 15 years passing since the couple first purchased the property. The main areas of the château now offer a rich array of original features, including stripped-back brickwork and natural stone flooring, paired with gorgeous furnishings and a crisp colour palette.
Each of the seven bedrooms are individually styled and six feature their own ensuite facilities, including bathtubs inside the rooms for the ultimate boutique feel. Plus, with a games room, snug and a reading lounge, there's something here to keep everyone entertained. Complete with a private jetty, the turreted château is also home to an outdoor heated pool. The couple now lets the château out as a luxury holiday rental, offering cycling vacations for up to 10 guests at a time so you can sample a taste of royal life for yourself!
In 1996, when he was just 12 years old, Mark Barker (pictured) was inspired to start the Gwrych Castle Preservation Trust to save the historic Gwrych Castle from falling into disrepair. Located in Abergele, North Wales, the enchanting property was built by Lloyd Hesketh Bamford Hesketh around 1810 and took roughly 40 years to complete.
When Mark set up the trust, the Grade I-listed building was owned by an American living abroad and after years of pressure by the trust, the owner sold the castle in 2006 to a luxury hotel chain for redevelopment. Thwarted by the credit crunch, the plans fell through and Mark watched as the abandoned castle changed hands several times over the intervening years.
Left to wither away, the property was in serious need of some TLC. Thanks to a grant from the National Heritage Memorial Fund and the Richard Broyd Charitable Trust, the Gwrych Castle Preservation Trust was able to buy the castle in June 2018 for £600,000 ($829k).
Once the Trust got their hands on Gwrych Castle they discovered that the abandoned estate was in a state of disrepair and set to work trying to secure and refurbish this grand old structure. The original marble staircase, which was designed in 1914 by Detmar Blow, has been carefully restored to its former glory.
The main castle building remains closed due to its ruinous state, while the castle's gorgeous formal gardens and Gardener’s Tower are regularly open to the public. The Gwrych Castle Preservation Trust is continuing to work on this 200-year-old castle so that it can be enjoyed by future generations and it was even used as the main filming location for I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! in 2020.
Along with their daughter Abbie, Clive and Karen Young fell in love with Château du Doux after staying there on a family holiday back in 2008. Situated in the heart of a seven-acre hillside park, the property offers unrivalled views over the surrounding Dordogne Valley in Corrèze, France.
As a lover of historic architecture, Clive was eager to take on a renovation scheme of his own so he jumped at the chance to buy this grand old French house when it came up for sale a year later in 2009.
The Young family bought the 36-bedroom property in June 2009, at the peak of the UK recession, for approximately £900,000 ($1.2m). After being neglected for around a decade the palatial pad was fairly rundown, but the building itself was still functional which meant many larger repair works could be avoided.
Built between 1904 and 1906, the building was designed by iconic architect Jean-Louis Pascal, who is known for creating the Bibliothèque Nationale de France in Paris. Since 2009, the family has spent over £500,000 ($691k) and 10 years restoring the charming property, with every penny earned being ploughed back into the project, meaning the Youngs have never taken a wage for their hard work.
The family has spent 10 years transforming the rustic interior into a contemporary holiday destination, with guest rooms decorated in sophisticated neutral schemes. The property's gorgeous bridal suite is perhaps its most inviting space!
Yet the Young family knows that taking on such a property requires constant work. They say that their dedication to the building's preservation will continue for as long as they are lucky enough to own it.
Many adventurous renovators have been inspired by Dick and Angel Strawbridge's story. The pair took on a spectacular renovation project, which unfolded on TV's Escape to the Château. The ambitious duo snapped up the near-derelict Château de la Motte Husson, located in the town of Martigné-sur-Mayenne in France, in 2015 for a mere £350,000 ($484k) and almost single-handedly transformed the property into a family home and thriving business.
Dating back to the 12th century, the estate has a long and fascinating history. Originally a fortified stronghold, it was purchased by the Husson family in 1406, who renamed the castle Château de la Motte Husson. In 1600, the building was acquired by the de Baglion family and was rebuilt with a moat between 1868 and 1874. The property had stood empty for 40 years, meaning much work was needed to bring the castle back to its former glory.
Most of the work had to be done before Dick and Angel could move into their abandoned castle, mostly due to safety and a lack of heating, water, electricity and sewerage. With a mere £20,000 ($28k) budget, the couple set about rendering the property liveable, as well as restoring enough of the rooms to allow them to get married at the château and host a party.
Taking on much of work himself, Dick, a former lieutenant colonel in the army, set about restoring the ceilings, walls and floors in the dining room, kitchen and main bedroom, which would become the family suite. Hot water was a priority, as well as ensuring the roof remained free of leaks. Radiators were installed and the home's significant amount of lead paint was also removed, a task that Dick described as "messy and hard work".
Over the years, Dick restored more of the 45 rooms in the château, with Angel taking a hands-on role – including responsibility for the interior design. Today, the historic 19th-century property is chic and characterful, with quirky décor, luxurious fabrics and plenty of home comforts. A lover of DIY and handmade accessories, Angel also created many of the home's finishes herself, including printing her own tiles and wallpapers in order to save money.
As well as being the couple's family home, Château de la Motte Husson is now a very successful wedding venue. The five-storey residence has numerous picture-perfect locations for newlyweds and Angel takes on much of the catering and planning work herself, while Dick officiates the ceremonies. How's that for inspiring?
In early 2019, TV renovation royalty Chip and Joanna Gaines bought a rundown castle in Waco, Texas. The grand property had been left to languish for the past 20 years, but with their extensive property experience, we're sure our favourite DIY duo are more than equal to the challenge.
This castle is the next in line for the Fixer Upper treatment. Having stood empty for 20 years, the impressive building needs tons of work, but its solid construction has barely changed since it was abandoned in 1906 by a local stone contractor.
Just look at this stunning fireplace surround and intricate lattice windows. We can't wait to see how the couple transforms this diamond in the rough. The 6,700-square-foot castle was originally on the market for £308,000 ($425k), though the property's sale price has not been confirmed.
With four bedrooms and three and a half bathrooms, this regal residence could make an incredible family home. The German-style castle was completed in 1913 and features a nine-foot oak front door, mahogany woodwork and eight fireplaces.
Outside, the property includes just under an acre of land, a covered terrace and an imposing frontage. Chip and Joanna have reportedly admired the spectacular estate for a number of years and Chip put offers in whenever the castle was listed for sale. Now they finally have the keys but renovating this historic fixer-upper could prove to be their most daunting project yet! We can't wait to see the pair work their magic on this gem...
Château de Gudanes had been on the real estate market for four years before Craig and Karina Waters placed their initial bid on the abandoned stately home. After two years of financial negotiations, the Australian couple became the proud owners of the historic property, located in Ariège, France.
The stunning country home dates back to the 18th century and is a prime example of French neoclassical architecture. Built on the site of a 13th-century castle that was severely damaged in France's religious wars of 1580, the château was designated a historic monument in 1994.
Covering five floors, Karina and Craig bought the stately home for £280,000 ($387k), despite the fact they had only viewed four of the building's 94 rooms! Giving up their lives in Perth in order to create a luxury hotel in the south of France, the couple took a huge gamble on the château.
During the restoration process, the couple opted for a sustainable approach, meaning a lot of the structure's original materials and furnishings have been upcycled and reused to create a sympathetic interior that has minimal environmental impact.
While the restoration is ongoing, Château de Gudanes is open to the public and hosts regular upcycling workshops. The property features a gorgeous rustic interior, where antique furnishings complement original flooring and exposed ceiling beams. All proceeds from paying visitors go towards the preservation and restoration of this stunning historical building.
Anglo-French couple Erin Choa and Jean-Baptiste Gois are the proud owners of the grand Château de Bourneau. The pair, who share a love of historic architecture, were keen to buy a building that they could restore to its former glory.
Located in the blissful countryside of Vendée in the west of France, Château de Bourneau is about as magical as properties get. The enchanting Renaissance-inspired structure is enclosed by a moat with its very own bridge, plus 40 acres of idyllic woodland.
A doctor and a mechanical engineer by trade, the young couple bought the house in 2018 and started renovating the rooms to rent out to holidaymakers. Undeterred by its rundown condition, Erin and Jean-Baptiste were keen to undertake the work themselves.
Another home to be featured on Escape to the Château: DIY, the gorgeous building dates back to 1863 and was inspired by the famous Château d’Anet, which was built for Diane de Poitiers, the former mistress of Henry II of France.
The couple have spent around £429,000 ($593k) renovating the property, including this gorgeous yellow drawing room complete with parquet flooring and a chandelier. They also restored the moat bridge to its original white design after discovering an old photograph from the early 1900s.
A tribute to traditional French renaissance architecture, the estate also features four holiday cottages that sleep up to 12 people, each with its own private swimming pool. Imagine waking up to breakfast with this incredible view.
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