Chateau DIY Season 10 Episode 28
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00:00Across France are thousands of chateaux,
00:05many left abandoned and forgotten.
00:08It's like a pond.
00:09I know, it's a bit green, isn't it?
00:11Yet a brave few...
00:13We're not new to gardening, but this is on a completely different level, isn't it?
00:17...are taking on the challenge...
00:19What could possibly go wrong?
00:22...of restoring these timeless treasures.
00:25Seamless. You'd never know I'd been here.
00:27...renovating ancient buildings...
00:30It's making a hollow sound. It means that it's coming away from the wall.
00:34...into magical homes...
00:36I can't actually really believe it's almost finished now.
00:39...and thriving businesses...
00:41Perfect is the goal.
00:43...isn't for the faint-hearted...
00:46Well, you've got to laugh about it, otherwise you'd curl up in a corner and cry.
00:49...but those with passion and grit...
00:52You have to put the effort in, don't you? Just get the reward.
00:55...can enjoy the ultimate prize...
00:57I love doing this, it's one of my favourite things.
01:00...of living out their dreams...
01:01It's starting to look a bit more ready for occupation.
01:05...as stewards...
01:07It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and it is amazing.
01:09...of their very own piece of history.
01:16Today...
01:17We've got flower delivery.
01:18A grand wedding is thrown into chaos.
01:21It's getting to the point where if the chandelier is not ready in 20 minutes...
01:27Oh, it will be done. It will be done.
01:29A pair of DIY newbies are tested with an ambitious challenge.
01:34Is this still straight, hon?
01:37Yep.
01:37It'll help it go in if it's already got a groove.
01:41And a huge pool project reaches breaking point.
01:45Amazon.
01:57In the Lotte-Garonne département of South-West France...
02:00...is the delightful 18th century Château de la Salle.
02:08Set in 20 acres, this former hotel has 18 charming bedrooms...
02:16...and several outbuildings.
02:20It's home to American-born Christina and her Iranian husband Sassan...
02:25...who decided to swap their busy London lives...
02:31...for the serenity of the French countryside.
02:36You wanted peace and quiet, and we have that here.
02:39It's just peaceful.
02:41It is literally surrounded by hills and nothing else.
02:44Our life here has been a success.
02:47Your DIY skills have come on leaps and bounds.
02:49And for me, that's actually been really fun to watch.
02:55Located an hour-and-a-half's drive from Bordeaux...
03:01Cheers.
03:02Christina and Sassan bought the Château in 2022...
03:07...and run high-end holiday lets.
03:11The last time we saw them, they extended the pool area...
03:15...by adding an outdoor kitchen space...
03:18...which is perfect for hosting parties.
03:22Santé, à la tienne.
03:24It's good to tick another project off the list.
03:27Teamwork.
03:28Yeah, teamwork.
03:29Makes the dream work.
03:32This season, they're turning their attention to the inside of the Château.
03:39Even the smell in here is not great.
03:43Where they're hoping to turn a cluttered storage room...
03:47...into a grand library.
03:50So the idea is to make that room a quiet, sitting space.
03:54It'll be somewhere somebody can go and shut the door, read a book, relax.
03:58They'll have a nice, warm, comfortable place to go...
04:03...and try to make it as Château-feeling as we possibly can.
04:06Yeah.
04:08So...
04:08Where do we start?
04:09The idea is that we want to use that space as a storage...
04:14...because we do need a storage.
04:15Yeah, we need storage.
04:16And this is a comfortable space for having a library.
04:21For us to implement that, we need to have a door.
04:26But for some reason, the wall has been made like this.
04:30So we have to close off a little bit of it before we put the frame for the door.
04:37But before they can do anything, there is a ton of stuff to move out.
04:43They need to create some room.
04:46Most of this stuff is just going to get thrown in the bin.
04:48Do you know how many monitors and TVs we have?
05:00Maybe that's not what you'd put up in a Château.
05:03Glittery skyscrapers.
05:07Having cleared some of the space...
05:11Sasan can start the stud work.
05:14Sasan has done this before. I have not.
05:16He has a few more DIY skills than I do.
05:20Not by one day.
05:23When we renovated our house in Surrey, we thought we can paint a room.
05:27So we took on painting a few bedrooms, but that was about the extent of our DIY.
05:32Actually, we built a flower bed. We did that.
05:37Despite being novices, they are not afraid to get stuck in.
05:44Yeah.
05:45It'll help it go in if it's already got a groove.
05:52Is this still straight, hon?
05:54Yeah.
05:56If we had somebody who is a lot more experienced, it would have said,
06:00yeah, you're doing that wrong. You do it this way.
06:02If we get there in the end, it just might take a little bit longer.
06:12It's going deep.
06:16Hold on, here we go.
06:17With the first part of the frame secure, it doesn't take long for Sasan to get into the groove.
06:31Let's see how it is.
06:42It's good. It's sturdy.
06:44It's really strong.
06:45Yeah.
06:46It's a lot of work for that tiny little box.
06:49You just need to put the boards up.
06:50New skills.
06:51Yeah.
06:52Well done.
06:53It's an encouraging start.
06:57But with the doorway to finish, the room to clear, and a library to create,
07:03Christina and Sasan's challenges are just going to get bigger.
07:17In the Languedoc region of southern France lies the impressive 19th century Chateau de Puy-et-Prin.
07:27It sits in seven acres, has 39 stunning rooms, all set around a beautiful central courtyard.
07:43Since 2003, it's been owned by Tim, a photographer, and Sasha, a former fashion designer,
07:53who run it as a successful wedding venue.
07:57Along with daughter Lily and son-in-law Luke.
08:01We love it.
08:02It's been a joy to just bring life back into a crumbling set of walls.
08:09Our daughter and husband are doing the everyday running of the weddings.
08:14Sasha Till does the floristry.
08:16I occasionally do the photography.
08:18Yes, it's hard work, but then the rewards are immense.
08:24It's working for us, and Dutch wood will continue to do so.
08:35Located an hour and a half's drive from Toulouse, Tim and Sasha bought the Chateau for £390,000
08:44and recently created a rustic love bench out of bamboo from their garden.
08:53I think the bench looks brilliant.
08:55We all enjoy it.
08:55We'll have plenty of time to enjoy it.
08:57Today, with the summer season upon them…
09:03We've got flower delivery now for this weekend's wedding.
09:07…they're preparing for their third wedding of the year, which they're hosting tomorrow.
09:13The wedding day is the one time in a person's life that they can actually have something spectacular,
09:24floristry-wise, and that's what I'm here to do, to create the magic that the bride's got in her head.
09:32There's no time to lose, as the wedding couple and 40 guests arrive in a couple of hours.
09:41So, job done. Cool.
09:46It's all systems go for Lily and Luke, as a welcome feast is being held in the reception hall.
09:53The day before the wedding is usually the busiest day for us, because it's making sure everything is set and ready for dinner,
10:02make sure all the bedrooms are ready, make sure everything's running smoothly in the kitchen,
10:06and most importantly, just making sure everyone is having a good time from the minute that they arrive.
10:12In a bid to make the day even more special, Sasha has a floral surprise up her sleeve.
10:19You know that we're going to have, um, confetti shower?
10:25No. Yeah, well, we are on the front step. Right.
10:29Bridegroom, guests, all with pots. Oh, I see. Yeah? Yeah.
10:34So, if I create a chandelier of flowers, yeah,
10:42based on this, can you find some sort of device, trap, or one of your wonderful inventions,
10:54so that when it comes to... The precise moment. The precise moment.
10:58They all come down. They'll all come down through the centre.
11:02Has it got Bluetooth? No Bluetooth. Right. So, it's got to be mechanical.
11:07It's got to be mechanical and inspired. Worth a thought and a try.
11:12We can't make a mess of this. It has to be perfect. It has to work once and perfectly.
11:22Right. Get that brain working. I need chain.
11:26We've used Sasha's floral chandelier on a previous occasion,
11:32but what we've never done before is have confetti falling from it.
11:37Tim can't afford to get it wrong. And with a wedding party due shortly, he needs to get his thinking cap on.
11:48It's not sticking enough, huh? It needs, like, five times as much glue.
12:00And Tim puts his master plan into action.
12:03That's got to go up at least a couple of feet.
12:06How are we going to fix this?
12:15In the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of south-west France
12:20stands the charming Château de Césarac.
12:23It has its own chapel, boasts a medieval tower, and comes with a Roman-inspired swimming pool.
12:33The building was decimated by a fire over a decade ago.
12:42But gradually restoring it is Northamptonshire couple John and Carmen.
12:48We fell in love with this property as soon as we saw it. What better house could you have than this?
12:55We couldn't afford anything like this in the UK.
12:57After we've had a really hard day's work, I like to sit in a courtyard with a glass of wine
13:02and think about how amazing it's going to be.
13:05Located close to the city of Toulouse, John and Carmen bought the Château in 2022
13:20for just £175,000 and planned to run luxury holiday lets.
13:27And they recently started to bring the swimming pool back to life.
13:35It's really looking good. I'm really pleased with it.
13:38So far, they've cleaned and drained it.
13:42Well, I've done getting on for a square metre now.
13:45There's only another 189 square metres to do.
13:47And begun to freshen up the pool terrace.
13:53The walls are amazing.
13:54I love it. It's been a long day, hasn't it?
13:57Yeah.
13:59With the paintwork coming along nicely,
14:04today, with the help of handyman friend Paul,
14:08they're hoping to install a new Château-sized filter system.
14:14It's very, very heavy, so we'll have to get a sack truck and be very careful with our backs.
14:18OK.
14:18It weighs a hefty 80 kilos
14:22and needs to be carried safely to the pool house.
14:27Let's lift it up onto the ledge.
14:30And then lift it off the pallet.
14:33OK.
14:34Are we going down or...?
14:35OK.
14:38Ah.
14:39It's on my foot.
14:40Yeah, there you go.
14:46John just hopes the trolley will do most of the heavy lifting.
14:50OK.
14:51Ready?
14:51Put your feet in front of the wheels.
14:55Nice and straight on.
14:56Here we go.
15:04Y'voila, as the French say.
15:08Where are we going?
15:08Where are we going?
15:09I don't know.
15:09I can't see.
15:10Well, I really can't see where I'm going now.
15:11You're good.
15:13Just don't go right.
15:16With no major incidents, they first have to figure out how to remove the old system.
15:25Now, how do you empty a sand filter?
15:26There is a question.
15:30Because there's only a little hole in the top.
15:33How do you get all the sand out of it?
15:35It has plenty of sand in it.
15:37I would say, with the cutter, I would cut a hole in the bottom and then...
15:42Well, that's sort of...
15:43Yeah, I mean, that's an option.
15:44Or we could go onto social media and just see how to remove sand out of a filter.
15:50Just cut a hole.
15:56It's not doing a great deal.
16:03Blimey.
16:05I was just shocked, actually, at the thickness of it.
16:08It's like half an inch thick, this stuff.
16:11I thought it'd be like five mil.
16:13I guess it's got half a tonne of sand in it.
16:22That'll go now.
16:23You think so?
16:24Yeah.
16:24It's got to, hasn't it?
16:28OK, hammer time.
16:29Hammer time.
16:41Oh!
16:42My ears are ringing.
16:42Yeah.
16:44I think we're going to have to do a bit of overtime tonight.
16:47Our tools are just not manly enough to go through it.
16:50Having delays like this just are slightly annoying.
16:55It's far from the ideal start, but until they can find a way to empty the old filter,
17:01John and Carmen's pool project is going nowhere.
17:06In the south of France, at Chateau du Puy-et-Prat,
17:18Sasha is continuing to prepare the flowers for the wedding they're hosting tomorrow,
17:23and Tim has come up with a plan for the floral confetti chandelier.
17:31So, petals go on there, I pull the wire, that pulls up, petals fall down.
17:41That's the basic idea.
17:44So far, so ingenious.
17:48Tim just needs to make sure it works.
17:52On the count of three.
17:53One, two, three.
17:55Whoa!
17:59How's about that, then?
18:00Yeah.
18:01This is just genius.
18:02Brilliant.
18:04Fantastic.
18:05Well done.
18:06Ha!
18:07Well done, that man.
18:08A bit of fun.
18:08Ha!
18:09I knew that he'd get a solution to it.
18:12It's going to be beautiful.
18:13It's a novel idea.
18:18But with the wedding party due imminently, Sasha has a lot on her plate.
18:24It's midday, and I'm still on putting the base of each individual flower arrangement.
18:32I've now got to do flowers for the breakfast room.
18:35And then I'm on to all the displays and the new chandelier pinata, which will be fun.
18:44Tim's eager to set up the chandelier at the entrance steps.
18:49Okay.
18:51So that's got to go up at least a couple of feet.
18:55But he'll need to hurry.
18:57So, how are we going to fix this?
19:00As the wedding party are starting to arrive.
19:07Hiya, I'm Lily.
19:09Nice to meet you.
19:09Hiya, I'm Lily.
19:11Ensuring the day gets off to a good start, Lily shows happy couple Sandy and Jay to the bridal suite.
19:20Through here.
19:22Oh, it's raining.
19:23Then through this way, you've got the getting ready room.
19:27You're not allowed in here.
19:31And then balcony for any photos out there.
19:34Oh, nice.
19:35While the rest of the guests settle in, Sasha's eager to get the bride and groom's approval of the flowers.
19:46I've got pianists there that I'm hoping are going to open up.
19:50Oh.
19:51But I did get the very bright pink as well.
19:53That's okay.
19:54I don't mind the bright pink.
19:55Well, I don't mind a bit of bright pink.
19:57Exactly, exactly.
20:00The flowers are beautiful and the setting is going to be something that's going to remember forever.
20:04Yeah, everyone will just remember it as the best party for the weekend.
20:08So, yeah, it's a great way to start everything, really, isn't it?
20:12Yeah, yeah.
20:14It's slowly falling into place.
20:17And with the base of the chandelier up...
20:21All looks fine.
20:22Come on, Mr. Inventor.
20:24OK.
20:25All Tim and Sasha can hope is that it goes without a hitch on the big day.
20:40In south-west France, at Chateau de la Salle,
20:44Christina and Sassen have cleared out the storage room
20:48and are ready to start creating their library.
20:52Today, now we're going to be trying to put the wood paneling up.
20:55What we decided to do is to replicate the paneling design of the door.
21:01Yeah, we've never done paneling before.
21:02I'm sure it'll look easy, right?
21:04We've watched the videos.
21:07All right, this is going to be fun.
21:13That definitely doesn't look like enough glue, hon.
21:15Hon, we will see it.
21:22It's not sticking enough, hon.
21:25Hey, take it down.
21:28It needs, like, I'd say, five times as much glue as...
21:43That doesn't look bad.
21:45With the first of the panels up,
21:49for the mouldings, Sassen has bought a new saw,
21:52which he's never used before.
21:55We do need a special saw that can cut in angles easily.
22:02So it's exciting and a little bit boring,
22:05but usually within a few minutes, you'll feel comfortable using it.
22:09Does it work?
22:17Yeah.
22:20Having proved to be a natural,
22:23it's a matter of putting the jigsaw together.
22:27And put the name in here where I marked.
22:29Perfect, wow.
22:39See, that's how I want it to sound.
22:42Good job.
22:43We still have a ton of work to do,
22:44but at least we can kind of see now how to put it together.
22:50It's a promising start.
22:52And Christina has earmarked some opulent wallpaper
22:56to put above the panels.
22:58I wanted the room to look like it had a little bit more of a luxurious feel,
23:03so I like the colour pattern.
23:06It has almost like an antiqued look to it.
23:11It's set to be another challenge, as they've also never wallpapered before.
23:18It's quite easy to match them.
23:20I don't know how easy it's going to be to match them on the wall,
23:22but we're going to pre-cut first, and then it should go a lot smoother.
23:28All they can hope is that they've got the measurements right.
23:32I don't want to overdo it because then the paper gets too wet,
23:37but it needs to make sure that it sticks.
23:42Good.
23:46First pieces on the wall.
23:48I don't want to get ahead of ourselves, but that went up fairly straightforward.
23:51You need to make sure it's matched on your side.
23:57I think it's matched.
23:58It hasn't fallen. That's a good sign. That's a good sign.
24:03I'm actually getting very excited for what this room is going to look like,
24:06because I love this wallpaper.
24:08It's been a successful day, but with the rest of the walls to finish,
24:14wood panels to construct, and the room to dress,
24:18Christina and Sasson's library still has a way to go.
24:30Still to come.
24:32John's pool problems start to mount.
24:34Double check, I'm not throwing anything away.
24:36Where's the instruction manual for this, then?
24:38And Tim and Sasha are in for an unwelcome surprise.
24:43Sorry, it's only about 10, 15 minutes.
24:45Can we take this now? You will never be happy.
24:48In south-west France, at Chateau de Céserac,
24:59John has finally had a breakthrough with the old pool filter.
25:04Blunted plenty of power tools.
25:07That said, end up using a handsaw. Got it, got through it.
25:11And now I'm just going to empty the sand out,
25:13and then we can chuck the thing away. Ow!
25:15Meanwhile, outside, Carmen has a pool project of her own.
25:23So a friend gave us this. It's an old coal bucket.
25:29So I thought, wouldn't it make a great champagne bucket?
25:34So you can put the ice and the champagne in there,
25:37and then have your glasses on the top.
25:39And then you can wheel it around to wherever you like.
25:42So today, we're going to clean it up a bit.
25:44It's a bit dirty and covered in cobwebs.
25:47And put the first coat of paint on.
25:50Good to repurpose things.
25:52Actually, let me give it a quick rub-over.
25:54Get all the dust off.
26:02Oh, it's like ice cream.
26:04The first coat's always, um, it doesn't look very good,
26:12but, um, give it a few coats and it'll look fine.
26:15Champagne on ice, wherever you want it.
26:18My mobile champagne unit.
26:22We're going to christen this champagne cooler in the pool.
26:27So I think that's about it. The first coat's done.
26:31With the first coat being left to dry,
26:34back in the pool house...
26:41..with a little help from friend Paul,
26:44John's finally managed to remove the old filter.
26:49Piece of cake.
26:51But the biggest challenge is figuring out how to install
26:55the new one.
26:57This is quite exciting, really,
26:59to actually see what we've got here.
27:02And, uh, double-check I'm not throwing anything away.
27:10So this is a sand, or now glass, filter.
27:13So the pool water is sucked through the pump,
27:17out of the skimmers and into the filter,
27:20where it's cleaned and then back into the pool.
27:22And it repeats that.
27:24And that pump is on typically eight hours a day.
27:26Paul?
27:27Hello.
27:28Fancy lifting any filter in?
27:30Ooh.
27:32Oh.
27:34It's a lot lighter than the last one.
27:36There's no sand in it.
27:38Watch that little stubby thing a little.
27:40That is perfect, and this will connect straight into the...
27:49This is the out, the exit.
27:52It's an encouraging start.
27:54So that's that.
27:55Well, there's an instruction manual for this, then.
27:58But with so many elements to connect,
28:01it might be a while before they can have a dip in the pool.
28:05MUSIC PLAYS
28:12In the Lotte et Garonne département of southwest France,
28:16Christina and Sassan's library is starting to come together.
28:22The wallpaper is up,
28:25and the wood panelling is almost complete.
28:27I mean, to have made all of this by hand, I'm so impressed.
28:33It still needs to be stained and everything,
28:36but it really does look like wood panelling.
28:37One thing I told Christina we might be able to do
28:41is to make the diamonds which are on the other panelling.
28:46I'm confident that I can implement it.
28:48Your confidence has gone from here to here, I think.
28:51Yeah, here, here, here.
28:55Cutting is the easy part in this.
28:58It literally takes two minutes for cuts.
29:01And measuring is the time-consuming part,
29:05and you have to get it right.
29:23I said the cut would be a few seconds.
29:25That's the diamond for my door.
29:31That's exactly what I wanted.
29:37Everything's so much easier when you have the right tools.
29:44Just need to get the rough edges off,
29:46so that when we stain it, it's not so rustic.
29:49I think it works.
29:58With the sanding done,
30:00the diamonds just need putting in pride of place.
30:04I think just slightly, slightly to the right.
30:06That looks good, but 24 more of those to go.
30:21We'll at least get a wall done.
30:25Smidge, smidge to the left.
30:27It's fun to see it coming together.
30:40Yeah, done?
30:40Yeah, this ball is done.
30:42Yeah, halfway there.
30:44I like it.
30:45Really well done.
30:46There's still a lot to do, but I'm pretty happy with where we are.
30:51I think we're making good progress.
30:57It's another small step forward.
31:00But with the diamonds to finish, wood to stain, and furniture to add,
31:06they won't be welcoming guests into the library anytime soon.
31:11In the Languedoc region of southern France, it's only two hours until the wedding.
31:24And Tim, Sasha, Lily, and Luke are busy doing the final preparations.
31:32Um, I haven't started the chandelier yet.
31:37It's now 12.30, and I need to get that chandelier done.
31:42So, pressure's on just a little bit.
31:46With no time to waste, mighty handyman Laurent helps dress the wedding arch.
31:53Hook it over the top.
31:57De centimede.
31:59Okay, that's fine.
32:00That's good.
32:01It's good?
32:02Yeah.
32:03Now for the corner pieces.
32:04That's it.
32:09Up, up, up, up, okay.
32:12Well, that's all looking good.
32:15Okay, we're ready.
32:18With the arch in full bloom...
32:20It looks beautiful against navy blue.
32:25The guests are gathering for the wedding, and time is beginning to tick.
32:32It's getting to the point where, if the chandelier's not ready in 20 minutes...
32:36Oh, it will be done.
32:37It will be done.
32:38It's fine.
32:39We had a lot of, uh, bridesmaids' bouquets, but I'm back on track now.
32:46Nearly there, and looking so good.
32:49It is looking good.
32:51It's finally coming together, but Luke is eager for a quiet word.
32:57It looks like everything's starting a little bit early, because everyone's ready.
33:00Oh.
33:00So the ceremony's only about 10, 15 minutes, so this will probably need doing quite quickly.
33:04Right, can we take this now, please?
33:06Yeah.
33:07I mean, there'll always be a bit to fill, but...
33:09There will always be.
33:10You will never be happy with it.
33:12Oh, my God, it's...
33:14Those flowers are heavy.
33:20With the ceremony about to commence...
33:22Tim doesn't have long to prepare.
33:32That looks good at the moment.
33:35Okay.
33:37It's the moment of truth.
33:40Merci, merci.
33:42Sometimes things work better when you're under more pressure.
33:46We're ready as we ever will be.
33:48With the chandelier in place, and the wedding ceremony concluded, it's showtime.
34:07Wow.
34:09I think that worked.
34:10I think that worked well.
34:11It's been a big hit.
34:17So the celebrations for newlyweds Jay and Sandy can truly begin.
34:30It's been perfect.
34:31The flowers were amazing.
34:32The sasha did.
34:32They're just...
34:33Yeah, everything's just been so perfect.
34:35It's such a beautiful setting.
34:37I think it was more than we ever could have dreamed of, really.
34:40Another successful wedding today.
34:42We're very happy.
34:43The day has gone swimmingly well.
34:46And Tim did wonders with the chandelier.
34:49It was a great relief to see it work.
34:51Everything's gone smoothly.
34:54Job done.
34:55It's a great start to the wedding season.
34:58And with the calendar fully booked for the next few months,
35:01it's set to be a busy time ahead for Tim, Sasha, Lily, and Luke.
35:13Coming up, the weight of Christina and Sasson's project gets on top of them.
35:18Yeah.
35:19It's heavy.
35:20It's really heavy.
35:22And John and Carmen have a furniture mountain to climb.
35:27I don't know where to start, really.
35:36In the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region,
35:39John and Carmen are on the final stretch of their huge pool project.
35:45Still lots to do.
35:47We're not going to get it completely boxed off today,
35:49because we need an electrician in to sort out some of the
35:52wiring on pumps and bits and pieces.
35:54But we are going to get the pool ready.
35:56Can't wait to get the furniture out,
35:58because it's been stored now for quite a few months.
36:02So it will be really exciting to get it unwrapped and see what it actually looks like.
36:09But before they get started on the furniture,
36:12Carmen's eager to finish off her customised champagne cooler.
36:18I'm really pleased with it.
36:19It's come out lovely.
36:20All I have to do now is put this last knob on.
36:26Love the detail on these.
36:29They're so cute.
36:32There we go.
36:36Tighten it up a little bit, I think.
36:39I'm very pleased with the outcome of this.
36:41I mean, it was quite an ugly coal bucket, really, wasn't it?
36:43And I've brought it back to life.
36:47There we go.
36:51Perfect fit.
36:53Looking forward to having a glass of champagne at the pool today.
36:58With the cooler complete,
37:01the bigger challenge is dressing the massive pool area.
37:05There's a lot of furniture here.
37:07I don't know where to start, really.
37:10With so much stuff to shift and unpack...
37:15There's a lot of cushions here.
37:18Right, onward.
37:21John's hoping his car will speed things up.
37:26Straighten.
37:27Will you take it off me?
37:28I'll get three at once, Carmen, so...
37:36Oh, that's not bad, then.
37:43I don't know which cushions go with what.
37:46With most of the furniture unloaded,
37:50it's a question of piecing it all together.
37:54By Christmas.
37:56This is the fun bit.
37:58After all the hard work.
38:02Sprint finish!
38:06Right, you ready for the umbrella?
38:08Oh, wow.
38:12This will go in here like so.
38:19Wow, that's lovely.
38:21That's fantastic.
38:23Nice colour, isn't it?
38:24Oh, yeah, it's good, yeah.
38:28Just two months ago.
38:29Just two months ago, their pool area was grimy, neglected and tired.
38:40Now, it's been transformed into an inviting leisure space for everyone to enjoy.
38:46With freshly cleaned mosaic pool tiles, stylish furniture, and newly painted walls, adding that extra touch of elegance.
39:01While the pool house has become a comfortable place to relax during those hot summer days.
39:12I'm close to tears, John.
39:14It sounds incredible, isn't it?
39:15I really am.
39:16It is absolutely fantastic.
39:19From what was a disused pool?
39:21Amazing.
39:22Champagne time?
39:23Champagne time.
39:23It is indeed.
39:24Oh, look at that.
39:25Wow.
39:26Fantastic.
39:30That made me jump.
39:33Cheers.
39:34Cheers.
39:37That's good on such a hot day.
39:40There's been many hot days spent by this pool.
39:42Can't wait to have friends, family.
39:44Oh, it's going to be amazing.
39:46What a party place.
39:48It's taken a huge effort.
39:50And with an electrician booked next week so they can fill up the pool, John and Carmen's guests will soon be able to relax in style.
40:01In the Lot-et-Garonne département of south-west France, Christina and Sassan's library has come on leaps and bounds.
40:20The wood panelling has been stained and is now complete.
40:24And new wall lights have been installed.
40:27Hang on.
40:29Yeah.
40:29That's heavy.
40:31It's really heavy.
40:34They've invited some of the neighbours over to show off their new space.
40:39But they only have an hour left to dress the rest of the room.
40:44Since it's a library, we figured we needed a bookshelf.
40:48And we originally thought it would go there, but it's just a tiny bit too wide.
40:56We've got new curtains to hang up.
40:59We've got new curtains to hang up.
41:00OK.
41:01You got it?
41:07It's not always easy when the curtains are four metres long.
41:12Does that feel secure?
41:13Yeah.
41:13I think it pulls out the colour of the wallpaper quite well.
41:18I'm happy.
41:19I'm happy.
41:20I'm happy.
41:20With Christina's vision taking shape,
41:23Sassan's mum, Simon, who is visiting from Iran, has created a personal touch of her own.
41:30When she came here last year, she was very inspired by this place and started painting the pictures of this place.
41:40That's right, yeah.
41:43She's done probably 14 or 15 of them now.
41:47So I'm really excited to hang these up in the library.
41:49With the new painting taking centre stage.
41:57Perfect.
41:59And time running out.
42:02What else is meant to go in here?
42:03We've got the two little carpet and the lamp, big lamp.
42:06And the two tables.
42:08It's just a matter of adding those all-important, last-minute finishing touches.
42:15I think it's almost done.
42:17Our favourite part of chateau life is when we finish a project.
42:21I can make a check and move on to the next.
42:23That's it.
42:24And right on time, their friends arrive.
42:37Five months ago, this whole space was nothing more than a dumping ground for their belongings.
42:48Now, it's been totally transformed into a grand and sophisticated life.
42:54It's been completely transformed into a library space.
42:57The combination of elegant wall panels, opulent wallpaper and chic lighting,
43:04gives the room its old world charm.
43:09While the newly stained floor, stylish antiques and personal touches,
43:17provide extra character for guests to enjoy.
43:21And it certainly seems to have made a good impression.
43:30I'm actually proud.
43:39Very proud.
43:40They have made a new bibliothèque, which is beautiful.
43:45It's beautiful.
43:47It's a cocoon.
43:49It's very good.
43:52I'm absolutely super happy with the way the room turned out.
43:56I'm also super proud of how many skills you learned along the way.
44:00You didn't know how to do panelling.
44:02We'd never hung a single sheet of wallpaper before.
44:06Well done, hon.
44:07You too.
44:09Thanks for putting up with me during this whole affair.
44:12It's been a big success, and with a new season about to begin,
44:20Christina and Sasal have another attraction to entice future guests.
44:30Next time...
44:31I'm sure, as an engineer, this is making you feel sick.
44:34They're a garden gripes.
44:36I would never have tied up the bits of wood like this, for instance,
44:41because I would have thought about it.
44:42A painting panic.
44:44I always get this feeling when I'm starting painting something,
44:47like, oh my gosh, what have I done?
44:49And one couple have to dig deep.
44:52We're not new to gardening, but this is...
44:54This is...
44:54This is...