Beyond the Pool Pump A read that will take you behind the scenes, to meet the castle renovators from Channel 4’s Escape to the Château DIY (a spin-off from Dick and Angel Strawbridge’s Escape to the Château).

Are we a random and eclectic collection of Brits. Reckless investors? Lovers of old buildings? Plain bonkers? Follow me on a deeper journey into the trials and tribulations of renovating in France.

Channel 4 made television out of the phenomena of Brits moving to France. We escape an overpriced, overcrowded UK for a France that offers the possibility of an affordable home, a second home or business premises with character and space that has become the domain of the financial elite in the UK.

The paradox is that although we came to France to get value for our money, money spent on property in rural France is most often not recouped on the sale. Repair a château and you can multiply your investment, but not necessarily your return.

The French well know that you can expect to pay heavily for living in a château. Most who do are very savvy about tax breaks offered to encourage the repair of architectural heritage. You only benefit from these breaks if you are paying quite a lot of tax — in France. In spite of the joys of a beautiful location and the low price tags, these income tax incentives are still widely regarded by the French as a piège de con (trap for fools), something that looks as if you are saving money, but you aren’t.

After two decades of renovating our castle in France, I see the French view as a sober one. My husband and I arrived in France with the more British mindset of ‘isn’t that cheap and lovely’, and jumped on, all enthusiasm. Not all the Châteaunauts on the programme were like that. Amongst us, there were meticulous account keepers and business visionaries.

When we were invited to participate in the series the working title of the programme was Château Rescue. That hit a chord for all of us. Taking on a château in France is an act of love. We all expected the programme to be less about the mini-dramas of our lives, and more about the unique beauty of our homes. We were excited to show off our surrogate babies.

I am not sure when the ‘investigative documentary’ plan got thrown out the window, but I suppose it was naive of us not to realise that the bulk of interest would be with the obligatory thirst for blood-and-guts drama of reality TV.

Apart from the pool, roof and a few insect fiascos, the programme-makers were kind. They hinted that our quixotic DIY schemes were synonymous with saving money. We were shown working with teams of volunteers, resuscitating old machines, inviting beekeepers to put hives in the woodlands: ingenious ruses that demand a great deal of time, effort and resources. More entertaining and sweet than the archetypal banker of every architect’s dreams, throwing wads of cash at professionals.

Telling signs of building work

Quite a few of us got together at Château de Lalande where we agreed that we would like to share more about the rescue bit that became lost in the programme. More about our buildings, the adventure of renovating and of living in France. Perhaps even a book that took viewers behind the scenes to see our castles and our experiences of France in more intimate detail.

“I wish people had seen more of the historical aspects of the building in the programme” Clive reflects. “We have a 13th century cellar”

(Abbaye de la Bussière, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter).

Getting together at Stephanie Jarvis’ Château de Lalande

Our schemes for saving money may be delusionary. We have €20,000 worth of scaffolding that has been sitting in the basement for 10 years. But taking on a large building in a foreign culture, seriously, does cultivate resourcefulness. Not only with administrative and planning challenges, but also sheer determination to survive. One example is the YouTube channels and Patreon accounts that a number of the Châteaunauts launched on the coat-tails of the programme. These independent programmes have harnessed the publicity of the series to create a fan base, and have secured the continuation of renovation work running into the future (see links below).

In Beyond the Pool Pump we’ll take a look at the challenges and rewards of breathing life into a historic building. What is it that seduces us? The decisions, fears, joys and machinations behind the scenes.

Each château’s own history, traditions and characteristics merit more than a fleeting glance. Each has a zenith in its life that distinguishes it, not only architecturally, but by its place in history conveys a human scale to great historic tides.

We can’t judge today, to what extent these buildings and their parks were originally born of a love of beauty or of power, but today it’s their beauty that stands out.

Ready for visitors at Château St Ferriol

Chatelaines nowadays are almost invariably sociable types. A common thread that screams out in the programmes is how rewarding moments are those shared with good company, amazing French produce infused with the atmosphere of a great old building. We’ve brought back laughter and chat. The halls, courtyards and parks once reserved for the wealthy now bring pleasure to friends, family clients and supporters.

In my book Beyond the Pool Pump, from which I will share an abbreviated serialisation here on Medium, I will take you behind the scenes at 16 castle renovators who dared to follow a potentially reckless, but always, beautiful dream.

If you would like to sign up for my free guide about moving to rural France, Find Your France, you may sign up HERE.

Links to Browse

Wikipedia page for Escape to the Château DIY

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escape_to_the_Chateau_DIY

Facebook page for Escape to the Château DIY

https://www.facebook.com/groups/ETTCDIY

The Youtube channels

Stephanie Jarvis’s Youtube channel The Chateau Diaries

Stephanie Jarvis’s Youtube channel Chateau Unwrapped!

Château de Lomenie Youtube channel — The Art of French Living

Abbaye de la Bussière

Château St Ferriol

Facebook

Vimeo

#patreon, #Youtube #esacpetothechateaudiy #livinginfrance #frenchcastles