One day, while looking around a home store, they found some beautiful looking urns that they thought would fit perfectly in the chateau. With that realization, they decided to take the risk…. It made us rethink our plans because after seeing Basmaignée we couldn’t really see ourselves anywhere else. However, the couple felt comfortable and ready to bring in some much-needed income…. It goes without saying though that buying a chateau is never cheap and the couple ended up learning this the hard way. For instance, when people ask us, ‘When do you think the chateau is going to be fully renovated?’ we don’t have any answer to give, because we don’t want to put ourselves under the pressure of a deadline. However, this was until they stumbled across Chateau de Bourneau, a beautiful estate located in Pays de la Loire, in the west of France. This property also features in the new TV programme Escape to the Chateau DIY: It is located in Picardie, about an hour's drive from Calais, Escape to the Chateau DIY: Tim and Margreeth Alexander are some of the people helped by Dick and Angel. But the show isn't all about the serious side of making money, with Dick and Angel bringing some of the colour and entertainment that we know and love from Escape to the Chateau to their new show. It was as if the chateau was a huge time capsule that was full of intriguing relics, harking back to a bygone era. The couple stumbled across a perfectly preserved dressing table in the attic. However, they also wanted to blend the old with the new, buying furniture that they thought would complement the medieval quality of the chateau. If you’re the kind of person who loves to start the day with a hearty and delicious breakfast, then ... Noteabley is a food site. First and foremost, the hosts needed to install a fridge, which would be the first one in the chateau’s history. When each programme ended, “viewers were literally switching off the TV, firing up their iPads and looking at what is available”, said Jane Berry, head of estate agent Leggett Immobilier’s Prestige division. This show too had a huge audience reaction. After months of hard work and renovation, the couple decided that they were ready to open their new and improved Chateau de Bourneau for the world to see. In order make sure that they found the perfect chateau for the next chapter of their lives, JB and Erin traveled all over France. The chateau is their only means of income. After four popular series (series 5 of Escape to the Chateau returns to Channel 4 this autumn), Dick and Angel fronted up a spin-off series called Escape to the Chateau: DIY, helping Brits renovating and running a chateau business in France. Although the road ahead seemed long, even endless, the couple at least had a home with sufficient living conditions to build from. They explained how some of the renovations were filmed over the best part of a year, with a range of individuals following their French Chateaux dreams. Take its plumbing system, for example, which was constructed during the mid-19th century. How much would it cost you to Escape to the Chateau? Shop Chateau Personalised Gifts with World Wide Delivery Exclusive Homemade … One of the couples featured on the show became firm favourites with the viewing public. They knew exactly how to use them…. It is believed that King Louis XI allowed the building of the foundation in 1464. The castle is a whopping 16 hectares and so much of it needed work done to it. Dick Strawbridge and his wife Angel found TV fame with Channel 4's Escape to the Chateau, The couple renovated a dilapidated 45-room French Chateau that they bought for €390,000. Overseas finance specialist Simon Conn explains: 'Buying is one thing, but the upkeep of an abandoned chateau can be another. Frenchman Jean-Baptiste Gois (JB, for short) and London-born Erin Choa began their incredible story back in 2010 when they met by chance. Millions watched enthralled as Dick and Angel transformed the rundown 45-room castle into a stylish dream home and successful business as an events and vintage wedding destination. In order to fully realize their dream, Erin and JB needed to tackle a variety of obstacles. This pie is so complex that you probably weren’t sure it was even a pie reading this title. ', Escape to the Chateau DIY: Jonathan and Michael Halpin are given a helping hand by Angel to renovate their French property, Escape to the Chateau DIY: Jonathan and Michael Halpin bought this chateau in a small village called Vernantes, 20km from Saumur in the Loire Valley, Dick added: 'You also need to remember that there is a different beat to everything in France and once you accept that then life is a little easier. After calculating everything, they realized that maintaining a chateau would be just as expensive as their previous living arrangements in Edinburgh. Balancing this is the real challenge but it’s totally worth it: we love it and wouldn’t change a thing,” Gwendoline says. Some were simply way too run-down to warrant purchasing and renovating. Dick Strawbridge Chateau cost back in 2014 was £280,000. These included a love for history, especially historical buildings and artifacts. The comments below have been moderated in advance. Before they signed the contract, they continued to ask themselves if this place would attract tourists…. Although they faced many challenges along the way, they were determined to give themselves the happy ending they deserved and did this by purchasing a medieval French chateau. As they went from room to room, trying to unearth every leftover item from its medieval dwellers, JB and Erin made some truly stunning findings. It follows the individuals as they struggle to renovate their derelict French properties, ranging in price from €60,000 to €1,000,050. This includes a couple in their 20s, a British man with a French wife and love of French antiques, and a British singer who found fame in Holland. They are helping 16 individuals who have also made the decision to move to France and renovate a chateau - including a couple in their 20s. Fast forward centuries later though, and the building is a shadow of its former self. Complete with turreted pillars and stone walls, this beautiful building has been around for many centuries, before being rebuilt in 1863. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. However, JB and Erin had no idea just how much work they needed to do in order to get the building back to its former glory. Gwendoline admits: “We don’t have any idea of how much we can earn when it’s all finished, we’re not planning that far ahead. Published: 03:04 EDT, 9 April 2018 | Updated: 06:49 EDT, 9 April 2018. download your free France buying guide here, New French website for residency applications is now open, Riding on a Wave - How white-sand beaches and year-round sun attract buyers to Fuerteventura, Case Study | Buying a €1 Million Cheateau in France. In every room, there seemed to be tons of antiques that would pique the interest of any seasoned collector. ', And he stressed the importance of cashflow in running a business, saying: 'You need to think about revenue stream and the order of things.