Renovation program tonight, Sunday 5th June.

[mint]

Watched a bit, having had my curiosity spiked on here.

When they knocked down that 150 year old wall on the first floor behind the fireplace and it came down with some drilling and a couple of hammer blows, it was obvious that not all was as it seemed.

For a start, the fireplace was not central on the wall which could well mean that there are other flues than the one serving that particular fire behind the wall.  Probably a gathering of flues behind that wall.

Wonder if they have ever lit the fire in the room below that one[:-))]

Id, they went to the market in Bagnoles de l'Orne which tells me that the chateau must be in northern Mayenne somewhere.  I know Bagnoles well and some of the surrounding countryside.  Very flat for miles, agricultural and the weather nothing like south of the Loire.

[Chancer]

I am beginning to "get" her, she has a good eye, I too found a whole load of very old wallpaper roll ends and I wanted to use them, her idea was a very good one, the realisation could be criticised but it was the first time and unlike the makeover programs she didnt hide her dissapointment at the problems.

 

The solution of the ribbons or whatever they are called might have looked good on the screen but each one would be a taut straight line between the two tacks whereas the wall would have been a curve, albeit a much larger radius than that of the rotunda, en bref it will have been hanging off and should have been glued.

 

If I do it then I will do my usual overlap and trim with a Stanley knife.

 

No problem "getting" him, he is a simple type WYSIWYG.

 

I cannot think of any reason why a pressurised ballon or serpentine would need to be hauled to the top floor other than that a P&O plumber thinks that tanks go in lofts, the cave would have been the logical choice, if the length of pipes was an issue then the middle floor.

 

No way did he install that lintel which was in fact 3 or 4 liteaux back to back.

 

The making his own Windows made me laugh, a tiny £50 Nu-tool toy table saw was never going to cut the oak log sections and surprise surprise, first cut to camera was done with a hand held circular saw, not the best way to start on probably the best job a menuisier would ever do in his whole career, then suddenly there are thousands of pounds Worth of bespoke machinery capable of doing at least part of the job but by then I think he realised just what was involved, if she really does wear the trousers than that purchase and the diamond drilling rig will be forever haunting him. I have 35 years of experience in woodwork and cabinet making, I have the Tools to do the job and have remade some parts individually of the Windows that he wanted to remake but I know my limits.

The plaster colour looked like UK bonding plaster, hardly sympathetic with the fabric of the building.

[idun]

Apparently that was what my husband was rabbiting on about....... the water pressure thing.  My husband talks to the tv......[Www]

And back to the 'wedding' advertisements, why isn't it advertised as a wedding reception venue? No one can actually get married there, I am very confused and would imagine that it could be confusing for anyone, not french, who thinks that they can.

[nomoss]

[quote user="Chancer"]I cannot think of any reason why a pressurised ballon or serpentine would need to be hauled to the top floor other than that a P&O plumber thinks that tanks go in lofts, the cave would have been the logical choice, if the length of pipes was an issue then the middle floor[/quote]

Perhaps they wanted to reduce the operating pressure on the water heater, but the difference in pressure between there and the basement would only be in the order of 2 bar.

The best place is of course as close as possible to the points of use, to limit the cold draw, and if several bathrooms are planned in addition to kitchen, laundry, etc., then putting in smaller individual heaters would be the best plan, as this would save on copper pipe for the hot lines and enable heaters to be switched off when not required.

[PaulT]

Chancer wrote:

'No way did he install that lintel which was in fact 3 or 4 liteaux back to back.'

Considering that they had been installed on the first floor and the chateaux has five floors they did not really look strong enough to me.

[Chancer]

Whilst his explanation was anything but clear on the telly I could tell that he did know what he was talking about, the downwards force of brickwork is resolved downwards at 45° which is why the higher you build a wall or column the wider it must be.

 

If you cut a doorway through without a lintel and the masonry above were to collapse, the worts case scenario, all that would happen is that an equilateral triangle of bricks and mortar above the opening would fall down, thereafter it would be in equilibrium.

 

Therefore a lintel is only supporting the weight of the triangle of masonry above it, it does not matter how many floors are above it.

[Loiseau]

Wonderfully romantic place, but I am finding the programme incredibly s-l-o-w. Endless dreamy, swooping drone shots, much verbal recapitulation, same ol' images of cracked windows. I reckon it would have made one programme, maybe two; but at three, the padding is showing.

I am warming to her, though. I thought what she did with the old wallpaper pieces was charming - though any male of my acquaintance would have flatly refused to let me embark on that before the structural stuff like building the window seat was finished! And her method of kitchen-tile decoration was amazing (though would it stand up to wiping down when necessary?!).

Angela

[Chancer]

Exactly my sentiments Angela, we must be birds of a Feather!

[Loiseau]

Avec les pieds sur terre, though, I think Chancer!

[YCCMB]

Must admit, I always try to do my painting and decorating in a kimono, having ensured that my victory roll is nicely coiffed.

[Chancer]

Like on some of the renovation programs like Salvage Squad where they try to con the viewer that it all really is done in 2 weeks involving lots of angst and midnight oïl etc the continuity, or lack thereof tells another story when you can see crops grow in a field in the background then be harvested then as if by magic grow again where they splice together the chosen footage to make the story that they want to tell.

 

In this case in some of the shots in the second program she looked much thinner only to appear to inflate again, could not see any changes in his physique.

 

I dont like what he did with the front door, a beautifull 100 year old oak entrance deserves better than to be Duluxed, that said the Château itself and the backdrop are what give the wow factor, the grand entrance but a front door should still set the scene.

[alittlebitfrench]

Please don't tell me they farrowed and balled the fecking oak entrance door.

Thankfully I have not watched the series as I think I would have cried.

If you renovate a chateaux you surely want to keep as original as possible. It needs to be respectfully kept as a time piece.

I saw not so long ago the 16th century manor house in the village I grew up in for sale on a website. Someone had turned it into a footballers home.

Vote out and save Val du Loire.

[Chancer]

I was going to say Farrow and Ball but decided to be less controversial, it definitely looks like a shabby chick [:(]

 

Since showing the restoration of it that seemed to be paint stripper, filler and equerres de bidouillage you never see it again in close shot but its definitely painted in a matt finish off white.

 

Are you once again estranged from the other place? Will we be introduced to birdfoodmiles soon?

[alittlebitfrench]

I'm afraid you won't see birdfoodmiles again. I have formally retired.

I don't mind getting kicked out for being naughty but it is a bit rude when you are zapped without reason or warning.....again. Maybe it is because I don't have blond hair and blue eyes.

Anyway, I am setting up my own 'birdfoodmiles' forum instead. I am thinking Brit expats renovating Chateaux or those who are just incapable of buying something without asking stupid questions on a forum need my help.

[Patf]

It's certainly cost something to set this up (hope this link works) :

http://vintagepatisserie.co.uk/about/

[mint]

[quote user="You can call me Betty"]Must admit, I always try to do my painting and decorating in a kimono, having ensured that my victory roll is nicely coiffed.[/quote]

And don't you forget to paint your nails and dye your locks that indescribable shade of carmine or whatever red it is that takes your fancy.

Otherwise, you aren't going to be a credible star of reality tv.

[Chancer]

She is in the right country to get her roots done! Hairwise she does not even look out of place which must be a dissapointment.

 

Chartered accountant and media consultant it looks like she had some success but as for "relocating the business" well she no longer has a business does she and as Idun points out you cannot actually get married in a château in France and for her catering events they will get a rude shock when they try to take on waitresses etc for occasional part time hours.

 

They have made the mistake of falling in love with a place and wanting to restore it first and foremost and giving little or no thought on how to exploit it, nothing wrong with that as its exactly what I did (apart from the love part) and as long as you have deep pockets why not take a risk?

 

My story is the same with one less or one more zero, take one zero from the purchase price and add one zero to the renovation time although only in TV land can you say that the château is restored completely and/or in one year.

 

My punt has turned to gold but only after several complete changes of direction, a decade of living here gave me some idea of what would work, I will completely recoup my entire investment including the renovation in just over 2 years.

 

They have a really unique and desirable setting, unlimited media exposure, they are both shrewd and I reckon that they will find a way to exploit the asset but it probably wont be by replicating a business which worked, allegedly, in central London.

[alittlebitfrench]

All the 'chateaux' weddings I have been to in France the catering is contracted out to a traiteur. You just hire the venue.

Their business idea (a tried, tested and failed concept) won't work.

More importantly, they make the same mistake that other Brits have made before them that they have created a business in France selling to the expat market whereas their market should primarily if not entirely be the French.

[Chancer]

An idea of the running costs, apparently the heating system only covers 5 rooms out of the 45, he said that a 13kg gas bottle only lasted 3 hours and that the huge propane tank being installed had 80 times the volume, on that basis it would need refilling every 10 days [:-))]

 

OK the heating probabmy wont be on 24/7 but actually with wet UFH I think that is what you are supposed to do, also there are only 4 adults and 2 children living there, €1500 for a fill up even once a month is monstrous let alone every 10 days.

[Loiseau]

Ah well, Chancer, maybe they will only hold functions/let out rooms there in the glorious(?) summer months... I must say, I also did the mental maths when he was talking about the new gas tank and my mind boggled too.

I find it strange that on their website they never use the word "moated" to describe their chateau, and most pix show the house only in close-up, so you don't see it's effectively on an island. I would have thought that romantic adjective would have been a good marketing tool.

Angela

[Chancer]

Yes the drone footage or even stills from it are the most stunning, truth be known I doubt that they are capable of or even looking for bookings for a good few years yet so have not paid much attention to the web-site, mine is still an absolute disgrace but when I am at close to 100% occupancy all the time improving it will just mean me having to field even more phone calls.

Their gas bills are allegedly at that level just for them alone.

[dave21478]

I am caretaker at a chateau these days. A mixture of under floor heating and normal radiators fed from an oil fired boiler goes through 5000 litres of fuel every three months in winter. The extension currently under construction is likely to double that consumption.

Thats with an insulated roof, thick stone walls and crummy single glazed wood frame windows though.

[PaulT]

Chancer wrote about crops in the fields changing whilst it is made out that everything has happened in a short period of time. Well, the BBC admitted this about Bargain Hunt (see this on wiki - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bargain_Hunt)

'In 2007, the BBC admitted that parts of the show are 'reconstructed', the prices paid for items are negotiated off-camera and the contestants buying them 'act out' the purchase, and that the hour-long search for bargains is also a 're-construction'.'

This surely says 'do not believe a word of what is said or what is shown'.

[andyh4]

ALBF wrote:

If you renovate a chateaux you surely want to keep as original as possible. It needs to be respectfully kept as a time piece.

Unquote

I am sure many will agree with you and think me an architectural vandal, but in this case I disagree.

There are certainly buildings that do warrant preservation - probably not in original condition but at least in a sympathetically handled retrospective way.

But does this building merit that? It is certainly an impressive building and I think the exterior merits being left largely untouched. I see no evidence so far that they intend to do otherwise. However it was left abandoned for nearly 50 years - not something you would expect from a building of true historic architectural merit. It was built in the 19th century not the 16th or 17th. I think I could make an argument that this is a (very) large maison bourgeoise built in the chateau style rather than a true chateau. It certainly never had to act as a castle defending the area - but in fairness that could apply to quite a number of chateaux here there is merit in preservation. It is a building of style rather than substance - as witnessed by the rubble filled walls, rather than solid stone. Nothing wrong with that. My house is the same construction method.

When people (not just you ALBF) say they want things preserved back in their original condition, I sometimes wonder if they really understand what that means. Over centuries building evolve. They are renovated, extended, re-purposed and to take them back to their original condition could well destroy part of what makes the building what it is today and its attraction. Of course truly taking a building back has some drastic consequences - out with the lecky, indoor plumbing, double glazing, insulation and running water from a mains supply. In with candles and oil lamps, wood/coal fires, water drawn from a well - oh and sh*t pit (or in this case the moat)..

The process of renovation and re-purposing does not stop and I think in the case of this building that should continue and good luck to them in doing it. I think this will give the building a new life.

[Chancer]

[quote user="PaulT"] This surely says 'do not believe a word of what is said or what is shown'.[/quote]

 

I'm sure that you realise that I never have done!

 

Its entertainment according to them although I would differ, in any case not reality.