Château de Cézérac

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Accidental find

We weren’t looking for a chateau, just a farmhouse with gites, and we stumbled across Chateau de Cézérac which was in a run-down state, had a fire in 2010, and was left abandoned. We fell in love, and the rest is history.

Are they mad?

We’re considered slightly mad, given the size of the project by friends. Family are very supportive – we think the lure of a big pool and sunshine has something to do with it!

The biggest hurdle

For us the big hurdle was that the house was seized by the British authorities from the previous owner, as he’d been put in prison. This process took 3 years to buy the property, so quite frustrating. The complexity of the sale meant that the local Notaire refused to deal with the legal aspects, so ended up dealing with the French government and a Paris Notaire. At that point, language was not such an issue as most correspondence was by email, and so was easy to translate.

Long-term future vision

This is our last home – we intend to finish working here, then turn it into a small boutique hotel, then retire. There is a huge amount of work still to do here (probably 4-5 years), so this is the last project!

Passion, patience and determination are key

Every chateau is different, buying it is easy, but restoring it is expensive. Things take a lot longer in France than you’d expect and you need tenacity, passion, patience and determination to complete such projects – but it’s well worth it.

Being slightly mad is OK

If you are driven and hard-working and slightly mad it’s okay, but for most people they probably wouldn’t even consider such a thing when it comes down to it. For us, we’d have done nothing differently, as we’ve planned it meticulously from the start. We love a project.

Interesting features of the Chateau 

The tower was built in 980, a wing with a vaulted ceiling built in 1450 and the rest with architecture from 1737. It sits on the side of the river Lot, now has a vineyard, and a stand-alone chapel and every room will have to be restored, allowing us to leave our own touch on this very special place.

The WOW factor

We are renovating it with total sympathy for the existing architecture, but allowing modern items such as HVAC heating and air conditioning, as well as modern facilities such as kitchens, pool, and of course to be as sustainable as possible off-grid where we can. We’re inspired by both shabby chic through to formal French style, and add these where appropriate to meet the existing architectural features. We want every room to inspire a ‘wow’ when you walk in.

Top tip: tip top tools

Buy the right tools and learn how to do it yourself. Take your time and get it perfect.

Double up

Don’t just look at the attractive purchase price, but what it’s going to cost you to renovate. Bank on doubling both money and time you’d expect. If you don’t understand building construction, you could get caught out very easily, and many French artisans will hike the price knowing you’re British.

Castles, canoeing and champagne

Our chateau sits right on the side of the picturesque river Lot. There are many beautiful villages nearby, with outstanding restaurants, but it’s essentially rural. There are castles to visit, canoeing to do, and of course our passion, cycling on those very smooth French roads.

We can highly recommend wine tasting in the local Cahors appellation vineyards, some of which is absolutely excellent and world-class. We of course always keep our cellar stocked with many good wines, as there’s no better way of finishing off the evening either by the pool or in the courtyard with a glass of wine (or three). Guests will be able to use our Gin tree house, champagne pavilion by the river or cosy-up in the sunken fire-pit as the sun sets.

Best local places

Bonaguil Castle, Biron Castle, many restaurants, vineyards, the River Lot, and particularly picturesque are the local villages of Puy l’Eveque, Tournon and Penne d’agenais. Always go and take part in a Marche Gourmand (local village evening community meal) at the local ~Bastide towns.

Getting used to being on the show

It’s always scary seeing yourselves of TV for the first time, but you get used to it. We’re not even Z-listers yet!

Having fun with the crew

We now work pretty closely with the crew and jointly work out the best way to show the project off. We like to have a laugh and hopefully, that comes across on the show – we don’t take ourselves too seriously when it comes to the TV. Most takes are done the first time.