2 YEARS (in 15 minutes) RENOVATING a CRUMBLING FRENCH CASTLE into DREAM HOME
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- čas přidán 31. 05. 2024
- Looking back at our first two crazy years renovating our 18th century Chateau in Normandy. Lots of DIY, hard work and passion has helped us to rescue this beautiful building and create a new life for our family.
Bonus videos and exclusive live streams every month! Check out our Patreon page for all the latest from us: / howtorenovateachateau
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Facebook: / lefleur.guesthouse
Our Guest-house : lefleur.fr/
I could totally see this being rented out for a wedding, all the guest rooms for the groomsmen and the bridesmaids to get ready in, absolutely beautiful!
And with those beautiful grounds... that could be a real moneymaker for them!
Wow, exactly what a great venue right
And the Church is near
wedding in normandy, france in a chateau with some classical musicians. Hell, an orchestra. I'm wedding crashing.
@@mulethedonkey2579 Haha100%
The stress of undertaking a project like this can break many relationships, but I only see smiles and a can do attitude. What a lovely partnership you have !
Money baby
I doubt they recorded the parts where they were screaming at eachother.
That's called editing and having enough money to buy a mansion
@@OvidusNaso actually, buying castles in france is very cheap. theyre cheaper than houses because they need repairment, and housing is already cheap in france. theres over a thousand castles for sale in france
@@miaalmeida4787 I mean. It's a stretch to call it "very cheap", but it's definitely more affordable than most would think.
A chateau like this will still run you a couple 100k, with the real cost hiding in the reno costs.
You survived the renovation, still married, that’s awesome. You taught you children what a dream, hard work and dedication can do. You made family memories. Started a business and saved a piece of history. A win -win! Bravo!
I so agree with your comment! you can tell how much love and respect is in their marriage by the way the communicate and their body language. Most couples argue trying to build a prefabricated book shelf together 😆. what a beautiful life and house they made.
This!
If a renovation breaks a marriage, shouldn’t have married to begin with
As a French citizen, thank you for taking care of this beautiful piece of our heritage. You have great taste, it looks beautiful AF.
i would love to have a partner who'll say 'fck it, let's do this' mentality. lmao both of you are living my dreams 🖤 it's not just a house, that's literally a home y'all just made
Maybe a trustworthy friend or family member?
I THINK THEIR BANK ACCOUNT IS HUGE!!!!!!!!!!! The average person cant afford this reno
Yeah, I have a partner who had that attitude but no bank account to support. Now we're broke with no pension! Hopefully there will still be a state pension for us in 15 years time...
@@PatchouliPenny and your stillbirth this person...Desperate ppl.
"That's not just a house, that's a home you just made" 💓
Hands down, this is the easily the best chateau restoration I’ve seen. The pared down aesthetic really lets the building herself take centre stage. ☺️
Absolutely stunning!! Hope to visit, I am only 73. You are a lovely family. Your wry humor is amusing. Best wishes!
Imagine inheriting that ! Amazing.
AGREEEEE
Herself? Houses have no gender. Its an it.
@@lxmns3726 boats
I was mind blown when I realized that wallpaper was hand painted. stunning
The handpainted mural in the guest room is probably my favorite part of the renovation. It looks like something from a fairytale---loved the soothing, restful green hues. Great job! 🙂👍
the mural in the downstairs guest bathroom is STUNNING. i cant imagine how much time and work went into that, anna is incredible
Agree. It's so stunning. She's very talented.
12:45 are grenade apples NOT oranges!
Agreed. That in particular blew me away!! Sublime!
Twenty minutes
The homemade wallpaper turned out fantastic! You both are incredible for taking on a project like this especially during the pandemic. The chateau looks amazing. Well done.
Not gonna lie
Would love to have that in my home one day
Zrxtxxxxx
I've watched several channels of people buying and renovating needy chateaus in France. The work you've done far surpasses all others. It is tasteful, elegant and beautifully airy and simple with the occasional whimsical surprise.
i love how you kept the 18th century style! it’s rare nowadays especially everything is getting modern. I wish u a lot of guest, you are all so talented and dedicated, congratulations! 🎉 🍾
??????
So many of these "restorations" just modernize the heck out of the interiors, making them all sleek with updated furnishings and washing everything out in white colors. But I think that you updated things while keeping the integrity of that late 18th century feel. Fantastic work!
edit: bc I don't know what whitewashing means apparently! ;)
you cannot whitewash a *house* maam.....
edit: please stop replying telling me about the whitewash thing and how dumb i am. like, i get it, i wrote the original first reply at 4am and i was impulsively typing. i got soo many replies to that comment telling me the definition, which i all replied to, trying to redeem my stupid ass, yet you guys still going at it. im not that stupid to not know what homophones and metaphors are, i was not in the fresh state of mind. plus i had been watching some video essays about the term whitewashing and many videos with the word whitewashing, them referring to the racial term.
@@paimon7208 I think she means making the walls all white like they do in modern houses.
@@paimon7208 I’m not sure if they meant whitewashing as its most commonly used or if they meant that a lot of modern interior design just paint everything white and leave it very minimalist. Whitewashing is also a painting technique that many use to bring texture to their walls and wood surfaces.
Yes
I hate the white color inside of any buildings it so boring and bland
I would love to see a walkthrough video of the whole house for a better look at all the beautiful work you guys did!
I had just said the same thing. I agree. 👍🏻💗
I agree. I'm so confused about the set up.
Me too! A walk all around the property, a walk around the outside of the house, and then a walk around the inside from the unfinished top to the beautifully restored down. When we were restoring Conishead Priory in the seventies and eighties, now the Manjushri Institute on youtube, we made a front room into a sort of photographic and display room of the history and the restoration to date and as planned with the National Trust. Then we prepared a full tea area and invited the public in for an Open House with tours, to wander the property and to contribute support by subscription. We also created a little shop for nicnacks and books on the great houses of England, area history, etc. we invited local shops in to sell their wares too and had a garden shop adjacent to the vegetable garden, run by a local nursery for the day. It was a raging success with newspaper and local TV coming in! Many local people had never been inside in their whole lives! As we involved the community with the restoration, and festive activities, many needed contacts were made and we began to find more ways to fit into the community! We decided to do open house once a year and later expended it to daily tours when interest grew. Just a suggestion!
Yes that would be wonderful!!
yall did
I think it's crazy that they did most of the work themselves. Historic building conservation is usually looked after by whole cities or organizations. The fact that they didn't this themselves is beyond incredible.
I know very little about renovations but watching the way the two of you treat each other is enchanting. Your love is palpable. I wish you and your families many years of love and happiness in your new home.
The greenery and cottage vibes of the exterior was much more beautiful -it gave me so much happiness seeing the meadow and greenery in the beginning
czcams.com/video/7BOvRmsWtAY/video.html
I agree the front of the house looked better with original colours
yesss that was much better before :(
Greenery is terrible for brickwork, though...
Agreed - it felt warm and inviting with all the nature and with the garden and greenery and those two beautiful trees to the left that were removed. It is very beautiful and stately now but perhaps not as charming.
The inside is great, really miss the greenery on the exterior though! That ivy on the door was magic ✨
Agree'd. As an avid watcher of renovation videos I am constantly let down by how many people remove trees and greenery not realizing how much better looking they are than bare spaces.
As beautiful as the ivy is it really is horrible for the structure.
Seeing as they redid the facades im guessing they had no choice but to take it off and it can also really damage the walls they just spent 100k on renovating
@@SaneNoMore your comment says it all, you’re a watcher not a do-er, those things look beautiful but they are a night mare for the house, filled with rodents and eating into the building, that’s probably why it cost so much for them to fix, as everything was rotten.
Ivy destroys the stone work and bricks. You could put Ivy on your walls
what a lovely house!
捕獲阿滴！
what a lovely couple!
I’m very rarely impressed anymore, but this is impressive!! An unbelievable feat!! You also exude happiness!! Lovely couple, beautiful family!!
the downstairs toilet mural is out of this world dreamy.
this is phenomenal! i just feel bad for the two huge trees missing at the end, they were so pretty :(
They become a house enemy and huge maintenance issue. I hate what leaves do to roofing over time.
me tooo
Same. I was actually saddened when they removed a lot of the greens outside. But I guess it'll be a hassle to clean and maintain...
С большим удовольствием наблюдаю за преображением вашего шато! Цвет стен очень удачно перекликается с эпохой замка. Браво! Жду следующих видео
Your vision, creativity, tenacity and ability to change directions as circumstances dictate is amazing to this new subscriber. Your château is gorgeous. It will all pay off
The transformations are stunning! I love the fact that the walls aren't just drab white or cream with the accents left up to furnishings and decorations, but the walls themselves are canvasses to add character to a room.
yeah but i like those styles too. dark beams and whitish. fabrics and often red. but what the challenge and fun in that for anna. I've learned though that those white rooms loose a lot pf appeal being so large. i love waiting for anna;s creativity.
I really love how you're not scared of using colour, when so many just do everything in white these days. The wallpapers and mural are absolutely stunning. I wish you had documented the process here from the very beginning. I'm looking forward to watching you slowly finish the chateau to the very last detail.
The entire process is on their channel.
Check their instagram. They documented it there from the very beginning, even before youtube days.
Anna's artistry is really beautiful. Very nice! The house (chateau) is very special.
I took some time and looked at dozens of entryways in several chateaus and noticed that most ALL of the tiles in French chateaus are black and white. In this chateau, the tiles are gray and white. It's a distinguishing feature!! You should be very pleased and proud of the work you have accomplished. Both of your own skills, and for cherishing and preserving a gorgeous piece of HISTORY. Bless you!! with safety, health, and more refurbishing success!!!
Gooshhh.. the amount of detail and love put in this home is overwhelmingly amazing despite the hinderances faced!
I have no doubt you are proud of yourselves and will forever remember the moments you had putting this beautiful home together.
I have watched you from the beginning as so many of us have, but hearing some of the back story makes us love you guys even more! Anna you are a force to be reckoned with!!! The colors, the wallpaper that you CREATED, and the mural are nothing less than spectacular!!! Honestly you make Martha Stewart look like she just started mod podging!!! (is that even a word?) LOL!! Phillip I have so much respect for you too!!! The skills that you have learned and probably taught yourself are remarkable!!! I wish you and your family all the best for 2022!!!!
I totally agree!!
Vicki, I hope you don't mind if I make your comment my own, as it fits me o well. Happy 2022 to you, to all our friends at the chateu, and to all these lovely people who make up one of the classiest group of commenters ever! After each episode it's an added pleasure to read the comments section!
@@ExpectMiracles55 Not at all!! All of the comments also express my feelings as well!
@Vicki Eskridge although this is the 1st video of theirs i’ve seen, i couldn’t agree more with what you’ve said... i’m blown away with the whole process from start to finish!!
Such a kind and true statement. Hope you’re happy and healthy as well! The world needs more kindness like you’ve shared here.
The paint job in the guest bathroom is amazing!!!
Congratulations for all the amazing work you achieved together, it is done with a lot of taste and that green guestroom is absolutely beautiful !
J'ai directement pensé à toi 🤣
too dark, dreary green color in the guest bathroom ... sorry... also too many green painted walls in the other rooms. on a not sunny day ... staying in the rooms would be depressing
Un couple qui a du talent avec ma youtubeuse déco préférée, rien de mieux ❤
You’re really bringing the house back to life. We make scent memories when we are children. Your girls will always associate fresh paint and cut wood with a lovely sense of a beautiful home.
This is a lovely comment 💗
I’ll never understand people painting over actually interesting paint and making it white or grey and boring.
You don't often see such an ambitious, hard-working, talented and kind people. You did amazing work already, looking forward to the future videos!
Actually you see them every day at McDonald's, they just don't have the financial means to impress you
Because unusually it costs more than to just build the whole thing from scratch.
My grandma's got a small garden piece here in Germany with a little pretty much torn down hut she and my granddad built up. The roof's soggy and the walls are crumbling. But since it's got some protected landmark stamp on it you'd have to renovate the thing wall by wall, costing more than to just rip the whole thing off and building double the house there.
I don't know if it's been said already, but doing this along with having TWO children is absolutely amazing!! Even one child requires an immense amount of attention, but two - it's titanic work itself!
Right! and one of the children was a baby! Holy moly.
That's some feminist nonsence xD
@@0Diazzz0 It's reality and has nothing to do with feminism. A feminist would say you can do it all! But the reality is children are really hard work. You don't know yet because you're still a child.
@@jesselizcher In reality people do this all the time. It's not hard work to raise childeren at all. We've been doing it since the dawn of time. You're just projecting.
@@0Diazzz0 Look at all of the fucked up humans in the world parents need to be trying harder.
Brilliant work! You have a Superlative taste level❣️ I’m an old retired Interior Designer, I can’t help myself because I’m always critiquing, always! LOL 😆 but my gosh!! Everything is absolutely prefect❣️BRAVA 👏🌹 BRAVO 🙌 BRAVISSIMO 🌟 you both keep everything so calm, it’s your combination of personalities. I wish you and your family many decades possibly centuries of calm bliss filled happiness for the extended years. Love from your new fan in Calgary Alberta CANADA 🇨🇦 💝
Incredibly talented couple with an impecable taste. Well done.
This is so beautiful! The interior is incredible. The only disappointment is the exterior, losing all that exquisite greenery for plain white. It begs for at least some potted plants by the door. So sad. It’s your home though and I know it is how you like. Wonderful job you’ve both done!
especially the two big trees left of the chateau, why chop them down? not very climate-friendly
@@dawm89 i agree it was more beautiful with all the greenery and its sad to see the trees go, but maybe because the trees were so close to the building there was a safety risk? i hope that was the reason anyway
czcams.com/video/7BOvRmsWtAY/video.html
@@dawm89 I agree with this however, at the end of the video, you can see in their place are two new saplings as well as a grass/ greenery bunker! so an overall net gain
Well, sometimes the tree roots can damage the foundations. We have a big chestnut tree right next to our house, and our cellar is permanently wet because those roots find a way in...our house was built in 1900. Not to mention the extra work due to foliage permanently clogging the gutters. But I still can't bring myself to get it removed... also the ivy, as beautiful as it looks, does a real number on your walls. Those little sucky roots go underneath your plaster and dampen the walls.
Ugh this is just GORGEOUS. You both were the perfect people to restore this piece of history; you seem to be very talented, have a great eye for style & color, and care about keeping the historical charm of it!!
It looked like a lovely family home. The people living here before seemingly tried to escape the old-fashion and embrace more modernity.
You, on the other hand, turned it in a beautiful and aestetically elegant but also neoclassical, cold, impersonal, empty, soulless house - simular to how it was intended when it was built first. It is no family house anymore. The truly best way to use it is as a guest house and rent it out as it certainly will be VERY profitable as a business.
Imagine living in this gorgeous old 18th century mansion with all of the comfort and cool things we have today??? OMG this is like a dream! 😍😍😍😍😍
You must have such a feeling of pride and satisfaction when you look at the before and after shots. You have really brought the chateau back to life.
This journey is absolutely wonderful ! I love that you decided to "save" some historic place instead of tearing down the whole thing to build a new house on the same spot ! Also, the compilation was a great way to discover your chanel, now I'll go and explore the renovation more in details :)
Great work. Respect of the tradition and a touch of modernity.
Wow! I am exhausted just watching this! I've done renovations and know how expensive and stressful it is but this makes me feel like I painted a hallway! Amazing family and massive talent!
Saving that old house was so noble. I love it when people save the good old houses. Bravo to you both!
Absolutley loved watching the progress in this video! After staying at the Chateau in October, I can't recommend enough visiting Anna and Philipp in the most charming French town I have ever been to! You two are as genuine and amazing as you appear in your videos!
wow
Which city is it in?
@@juliasmet6052 Honfluer
@@juliasmet6052 Honfleur
Greetings from America!You guys did an amazingly, beautiful job. It is breathtaking! Thank you for resorting a time when craftsmanship was the pride of a true family home. Just lovely. 🥰
Omg! I’m speechless. Hand painted murals !!!! So lovely.
This was a wonderful reprise of your enormous amount of work and TLC restoring the chateau thus far. I hope you are really, really proud of your work-because it is just stunning. I’m looking forward to seeing the work in progress on the kitchen-knowing that it will will change how you function in the chateau in a very dramatic and helpful way.
Well put! Spot ON❣️
I adore all of you. Those little girls are darling and Anna, the handmade wallpaper is amazing. Of course, there is also the hand painted mural in the newly made bathroom. Cathy in Connecticut.
oh living in this would be a fairytale💖✨🌸💫
The Chateau in the snow pictures are just mouth dropping. I’m from California so I love me some snow! 😆❄️🌨️😍
Gorgeous gorgeous home. ❤
When so much is being degraded, it's really healing for my heart and soul to see this labor of love, by such talented, creative, and courageous artists.
It's sooooooooooo enchanting. You guys really saved the magical feel. Even it's brand new, as soon you enter the room, it feels like you have entered a room frozen in time but slightly updated here and there instead of a whole new room. The botanical washing room is my favorite. The lighting there is stunning. You guys have got yourself a new subscriber!
Amazing what you can accomplish with a good partner.
Having faith in each other, believing in yourself, and being able to push through difficulties and obstacles make you unstoppable.
Your greatest asset is that you have each other.
Well done!
Wish you all the best with your chateau and your business.
As a builder who is doing a full renovation i am in awe of the bold color choices and level of detail going into the project. I am very jealous of the art work. Hats off to both of you.
Watching weekly is amazing, but seeing the cumulative progress of two years is breathtaking. The two of you and the mini-helpers have recreated a Masterpiece! Well done.
that bathroom you created!!!! it's a true work of art.
You have brought life, love, and class to an old soul....forgotten, empty, alone, and put beauty in its place, laughter of others, and the old soul is full of joy, remembered, and restored, with the same old soul, and a new heart full of worth, want, and wonder....simply classy, and bold.
Phillip you entertain me and Anna I adore you. You folks have added joy to many of our lives. Thank you 💕
I'm absolutely in love. Nothing better than maintaining the house's original charm instead of turning it far too modern. I wouldn't change a single thing done on this château
Always enjoy a nicely edited recap, especially when the outcome is so beautifully completed. I missed the scene where Anna brings Phillip coffee or tea whilst he works in his yellow office.
I so respect what you did, waste not-want not!
To them this house is very special house. Lots of memories good and bad ❤️❤️❤️
I love the greens. Especially in the entry. Happy and welcoming like Spring. You are an amazing family including parents!
i have a strong feeling that whoever this chateau was built for originally would love how you guys renovated it!
The "before" colours and shots look a lot cosier and warmer than the "after", but I guess the cool elegance of the "after" interior designs suit the purpose of an up-end guest house better. (Although I actually like the "before" "Safari" style living room at 9:22 better than the "after" design, but I guess the latter fits into the overall concept a whole lot better). The cooler look makes it all look a whole lot more regal and basically the guest rooms are not a place people would want to live in permanently anyway, so playing Baron and Baroness for a while in cold pastel surroundings is just the thing for a weekend fantasy getaway (and I can understand the palpitations at that bright red colour. It's just not suited to our modern sentiments at all.) These two are an amazing, determined, hard-working couple with lovely parents (you can see who they got their work ethos from) and good friends, so they should go far in life and I wish them all the very best of success because they really deserve it.
Guys, it’s just amazing. The work, the mindset, the family, the vibe…it’s just awesome. 👍🏽
This is the best renovation of it's kind that I've seen on You Tube ( and I'm a retired remodeling contractor - 47 years of experience - 37 years of that in Washington DC ).
A HELPFUL HINT FOR EVERYONE ---- even on an 8 foot high wall use a handle on your paint roller; I had 3 of them 2' - 5' & 7'.
They will save you a lot of energy & help you avoid over reaching !
Beautiful renovation; of course it takes $$$$$, but the most important things are respect for the building and "a good eye". They obviously had all three.
I wait all week for your vlog!! I have come to think of you all as family and will be visiting one of these days. And, because of you all, I have begun renovating my own home. Blessings to you two, the girls, and your parents. And, look at all you have accomplished and have not killed anyone!
Beautiful beyond words, especially the botanical walls on the ground floor. Refined taste and adamant dedication everywhere. Admirable.
The Appreciation & Dedication You All Have For This Historic Beauty is Inspiring & Wonderful!
This Video Made Me Extremely Melancholy & Appreciative that there are still Individuals that care for Architecturall History on this Earth like You & Your Crew, Family...
Much Respect &: Amazing Work ! Beautiful! 🙏❤️💯🇺🇸
I hope you guys have a wonderful holiday season. I miss your wife smile and your funny jokes I love both of you. I love watching your video you guys bring a smile to my face. Am sending some California love
Loved looking back at the progress you have made. Makes me want to rewatch the videos again.🙂
Awesome! Thank you!
It's so perfect. A dream home. And so unique. Story book house.
Amazing amazing every room, the detail, the mural. Absolutely stunning
I liked the entry way with the dark colors better than the light green . It looked historic with the darker colors .
Same. It looked historical which you could fix up to have the same look but they made it too modern and didn’t keep any history or heart
@@Rolly.Polly. strongly disagree
omg that dark green guest room is so beautiful. editing to say the entire house is so tastefully decorated. would love to book a room one day
I have been watching for a couple of years…just never looked at the earlier videos. Enjoying them tremendously…..especially because I know who you are now! Love Philippe’s dry humour and Anna’s creative endeavours. Joyful entertainment. Thank you for all you do….hope you are enjoying it as well. 👍🥰🥂
Glad you like them!
Magnificent and Gorgeous !!!!!
Congratulations..........
Simply Beautiful.
Wow, what you have all achieved in the last couple of years is absolutely phenomenal. You should be so proud of your achievements and I really hope you can take some time to sit back and soak it all in as a nice milestone marker. You are such a beautiful family creating beautiful things. Well done and keep up the impassioned restoration of your beautiful chateau. Much love from Australia.
Thank you for sharing your labors of love & providing inspiration to your admirers.
"Joy is the simplest form of gratitude."
~~Karl Barth~~
Speaking as an Architect, you have done, and are doing, a splendid job! Thanks for catching us up!
You guys seem happy. This is refreshing to see as the other couples doing this are really quite pretentious. I wish you both the happiest life together in this chateau. Thank you for making a heart warming video. Inspiring too.
Nothing is more rewarding than hard work………unless you can afford to pay somebody to do it for you.
Beautiful results. 💕
I bet you had so many memories flooding back putting this together. Love the DIY, Art and humour - keep up the good work.
Wonderful to see the work and fruits of your labor. I just realized that I have been watching your videos, since you placed them on CZcams. I’ve love each and every one. You both are very inspiring. What a great team, and let’s not forget your parents and little cherubs. Well done everyone!!!
Cori
I admire your dream and hard work to accomplish it. You have a beautiful family.
Who are you people? This is the most wholesome thing I've seen in months
I’d love to do something like this, but renovating such old houses is way too expensive, you need really deep pockets to be able to do it nicely, specially with such a big house.
I’ve followed your progress from your first vlog. It’s simply amazing what you have accomplished so far. You have great style and a fabulous sense of humour. Happy New Year and I hope you will be busy with lots of guests this year, enjoying Anna’s granola And your beautiful chateau 🥰
wow wow WOW. It's all so beautiful. Yhank you for taking the risk and restoring that heavenly place.
And that wallpaper ... Just breathtaking!
It's amazing what 2 motivated people can do!! Even with young kids!!
Such incredible color choices.
What a beautiful home. You two have done a masterful renovation. Anna is truly an artist.
One of my favorite channels. My hope is that one day, when we can all travel safely again, I can book a stay at this beautiful place. Thanks for sharing your progress with us Anna and Philipp
The guest house has such a clean and airy feeling. Though I will say I really liked the red rooms “before” style a lot
Always wonderful entertainment and education, with Anna's how-to and Philip's, 'how-not-to (only sometimes!). This is the vlog I look forward to every week. so thank for sharing your joys and setbacks and ultimate victory, with us all. Such a beautiful family.
Totally stunning. You both have worked so very hard and the result is magnificent. Thank you for taking us on your journey.
We're wrestling with the bureaucratic misery of a tiny cabin renovation in Italy. I first watched your Dolomite film (I'm obsessed with unaffordable Alto-Adige or as you say Sud-Tyrol) wallowing in envy at your family cabin, I followed your breadcrumb trail to this elegant chateau. I was hoping for crass privilege and daddy money self-entitlement so I could write you off, but found two hard-working, creative and loving spirits grinding uphill. Im in awe - that was a monstrous job, so easy to fall under the wheels, and yet so diligently pursued and beautifully realised. And with two young children. f-me. I need to get back to the tool box and stop whingeing. Props folks. Many Props.
Good luck with the burocracy in Italy, I'm sure the cabin is worth the hussle!