Spouses from Australia restore the French castle of the XVIII century for 6 years to make a hotel out of it
Photo © bigpicture.ru
In 2013, Karen and Craig Waters bought a tumbledown castle in France built in 1741 for 280,000 pounds. Restoring it, they learned many secrets and recognized that now the old chateau will be for them a "lifetime commitment." Spouses planned to open a hotel here.
Spouses for a long time wanted to buy a small house for a summer holiday. Now, after 6 years, Karina and Craig Waters are the lucky owners of a chateau in the south of France, acquired for 280 thousand pounds. This building is dated by the reign of King Louis XV. The mansion is located in the department Artezh in Occitania.
In 2017, the couple opened their castle as a hotel to visitors. A year later, they wrote a book about their work, but they admit that they will have to restore their former splendor to life.
“We began to look for real estate in France when our daughter Jasmine was in school and came to live here for a month,” says Waters. - Craig at the computer watched her every step, so pop-up ads for home sales in France began to follow him. We stumbled upon a themed blog that lured photos of country houses in picturesque villages. We’ve been hooked on French real estate websites and promises of a different life.”
To start any work, even for the smallest details, the couple had to get permission from a French organization that deals with historical monuments: “At first, our builders replaced all the collapsed walls, ceilings and floors. Before that, they had to remove about 500 tons of rubble from the premises.”
During the reconstruction, the couple found a lot of interesting things. For example, a secret tunnel through which one could escape to the next village. Other incredible finds during these four years include bones, pottery, frescoes and Venetian dishes.
