Escape to the Château
Discussion
Anyone watching Escape to the Château?
I find it both interesting and inspiring
http://www.channel4.com/programmes/escape-to-the-c...
So - am I alone?....
I find it both interesting and inspiring
http://www.channel4.com/programmes/escape-to-the-c...
So - am I alone?....
Was quite interesting, haven't seen the first series.
Had a look, €390,000 for that house & the outbuildings and 12 acres; seems cheap and it really did look a nice place from the TV but then saw it hadn't been modernised at all (no power, water or drains) & 40 years vacant & just thought it had potential to be a money-pit equivalent to filling the moat with €100 notes. Nothing is going to be cheap on a building that size, and the bills will never stop.
I'd still be tempted though!
Had a look, €390,000 for that house & the outbuildings and 12 acres; seems cheap and it really did look a nice place from the TV but then saw it hadn't been modernised at all (no power, water or drains) & 40 years vacant & just thought it had potential to be a money-pit equivalent to filling the moat with €100 notes. Nothing is going to be cheap on a building that size, and the bills will never stop.
I'd still be tempted though!
Keeps food in his facial hair which he pulls out at opportune times, a bit like a hamster / walrus crossbreed if you will.
I find him a bit much but dick's appetite for life, starting another family at his time of life, 'interesting' mrs etc is admirable. However, I can't help but see this as another shortish term tv project and imagine he almost certainly has a very comfortable uk base.
I find him a bit much but dick's appetite for life, starting another family at his time of life, 'interesting' mrs etc is admirable. However, I can't help but see this as another shortish term tv project and imagine he almost certainly has a very comfortable uk base.
Edited by trickywoo on Monday 28th November 09:13
I watched most of the first series when they were carrying out some basic renovations , I've no idea where they got the figures from for the work carried out , I've done a couple of projects in France and everything costs twice as much as you would think .
It's a brave project to take on , I would assume they are funding some of the works with tv money , I've seen a few people come unstuck in France with big renovations running away from them , hopefully with the tv backing this one will work out ok .
It's a brave project to take on , I would assume they are funding some of the works with tv money , I've seen a few people come unstuck in France with big renovations running away from them , hopefully with the tv backing this one will work out ok .
Enjoyed the first episode, but can't help but wonder what the point of taking on a chateau that size is?
Isn't it something like 9 times the size of a normal house. Why would you ever need that much space, unless you're thinking of running a hotel and they don't really seem like the hotel running type of people?
Isn't it something like 9 times the size of a normal house. Why would you ever need that much space, unless you're thinking of running a hotel and they don't really seem like the hotel running type of people?
Edited by youngsyr on Wednesday 30th November 13:51
youngsyr said:
Enjoyed the first episode, but can't help but wonder what the point of taking on a chateau that size is?
Isn't it something like 5 times the size of a normal house. Why would you ever need that much space, unless you're thinking of running a hotel and they don't really seem like the hotel running type of people?
Shush - don't tell anyone but its for the TV.Isn't it something like 5 times the size of a normal house. Why would you ever need that much space, unless you're thinking of running a hotel and they don't really seem like the hotel running type of people?
We are now well into the fabricated for TV era of the 'factual' entertainment & lifestyle production.
Saleen836 said:
This might explain things a little...
http://chateaudelamottehusson.com/techy-bits/
Thanks for the info, most illuminating. http://chateaudelamottehusson.com/techy-bits/
paulwirral said:
It's an English greed thing in France , but difficult to resist when you can buy a chateau for the price of a 3 bed modern house .
Depends if you want to live your life comfortably or work yourself into the ground and maybe end up skint .
It's obviously an amazing building to live in and you've got to admire their enthusiasm, but I can't help but feel the Chateau's time has passed - even if you're running an events business (the only way I can see you using all the space), the cost of maintaining that building to a commercial standard would surely make it prohibitively expensive to make much of a profit?Depends if you want to live your life comfortably or work yourself into the ground and maybe end up skint .
What's even more baffling is that Dick is in his mid-fifties and isn't exactly rolling in cash (judging by their previous small abode in Southend-on-Sea) so at best he's got 15 years of being reasonable productive on site with a shoe-string budget, whilst also running an events business and managing media commitments.
Seems to me that he's going to pass on a lifetime's work to his children, whilst also potentially landing them with a chunky inheritence tax bill at some point in the future with no cash to pay it.
I guess nothing about that is news to most people though, it had been stood empty for 40 years for a reason.
Good luck to them though!
youngsyr said:
What's even more baffling is that Dick is in his mid-fifties and isn't exactly rolling in cash (judging by their previous small abode in Southend-on-Sea) so at best he's got 15 years of being reasonable productive on site with a shoe-string budget, whilst also running an events business and managing media commitments.
Seems to me that he's going to pass on a lifetime's work to his children, whilst also potentially landing them with a chunky inheritence tax bill at some point in the future with no cash to pay it.
I guess nothing about that is news to most people though, it had been stood empty for 40 years for a reason.
Good luck to them though!
I kind of assumed he would spend the next few years sprucing it up, sell it on for a staggering amount of money, then retire in luxury.Seems to me that he's going to pass on a lifetime's work to his children, whilst also potentially landing them with a chunky inheritence tax bill at some point in the future with no cash to pay it.
I guess nothing about that is news to most people though, it had been stood empty for 40 years for a reason.
Good luck to them though!
I've seen a few people come unstuck in France taking on projects that are way beyond them , I know one personally who is now living a nightmare . I nearly did it myself but managed to stop myself but and bought a small house that needed extending and a piece of land with permission to build .
I would imagine dick and his family will do ok with that building because of media interest , and I would imagine they are living their dream , but this sort of programme does tend to fill people's heads full of magic.
I wish them all the best but some of his estimates are unrealistic in my experience.
I would imagine dick and his family will do ok with that building because of media interest , and I would imagine they are living their dream , but this sort of programme does tend to fill people's heads full of magic.
I wish them all the best but some of his estimates are unrealistic in my experience.
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