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Our family project, restoring a 14th century Chateau

Well to start off, we were looking for a change, something we could do together as a family, a team job that could maybe turn out to be a dream job, something to be proud of as a family, a little selfish really… And by luck and chance, the Chateau found us……! with all the imperfections caused by years of neglect, the pictures just kept popping up online and in the end we had to give it some attention, first it was just a little joke, we had going,”why not buy a Chateau?”…..

We searched for months, down different avenues, different ideas, different countries, and every time we came back to the beautiful picture of this big old house, it was begging for some attention, so, as most families do, a family meeting occurred soon thereafter, and the running joke started to become more of a potential reality.
The only real thing left to do was to fly over and visit the Chateau, to see the beauty from within it’s own surroundings, before a big decision could be made, because a decision like this is life changing and requires true commitment and utmost dedication, you can't just go on a whim and hope for the best.

So in March of 2014, the trip happened, but not all of us could go so the hard decisions where put on the shoulders of our parents, and what a trip it was, the mixture of excitement and nervousness was unbearable, and the trip itself felt like it was taking them forever, when they finally drove down the road full of sunflowers, toward the iron gates, the butterflies started flutter, they drove down the driveway and the first thing that came to mind was ‘how romantic’.

Everything was in slow motion, jumping out of the car, they stood in awe, not really grasping at what they were seeing, finally after two days of traveling and all the anticipation, the old green doors opened and the disappointment was overwhelming, but they pushed passed it and tried to imagine, what could become of this place, and what they and us could do to save this little bit of history.

If you can imagine this, the inside was full of mould, damp, water damage from leaking roofs and guttering, in all 16 bedrooms, barely livable, flies everywhere in one room it had so many they couldn't see the windows on the other side, birds droppings, bats that lived indoors, not to mention the junk everywhere. Outside was an untamed wilderness, weeds and brambles that were taller than us, thicker than our legs, a football field of bamboo, trees growing out of roofs and walls, felt like they were in a story where time stood still, as a guest, not as the potential buyers.

With skype, the gopro and many pictures, we were able to have a family meeting after arriving home from the trip, and see if this was really a possibility, and even with all the down sides of the Chateau, that drive way and the first time you see this grand old lady, made up for it all, a hundred times over, we couldn't help but fall in love, madly in love really. So the offer was given, and the adventure of a lifetime begun….

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