Issue No. 23

“It was uninhabited for many years and was
in a terrible condition” says Billy, but the
couple were undaunted. Billy’s brother
Michael joined them to help our with the
renovation after he too fell under the
castle’s spell. And in 2018, Gwendoline and
Billy welcomed baby Ernest to the chateau
which has gone from being a neglected
shell of a sleeping beauty to a fabulous
home and business.
A chateau isn’t an easy option
When it comes to owning a chateau,
upkeep costs are much higher than for a
normal home. There’s almost always a
constant need for maintenance and if your
building is listed, you might need to get
permission to renovate from Monuments
Historique (Read about the requirements
on page 102). In this case, the Chateau de
Basmaignée is not listed.
“When people dream about being chateau
owners they usually think of themselves
living like royalty, but unless you really are
royalty, that’s not really how things go and
we knew that right from the start” says
Gwendoline.
The couple took out a loan that enabled
them to keep renovating and living until
they could earn an income. They have done
most of the work themselves with the help
of family and friends, though they have had
professional help when it comes to
electrics and plumbing. They invested in
essential equipment including a cherry
picker. “By doing as much as we can
between us, we estimate we’ve reduced the
costs by 80%” says Billy adding “We focus
on the work room by room, rather than
think of what needs to be done over the
whole chateau. When people ask “when
will the chateau be fully renovated?” We
tell, them, there’s not set date, we have to
go step by step. It’s like any other
renovation project, only it’s going to take
longer.”
The chateau is their only means of income
and Gwendoline admits “we don’t have any
idea of how much we can earn when it’s all
finished, we’re not planning that far ahead.
For now, we are just trying to make it so the
chateau can pay for itself and for the
renovation work, though we’re not really
certain how much that needs to be.”
Their hard work is paying off, the castle is
now a stunning B&B, wedding venue, and
hosts antiquing weekends. “There’s
renovation, maintenance, the business to
run, a baby to look after and it’s a serious
challenge to balance it all but it’s totally
worth it – we love it and wouldn’t change a
thing” says Gwendoline.
“To buy a chateau, you have to be
determined, prepared to work seriously
hard and perhaps just a little bit mad” adds
Billy though he smiles when he says it.
www.basmaignee.com