A newly engaged couple from two different nations is looking for a way to make their relationship work, traveling all around France looking for the perfect setting for their blooming love story. Then they stumbled upon a hauntingly beautiful 600-year-old chateau, will it be the perfect home for their French fairytale?
Or will it be the cause of their happily never after?
London-born and raised Erin Choa, who was then working as an anesthetist, decided to go up north and move to Scotland to take on further studies at its capital city, Edinburgh. It was in one of her programs that she met the love of her life, her French prince charming, Jean-Baptiste Gois. Jean-Baptiste or JB for short was a mechanical engineer who moved from France to Scotland.
He had been living in Edinburgh for 10 years when he met the girl who finally caught his eye. But what surprises and turn of events await these two?
As the two were totally head over heels for each other, it didn't take long for them to fall in love and get engaged. Everybody was happy for them and they were very happy too until they sat down and talked about the future looming before them. "When will they get married? Where will they get married?
Where will they settle after marriage? Do both of them get to keep their jobs? How will they make it work?" So many questions were waiting to be answered by the couple, they had to make a decision.
After taking a lot of time to think, the couple reached an agreement: they would move to Jean-Baptiste's home country, France. But what does that mean for Erin? As Erin spoke English all her life and only had French classes at school, her French was a bit rusty, so she couldn't really continue being an anesthetist in France.
JB, on the other hand, would have to leave his mechanical engineering career behind in Scotland. As the two embarked on a new life together, Erin proposed that they both have a change in career and do something that they both love...
“We’d always talked about doing something like this one day but we were planning our next stage in life and we thought ‘Why does it have to be something we do when we’re retired?’ A daydream evolved into reality,” Erin said. The couple was planning out the rest of their lives together and came to a decision that might change their life for the better or for worse...“The thing that clinched our decision was having a search online for properties.
For the price of a one-bedroom flat in London, we could buy our 20-bedroom house in France with land and outbuildings and the ability to run a business to make it work and pay for the renovations.” Having made up their minds, are they ready to venture?
Reaching a united decision to move to France and start new careers, Erin and JB thought of different ways to earn money related to something they both love, which was history. The couple knew very well that France was a country rich in history and culture plus it’s surrounded by beautiful architecture. So they thought about buying a historical French property and venture into the business of renting it out to tourists.
For them, it was a very sound idea because they knew they could find a beautiful property somewhere in France and tourists come in all-year-round. All they had to do was find the perfect building…
The couple started their extensive search for the perfect French property, scouring every countryside in France, but even though there were many options to choose from, the couple still found it hard to decide because of a lot of factors. For starters, they have to make sure that the property they will be buying would have historical worth and background. Another is, buying a massive property is no cheap deal.
In fact, JB and Erin would probably have to max out their credit cards and drain their savings just to buy one chateau. Were JB and Erin willing to take that risk?
Before pursuing their quest, the couple had already thought about the pros and cons of their decision, but still, they didn’t expect to face many obstacles in finding their perfect home. However, these obstacles didn't stop the couple from continuing their hunt.
For weeks and weeks, JB and Erin traveled all around France, going on countless open houses, and joining various websites, trying to find the perfect place. They were starting to feel exhausted and lose hope when they stumbled upon the enchanting Chateau de Borneau...
The Chateau de Borneau was a beautiful and captivating estate located in Pays de la Loire, in the west of France. Out of all the chateaus and mansions that the couple saw, this one really caught their attention.
It was an entrancing old chateau with turreted pillars and stone walls, plus it boasted of rich historical background, being around for many centuries and later on rebuilt in late 1863. And it wasn’t just any old abandoned mansion because as it turns out, the chateau actually played a big part in French history…
Erin described the chateau and its historical background saying, “The original château on this site was built in 1464 by Jacquette de la Ramée who was Dame de Bourneau and received royal permission from King Louis XI to build a fortified château at Bourneau.” “The original château was then abandoned during the French Revolution and fell into ruin. All that remains of this ancient château are the four turrets that delimit the moat and the vaulted foundations that the current château is built on (our cellars).” After its first downfall, the chateau was rebuilt 1863, by Edmond Möller, a local gentleman.
Then, “In 1967, the outbuildings (old stables, granges, and boulangerie) were completely transformed to expand the Foundation's activity in welcoming refugees from wars in South East Asia, notably Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos, with the aim to repatriate these people into French Society.” But aside from having a rich and interesting origin, the chateau offered something else that others couldn't…
Unlike the previous mansions and chateaus that Erin and JB viewed, which all required a lot of work and money to renovate, the Chateau de Borneau seemed to be more intact and liveable. The outside was still so majestic, even after being neglected for years, and its plumbing system, which was built in the early 19th century still worked!
Knowing all of this, the couple was highly impressed but more than their own preferences, they also had to consider their future guests’ interests, so they continued to explore the property further and it led them to a surprising discovery!
As the couple went around the vicinity, they discovered that the chateau was really the French property of their dreams because it was surrounded by a beautiful moat! Back in the day, most castles and large mansions were surrounded by moats to serve as a line of defense to protect the castle from attack. Some moats were just built around the main castle while others were built to surround a whole village.
With the moat, the chateau gave off French castle realness and definitely looked like something out of a fairytale that would surely grab the tourists' attention. With all its glory and grandeur, JB and Erin wondered why the Chateau de Borneau hasn't been snagged yet, but they were about to find out why...
You know how they say you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, well, it's also applicable to chateaus, you definitely shouldn't judge a French chateau by its front doors. As soon as JB and Erin stepped inside the Chateau de Borneau, their jaws dropped. It was evident that the place was once beautiful, but now, it seemed like it was beyond repair. After being abandoned and neglected for nearly three decades, the whole house was in need of some serious repairing and refurbishing.
It needed new furniture, new doors, new locks, new everything, from top to bottom! Just by looking at its current state, the couple knew they needed to shed a huge amount of time, effort, and money just to get it ready for visitors. It was a big risk, but why couldn't they walk away from this chateau?
Aside from having a hauntingly beautiful appearance, the chateau holds a very rich historical background. It is believed that King Louis XI himself gave the blessing to build the chateau in 1464. For many years back in the 14th and 15th century, the chateau was a formidable fortress that served many noble men and women of France.
Although it looks far from its former self, the chateau still holds some kind of elegance to it and just waiting for the right people to give it back the glory it once lost. Are JB and Erin up for the challenge?
After further consideration, the couple closed in on a sale and became the new housemasters of Chateau de Borneau. It wasn't exactly cheap because it cost them a whopping 680,000 Euros or $775,000. The couple described the chateau as “a complete coup de foudre (lightning strike)," so they were totally willing to spend a huge amount.
To buy the property, JB and Erin had to use a big chunk of their personal savings and take out a huge loan from the bank. But the purchase and the loans are just the beginning of the couple's long list of problems to solve…
First things first, now that the lovebirds found their new love nest, they had to officially move their things from Scotland to France. It wasn't much of a problem as the chateau was massive so they were able to fit everything they own inside. Luckily for them, even though the chateau needed lots of repair and renovation, basic necessities like running water and a heating system were readily available.
After settling in, the plan was to flip the chateau upside down and have it ready for the public to see. But as they unpacked their bags and felt the warmth of their not-so-humble abode, the couple felt like something just didn’t feel quite right...
The Chateau de Borneau is a 16-hectare property and the couple hasn’t absorbed that fact until they were living in it, all alone. Needless to say, they were a little overwhelmed. The couple was still in the adjustment period—they only purchased the building and moved in last summer, plus it was quite a contrast to their previous life in Scotland where they lived in a small flat.
“It can feel a bit strange being in a 20-bedroom château just the two of us and our cat Oscar, although we’ve made ourselves a little apartment in there where we spend most of our time,” said Erin. However, as JB and Erin were starting to finally get comfortable, inevitable problems kept coming their way...will they be able to push through?
During the first few weeks of their stay at the chateau, the couple was very thankful that it came with basic necessities readily available. Erin said, “We are lucky that when we arrived, there were already basic but functional living conditions with running water, bathroom facilities, and heating.” But as it was just the basics, they struggled with some other concerns, like staying warm during the winter and the high cost of the chateau’s energy bill. “This region is France’s second sunniest region and we are lucky that we have very mild winters here but that said, heating a 1000 sq m building with 4m high ceilings is no mean feat!” Erin explained.
JB and Erin figured if they want things to work out, they needed to find other ways to make things work. “We try to be as energy-efficient as possible so when we don’t have any guests, we only heat our flat and maintain the rest of the chateau at a minimum temperature.” That sounded like a solid plan and as the couple was very keen on their project, right after settling their living conditions, they were out to work. The question is, are the two ready to get their hands dirty?
The couple got their gloves on and set out to start the renovations of their crumbling chateau. They started with the easier and more urgent tasks like replacing and fixing the big front doors, changing the locks, and repainting the outside. The couple made sure that they got the original color of the chateau so as to really get history right.
As you might have imagined, it was no easy feat for the couple to finish repairing the whole property, especially because it was 10,700 square feet wide. JB and Erin poured out their blood, sweat, and tears as they worked all day long. But working on the inside was nothing compared to the hard work they had to face repairing the outside…
To really bring the chateau back to its former glory, the couple needed to fix everything and that meant every. single. thing. including the moat and the bridges that connect it to the castle.
Actually, the couple had a choice whether to keep the body of water or to get rid of it completely, but as their goal was to make the chateau as authentic as possible, they chose to keep the moat even though it meant more work for them. To have a reference, the couple dug deep into the house and found old sepia photographs dating back to 1908 that showed how the bridges originally looked like. JB and Erin were inspired by the beautiful photographs they saw and started painting the bridges back to life. After that, the couple discovered more things inside the chateau that was truly priceless…
As Jean-Baptiste and Erin went from room to room to see what's inside, they discovered different things from the past. From little trinkets to old furniture to boxes containing various relics, it was like they were on a scavenger hunt to the past.
The couple was thrilled to see what's waiting for them in every nook and cranny, but their excitement reached its peak when they uncovered what was waiting for them upstairs…
Soon after a lot of digging and looking around the chateau, the couple realized that they had landed a goldmine of beautiful and priceless antiques. There were tons of furniture and antique pieces that any collector would die for. They even found a beautiful antique dressing table that just perfectly fit the vibe of the chateau.
Seeing all of those things inside their house, instead of giving it up for auction to gain more money for the renovation, the couple decided to keep them, clean them a little, and put them on display. Everything was almost complete, with every passing day, the chateau looked more and more alive, but it needed some more details...
To make the chateau more liveable and accommodating for guests, the couple had to provide comfortable couches, beds, and chairs. But they couldn't just buy furniture at any store, they had to stay on theme, so they looked for antique-looking finds at antique shops and thrift stores. Luckily enough, JB and Erin were able to score some pretty good deals like a set of 19th-century chairs and giant urns for just $80.
Adding this new furniture to the old existing ones in the chateau was like the icing on top of the cake. Looking at their creation, it felt like a mix of the old and the new, which made the chateau even more beautiful and intriguing. It wasn't perfect yet, but finally, the couple felt like their home was ready to open its doors to the world...
Finally, after years of being closed down and abandoned, the 16-hectare chateau was ready for the public to see. But there was one itty bitty problem, they haven't finished renovating! Firstly it was because renovating a 16-hectare place takes so long and secondly, the couple was running out of funds. So they decided to invite some guests in to start earning a little more income.
The guests didn't seem to mind the ongoing construction, though, as they kept on coming every day, gushing at how charming and inviting the place is. Also, to make the chateau more homely, the creative couple had another trick up their sleeve…
Another hidden asset of the Chateau de Borneau was its magnificent kitchen that had huge storage space and a beautiful ancient stone fireplace. But just like all the areas of the chateau, it needed a little bit of work and replacement. So the couple immediately got to work and upgraded the kitchen with all the modern-day tools it needed, and voila! It was up and running in no time.
Aside from being an anesthetist, decorator, and artist, it turns out Erin was also brilliant at cooking and baking! She worked her magic into the kitchen and served delectable treats to their guests, giving them complete staycation experience. As excited as the couple was to open their home to the public, they were also nervous, will the people like their beloved chateau?
Absolutely! After their first batch of willing guests, more and more people came flocking outside JB and Erin’s newfound home. Tourists were eager to see what the chateau has to offer, interested in the piece of history they are going to get once they stay for the night, and most importantly, excited to take Instagram-worthy pictures of the chateau.
After seeing their initial success, Erin decided to take things up a notch and started an official Instagram page for the Chateau de Borneau. The page was created to promote their home to a wider set of audience and luck struck them once again as the page garnered thousands of followers that translated into more guests and tourists checking in at the chateau. In fact, due to the buzz they made on social media, a bigger opportunity came knocking on their large French doors...
Word about their enchanting chateau traveled fast and wide and even landed them on a documentary featured on Channel 4, a British network. JB & Erin were invited to join the documentary called “Escape to the Chateau: DIY” and showcase their own Chateau de Borneau. Escape to the Chateau: DIY is a documentary series which follows the life and house-hunting adventures of the couple, Dick Strawbridge and Angel Adoree. The couple, together with their family, buy, renovate, and redecorate 19th-century chateaus all by themselves.
JB and Erin appeared on one of the episodes of the show where they sought advice from the chateau experts. Dick even helped JB with their leaking moat while Angel gave Erin helpful tips on how to host a tea party. Their appearance on the documentary series turned out to be a very positive experience for the couple as it helped them realize they wanted to go bigger…
At the beginning of their quest to start their new life in France, the couple was only looking to rent a mansion that would entice guests to stay for a night or two. But upon seeing the beauty of the Chateau de Borneau and the attention it got over the past few weeks that it had been open to the public, the couple’s ideas evolved into something bigger… ”Our ideas then grew into something bigger—creating an events venue to serve the local community as well as attracting an international market to host weddings and private events.” JB and Erin plan to make the outbuildings around the chateau as holiday homes and will completely renovate the main castle, which they will then rent for weddings or events.
But, to make their chateau fully profitable, the couple needs to finish all the renovating which is not an easy task and definitely not a cheap one…
JB and Erin estimated that to get the property perfect, they would have to shed a few more hundred thousand dollars for the total renovations. But the couple said it’s a lifetime project. “We plan to be here for 30 years, renovating little by little,” said Erin.
“At the moment it’s perfect for its imperfections.” Currently, the Chateau is still getting a lot of attention and followers on social media, which is really good for their business. The Chateau de Borneau has its first wedding booked in for this year, a local French affair, with a grand British wedding to follow next year—and of course, when they finally get the time and chance to tie the knot themselves, Erin and Jean-Baptiste will definitely be doing it in their own beautiful chateau they call home. So after getting some work done, what does the future hold for the couple and the Chateau?
The couple has a lot of future plans for their home and that includes creating an organic kitchen garden because JB grew up on an organic farm and the couple is passionate about eating seasonally, reducing air miles, and waste. They also have longer-term plans to open up a luxury bed and breakfast service.
The two are very conscious of the environment that’s why they also try their best to be as energy-efficient as possible even though they’re running a massive chateau. Erin and JB’s long and hard days are far from over as they are still in the middle of constantly renovating and improving their home, but after all the hard work and money they have put into this project do they feel like it’s all worth it in the end?
Renovating and bringing a massive chateau back to life was a lot of work and involved a lot of money, but in the end, Jean-Baptiste and Erin were happy to have made the decision to purchase it in the first place and watch as it got back its former beauty and glory. “Our days are long and we work very hard, often clocking up 14-plus hour days and our weekends are also dedicated to the château.
But it is also our privilege to have this opportunity to be the guardians of this beautiful historical monument and we get a lot of pleasure seeing it come back to life little by little.”