Tim And Rebecca Escape To The Chateau De La Ruche DIY New Series 2019 – Built in the heart of the Loire Valley, Château de la Ruche is the ideal place to escape for either a wedding or a relaxing country vacation.
The house seen on Channel 4’s ‘Escape to the Chateau DIY series has picturesque cobblestone sheds and outhouses, it mingles the poetic virtue of the French countryside with an extra modern and up-to-date touch.
The Chateau resembles the essence of laidback extravagance, with its classic vogue placed in the middle of lands of flowering pastures and bushes, perfect for classy weddings and artistic photo sessions.
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Escape To The Chateau De La Ruche DIY Tim And Rebecca New Series 2019
Escape To The Chateau De La Ruche DIY Tim And Rebecca Series 2019 is now airing its second season of the serious previously starring with Dick and Angel Strawbridge, from Château de la Motte Husson, who are helping the new couple and guiding them with all of they have gained of experience and advice.
The series stars Tim and Rebecca Jones and their two kids, Rufus and Laurie, who have acquired the charming French villa Château de la Ruche in Pays de la Loire back in 2017.
Rebecca explains what encouraged them to get a disrepair château in the middle of the French farmland and what they’ve discovered on their journey.
When Tim and Rebecca Jones first met, they never thought that they will end up in such a fascinating love triangle with the magnificent 18th-century Château de la Ruche. Which they both fell in love with and decided to begin the exhausting yet enjoyable process of renovating it into a fantastic bed and breakfast lodge
This is how Rebecca, Tim, and their two boys, Rufus, 8, and Laurie, 5, discovered and the charm of the sumptuous mansion, Chateau de la Ruche
Also Don’t Forget To Check Out This: Hotel Chateau Du Grand Luce Loire Valley
How long were you searching for a house before you found the Chateau de la Ruche?
Tim has just arrived from a trip to China when we were first looking for Chateaux. We saw La Ruche online that following weekend! We remember viewing like a thousand properties that were for sale, however, we kept looking back to this again and again.
The photos of the dwelling were lovely; it wasn’t extremely big, and yet not too small, the building was surrounded by lots of expanses, sheds, and its own grove. Tim and I had always aspired to grow our kids in a house with a really big, aged tree in its garden – and this place assured us with plenty of woodland surroundings.
In addition to that, the property was in the French region (the Pays de la Loire near Le Mans) that we kinda were familiar with as Tim’s mum spent some time there 10 years ago
Still, notwithstanding the point that it was my idea, I wasn’t even that serious about it, says Rebecca.
Okay, I always fancied the thought of living in a Chateau but I didn’t like the concept of relocating to a whole other country and leaving all my family and friends.
For Tim however; this simple chateau described his thoughts of the ideal house that he always wished our family. He didn’t even care that much if he had to spend years to convert it into his perfect dream home.
How Did You Take The Decision To Move To France?
France has never been on our plan, living here was really like puzzle pieces falling to the right place, it was like it’s meant to be. We have spent many holidays in France before, toured the Loire, Paris and other French regions.
We absolutely enjoyed it and remarked how delightful it would be if we just could move here someday, still we never actually give it real thought until we saw a re-run of the opening season of Escape to the Château.
I began exploring online websites and suddenly I recognized that we could trade our 4-bed apartment in Stamford, Lincolnshire with a dream castle of a 14-bedroom château including 15 acres of meadow and groves.
What intrigued you to the Pays de la Loire province?
We admired the Château de la Ruche from the very first photo we noticed of it and it simply seemed to be in the Pays de la Loire.
We’re actually really nearby Le Mans, a region we’re very familiar with as Tim’s mother had resided there for several years. So that has helped us took our decision more easily to move.
We too recognized we needed to be within a short drive to Britain so we can always keep a healthy relationship with our relatives and mates, additionally, the summertime is a bit colder here than in the south which is even perfect for our preferences.
What jobs did you both occupy before moving to the Chateau De La Ruche?
Tim used to work as a full-time engineer and I used to work as a part-time reporter. And for a long time, we have been seeking new quests, constantly urging each other if we were content about our current life and our jobs. The Château granted us both with the perfect escape from dullness while still working and providing for our family.
What was your first reaction when you saw The Chateau De La Ruche?
On 11th April 2017, as we drove down the tree-lined pathway, it was just enchanting, padded with meadows and trees with sunshine passing through.
The struggle began once I saw the tree-lined avenue. The Château itself seemed very worn out and in such a very poor condition than the property agency’s photos yet it had a very sturdy and enduring base structure, elegant windowpanes, authentic curtains, and paneling, tiled decks, and a backyard with many beautiful bushes. There was plenty of potentials that we saw and intended to persevere.
What was the condition of The Chateau De La Ruche when you purchased it?
As you know, we had to move to the chateau with our kids and we had to make sure that the place is liveable in spite of how some parts of it were actually run down. As for the electricity and the plumbing issues, they could be managed, still, the first wintertime we spent here was very challenging.
The house was in a much worse state than it appeared in the photographs. The folks who owned it before us hadn’t been living in it for a very long time. It had been closed all winter and it had that dusty, wet reek of a place that needs a lot of cleaning work, to say the least.
There was no heat and we all had to put on tons of clothes and even wore thermals under our pJ’s, and put ice caps on our heads while sleeping.
When we entered and opened the curtains and shutters, there were dead insects all over the place and the boys said they wouldn’t move until we clean that.
What did your family and family say about moving?
Our friends and families have been incredibly supportive during this entire adventure. I understand that mom, dad, and my sister were worried at first – though they never tried ti hinder us from pursuing our dreams.
My parents told me they might even retire, downsize, and travel to see us once a month. This was a serious motivation for me.
And as for my friends, there’s no single person advised to not do so. They too promised us to try to visit sometimes.
How did Rufus and Laurie feel when the move was declared?
The boys were only seven and five years old, and I believe it was actually difficult for them to understand the meaning of the word moving out. The only thing they worried about was their stuff and their rooms until we told them that all of our belongings would be arriving with us to our new home in France.
Rufus was more nervous than Laurie as he was a little older than his brother. He was bothered to leave his friends, particularly his best buddy Charlie.
I did feel blameworthy, and I suffered a lot thinking about the perfect coping mechanism for them to adapt real quick.
My mother assured me saying that they would be as upset if we were moving to any new house even in the same neighborhood.
So I decided to simply try to comfort them as best I could and let their minds focus on the exceptional adventure we all going to have together.
Did you then speak French, or was this another hurdle to tackle?
We don’t speak French – but we’re getting on it real quick. Tim did take a bit of French in high school but it still was not at all helpful!
So, we decided to take a few French lessons before we moved from the UK and we practiced the Michel Thomas CDs a lot while driving around.
Tim was doing pretty well, except that he often talks to the French craftsmen, so while he can prattle all day long about ducts and electrical cords he isn’t all an articulate French speaker in general subjects!
The kids are picking up the words surprisingly fast and while they aren’t at all fluent, yet after a couple of years living here, they can speak with their friends and pretty much follow their teachers.
We always strive to speak French, notwithstanding being lousy at it, however, people seem to appreciate the effort. Most of our friends and neighbors here know a lot of English and we have many casual Franglais talks which can be quite entertaining.
What was your very first repair task at the Chateau?
It took us like millions of hours just cleaning up and ordering the stuff the previous owners left behind. We also did a lot of effort outdoor to get on top of the land.
We didn’t actually begin tearing up the house until months later when the workers started to rewire and re-plumb the entire place, which was the largest amount of money we spent during the whole renovation process.
The hose had plenty of bedrooms but not as many bathrooms, so we decided to make some rooms bigger. And we started working on the Chambre d’hôte part of the house so that we get to earn any money to support ourselves.
How did you manage to balance between caring for the boys and ongoing renovation?
This is a never-ending struggle – they have every Wednesday off school and it is so difficult to leave everything I have to do to entertain them. However, I try to keep them occupied. And many times, I sneak out to finish a couple of tasks while they’re playing.
What have been some of your most memorable consequences so far?
It’s been outstanding seeing the sons cope with a brand-new environment.
I was pretty astounded when we first arrived in the house at how hesitant they were to simply go out and play. Then, I realized that they didn’t know how to roam outside on their own as they’d never had that kind of spontaneous, outgoing childhood before.
Gradually, they really got used and actually loved it.
What are your latest plans for Chateau de la Ruche?
We enjoy it when people come and visit us here. It’s so delightful observing souls fall in love with the home like we did; it’s a unique place.
We are wishing to initiate a splurging, family-friendly Chambre D Hote We’re renovating two deluxe suites with living rooms that can also be utilized as youngsters’ rooms. We constantly find it laborious traveling with children and discovering accommodations that allow the boys to stay safely nearby us. Each suite will sleep two grown-ups and two or three children. And also perfect for weddings and honeymoons.
Eventually, I believe that in fifty years’ time I’ll be looking back on years of mindfulness with my boys, quite similar to Madame Poussette does now. We understand that we have a burden here as caretakers of the house’s antiquity and I just wish we can do the house justice.
He allowed his employees to take advantage of this unique opportunity until quarantine ended.
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