Episode Information Creuse: The French Manor House

Date Published:

12/06/2008

Deni Daniel and Doug Ibbs don't hang around. The couple, in their mid-50's and from Dorset, bought a 19th century manor house in Creuse, Limousin - in central France - on a Sunday, having seen it for the first time ever on the previous Tuesday on the Internet and visited it on the Thursday. They don't mind hard work too, which is even better news because the house was a wreck.

Untouched in 60 years, during which time it had fallen into ruin, after being burned to the ground in 1944 by retreating German soldiers who suspected the French resistance had used the place during WWII, the five-storey house's roof had long-since disappeared, the gable ends were unsound, the beams were mostly rotten and the grounds completely overgrown.

Compensating for their lack of building experience (they had 'made over' a house in Dorset) with enthusiasm, Deni and Doug sold up in the UK, moved to the sparsely populated area, applied for and were granted planning permission and hired a local builder, Monsieur Grizon, although they planned to do the lion's share of the work themselves - and a stonemason, Jean-Claude Russeaux.

Stonemason

The stonemason's first job was to shore up the crumbling walls, where the plaster could be lifted off in chunks, spraying the interior walls with concrete to provide the building with a new skeleton.

Next, was making sound the top of the building on which they could build the roof, a job that was to test not only everyone's practical skills but also the couple's ability to communicate in a language they barely understood on arrival.

Misunderstanding

A simple misunderstanding of one word by Doug, thinking the stonemason wanted to remove and replace a whole chimney, rather than one brick, caused a certain amount of suspicion on both sides and a day's delay, something the couple could ill-afford if they were to achieve their goal of having the house operating as a small chamber d'hote (B&B) within 12 months.

The communication problem resolved, at least temporarily, the chimney and gable ends made safe, and the concrete roof platform at the top of the building in place, the builder, Monsieur Grizon, and his team returned to construct the wooden frame on which the slates would be placed - when they arrived from China.

Conscious of costs - and with a budget of just £140,000 to renovate the whole house - Doug and Deni had sourced the slates over the Internet at a considerable saving but an earthquake in China meant it would be five months before the slates would eventually arrive. Undeterred by the set back, the couple fashioned a temporary roof and pressed on.

Working seven days a week, 14 hours a day, and living in a wooden chalet beside the house, the couple lived and breathed the restoration, undertaking jobs neither of them had even considered previously. Deni tiled the bathrooms, while Doug made a staircase - after reading a book on how to do it - and together they cut and installed dozens of ten-metre long supporting beams.

Progress

Slowly but surely progress was made. The external walls were repointed using traditional lime mortar, the windows and doors were hung, the dark-grey roof slates arrived and were fitted, being held in place by steel clips invisible to the naked eye from down below, and the ground and first floor rooms on either side of the three-metre wide hallway began to take shape.

Internally, from the outset it had been Doug and Deni's plan was to concentrate on renovating the ground and first floor, before moving on to the second, cellar and attic, where they thought they might install a gym for their guests' use. On the ground floor the kitchen and a grand living room began to take shape, and on the first floor their own and five guest bedrooms with en suite bathrooms were prepared in readiness for decoration.

Scouring furniture warehouses and antique shops, the couple picked up for a song large, traditional dark wood pieces that could have been made for their substantial manor house. The furniture would sit well in the light and airily painted rooms where they had also attempted to replace original features, including the door handles and light fittings - fixtures that the previous owners of the house would have recognised.

A Surprise Visit

The descendants of the previous owners visited Doug and Deni to witness the restoration of their former family home with a mixture of admiration and incredulity - 'how and why would anyone want to do this but thanks goodness they are'. It was a reaction that the couple were to hear from other locals, who welcomed their efforts, including their immediate neighbours and the local mayor.

Fourteen months after beginning the adventure the couple have restored the majority of the house to stunning effect. Few, Kevin included, believed that with their building inexperience, relatively modest budget, and basic grasp of the French language they could succeed, but with determination, application and self-belief, Deni and Doug have proved that anything is truly possible.