ESCAPE To The Country fans feared for Dick Strawbridge and Angel Adoree as they revealed a hidden hitch in their home renovation.
Back in 2016 the pair purchased a 19th-century chateau – Chateau-de-la-Motte Husson – in the Pays de la Loire, and began restoring the property.
The property, which is featured in TV show Escape To The Chateau, has 45 rooms, 78 windows, 12 acres and one moat.
They paid £280,000 for the chateau, but it came with no electricity, heating or water – and a sanitation system that was emptied into the moat.
Yet Dick has given insight into a new stumbling block as he told fans on social media: “The Chateau is a hive of activity. With the major job of re-slating all of the 150-year-old roof now well underway and the scaffolding in position, Angel has a moment of realisation.
“It’s not just the roof that is filled with holes and in major need of renovation but the Chateau walls too – but how do you go about rendering an entire chateau, let alone matching the existing colour?
“Soon Dick and Angel are not only up to their eyes in slates but immersed in colour boards and computer mock-ups.”
Fans were quick to respond with their worries, as one wrote: “This must be costing a bomb. It scares me thinking about the enormity of these projects.
“You are both doing so well, I wonder if it will ever be finished or it will always be a project.”
Another added: “It made total sense to me to kill two birds. Scaffolding is so expensive to put up so do other repairs at the same time.
“Angel was so right, come on Dick catch up!”
Dick previously told This Morning ITV show how doing the renovations in the roof and walls now would mean the work would last until their childrens’ great-grandchildren were born.
HUGE PROJECT
Previously Angel said of the project: “We just jumped in and got on with it.
“Dick and I are firm believers in the harder you work, the luckier you get. And he’s so young at heart.
“He has more energy than most young boys. He’s like a little rabbit. He just keeps going on and on.
“For Dick it was really full-on. Every time he did something, another difficulty popped up.”
Angel married Dick Strawbridge – whom she met via their shared agent – in November 2015, and they raised two children together, Arthur and Dorothy.
RENOVATION ROW
Recently, Dick vented about his wife’s latest renovation plans.
After Angel discovered the French property’s attic for the first time – which is the highest point of their home – she got hugely excited.
Dick wanted to keep the space for storage once it had been insulated but Angel had other ideas.
“This is stunning I understand we need to plasterboard, insulate it,” she said.
“But I’d hate to get rid of all this shape it is lovely I wasn’t joking when I said I wanted a sky bar up here.”
“I ignored you completely,” Dick joked as the couple discussed their plans with the building working on the roof.
The builder suggested investing in windows that pull out into a mini balcony.
Angel explained to Dick her idea of turning the attic space into a sky bar complete with stunning views.
“As an attic, it’s a great bit of space but let’s talk about insulation,” Dick remarked, before fans told how they were stunned at her ambition.
