A Couple Bought An Abandoned French Chateau From The 1700s...

This Is What They Found Inside.

Nowadays, there are a number of blogs a person can turn to for home improvement and DIY inspiration.

But what about those of us that live in an 18th century neoclassical French chateau?

Karina and Craig Waters are an Aussie couple documenting the renovation of Chateau de Gudanes, a fairytale mansion in the Midi-Pyrénées that they bought — almost by accident. Originally, the husband and wife set out in search of a small farmhouse in the French countryside. But after a round of exhaustive house-hunting, they were about ready to give up. As luck would have it, their son found an abandoned chateau on the internet. After driving 500 miles to view the property, they found themselves standing in front of a decaying relic of a building — and instantly fell in love.

So how does one go about starting this mammoth of a project? Well of course, just like any other 18th century chateau owner would do, they first sought permits from the French authorities. The previous owners of the mansion, a foreign investment company, initially wanted to convert the 96-room estate into a luxury apartment. Thankfully, they were denied the building permission to do so...

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