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Castle Impossible - General Discussion

Soapy Goddess

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Arynm

Arynm

On the last episode she said they had 89 weddings last year. That must make a ton of money. I am sure the Chateau costs a ton of money as well so I bet there is not much left over.  I was disappointed they didn't step foot in the Chateau this week, it was all the Hunters Lodge. They did a good job on it so I guess I can live with it. The Grandma was a little harsh but she turned around at the end.

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Chit Chat

Chit Chat

(edited)
On 5/11/2025 at 12:23 PM, chessiegal said:

From pictures they show it looks like they are already getting income from using it as a wedding venue.

They built upon her grandfather's existing wedding venue business.   They have a YouTube channel, so you can catch up on a lot of stuff from the past 2 years on there.   

TV shows & movies have used the castle, or rooms of it, to shoot scenes for several years too, so this helps with their income.  They have reused many building materials they've found on the property.  They're very resourceful on many items!  They do so much of the work themselves, and even when a contractor is involved, they'll help with the work in order to save on costs.  

They're a lot of fun to watch.  Their dog and cat make a lot of appearances on their YouTube channel.  :)

Their YouTube channel is: The Beau Chateau

Edited by Chit Chat
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Chit Chat

Chit Chat

19 minutes ago, Pine said:

Chateau Impossible,  not Castle Impossible.  

Maybe the word 'castle' grabs more attention for new viewers than the word 'chateau.'  Castle sounds grander than chateau! I don't know which word is technically correct, but going by different definitions, it fits the description of being either a castle or a chateau.  Either way, I've been watching their show on YouTube and have been enjoying watching them for a while now.  

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Chit Chat

Chit Chat

Here's a link to one explanation:  Castle vs. Chateau

Here's another:  Castle vs. Chateau

From the info this couple have posted on their YouTube channel, they said it used to be a medieval fortress and after it collapsed, the chateau/castle was built on the remains.  Royalty has lived there.  Also, it was occupied during a war and many original items of the house were taken. 

They tell the story of the "witch" who lived there and the supposed treasure that's buried at the chateau.  They talk about that in a Halloween episode.  I hope they will continue to find ways to fund this project.  Many of their renovation plans have to be approved by local authorities, and from what they've said, that hasn't been easy either. 

The story of the chateau:  Daphne's story

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Chit Chat

Chit Chat

I think that Ian and Daphne are such a fun couple to watch during these renovations.  They seem to work really well together.  They've done some backbreaking work in order to bring the chateau back to life (youth is an advantage for this!!)  The huge garden (to one side of the chateau) took a tremendous amount or work in uncovering the outlines and then starting to plant trees.  They have big plans for the chateau, but money & getting some things approved is the big issue.  Maybe they'll find that rumored hidden treasure!

I loved the secret passageway redo that Ian surprised Daphne with.  He did a great job with that. 

Daphne mentioned in her videos how much she liked having weddings there because they get free cake & champagne!  I would be happy with that!

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pezgirl7

pezgirl7

So far I’ve loved what they’ve done with the renovations. I think the property itself is prettier than the one in Escape to the Chateau, and I like their personal style a lot more. I wonder if they’re really designing everything themselves or getting help from a designer. If they’re doing it themselves, they both have a wonderful sense of style. The last episode I watched was the office and living room renovation, and I loved the ceiling in the office. 

With his facial hair, I feel like Ian could cosplay as a musketeer and look right at home. 😁

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Chit Chat

Chit Chat

On 5/30/2025 at 4:52 AM, pezgirl7 said:

I wonder if they’re really designing everything themselves or getting help from a designer. 

Watching their YouTube channel, it looks like they're doing a lot of the decorating themselves.  They're able to pull things out of storage that they can use.  I think they go to antique stores or shows (I think I'm remembering that correctly!)

When replacing the curtains in the downstairs area where they host weddings & such, they had a lady who specializes in that to show her samples, etc. and to order from.   They've said that whenever there's something they can't do, they bring in someone to make sure it's done correctly.  Daphne & Ian do a lot of the heavy lifting though in order to save costs, and they're learning as much as they can from the pros.  

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surfgirl

surfgirl

(edited)

There are still many old world artisans in France who carry on traditional crafts like weaving period appropriate drapery for chateaux. I saw footage online of a place that has a vast warehouse with samples of fabric they've done for great manor homes, castles, and chateaux going back to like the 1600s or something like that. And there is an amazing passementerie company in France that specializes is tassels- for door keys, chandeliers, upholstery, etc. Theyd have to use these sorts of artisamfor some projects to keep things correct to the time period of the place.

What I question is how every project seems to cost $20k. The redo of the Hunters Lodge and most everything else looks like it would be a lot more than that.

Other than that, I'm enjoying this show.

Edited by surfgirl
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Chit Chat

Chit Chat

17 hours ago, surfgirl said:

Theyd have to use these sorts of artisamfor some projects to keep things correct to the time period of the place.

From their YouTube channel, they've mentioned that the chateau underwent several restorations over the many years of its existence, so there are varying styles throughout!  I think they try to keep things in line with that but also try to be a little more modern where they need to be.  They've been able to repurpose some tiles and wood that are in the hangar.  It's fun to watch them go "shopping" in their own buildings!

18 hours ago, surfgirl said:

The redo of the Hunters Lodge and most everything else looks like it would be a lot more than that.

I can't remember if they ended up saying how much those renovations ended up costing, but I do remember them doing a lot of the demo & prep, which saved them a lot of money with the contractor.  Their kitchen cabinet contractor fell through last minute, so they had to get someone else.  I'd imagine that the kitchen remodel might've blown the budget, but they did repurpose some things in there, so maybe it worked out okay! 

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Chit Chat

Chit Chat

Is anyone still watching the show?  With the playroom reno, I think that the mistake with ordering the wallpaper actually turned out better by not having it go all the way to the ceiling.  I like the way they trimmed it out at the top.  Ian is so thoughtful by fixing the music box for Daphne.  I've never seen anything like that! 

I hope the kids won't break the crank on the side of it though.  Kids love stuff like that and won't understand how delicate it is.  Kids have a knack of wanting to push buttons, turn handles, etc.  I've seen kids tear up stuff in the dental office, all while the parent is standing there!  No, the chair can't go up to the ceiling! You step out of the room for 30 seconds and all hell breaks loose!  Aw crap, you just pulled the light out of the pole!  Quit twirling around in the doctor's chair!  Quit spraying water with the air/water syringe!  All true! Little hellions.  😜

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Mindthinkr

Mindthinkr

Still watching too. 
Until you mentioned it @surfgirl I hadn’t thought about having an area for nap time. I also noticed that the crib disappeared, so they might need a second daycare room in the castle. 
I find them to be such an adorable couple. They are thoughtful and inventive. I never would have imagined using the fireplace as a puppet stage. Kudos to Ian for getting the music box fixed for Daphne. My favorite room remains that secret hallway with the wallpaper that Ian surprised her with. 
Looking forward to seeing next week what may be in the chimney, however after years of viewing the Oak Island show I’m not holding my breath. 
I really hope we get another season of this show and that the income they get from filming allows them to pay for the upkeep and further renovations on the castle. 

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Chit Chat

Chit Chat

5 hours ago, surfgirl said:

I felt like the playroom wasoey but they also need a nap room somewhere as thst room will get crowded quiixklynwith several.kids and nannies 

They did a dedicated nursery in their YouTube videos.  Here's the episode where you see the before & after of the Nursery.  Daphne is very thoughtful in what she is seeing are guest's needs when they attend an event at the chateau. 

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meep.meep

meep.meep

Still watching too.

Ian and Tony taking apart the fireplace gave me flashbacks to getting an armoire from my great aunt's house after she passed away.  It came from Minnesota and my parents handled the shipping.  They called us when it came in and what we picked up was a set of planks.  It came completely apart so we had to reassemble it like the world's biggest 3D jigsaw puzzle.

I'm not sure I liked this wall paper but it fit the chateau and the room's theme.

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surfgirl

surfgirl

(edited)
5 hours ago, Chit Chat said:

They did a dedicated nursery in their YouTube videos.  Here's the episode where you see the before & after of the Nursery.  Daphne is very thoughtful in what she is seeing are guest's needs when they attend an event at the chateau. 

Thanks for this Chit, I'll have a look. So have they don't .ost of thr chateau at this point? I sometimes don't understand their logic. Like the bathing chamber, wasn't it on the opposite side from the Solar bedroom? I mean, they need a bathroom right there, not across the chateau. I also wo Der why they don't work on renovating rooms on the upper floors as suites for wedding guests to stay in to add to their income. They say the chateau is for them, but it makes more sense to make their home in the Hunters Lodge.

@MindthinkrI too hope we get more seasons because it's a light, airy, fun series to watch and the couple are drama free and Tony is a gem! More Tony! And yes, using the fireplace as a puppet theater set was genius!

FYI, the Orchestrion was familiar to me because theire us a gigantic version in Scottsdale at the MIm, Musical Instrument Museum. Worth goj g if you're ever passing through there. I had no idea home versions were even made but it's pretty cool.

Edited by surfgirl
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Chit Chat

Chit Chat

(edited)
6 hours ago, surfgirl said:

Like the bathing chamber, wasn't it on the opposite side from the Solar bedroom? I mean, they need a bathroom right there, not across the chateau.

I went back and checked the episode to make sure I was remembering things correctly!  There is a bathroom 3 floors down from the Solar that has sinks & a toilet (no shower).   The original main bathroom had the huge marble tub that had to be removed because of the weight.  That room was in pretty rough shape after demo (from what I could see).  Ian stated that there was no running water going to that bathroom.

Daphne mentioned that in the 17th & 18th century, it was customary to have a "bathing chamber."  She wanted to recreate that, but sans a toilet so they didn't have to worry about the plumbing.  She chose that particular room because it was next to King Louis' bedroom, and they hope to restore it as a bridal suite in the future.  There is a secret passage from that room into the bathing chamber.  She loved having the tub overlooking the garden.  They lucked out and found a water heater directly below the bathing chamber, so plumbing for that was fairly simple. I still don't know how they're draining that tub though!

From watching their YouTube channel, my impression is that they're trying to make the castle livable while trying to renovate and address some basic things that guests seemed to need.  They were seeing a need for the nursery, so they did that room.  IIRC, that's for nursing mom's too or ones who need to take a break with their baby or small child.  

Apparently, the upper floors need extensive repair so they're tackling one room at a time based on what will help the business.  They mentioned on their YT channel that in order to heat just one floor of the chateau, it runs about $800/day!  It's not feasible to stay in there during the winter. They can't use the fireplaces, or their insurance will cancel them.  The top of the Solar was in jeopardy of collapsing, so they had to fix it, and might as well renovate while they're at it!!  I thought it turned out lovely!

Anyway, that's just my impression from what I've seen.  It's fun to watch the YT videos because they give a lot of info like that in the videos.  

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