Could you give up the day job and forge a decent living from the collateral in your house?

We fell into buying our chateau in 2003 on a whim. Cheaper than our Crouch End house, back then it seemed like a bargain. Of course there was no plan or vision for what it has become. We had too much money and not enough time. We were cash rich, lifestyle poor and we were looking for a change but had no real idea of what we were doing.

Things have changed, the money machine in London has siezed up and we have to face the reality that the chateau is no longer a game. We have to get smart and make this work. Thankfully we did the painting and decorating before the money got tight. We’ve also invested in close to 100,000 sqm of new roof, four new boilers, 38 new windows (mostly the size of doors) and 24,000 spring bulbs. So most of the hard work and expenditure is done now.

This Chateau Life is about the slightly surreal dream of running the chic and boutique Chateau Rigaud, famously NOT a hotel, for a profit. It’s mainly about profit, the apparent lack of it and how to find some, by whatever means necessary.