A couple who bought a 20-room French chateau for the price of a London flat say spiraling energy costs have turned their dream home into a Christmas nightmare.
Lionel, 64, and Claire Cherruault, 42 paid £900,000 for the property, that comes with three acres of land, eight bedrooms and its very own chapel, back in 2021.
And for the price of a flat in Chiswick, West London, the couple thought they had secured their very own fairytale mansion.
But looks can be deceiving and each winter for the past three years, Lionel and Claire have been faced with huge energy bills to heat the freezing-cold rooms.
Former royal photographer Lionel said according to The Sun: ‘Winter is an absolute nightmare here and I’m constantly thinking I’ve had enough, let’s sell.’
The couple burned through a whopping £6,000 worth of fuel in just three months last winter and have vowed never to make the same mistake again.
So this year they have had to endure the bone-chilling temperatures with Claire, a photographer from Plymouth, saying she is ‘always wearing a hat, even in bed’.
The pair have nevertheless been able to remain positive and have been experimenting with different forms of heating.
Lionel, 64, and Claire Cherruault, 42 (pictured) paid £900,000 for the property, that comes with three acres of land, eight bedrooms and its very own chapel, back in 2021
Picture shows an aerial view of the couples £900,000 chateau in France
Claire and Lionel are still in the process of renovating their three-storey historic home and have been sharing their journey on their YouTube channel ‘OurChateauLife’
Claire said: ‘In the evenings we light the fire and cosy up on the sofa with a duvet and our two dogs and cats who make very good hot water bottles.’
However, it has not always been so successful.
In the run-up to Christmas, the couple bought six oil radiators to heat the mansion but ended up spending £500-a-month on electricity instead.
They said they instead would be heating a huge fire in the dining room to keep everyone warm during Christmas lunch.
Claire and Lionel are still in the process of renovating their three-storey historic home and have been sharing their journey on their YouTube channel ‘OurChateauLife’.
Lionel is also due to appear on Channel 4’s TV programme Chateau DIY.
To try and reduce the eye-watering costs of the renovation, the couple have been doing most of the hard work themselves.
Lionel carries a Christmas Tree into the chateau to prepare for this year’s festive season
Videos show them painting, decorating, drilling, mowing the lawn and even picking apples from their very own orchard
Lionel is pictured carrying out some restoration work inside the chateau
Videos show them painting, decorating, drilling, mowing the lawn and even picking apples from their very own orchard.
And whilst the loft is still full of ‘dead flies’ and ‘pigeon poo’, Claire and Lionel have said they have no regrets about moving into their French chateau.
Claire said: ‘Sometimes it feels so surreal. Especially when we come home after going to the supermarket and we drive up our drive and see the château.’
