Can you imagine how insane it is to renovate a huge, likely dilapidated house, on the other side of the world, while having to communicate with strangers in a foreign language? wonders journalist Lia Timson in an article for The Age. She and her husband Richard, yes. In the columns of the Australian publication, she recounts how they ended up buying a castle in Dordogne, for the price of a studio in Sydney.
Married since 1992, the couple shares a common passion for renovation – together, they have refurbished several apartments and houses – as well as an unexpected attraction to France. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the desire for a new project struck them and they were seduced by cheap French real estate, on a somewhat wild impulse. One of the first things on the list was to set rules. Among them: no ruins or historic monuments and a mandatory location in Dordogne.
A “second life”
Lia Timson and her husband fell in love with the Château de La Roche-Joubert, located in Saint-Pantaléon-d’Excideuil (in the northeast of Dordogne) after seeing photos online. We had found our dream home. It was this one or nothing. Unfortunately, the sale slipped away from them, explains the Australian journalist. But three months later, by stroke of luck or fate, the transaction fell through and there they were in France, in a small village of 160 inhabitants, signing the deed of sale.
A choice they never regretted. They started with the roof and, four years later, the kitchen and laundry room were the first rooms completely renovated. Their friends often come to visit and enjoy the amazing dishes and traditions surrounding them – but only after demolishing a wall or spending six hours mowing the lawn.
In a time when many people fear for the future and retract into themselves, this project has become their second life, details the Australian. And they take their time, because an experience like this is to be savored, just like the local culture, markets, fairs, festivals, and weekends exploring other corners of this fascinating country.
