A couple’s DIY project, a French manor they snapped up for €330,000 (£285,763), has been severely damaged by a devastating fire – and repairs could cost up to €1.3million (£1.1million).
Dimitri, 35, and David Petitpas, 28, purchased 200-year-old Egmont Manor, located near Cloyes-les-Trois-Rivières, around an hour from Paris, in September last year with grand plans to renovate the property.
The nine-bedroom French Chateau had no water, no electricity, and a leaky roof, but the couple started the renovations with hopes of using it for their wedding venue within ten months.
However, in November they received the call that their new home had caught fire and the roof was destroyed. It is unclear how the fire started.
Pictures show the burned pieces of the historic roof and attic, which had fallen through to the first floor, exposing the home to harsh winter weather.
The couple are insured and are waiting to hear how much of the repairs it will cover but have been told the work could cost upwards of £1million.
Dimitri said: ‘We have been told that we need 1.3million euros to rebuild the manor, which is way more than what we were planning.
‘We bought it to restore it, so we will restore it. It will be much harder and a lot more costly than we planned but we will do it anyway even if we have to spend three to four years.
Dimitri and David Petitpas received the devastating call that their 200-year-old Egmont Manor (pictured), located near Cloyes-les-Trois-Rivières, suffered immense damage from a fire
‘If we were not insured it would be another story because I don’t know anyone who can find a million euros like that. We will not give up. We had some time to process it but it was quite hard. ‘
Dimitri and Swiss David are living five hours away from the manor in a French Alps flat while they are renovating.
When they received the call from police at 11pm on November 20, they sent friends over to check on the home and were devastated when they heard of its condition.
Dimitri added: ‘At first we thought it was a bad joke. We called some friends who went to the manor to see if it was true and the place had been burned through.
‘By the time the firefighters arrived it was too late, the place was engulfed in flames and we had already lost the roof. The attic was gone and everything had collapsed on the first floor.
‘It is a crazy story. We had five hours of driving so we were in denial, telling ourselves it would be fine. It was only when we saw the manor that we had the shock.
‘After the fire we had the most severe weather in the last two years, so there was constant rain. Without the roof there were litres of water.’
The DIY novice couple decided to take on the huge project by themselves, using YouTube to teach them how.
The couple are waiting to hear back from their insurance company, but the repairs could cost more than £1.1million
In November, the couple received the call that their new home had caught fire and the roof was destroyed
The couple purchased the home as a DIY renovation project – and hope to host their wedding there
Despite the major setback, Dimitri and David (pictured) are adamant that they will develop their dream venue in the end
The couple started on the renovations of the nine-bedroom French Chateau with hopes of using it for their wedding venue within ten months
The property is surrounded by out-of-control plants with outdated interior design, dry wood, a leaky roof, and no water or electricity.
However, they have a dream to use the home to celebrate their wedding and turn it into a luxury bed and breakfast.
They started ripping out the damaged plants, trying to move the front gate to create a driveway and knocking down walls to open up the space – with dreams of finishing within a year.
But, with the fire causing a huge setback, they now believe it won’t be possible to open until 2028.
The duo have also had issues with money, only being able to secure €100,000 (£86,586) as a renovation loan, which they say is a third of what they need.
Despite the setback, they are not giving up, and are now aiming to renovate one room and one bathroom by the end of the year so they can finally move in.
Dimitri said: ‘We only have problems. We find some nice surprises but mainly we find issues. We are having to do so much more than we had planned.
‘We basically only had the four walls and we had to start all over. We need to take out everything and restart from scratch.
Despite all the setbacks, the couple are determined to renovate their dream home – and make it their wedding venue
The couple, who have no previous DIY experience, were hoping to do the renovations by following YouTube videos
‘That is all part of the experience. You can’t buy something that is 200 years old without having any issues. We have no regrets at all. It is fulfilling.
‘We spend little and are very careful where we spend the money. We are learning along the way.’
Egmont Manor was built in 1880 and the Petitpas’ are the fourth family to have ever owned it.
The nine-bed home is 600 square metres inside, with 10,000 square metres of gardens which the pair hope to use for a maze and Christmas markets.
