The chateau had not been maintained for very many years and the last renovations, at the beginning of the 20th century, had been undertaken with quite inappropriate materials (cement render etc.) had actually been damaging to the building. Unnoticed, water had been flowing into the chateau from a number of different points – as much through the walls as through the roof – and this had caused terrible damage.
Between May 2015 and December 2016 no less than 50 local businesses and 120 individuals worked on the restoration of the domain.
The facades, the roof and the interior decorations were worked on by specialists in the restoration of historical monuments who had frequently worked at the Chateaus of Chambord and of Blois.
As the chateau is listed in the inventory of historical monuments, the local curator was closely involved in all the various choices and observed the smooth-running of the project.
Restoration of the facades and roofs.
The roofs were redone using original methods – there are no modern hooks here! The slates are all hand-cut and fixed in place with serrated copper nails. No zinc was used for the roof ridges, the surrounds of the skylights, the ornamentation or the guttering. Instead six tons of lead was employed by specialist artisans.
A local stone, the Tuffeau of Vilantrois, was used to replace most of the cut stone of the facades and the render created from a mixture of local sands from the rivers Loir and Loire.
Restoration of the interior decor :
The 17th century murals of the very highest quality were uncovered and restored. A large number of people were employed for three months carefully removing the plaster that covered them, stabilising the originals, filling holes and recreating missing motifs.
This same team then worked on the monumental fireplace in the great drawing room, removing various decorations that had been stuck to it and repainting it in harmony with the woodwork and thereby rendering it all its original charm.
Renovation of the sanitation, the tennis court and the swimming pool :
A complete renovation of the sanitation system was undertaken and a micro-station respectful of the environment.
The existing tennis court was destroyed and replaced.
The swimming pool, its surrounds and its pool house were entirely redone. The depth of the pool was reduced from 3 metres to 1 metres 80 for security reasons and to simplify the heating. A powerful heat pump was also installed.