A California family who decided to sell their San Diego home and spend $2.6 million on a French chateau are now fighting to keep their dream alive.
Julia Leach, 33, and Caroline Ibarra, 37, have been beset by problems since buying the stunning Château de Puy Vidal in Charente.
The couple moved in with Julia’s parents and sister in the hope of escaping their daily routine and renovating the 750-year-old castle into their dream home.
But as soon as they were handed the keys, the family was inundated with problems including clogged sewer pipes, severe storms and even a small earthquake.
They are now struggling to get the castle to pay, and could even be deported if they do not meet minimum income requirements for French visa holders.
Instead of living life in pink, “it was more like crushing responsibility and panic,” Leach said. Wall Street Journal.
A California family who decided to sell their San Diego home and spend $2.6 million on a French chateau are now fighting to keep their dream alive.
While beautiful, the castle has proven to be a money pit that the family struggles to cash in on.
And while they offer the castle for “immersive retreats” through their company Lady of the Chateau, the cost of running the 14,000-square-foot property means they’re barely breaking even.
A $1 million renovation budget quickly ballooned to $1.5 million, but the couple estimates the actual cost will be twice that to get the finish they really want.
“It’s becoming completely unaffordable,” Leach said. Only after the purchase did he discover that the castle is a historic monument that must be rebuilt using historically accurate but expensive methods.
Adding to the financial pressure is the fact that in two years, the couple’s visa will depend on them being able to prove that they each earn 42,406 euros, or about 46,800 dollars. Their salaries have not yet been paid.
Things got off to a bad start upon arrival, when the extent of the castle’s plumbing and electrical problems was discovered.
The family had purchased the property sight-unseen amid the pandemic after Leach and Ibarra moved from New York City to stay with Leach’s parents in California.
Realizing that everyone enjoyed living together, Leach and Ibarra asked their parents if they would like to sign up for their dream of a French chateau and were delighted when they agreed.
In the end, the family decided to sell their sprawling La Jolla home for $5.6 million, according to Zillow — twice the price of the castle.
Leach and Ibarra created an Instagram account, The Lady of the Chateau, filled with stunning photos of their tastefully decorated new home.
But the glossy images belie the state of neglect and chaos the castle is in. While the couple said they knew the move and renovation would be a challenge, the scale of the task they face has still surprised them.
The dilapidated structure proved difficult to renovate from the start; the family spent months trying to find the breaker box before they finally discovered it “in the dungeon.”
Julia Leach, 33, and Caroline Ibarra, 37, have been beset by problems since buying the stunning Château de Puy Vidal in Charente.
They bought the property for $2.6 million two years ago with the intention of running a bed and breakfast.
The property is over 14,000 square feet and is an ongoing renovation project that has been losing money.
The castle’s stunning gardens and ornamental maze are on display, and the property requires serious maintenance.
Guests enjoy an elegant evening at Château de Puy Vidal, but the glittering image belies an estate that requires enormous amounts of work and money.
A charming entrance to the castle. Its new owners only discovered that the property is listed as historic after they bought it, meaning it needs to be renovated using the same methods it was originally built with.
In addition to this, they had to deal with the discovery of a dead owl in one of the castle’s turrets, blocked pipes and the discovery of the remains of a medieval horse pool.
The sprawling property features 88 windows, three towers, 17 chimneys and a garden so large it takes a week to prune.
The situation has reached a new low compared to last winter, which was one of the wettest on record in France and caused devastating floods that kept the family locked in their homes.
The owners initially advertised the castle as a bed and breakfast. Many guests had heard about the castle through the couple’s popular YouTube channel.
But the demands quickly became too much and the decision was made to focus on offering retreats and workshops.
In June they offered their first aerial yoga workshop, working tirelessly before and after, but still barely managing to break even.
“Life is always so hard… And the beautiful, romanticized things you see on Instagram… they always take a lot of work to make happen,” Leach explained.
The couple, who worked as camera assistants on film and television sets in Brooklyn and earned around $100,000 a year each, also admitted they missed the hustle and bustle of city life.
The couple financed the purchase by selling Leach’s parents’ home in San Diego for $5.6 million.
Leach is pictured with his parents outside their former home in San Diego, which they sold to buy the castle.
Upon arrival, the couple had to contend with terrible weather, clogged septic tanks and even an earthquake.
The couple must prove that they each earn $47,000 to be able to stay in France when their visas are renewed.
Another fancy room in the castle. Leach and Ibarra are hoping a series of huge bookings scheduled for October will finally put them in a solid financial position.
But they remain optimistic about their future, thanks in large part to two huge bookings in October.
The five-day consecutive fantasy photo shoot retreats are completely sold out, with all nine rooms occupied and a waiting list of more than 100 people.
“I think what we’re doing is, in many ways, very American: creating a new world,” Ibarra said.
