The American couple who acquired a grand 48-room château in France

Having spent years renovating a nearly finished home in California with his husband, graphic designer Mark Goff never expected to take on another large-scale project.

But his curiosity was piqued when he stumbled upon a blog detailing the restoration of a dilapidated château in France, and he couldn't help but read it thoroughly.

Soon enough, he was researching the costs of a château and calculating how quickly they could sell their home and relocate to Europe.

While some may take time to consider the idea of purchasing a large, neglected estate and moving to a foreign country, Goff’s husband, data engineer Phillip Engel, was easily persuaded.

He was on a conference call,” Goff recalls to Dinogo Travel. “I turned my screen toward him and silently mouthed, ‘How about buying a château in southern France, restoring it, and turning it into a boutique hotel or event venue?’

Just moments after browsing through the photos on Goff’s screen, Engel gave him a thumbs up.

A Landmark Acquisition

He returned to his conference call, and I started searching for plane tickets,” Goff adds.

Once they made their decision, they faced the task of wrapping up their work on the California home, listing it for sale, finding a suitable château, and handling the logistics of relocating abroad.

Before diving into the move, the couple made two exploratory trips to France, touring French estates for sale to get a sense of what was available.

However, getting everything in order took a few years, and the Covid-19 pandemic further postponed their relocation plans.

By the end of 2020, Goff and Engel were granted a visa, and after more than four years since 'the click that changed their lives,' they moved to southern France in December, during the country’s lockdown.

Once restrictions eased, they were able to visit properties, concentrating their search in Gers, a rural area in southwestern France.

Their initial choice fell through, but soon they discovered a historic château for sale in the small village of Avensac, with a population under 50, which checked all the right boxes.

‘We immediately fell in love with it,’ says Goff. ‘The château itself is stunning. The location is incredible.’

‘Lords of the Château’

After making an offer in March, they were officially crowned 'lords of the château' in September 2021.

According to Goff, the previous owners were three siblings who inherited the property from their father, a French count.

‘They had grown up in that house, so parting with it was extremely difficult for them,’ he explains.

Though the château is believed to have been built in the early 19th century, it was actually constructed on the site of a much older château dating back to the 14th century. It features around 48 rooms, including a billiard room and a library.

‘It’s a manageable size,’ Goff says. ‘I mean, it’s enormous. But still manageable. I’ve seen châteaux with 90 to 120 rooms.’

Although they see themselves as starting from scratch, Goff and Engel have grand plans for the property, which requires extensive renovations.

Neither of them has significant hospitality experience, but they certainly have no shortage of ideas.

‘We don’t just want to run a boutique hotel where guests stay for the night,’ says Goff. ‘Our vision is to host events where guests come, stay for a week, and engage in activities at the château.’

Building a Dream

He mentions a variety of activities such as cooking, knitting, painting, cycling, canal cruises, and even creative writing.

Each week will be themed around a specific focus, creating a fantasy experience, where the imagination is at the heart of it all.

They envision the property as a perfect wedding venue and are excited about hosting weddings in the future.

Our primary focus will be on Americans, as that’s our area of expertise,” Goff shares, though he adds that they’re eager to venture beyond their comfort zone in the future.

Though transforming the château will require significant effort, the duo is committed to preserving its original charm and character.

We are proponents of restoration, not renovation,” Goff clarifies. “We’ll maintain every original detail that’s part of the property.

One of the main reasons we were drawn to the property is because it hasn’t been altered. The existing layout is perfect as it is. Our task is simply to bring it back to life as it was originally intended.

While the château is certainly nestled in the countryside, it’s conveniently accessible, with Toulouse-Blagnac Airport just a 45-minute drive away.

Having arrived during the pandemic and staying in a rental home outside the village while finalizing the purchase, Goff and Engel had limited opportunities to meet the locals for quite some time.

Extensive restoration work

At one point, Engel recalls, 'I guess the word got around that the château was sold, and these Americans were coming.'

Eager to make a positive first impression, they invited their new neighbors over to celebrate on the very day they signed the contracts.

'We opened the doors and said, ‘Come on in.’ People were surprised, asking ‘Really?’ We encouraged them to explore and enjoy,' recalls Goff.

They were excited when several locals arrived and started wandering through the property.

'The previous owners were extremely private,' Engel explains. 'Some of the villagers had lived here their whole lives and had never set foot inside.'

Since then, Goff and Engel hosted a Halloween party for the entire village and expressed their desire for locals to feel a part of their château adventure.

'Of course, it’s our home,' says Engel. 'But in a way, it’s also part of the community.'

However, it hasn’t just been celebrations and gatherings for the couple; there’s been plenty of hard work to get done.

Although they plan to handle most of the 'core work' themselves, Goff and Engel are enlisting skilled artisans to tackle the infrastructure aspects of the château.

They’ve been sharing their renovation journey on their blog, At the Chateau, and have also started a YouTube channel, where they plan to host live streams directly from Château Avensac.

'We’re trying to find a unique way to present ourselves on YouTube and keep our audience engaged,' Goff explains. 'We don’t want to just be talking heads.'

One of their main focuses has been adding en suite bathrooms to each of the bedrooms.

They’re currently refining their plans with an interior designer, describing their style as 'traditional with a touch of unexpected flair.'

Life in the countryside

'The bathrooms are being designed to be very classic, as bathrooms didn’t exist when the château was originally built,' says Goff.

Some of the fixtures they’ve been considering are inspired by the early designs of the Waldorf Astoria in New York.

Goff and Engel plan to eventually add air conditioning to the bedrooms. However, the suggestion has raised some eyebrows in their village.

'There’s a belief here that air conditioning isn’t necessary,' Engel explains. 'I mentioned it to the previous owner, and she just gave me a puzzled look. But we’re expecting many Americans, and they have certain expectations.'

For now, they’re managing by keeping the shutters slightly open during the day in summer and fully opening them in the evening, which is apparently the more traditional way of handling heat in French châteaux.

Despite having a clear design vision, Goff and Engel acknowledge that their budget may not go as far as they initially hoped.

'The costs have turned out to be much higher than we expected,' says Goff, explaining that they’ve been using the leftover proceeds from the sale of their Californian home to fund the renovation.

'If we were being practical, we could’ve bought a château for a bit less,' adds Engel.

'And then we would have had enough to do the renovation properly. But since we’re not being practical, we’ve had to take a different approach.'

That 'different approach' has meant postponing several projects until they can secure the necessary funds to finish them.

Honeymoon phase

One of the projects they’ve had to delay is converting their wine chai, a storage area for wine, into 'a large entertainment dining area with a stage and lighting.'

'It will be a fantastic addition,' says Goff. 'That way, we can host large indoor events late into the night without disturbing anyone.'

Booking contractors for some of the building work has been challenging, as local contractors have been overwhelmed with demand since the pandemic and are too busy to take on new projects.

'It’s a massive undertaking,' says Engel. 'Some of the electrical systems date back to the 1930s.'

The language barrier has also posed a significant challenge. While they both know some French, holding full conversations with French contractors has been difficult, which has caused some delays.

Despite the renovation process being more challenging than they anticipated, the couple is confident they will be able to open a few rooms by next year.

'We’re aiming to have something up and running by 2023 to start generating some income to help fund the project,' explains Goff. 'We want to run a few test events to get a feel for things.'

For now, Goff and Engel are embracing life at the château, saying that each day feels like a new adventure.

'This is the part we truly enjoy,' says Engel. 'The château may be a bit cobbled together, but it’s livable, and we managed to get through winter with our limited heating system.'

Although they are excited to eventually welcome guests to Château Avensac, they are also relishing having the space all to themselves and seeing the gradual progress of their hard work.

'It’s thrilling and enjoyable,' says Goff. 'We’re definitely in the honeymoon phase.'

Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated the number of bedrooms at the château in both the story and the headline.