New York Couple Buys Dilapidated French Chateau — But Now They Risk Deportation

A New York City couple, who convinced their family to sell their home in the United States and spend $2.6 million on a dilapidated French chateau, are struggling to keep the dream alive after being besieged by structural problems and costly renovations.

Julia Leach, 33, and her fiancé Caroline Ibarra, 37, bought the 750-year-old chateau in Charente, 90 minutes northeast of Bordeaux, with Leach’s parents in early 2021 with the hope of turning it into a full-scale hospitality business, according to The Wall Street Journal reported.

But after two years of establishment Lady of the Palace The couple says they were overwhelmed by the cost of renovating the 14,000-square-foot property.

The bill for repairs and renovations to the property has ballooned to nearly three times its projected budget of $1 million.

Worse still, they now face deportation when their visas expire if they cannot prove they are earning more than France’s minimum wage of around $46,800 over the next two years.

The couple’s dream of living in a chateau in the French countryside hit a major roadblock when they decided to leave their Brooklyn apartment, give up their careers as TV and film assistants, and start a YouTube channel to document the renovation process.

They soon encountered problems with the castle-like property, including structural issues, leaks, sewer blockages, electrical problems — and even a small earthquake.

At one point, the couple found themselves removing sanitary pads from a backlogged septic tank, and removing dead animals from the infrastructure.

The couple were also unaware when they bought the mansion that it was listed as a historic monument, which means the architects must be given government approval for any structural changes to the building.

The family — including Leach’s parents and sister, who also moved in for the joint venture — was planning to make a significant investment in the property.

But costs have risen to nearly $3 million.

“It was completely out of reach,” Leach recalls thinking early on, adding that the cost made them completely rethink the first two years of their renovation plans.

Leach’s parents had sold their French Provençal-style family home in La Jolla, California, to help pay for the mansion and invest in the business.

Leach said the mansion’s gardeners and cleaners, including some who had worked there for decades, also realized early on that the couple were serious about revitalizing the property and weren’t just there to “drink champagne in bed.”

“It was like an overwhelming responsibility and panic,” she recalled of her first few months in the palace.

The family says that despite all the renovations and structural problems, they have been trying to keep their business plan afloat.

Although the property initially opened as a bed and breakfast, they have since shifted to focusing on “immersive resorts” so they can try to make a profit.

“I think what we’re doing, in many ways, is very American,” Ibarra said.