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  • 4 friends who bought a $243,000 derelict hotel in France are renovating it with help from strangers on TikTok. Take a look.

4 friends who bought a $243,000 derelict hotel in France are renovating it with help from strangers on TikTok. Take a look.

Maria NoyenOct 22, 2022, 16:17 IST

Four friends are now the proud owners of a once-abandoned French hotel and chapel.Karleah Del Moral, James Turner

  • In 2021 James Turner, a musician, and three of his friends bought a derelict hotel in France.
  • They found the $243,000 property on the French equivalent of Craiglist.
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In 2020, four friends with a passion for the arts got the idea to create a retreat for themselves and others.

James Turner (furthest to the right) bought an abandoned French hotel with three friends.Karleah Del Moral

Their dream became a reality in 2021 when they saw a hotel and chapel for sale on the French version of Craigslist.

La Boule D'or.James Turner
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The hotel has a massive "Jurassic" garden, a garage they plan to convert into studios, and a "conciergerie," where their future guests will book stays, Turner said.

The walled garden.James Turner

La Boule D'or is located in a medieval town called Clamecy in the French countryside.

The hotel is a three-hour drive from Paris, France.Google Maps
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Turner said he was apprehensive about buying the hotel at first, given the previous owners didn't allow them to do a building inspection.

Turner said they did not do building inspections before buying the hotel.James Turner

He joined the rest of the gang at La Boule d'Or in January, which is when renovations began.

A room on the third floor of the hotel.James Turner
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There were moments of real danger, such as the time a fridge inexplicably caught on fire.

Renovating the old hotel has come with plenty of challenges.James Turner

One of the first tasks was stripping old wallpaper in each bedroom, which took two months to complete.

Stripping the old wallpaper from each room took two months to do.James Turner
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It wasn't just the color they hated — Turner said the rooms were "horribly laid out," with awful lighting and "absolutely horrendous" furnishing.

The original rooms were "horrendous" prior to the renovation, Turner said.James Turner

Once the walls were white, Turner said they went to local markets to source vintage furniture for the rooms, which are now completed.

The rooms now are totally different.James Turner
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But Turner said the group couldn't have made as much progress as they have without the help of strangers on TikTok.

The group enlisted help from strangers on TikTok.James Turner

Turner said he's since received thousands of emails from people wanting to come to help the group make their dream a reality.

The centuries-old chapel is one of the social hubs at the hotel.James Turner
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The chapel, once the site of a medieval hospital, is where dinner parties take place — it also doubles as a disco, Turner said.

The chapel doubles as a disco.James Turner

Turner said they are bringing the hospital back to life as people who come to stay with them leave "rejuvenated."

James Turner (furthest to the right) said they expect the project to be completed by 2024.Karleah Del Moral
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