
New digs: In 2021, graphic designer Mark Goff and his husband, data engineer Phillip Engel purchased the historic Château Avensac and moved to France's Gers region.

Big project: The couple are transforming the French manor house into a boutique hotel and entertainment space, and hope to be ready to open up some rooms towards the end of 2023.

Work-in-progress: They plan to do most of the "core work" themselves, but Goff and Engel are bringing in artisans to deal with the infrastructure side of things.

Large-scale property: The chateau has around 48 rooms, including a billiard room, a library and a wine storeroom.

Historic building: Although the chateau was apparently built in the early 19th century, it was constructed on the site of a chateau dating back to around 1320.

Enormous task: "It's a manageable size," Goff tells CNN Travel. "I mean, it's huge. But it's a manageable size."

Extensive work: They've been working on repairing the floors and giving some of the rooms a face lift.

Maintaining the essence: "We are pro restoration, not renovation," explains Goff. "So every detail that is there, we are keeping."

Chateau owners: While they say they're at "ground zero," Goff and Engel have big plans for the property.

Full makeover: One of the many tasks they've been working on is adding en suite bathrooms to the 48 bedrooms.

Budget challenges: "If we were sensible, we could have bought a chateau for maybe a little bit cheaper," says Engel. "And then we would have had enough funds to really do the proper renovation. But we're not sensible."

Opening plans: "We hope to get something up and running for 2023 to start bringing a little income in to keep supporting moving forward," says Goff.

Village life: Goff and Engel hosted a Halloween party for the entire village last year, and say they want locals to feel included in their chateau experiment.

Community spirit: "Of course, it's our house," says Engel. "But in a way it belongs to the community as well."