A couple with no DIY experience are renovating a rundown 200-year-old French château - relying on YouTube videos to learn along the way. 

Dimitri Petipas, 35, and his husband David, 28, purchased nine-bedroom Egmont Manor, located around an hour from Paris, for €330,000 (£285,000) last month.

Yet while the historic property has zero water or electricity and a leaky roof, the pair, who have zero DIY experience, have 'no regrets'.

The nine-bed home is 600 square metres inside and surrounded by 10,000 square metres of sprawling gardens which they hope to eventually turn into a maze and Christmas markets. 

While they are already married, David and Dimitri hope to restore the ancient manor to its 'glory days' so they can host a lavish belated wedding celebration for their friends and family and eventually rent it out as an Airbnb. 

However, having never done any DIY before, the pair are quickly attempting learn the necessary skills by watching YouTube videos and learning tips and tricks from fellow renovators in WhatsApp groups.

'We want to do a lot of it ourselves, because it is much more rewarding when we are on our own. We take a lot more time than professionals but it is way cheaper,' said Dimitri. 

'We spend little and are very careful where we spend the money. We are learning along the way. We had to learn everything from scratch so it is not easy. It is very cliché but we are using YouTube mainly.'

The Frenchman said that it took six months for the pair to secure the manor as they had many offers refused - but they eventually knocked 150,000€ off the price.

Then, soon after purchasing the property, the pair started ripping out the damaged plants, trying to move the front gate to create a driveway and knocking down walls to open up the space - with dreams of finishing in a year.

However, they have been forced to encounter numerous problems along the way - such as hidden chimneys and leaks. As a result, they now believe it will take at least three years to complete.

With no electricity or water, they haven't been able to move in, still commuting five hours from their flat in the French Alps or hiring an Airbnb just to work on it.

'We only have problems. We find some nice surprises but mainly we find issues. We are having to do so much more than we had planned,' added Dimitri. 

'That is all part of the experience. You can't buy something that is 200 years old without having any issues. We have no regrets at all. It is fulfilling.'

The loved-up pair have also had issues with money, having only being able to secure 100,000€ as a renovation loan, which they say is a third of what they need.

However, they still have high hopes, completing most of the work themselves to save money and trying to get brand partnerships.

Now, they are aiming to renovate one room and one bathroom by the end of the year so that they can finally move into their dream home.

'For a long time we have been fans of castles, history, old buildings and everything,' said Dimitri. 

'We were travelling and visiting lots of castles and we saw this manor being for sale.

'We just fell in love immediately. We just wanted to try the experience. Yes we have something to lose because it is a huge investment, but you only have one life.'

Now, their goal is to bring the property 'back to its glory days in the 1920s when it was full of life and parties'.

'We want to create something that can last for decades and hopefully be our legacy and survive us,' he added.

'I don't think it is something that you can keep for yourself when you have this type of historical building.'

Dimitri met David, from Switzerland, four years ago when they were both living in Geneva and the pair have been in love with historic buildings ever since.

Now, they are sharing their renovation journey on TikTok to viewers across the world with the hopes of making enough money to finish their ambitious project.