Inside the Ultimate Home Renovation Challenge: Babyproofing a 500-Year-Old French Chateau
Most expectant parents spend their final trimester assembling cribs, installing cabinet locks, and covering electrical outlets. For Daphne and Ian Fig — the married duo behind HGTV's hit renovation series Castle Impossible — that to-do list looks a little different. Try adding stone staircases, centuries-old ironwork, crumbling masonry, and four floors of medieval architecture to your standard babyproofing checklist. Welcome to parenthood, chateau-style.
Daphne, who is currently seven months pregnant, and her husband Ian recently announced their exciting news on the second season of Castle Impossible, which premiered on HGTV in May. The show has captivated audiences since its debut, documenting the couple's ambitious mission to restore Chateau de Lesigny — a 1508-era estate located just 15 miles outside of Paris — using their entire life savings. Now, with a baby on the way, the Figs are navigating one of the most unusual home-safety challenges imaginable: making a 500-year-old French chateau safe for a newborn.
From Dream Inheritance to Family Home
Chateau de Lesigny is not your average fixer-upper. Daphne inherited the sprawling 130-acre property from her grandfather, and while it came with an undeniable sense of romance and history, it also came with a staggering list of repairs. The four-level domain has been in a state of gradual restoration for more than a year, with Daphne estimating that roughly 75% of the renovation work still remains to be completed.
The Figs have poured their hearts — and their savings — into lovingly restoring the chateau to its former glory, carefully balancing historical preservation with modern livability. Every room remodel, every repaired wall, and every restored detail has been a labor of love. But as any new parent knows, a growing family has a way of reshuffling every priority list in a hurry.
Running a Business While Renovating (and Expecting)
Adding to the complexity of their situation, Daphne and Ian don't just live at Chateau de Lesigny — they run it as a business. To generate the income needed to fund ongoing renovations and maintain the massive estate, the Figs operate an on-site weddings and events business. Between hosting elegant celebrations on the grounds and managing the endless demands of a working chateau, the couple now has to carve out the time and resources to address a whole new category of home improvement: infant safety.
It's a balancing act that would challenge even the most seasoned renovators. Maintaining a historic property while running an events business is demanding enough. Doing it while preparing for a first child — and ensuring the ancient estate meets modern safety standards — is something else entirely.
The Unique Challenges of Babyproofing a Historic Estate
Babyproofing a conventional home is straightforward enough. But a 500-year-old French chateau presents hazards that no standard baby gate or cabinet latch was designed to handle. The Figs are discovering that historic preservation and infant safety don't always align neatly, and creative problem-solving is essential at every turn.
Some of the most significant safety considerations for a property like Chateau de Lesigny include:
- Stone staircases and uneven flooring: Unlike modern carpeted stairs, centuries-old stone steps are steep, uneven, and unforgiving. Securing these areas requires custom safety solutions that don't damage or alter the historic fabric of the building.
- Ironwork and decorative fixtures: Ornate railings, hinges, and architectural details — while beautiful — can present sharp edges and pinch points that pose real risks to curious little hands.
- Crumbling masonry and ongoing renovation zones: With 75% of the chateau still under renovation, active construction areas must be carefully sectioned off to keep a mobile infant away from debris, tools, and unstable surfaces.
- Four-level layout: Managing vertical movement across four floors of a historic home demands multiple layers of gate and barrier installation, all while preserving the architectural integrity of doorways and passages that are centuries old.
- Lead paint and aging materials: Older European properties often contain materials — including certain paints and plasters — that require testing and remediation before they are safe for young children.
Balancing Historical Preservation With Modern Safety
One of the most nuanced aspects of the Figs' challenge is ensuring that their babyproofing efforts don't compromise the very historical details they've worked so hard to restore. This is a tension that owners of historic homes around the world understand intimately — the desire to protect both your child and your heritage simultaneously.
Experts in historic home renovation often recommend working with preservation-conscious contractors who understand how to introduce modern safety features without leaving a permanent mark on irreplaceable materials. Removable safety barriers, pressure-mounted gates, and soft-close hardware designed for irregular surfaces can all be effective tools in spaces where drilling into original stonework simply isn't an option.
A New Chapter for Castle Impossible
The announcement of Daphne and Ian's pregnancy has added an entirely new and deeply personal dimension to Castle Impossible. What began as a story about one couple's extraordinary commitment to preserving a piece of French architectural history has evolved into something even more compelling — a story about building a life, not just a home.
Viewers have watched the Figs navigate impossible budgets, structural setbacks, and the emotional weight of restoring a family inheritance. Now they'll follow along as the couple prepares to raise the next generation of that family within those ancient walls. There's something quietly moving about a child growing up in a place that has stood for more than five centuries — a living connection between history and the future.
Tips for Babyproofing Any Historic or Older Home
Whether you're raising a child in a 16th-century French chateau or a 100-year-old craftsman bungalow, older homes share many of the same safety considerations. If you're expecting and living in a historic property, here are some practical steps to take:
- Conduct a hazardous materials assessment for lead paint and asbestos before your child becomes mobile.
- Prioritize staircase safety with pressure-mounted or hardware-mounted gates appropriate for your stair type.
- Audit all railings and banisters for stability — older railings may not meet modern building codes and could need reinforcement.
- Seal off active renovation areas with solid barriers, not just caution tape.
- Consult a historic preservation specialist before drilling or permanently modifying any original architectural elements.
- Install soft flooring in key play areas to cushion falls on hard stone or hardwood surfaces.
For Daphne and Ian Fig, the journey ahead is as exciting as it is daunting. They've already proven that they can take on what many would consider an impossible task. Raising a family inside a 500-year-old French chateau? For the stars of Castle Impossible, it's just the next chapter of an already extraordinary story.