British millionaire couple's £10million Swiss castle renovation dispute: Builders claim bankers have not paid them £664,000 owed for work including building an underground car park
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A British millionaire couple who are turning a Swiss castle into their dream family home allegedly owe their builders £664,000 for work on the 13th-century pile, local media reports. Steinegg Castle in Hüttwilen, northern Switzerland, was bought in 2006 by Yvonne Thom and James Rennie, who are both reported to work in the financial sector.
![[Steinegg Castle in Hüttwilen, northern Switzerland, was bought by financier Yvonne Thom and her husband James Rennie]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/13/12/93120003-14189491-image-m-57_1734094426145.jpg)
Work on the castle, which was valued at around £4million at the time, is set to cost around 12 million Swiss francs, or £10million, and has reportedly taken years to complete. Updates reportedly include the building of an underground car park beneath the former luxury hotel and spa.
![[Christian Hagen, who is the director of family-run construction firm H.Hagen AG]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/13/12/93119999-14189491-image-a-56_1734094416862.jpg)
'We have been working up there for ten years,' construction company director Christian Hagen told a local newspaper. He claimed that the couple had recently failed to pay several bills, and that his firm had spoken with them to reach an agreement. They acknowledged the amount they owed the firm, he said, but the payment has still not arrived months later.
'We have had to wait for the money for around a year and a half now and manage without it,' Mr Hagen said. Works are said to include the building of an underground car park beneath the former hotel. Steinegg Castle in Hüttwilen, northern Switzerland, was bought by financier Yvonne Thom and her husband James Rennie.
The firm's contact with the long-term clients had been 'pleasant', Mr Hagen said, and they had met with them regularly on the construction site prior to the dispute. He said they had made payments on time for years before the latest invoice, he said, adding that the amount is 'a large sum' for his family-run company to go without.
