Episode 17 Cowboy Trap

Across the length and breadth of the country,

cowboy builders and rogue traders are causing chaos and destruction

to people's homes and their lives.

All the dreams, all the enthusiasm about it, it had all gone.

All gone in ten minutes.

Ten minutes to see what he'd done to my house.

We're going to uncover some of the worst building disasters in Britain.

Not only am I looking at an eyesore, the garden has been disrupted

and everything else,

but just to know that, how am I going to get it fixed?

Along with my team of experts, I'm here to help those

who've suffered at the hands of these shameful individuals,

and turn devastation into delight.

-Thanks, Clive. It's lovely.

-Fantastic, isn't it?

You know, knowledge is power,

so if you take on board all my advice, hints and tips,

we'll help prevent you from falling into the Cowboy Trap.

On today's Cowboy Trap, we're meeting two women

who suffered at the hands of builders who've wreaked havoc.

In Aberdeenshire, Jean wanted to make some minor improvements

to her council house, but ended up with heartache.

And then I got the builders in to do my laminate flooring

in the front room and the hallway,

and I wanted the kitchen tiling, and that's where the trouble began.

And in Weston-super-Mare,

single mum Alison dreamed of adding a conservatory to the family home,

but found herself on the end of a long list of victims

with almost nothing to show for their money.

So I would be phoning him, asking him.

He'd coming up with every single excuse under the sun, and I just

basically at the end said, "Either do the job, or give me my money back."

But first, we're in Aberdeenshire.

Newly divorced 63-year-old Jean hoped to make herself

completely at home in her new house with Tilly, her Westie,

and Scottie dog Ben.

After I was divorced, I was left with no home,

and I was housed by the council in temporary accommodation.

There for nine months, and then they offered me this house,

and we were just overjoyed with it. It was lovely, clean.

They put in a new kitchen, new bathroom, had the council.

They were very good. Everywhere had been painted, pristine.

It was just what I wanted.

Gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous.

With lovely views of the Scottish hills outside,

the only thing Jean was missing inside

was some new laminate flooring, tiles and a cooker in the kitchen.

Well, after we'd been to do the viewing, I did ask

the council if I could stay in me temporary housing for an extra week

whilst I got the flooring done.

Then I could just move in and that was me settled.

With moving in day delayed for a week,

Jean and her daughter Laura began an internet search for a tradesman

who could fit laminate flooring in the living room and hallway.

We went onto this site and what you do is, you put in the job

that you need doing and then, the people on the site,

they get back to you and say, "I can do the job."

Because I said I wanted it done as soon as possible within the week,

ready for me to move in.

And I got a phone call back from this building company.

The tradesman Jean found on the internet review site could come almost right away to quote.

When he arrived, he spotted some other jobs his firm could help with.

Because he had been round to look at the house where it is,

he'd noticed that the garden was a really bad mess, and he says,

"We do gardening as well, would you like your garden done?"

I said, "That'd be brilliant, getting all the jobs done in one following on.'

So he quoted me £3,200 for all the work complete,

and that included a new cooker as well.

Jean's modest savings would cover the quote.

He promised the job would be done in just three days,

so Jean could move in within the week.

To book the job,

the tradesman wanted half the money, £1,600, upfront.

I thought that's reasonable, you know, and the rest of the other half

of the money would be paid on completion of the work,

and satisfaction of the work.

Alarm bells should sound if your builder wants to be paid up front.

Follow my tips to stay out of trouble.

However persuasive your builder is, don't pay up front.

You don't have to pay for your meal the minute you sit down in a restaurant.

It's the same rule for building work.

Once you've handed over your cash, it's very difficult to get the builder to put things right.

Jean was confident her highly-rated builder, found on the internet, would do a good job.

But of course it wasn't to be.

The day before I moved in, I came to see it...

you could have knocked me down with a feather. I was so, so upset.

This is my home, my first home of my own.

I'm 63, I just wanted to settle. The rest of my life, be here.

Settled and happy.

It shattered everything.

How could such a relatively simple job as laying a bit of laminate flooring, fitting some worktops

and installing a cooker cause so much upset for poor Jean?

Jean's retirement dream has turned into a nightmare.

It's time for me to meet her

and get the low-down on this flooring fiasco.

-Hello. Are you Jean?

-Yes, I am.

-I'm Clive from Cowboy Trap.

-I hear you've had cowboy builders in the property?

-I have.

-Would you mind showing me round the problems?

-Not at all.

Come in here, please, Clive.

-OK. Is this where the problems are?

-Quite a few of the problems, yeah.

It's the laminate flooring.

-Yep.

-No need to say a lot, you can see.

-It's been really butchered, hasn't it, there?

-Yes.

And butchered that side as well, Clive.

That's why you've got them long strips of wood instead of beading,

because there's too much gap.

-Did they put the skirting on?

-That's the second lot of skirting I've had on.

-First of all, they put the really wide on.

-Yep.

But they made such a mess of it, it had to come off.

And because of that, they left stain marks all around the walls.

The skirting must have still been wet when it was put on.

-Right, OK.

-And then down to the floor again, such as here,

chips all over. Unevenness.

And this is like a click system? This is a click system you've got?

-Yes, it's the click.

-So it's fairly straightforward to put together.

You have to be super careful, and you have to be gentle when you're clipping them together.

I think they've kicked it with their feet or something.

Jean's tradesman has messed up the floor in the living room, and his trail of damage

runs right through everything he's touched.

Here we are. What's the first thing that hits you?

-What's happened with the cooker?

-Exactly.

It's actually on a slope there, and there's no plate-off, is there?

That's right. And also, this is the nearest match they could get to that.

-Hey, that's good(!)

-So they blended in.

-Were they colour-blind or what?

That was supposed to match your existing work top?

You would think so, wouldn't you?

They must be colour blind, yes, they must.

The whole thing looks a bit dodgy to me.

Is this what you requested them to do, to fit it?

I wanted a free-standing one.

He said, "No, let me get you a hob and oven.

"That way it's fitted to the edges

"and there's no food can get down the sides."

That's rubbish, because, look, there's a great big gap down the side.

You're going to get germs down there, food going off.

-Yeah.

-How can he say that?

To me, I can't see that it's sealed around the perimeter of the hob,

and it doesn't even look like the hob's fastened down.

No, it isn't. I have to show you.

Let me do it, I don't want you... Let's have a look.

That's rubbish, look at that. That should be sitting on a bed,

and that should all be sealed around the outside as well.

There's movement there. Don't forget, you're dealing with electricity too,

which is dangerous. Is this actually up and working?

It is working, but I won't use the oven, because I don't know

-if it's safe enough with that all getting hot.

-It's not safe.

This is an amateurish and dangerous job,

which Jean has paid top dollar for.

But it's not only the money which has upset Jean,

it's her trust, which has been abused.

'Let's see what we can do to restore her faith

'and transform this mess into her dream retirement home.'

So, Jean, what can I do and my team to make you happy?

Give me my nice home back.

You know? As I wanted it.

As happy as I felt the day I came in to view it.

And how happy I should have been the day I moved in.

I just want that happiness back.

If you can do that...

OK.

I'll tell you what we'll do.

We'll rip up this floor.

Put down a new one.

Sort out the skirting.

Sort out the architrave around the door, sort out the door.

Sort out the cooker.

My cooker, thank you.

How's about that? Would that make you happy?

-Yes, please.

-Deal.

-Deal.

I'll see you in a bit.

OK, love.

After all the upset caused by these cowboys,

I can't wait to see Jean smile.

Jean really needs to get these finishing touches sorted,

to turn the house she plans to spend the rest of her life in,

into the dream home she truly deserves.

So, it's time to bring in the good guys.

Coming up - an independent building inspector

gives his verdict on the work done by Jean's cowboy contractor.

There's very little you can actually do to sort that,

-other than lifting it and starting again.

-Yeah.

We're off to Weston-super-Mare now,

where self-employed single mum Alison Buckley lives

with her two daughters, 19-year-old Kate and six-year-old Daisy.

She wanted a classic conservatory to soak up all that Somerset sunshine.

When I bought the house, I could see the potential that we could always have one there.

In the previous property, we had a conservatory and we made such good use of it.

Alison didn't have to look far for a builder,

because she'd recently hired a guy

to convert her loft to a bedroom and bathroom.

I didn't seek out any references, I just believed that he was good

at his job, he'd done a good job previously,

so I presumed he would do again.

Alison couldn't wait to enjoy all the extra space,

so work began in December.

The new conservatory would be the perfect Christmas present.

He quoted me £4,000 for cash

and he did say four to six weeks for it to be, start to finish.

Finished to a satisfactory conclusion, I think it was agreed.

He more or less started work that day or the very next day.

They were probably here for about two weeks,

because they did dig the footings, they did put in the base

and they did do the small walls around the edge,

and then stopped around about Christmas time.

By the time work stopped, Alison had handed over £3,750

and all she had to show was a concrete slab, block work

and a few rows of bricks.

It's been 18 months since the builder left.

Financially, it was my little nest-egg, so to speak,

that I relied on just in case, but... So that's gone,

and it's just something that's always there.

It's always eating away at you, the fact that

not only am I looking at an eyesore and the garden's been disrupted

and everything else,

but just to know that, how am I going to get it fixed?

Where do you turn next? And there's only me who can answer that,

because there's just me for support here.

Follow my top tips. Building a conservatory is a specialist job.

Check your chosen builder is familiar with what's required.

Even better, get three quotes from specialist firms

who build conservatories day-in, day-out

and can advise on all the options available.

Alison hoped her builder was one of the good guys,

but sadly, it wasn't to be.

Alison has forked out a fortune, but got very little in return.

It's time for me to check out the damage.

-Hello, Alison?

-Hello.

-Hi, I'm Clive from Cowboy Trap. How are you?

-Not too bad, thank you.

-You?

-Not bad at all.

Now I hear you've had cowboy builders in the property.

-That's right.

-Would you mind showing me the damage?

-Oh, it'll be a pleasure! Come in.

-OK.

Let's have a look. Thank you.

'I can't wait to see what Alison got for her money.

'Oh, dear. Is this it?'

-So, there we go.

-OK.

-So we've got roughly, what, eight or nine courses of brick there?

-Yes.

I'll take a closer look but I think,

first of all, the cavity doesn't look wide enough.

Let's just see what that's like.

Oh, yeah, that is a way off.

-Right, there's the odd tie in there, but there's not enough ties.

-No.

So that is a real mess, that's not been attached at all.

The damp course lining there,

as you'll see, that's just up against the house, there's no way

that was ever going to make any contact whatsoever with your

original building and you can see, he's just used mortar,

that mortar's disintegrated and it's just a mess.

But the other problem I have looking at this,

that cavity doesn't look like it's the minimum 50mm cavity.

No, that's right. That has been pointed out to me as well,

and as you walk around,

somebody's mentioned to me that the gap gets smaller over on that end.

Oh, I can see that. Yes, it's way too narrow.

-It is a mess, there's no two ways about it.

-Absolutely.

Of course, there's much more to a conservatory

than base and brickwork.

Glazed doors and windows would have been nice.

I think, I'll wait to see what the surveyor says, but I'd think that

all of this will have to come down including the outer line.

-We'll have to just take the whole lot down.

-Start again.

And start again. Down on foundations, again we'll do

a little inspection hole, just see how far down the footings are.

-Make sure they're sound, yeah.

-Make sure they're sound.

If that's a taster of the type of work that he carries out,

I'm not 100% sure he's actually a builder

-or can be classed as such.

-No.

'Building a conservatory is an expensive project.'

Alison's been saving up, so she can reclaim her garden,

but it looks like another summer will come and go

unless we can step in to provide some help with the framework.

What could we do in the short space of time we are here,

what could we do that would make you happy?

-Is there something we could do?

-Just help, basically.

You've given me a lot of support, mentally anyway.

To get that conservatory well and truly sorted,

it would be a huge, huge, huge help.

'Alison's ordered the new conservatory,'

and we're bringing in the good guys to help get it erected.

'But coming up, there's some very bad news about

'the loft conversion Alison's cowboy builder did complete.

'He's left the house roof at risk.'

As it stands, the house is unsaleable.

It's got such a major defect up there.

Meanwhile back in Aberdeenshire, we're helping pensioner Jean Tyson.

Recently divorced, she's coming to terms with setting up home alone.

There was barely anything to do to her freshly-decorated council house,

except to fit new laminate flooring and a cooker,

but the tradesman she hired ruined the new decoration

and left her kitchen cooker in a dangerous state.

Before we bring in the good guys to make everything right,

I want to get the verdict of an independent chartered surveyor.

You've had a chance to have a look around Jean's property,

what problems have you found with the work these guys have done?

First problem is obviously the laminate flooring.

The flooring's been installed but, obviously, you can see from the entrance door here,

the gap's far too big, the quality of the workmanship is quite poor.

The skirtings haven't really been fitted properly.

Where they've removed the old skirtings they've actually ended up

tearing the paper, which is not an uncommon problem.

I think it's a case of having to lift this floor, do you?

Once you've done this kind of job, there's very little you can do

to sort that, other than lifting it and starting again.

Yeah. I think that's what we'll have to do. Any other problems you've seen?

Do you want to have a look at the kitchen, the cooker?

OK, let's go and have a look.

-OK.

-Right. The council, when they've left this,

have obviously left a space for the slide-in cooker.

And they've tried to fit in a ceramic hob in place.

So the council have done part of the kitchen but this guy,

the builder's come in and slotted in the cooker?

He's slotted in a unit in the space

to put in the housing for the cooker.

-Is this secure?

-No, no. If you actually pull it, Clive, it'll...

Oh, dear. Yeah, OK, fair enough.

It'll land on your toes.

Now, in terms of the work that you've seen, Colin, at this stage,

can I get a mark out of ten from you that you'd give for these guys

-for the work they've carried out?

-Two out of ten for effort.

Two out of ten is a terrible score.

Now we need to get cracking to right the wrongs.

Mike is leading our team of good guys today.

My plan of attack will be, facings off, skirtings off, floor ripped up.

-New floor laid.

-Yep.

We can probably re-use the majority of skirtings in this instance,

-because most of them look as if they can still be salvaged.

-OK.

-New facing around the actual doorway.

-OK.

And the kitchen itself has been set up to take a free-standing cooker,

but what they've put in...

Is a hob and...

Is a hob and an oven in a separate carcass

and they haven't finished the job properly.

Do you know, I couldn't believe how they'd convinced Jean.

Jean wanted a free-stander.

They convinced her to have one of them. I'm glad, Mike, you're in.

The good guys are here

and I'm sure it's going to put a smile back on Jean's face.

What I'm going to do is get out of your face,

but I'll be back as things progress, find out how you're doing.

'While Mike and the guys get stuck in,

'I want to track back and find out how a job Jean was told would take three days

'ended up taking five weeks, damaged her decoration

'and left her with a dangerous cooker.'

The way they were talking, oh, so smooth, you know,

no hiccups, no nothing.

And I trusted them right away because this man,

he had the patter and he kept calling me "hun", short for honey.

They're gifted at that, these cowboys.

It's one thing that they really do rehearse.

The remit was floor, lay the floor that you'd already purchased.

-Also to do the tiling in the kitchen, tile the floor there.

-Yeah.

And...did you not say they'd got a cooker to fit and a...?

"Well," he says, "I see you haven't got a cooker."

I said, "No, I'm going to get a cooker and a fridge freezer."

He says, "I can get them for you,

"I can get you them cost price, whatever.

"It'll be cheaper for you," and I said, "Well, that's fine,

"it'll save me the trouble."

And he said, what, there's going to be four days to fit, to do all the fit, did you say?

Three to four days. He said they would start the next day on the Tuesday,

but he never started till the Wednesday, but he did say, he sent me an e-mail

saying, "Your house will be ready to move into Friday.

"It'll all be done and ready for you to move into,"

and it wasn't, it all had to come up.

Did you blame yourself?

Well, of course.

It's me. I mean, handing over money, how stupid's that?

If I didn't hand that money over to him, he wouldn't have come back and done the work.

I know that now. That was me being stupid and rushing,

because he was the only one that phoned up that could do it that week.

Take my top tip to stay out of trouble.

Don't expect good tradespeople to be able to start your job right away.

Reputable firms get booked up, so plan your building work ahead.

Get three quotes and check references.

Be patient. Putting a bad job right

will cost much more heartache and money.

The builder made a real mess of Jean's freshly-decorated home

and left the cooker unsafe.

Our team is going to replace all that terrible flooring and the dangerous cooker.

It's time this cowboy answered some questions.

What kind of builder would leave a lady living on her own

with an unfinished job and poor quality workmanship?

Let's see if we can get those answers.

If you had an opportunity to speak to your builder today,

this very day, what would you like to say to him?

I'd like to ask him if he's got a conscience, what he's done to me.

Did he start out with the intention of doing this to me?

Now, there's every possibility that he'll be aware that we're

trying to get in touch with him so he might not answer the phone.

If it goes to answerphone, just leave a nice, succinct message.

-There you go. It's ringing.

-Mm-hmm.

Let's see how we go.

'Please leave a message after the tone.'

It's Jean, Jean Tyson from Kemnay.

I'm wanting some questions answered to put this thing to rest, and

I wondered please if you could phone me back

on this number as soon as possible.

OK. Obviously what he's doing, he's allowing all his calls to

-go to answerphone just in case, he knows that we're on his case.

-Yeah.

And in fact he knows that we're on his case so much that

our office have already spoken to him and he's placing the blame

firmly with A N Other person.

-All right, the person that carried out the work.

-Yeah.

But if I'm right in saying, he was the guy that did the original quote.

-Yes.

-He was the guy that said I'll make sure everything's fine.

-Right.

-He was the guy that took the money in the first place.

-Yes.

And so therefore it all starts to build that he's the one responsible

-but the moment that it falls upon his shoulders to actually go, I've got to put things right...

-Yeah.

-He's blaming someone else.

-Yeah.

You know who you are and now we know who you are.

And by exposing your tricks and techniques,

we're preventing others from falling into your trap.

Coming up, I can't wait to see the smile on Jean's face

when we show her what the good guys can do.

-Thanks, Clive, it's lovely.

-Fantastic, isn't it?

You see, these are the best bits for me.

Yeah.

Meanwhile back in Weston-super-Mare, self-employed single mum Alison Buckley was hoping to bring some

sunshine into her family's life with a brand new conservatory.

She'd used the builder before but this time

all she got was a concrete slab and a few rows of bricks

before he scarpered with £3,750 of her cash.

Alison has been saving hard to put this sorry saga behind her, and we're here to help her out,

but before we get stuck in, I want to hear the verdict of an independent chartered surveyor.

What have you seen that you really don't like?

-Well, to start with, this wall isn't properly tied into the main structure.

-Yep.

And there are no cavity ties between the outer and inner skin walls.

So between the two leaves, there's no cavity ties there at all.

That's right. And there's, consequently, no stability at all.

In your opinion, would you say you're better off just taking this whole thing down and starting again?

-It's got to come down. The cavities round here, anyway, are of inadequate widths.

-Yep.

There's no way you could fit insulation in there.

-So it needs to come down, full stop.

-It needs to come down, full stop.

The builder Alison hired to do the conservatory

had previously built her loft conversion a couple of years earlier.

When he heard this, the inspector went to have a look,

and now he has some very bad news about the roof.

They've put a floor...

just on the already weakened roof trusses.

I'm sad to say that, in fact, it is so bad

that it would need completely taking apart and rebuilding from scratch,

which would mean replacing most of the roof.

As it stands, the house is unsaleable.

It's got such a major defect up there.

That roof could in time collapse

and it's going to be very expensive to put it right.

Yes, indeed. Way more than the 4 grand she was quoted to have the job done in the first place.

-I would think, including VAT, which you would pay with a reputable company...

-Of course.

..you're going to be somewhere between 25,000 and 30,000 to do the job properly.

Now, for the work you've seen that he's done, I would like from you, William,

a mark out of ten, if you wouldn't mind.

That would be very difficult.

I think I would be going below zero.

OK, well, you go below zero, that's fine by me. Absolutely fine.

I would probably go minus nine.

Minus nine?! That's our lowest ever in this whole series.

So minus nine, he's just not worthy, is he?

He's not worthy...

..to call himself a professional builder.

They say lightning never strikes twice, but this cowboy has dealt Alison a devastating blow.

Not only did he abandon the conservatory, he bodged her loft conversion too.

It looked fine. It was finally finished and I was quite happy with it,

although he didn't lay the floor, which he did say he would do,

so I had to get somebody else in to do that

but in the end, yes, I was happy,

but this morning, I've had a surveyor who's basically condemned it.

It's going to cost thousands, between £25,000 and £30,000, they think, to put right,

and everything that he's done just isn't structurally sensible at all.

If I were to sell the house, I've been told there's no way I can sell the house

under those circumstances, so the work at some point... somehow, has got to be done.

Alison has already committed herself to the new conservatory, and we're here to help get the job done.

The roof is beyond our reach but with all our advice,

I know she'll know how to find the good guys in future.

Gary, it's great to have the good guys on board.

Alison's gone through a lot of trouble with previous builders.

What I want to know from you is, what's the plan from hereon in to sort that conservatory out?

Basically, the base hatch has to come down from day one.

It's out of square, it's loose,

nothing's fixed to the walls, so we need our own builders

to come in, take it down, start again from scratch.

And from that day, build a new base, conservatory goes back up... as it should be.

In terms of time, how long do you think that's going to take?

-I'd imagine you'd need a few guys.

-It'll be a group of lads.

It's going to take, roughly, seven to eight days.

All right. The only thing I'm going to say to you is get underway, start the job.

-I can't wait to show Alison what you've done. Great to have you on board.

-Thank you very much.

While Gary and the team get on with erecting the conservatory,

I want to track back with Alison and find out why she trusted the builder so much,

-she hired him not once but twice.

-My loft conversion was done because we have one bathroom in the property.

The cheapest option I was given was to go up and have a loft conversion done.

I asked him how much it was - this was nearly three-and-a-half years ago now -

and he gave me a price and it seemed very good.

-What was the price for that, just out of interest?

-It was round about £4,000.

-OK.

-Round about £4,000 or £5,000.

So, for the loft conversion, converting it into a bedroom...

Bedroom and a bathroom, everything. All done.

-But one of the main things you wanted doing was a conservatory.

-Yes.

-So you asked him to give you a separate quote for that?

-Yes, that was several years later.

-Which was?

-It was going to be £4,000 again, or slightly more.

He said it'd be a bit cheaper for cash.

A bit cheaper for cash, OK.

-Did that send any alarm bells ringing?

-Not really.

-I'm not saying he was a friend, but he became familiar.

-Yes.

You know, he spoke to the children, we knew all about his family,

all the problems he was personally having, that sort of thing.

So, no, I just trusted him.

Did he say how long the job would take to do?

We agreed a timescale of four to six weeks.

He did start in the middle of December, so weather conditions may have played a part.

-With the conservatory?

-Yes.

-In the middle of December? Wow!

-That was another reason.

I thought it was cheaper because there's little work for builders at that time of year.

But weather-wise, it's not brilliant for bricks and mortar.

Follow my top tip when you're planning building projects.

Most good builders won't lay foundations when the ground

is likely to be frozen and frost and freezing temperatures

can damage fresh mortar and cement.

By all means, plan and order your new conservatory

in the depths of winter, but wait until spring to have it built.

Alison hoped her builder was coming back when the weather improved.

But when he didn't, she had to try and get her money back.

So did you go down and the litigation route completely?

I applied to the courts

and they issued the fact that he should pay me back

the amount I was claiming, which was the £3,750 plus the £100.

Costs. So obviously you haven't seen any money, at all, back from him?

No, he hasn't replied to anything the courts have said, so now

I have gone down the avenue of putting a warrant of execution against him.

-Yeah, best thing to do.

-It basically means the bailiffs come in.

So I contacted the courts and eventually got hold of the bailiff,

and learned quite a bit.

The bailiff did hint that I was quite down on the list of the warrants of execution.

He's been chasing this guy for a long time and never been able to get hold of him.

So this guy has been getting away with it for a long, long time.

It certainly sounds that way. A lot of people say I'm a strong person, I've always tried

to to be a strong person and fight my corner every time...

..but yeah, it's soul destroying.

Alison's lesson has been hard learned.

Thank goodness our team can help her get back on her feet.

Coming up, I can't wait to see Alison's reaction when I show her what the good guys can do.

What can I say?

Now we're hoping to bring some smiles to Aberdeenshire,

where Jean Tyson's builder wreaked havoc in her freshly decorated house.

She hired him to do a relatively simple flooring job

and supply and fit a new cooker, but he left his mark everywhere.

Our good guys have already laid new laminate flooring and now Mike is about to make the kitchen safe.

Hey, tell you what, Mike, good to see you. How are you?

-Not too bad.

-Things have been busy since we've last been here.

-It has.

Can't believe it, all the laminate floor down, any problems?

No problems, just sorting out all the dirt underneath.

-The laminate itself, bit of a mess, but...

-The old laminate, definitely.

-The old laminate, yes.

-But you've done a great job there, fantastic.

What's happening in here at the moment?

In here we're making sure that the free-standing cooker that she was actually wanting is actually

-going to fit the opening, which it will do.

-OK, what's that like?

I haven't seen the cooker yet.

-It's on its way.

-Great.

You will see it very shortly.

I think that's something she's really going to look forward to.

She didn't like it that way, with a separate oven and hob,

so having the free-stander going in would be superb.

I can't wait to show Jean. Cheers, mate, I'll let you carry on.

-Thank you.

-Cheers, mate.

I'm really glad we're able to make Jean safe and comfortable in her new home.

Like many older people, she's probably going to need more help in the future with small, simple jobs.

So, what lessons has she learned?

Definitely no money up front, not a penny.

If they're worth their salt they would have done lots of jobs,

good jobs, got paid for the jobs and they would have the money.

They wouldn't have to ask for money upfront, that's the first thing I'd do.

Secondly, I would research more, get more quotes, not be in a hurry to get things done.

If you want a nice job doing you've got to take time out.

Its just that I was in such a hurry to get this job and that's why I ended up with him,

-but I'll never do that again.

-Well at least you've learned those lessons.

-I've learned that one.

-And you can apply them the next time you need anybody to come and do work.

Now then, the good guys have been in and they've a great team, I can't wait to show you what they've done.

But before I show you exactly what they have done, remind me what the problems were inside the house.

I'll start with the front room.

Utter shambles, laminate flooring laid.

It was up, down, chips everywhere, like they'd been hitting things with hammers.

The cooker wasn't finished off, there were big gaps between the hob and the oven,

plus the front of the cooker also got hot as well as the rings.

-OK, are you ready?

-I'm ready.

-Let's go inside, come on. Are you ready?

-Yeah.

Wow.

What a transformation.

-This is beautiful.

-What do you reckon?

I think it's absolutely gorgeous!

That's what you wanted, wasn't it?

-Look at all the chrome and...

-Looks beautiful, doesn't it?

It's gorgeous.

And when you open the oven now it doesn't come falling out like the other one did.

Yeah, you couldn't have done any better, you couldn't, it's great.

It's a nice state-of-the-art cooker, with all that chromework.

I love it. I'm going to cook more now, I don't normally cook

but I'll be inviting the kids and the grandkids round more often now.

Come on, mum's new cooker, look at it. That's kind, it's lovely.

Fantastic, isn't it?

These are the best bits for me. I'm glad you're chuffed with it, but there's still more to show you.

This time it's into your lounge.

Come and have a look.

Check this out.

Look at that, how does that look?

It's gorgeous!

What a difference.

-Speechless.

-Are you lost lost for words, Jean?

-I can't believe it!

-It's just a nice finish, and the floor, the colour...

and there's no bits popping up and...

It just looks great, doesn't it? Nice, lovely, light finish, too.

Have they done a top job for you?

-Absolutely brilliant.

-Has it made you chuffed?

100%, really chuffed, really chuffed.

-I can't tell you how chuffed, because it's just...

-Well I'm glad about that.

Well, it's an end, isn't it, all them troubles and that?

Brilliant.

Pleasure. Has it made your day?

It has, more.

I've got a beautiful home now, and it's mine.

The guys have done an amazing job.

In the kitchen, Jean wanted a new cooker, but her builder left the oven and hob loose and dangerous.

We've removed the whole sorry mess and fitted a brand-new,

free-standing cooker - just watch Jean wanted.

In the living room, the laminate floorboards had been hacked.

The work was hopeless. We've laid fresh laminate flooring in this lovely, light shade.

To provide the perfect finish, we've removed and refitted the skirtings.

It's a beautiful job. Now Jean can finally enjoy her new home.

You're never too late to laminate.

-No, thanks, Clive.

-It's a pleasure.

-You're lovely, you know that?

-You're not so bad yourself.

Oh, get out!

Another happy ending. I hope the good guys can install just as big a smile in Weston-super-Mare.

We've stepped in to help Alison Buckley get her new conservatory erected

after a builder burnt her, not once but twice.

Now she faces a big bill to fix his bodged and abandoned work.

Phew, what a scorcher! I tell you what, Gary.

This has come on, absolutely amazing. Well played, brother.

So, the conservatory is in, walls are up, the whole thing.

Tell us how you've been doing and what you've been doing.

We've basically rebuilt the basic area from start to finish.

The base was done, the conservatory was erected on top,

a self-cleaning glass roof.

Self-cleaning glass!

Brilliant, it's a great little idea that is. The French doors are in.

-Patio doors there, yeah, they're all done.

-Fantastic.

Just to open it up from the dining room out.

We've got a radiator, electricity, you have absolutely worked your socks off on this one

and it looks a real dream. So what is left?

Just the wood floor to be put down and a trim round the edge.

I can't wait to show Alison, I reckon she'll be well chuffed with this.

Alison is still reeling from a fresh discovery -

that the loft conversion her cowboy built has left the roof unsafe.

What lessons have you learned from having this experience with the cowboy builder?

Loads.

Never, ever pay upfront.

Always get recommendations from people who have

actually had work done.

If you don't know the people who've had work done by that builder,

ask the builder to give you that information.

Independently get in touch with those people and really get their

run-down on it all, how the builder was, how work progressed, everything.

Even though he was a sort of friend, don't trust them.

At the end of the day, it's it your hard-earned cash and up

my hard-earned cash, and if anybody robs you of it, it's wrong.

Now what's really important is showing you exactly what the good guys have done.

So, Alison, are you ready?

Yes. Very ready.

-Come on.

-Come on, then!

Feast your eyes on this little baby.

Come on.

What can I say?

SHE LAUGHS

What can I say? I'm...speechless.

-It's fantastic.

-What a difference.

Absolutely...

I'm going to get all flustered now!

It's that good, though, isn't it?

-Yeah, it's amazing.

-That is brilliant.

Wow. That's all I can say.

For the first time in my life, and everybody will laugh who knows me, I'm speechless.

You've got what you wanted, that's the important thing.

The beauty about this conservatory - I'm going to go into a tiny little bit of detail -

-the glass you've got in here is a real special glass, it's self-cleaning.

-Oh, right.

You know the aggro you get when you're cleaning the glass?

The sun actually activates it and the moment it rains it will clean it off, which is just superb.

It actually flows down, it doesn't leave any water marks at all.

You've got a slight blue tint, as well, in the glass.

Which acts like a pair of sunglasses, really.

Fab, absolutely amazing.

I'm so glad we've been able to help Alison erect the conservatory she ordered.

Gone is the eyesore which spoiled her garden.

Now she has a beautiful new addition to her home.

The tinted glass will help ensure she can enjoy sitting here, even on the brightest of days.

And when the rain does come she'll be smiling

because the high-tech self-cleaning glass will be left gleaming.

The sliding French doors provide a seamless link with the dining room,

so Alison's House finally has the extra space she's been longing for.

-As long as you're happy with our job?

-Happy?!

Happy!? It's fantastic. I just can't thank you enough.

Well, I think you could say that is one happy family.

We've turned a disaster into a dream.

But remember, be very wary of Jack of all trades to do all your jobs,

and that way you'll avoid falling into the Cowboy Trap.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

E-mail [email protected]