Episode 21 Cowboy Trap

We're scouring the country on the hunt for some of the worst building disasters in Britain.

I went into the bathroom and it was horrific.

Cowboy builders can be found anywhere - even in a town near you.

When the drains block up, it stinks. Basically, it stinks. And all the neighbours complain.

We've got a team of Good Guys on hand to rectify the renovation wrongs that are left behind.

It's absolutely amazing.

God...

Remember to make notes of all my hints and tips.

One day it may help prevent you from falling into the cowboy trap.

Today we're meeting more home owners who were left feeling drained by bodged building jobs.

Pam and Allan Fender wanted a new extension, but their builder has caused one big stink

and one worn-down couple.

The smell goes through, right through everyone's houses.

And it lingers for several hours before it clears.

And we'll be meeting hospice worker Lisa Howell, who wanted to adapt her bath and shower

ahead of a serious operation, but she was left with months of pain and her bathroom in bits.

I was inconvenienced through a very difficult time after my operation with a wound and swelling,

unable to recuperate in my own home.

First, we're travelling north to Wallsend near Newcastle.

Four years ago, Pam and Allan Fender sold up to live in Pam's mum's home.

Mum had lived there nearly 80 years. Pam wanted to ensure Mum could stay in the house

for the rest of her days.

The whole point of having the building work, which we explained,

so that we could care for my mam and make it easier for her

and more comfortable for her to live here.

To create extra space, they planned a new front and rear extension

to include a bathroom upstairs and a downstairs bedroom to make life easier for Mum.

The work that needed doing was a front extension,

a rear extension, a bathroom upstairs,

but the main part of the work was having a bedroom for my mother-in-law.

She could hardly walk and needed a great deal of care, so she needed a bedroom downstairs.

Pam and Allan had plans drawn up and while they looked for a builder, a workmate recommended someone.

We didn't get any references because my mate at work

said he was a good builder and he was a member of the Federation of Master Builders.

And so we just took it on trust that he was a good builder.

Mum's health was deteriorating so the Fenders wanted the job to start as soon as possible.

He could start the job fairly quick, which is what we were needing

because we were trying to get the building work done fairly quick for my mam.

Despite the huge amount of disruption, the builder promised -

Pam and Allan would be able to live in their home throughout the build.

But to let him get started efficiently, they went on holiday.

When they got back, there was a nasty surprise.

The back wall had been knocked down, the toilet had been totally ripped out,

and nobody could live in that house.

Don't be left out in the cold like Pam and Allan.

Take a tip from me - never go on holiday during your build.

Despite the builder's promise, Pam and Allan couldn't live at home.

Short of money, they had to hire a caravan.

We had to go into a hotel for one night. We had to go to a caravan park nearby for four days.

And we had to move to a caravan park 25 miles away for six weeks.

The couple's friends and family were alarmed at how badly the building work was going.

We were stunned at how much it was affecting them.

At first they were optimistic that things were going to be OK,

but as the building work went on, nothing seemed to get finished.

Everything was outstanding. Every area of the house, something needed doing.

We were worried about them.

Eventually, the builder did finish and the couple moved back in,

but to their horror they discovered a long list of snagging work.

Even worse, there was a nasty smell.

The first time I realised there was a problem with the drains

was several weeks later.

The drain overflowed into the back garden,

which wasn't very pleasant.

And ever since then it's been overflowing about every eight weeks.

Pam and Allan paid £30,000 for their extension

with a new bedroom for Mum downstairs and a bathroom upstairs.

There were lots of minor niggles, but a huge problem was created

when the extension was built over an old drain and a new one installed.

This is the drain that the builder put in.

It overflows every 6-8 weeks.

It keeps getting dug up to try and get it put right

and, because of this, we can't get anyone in to landscape the garden.

So it's left in this mess.

It's very embarrassing for... for us

because the neighbours can't sit in their gardens when it happens

and obviously we're getting complaints about it.

And we don't want this happening.

The builder fixed most of the snags, but despite several attempts, he failed to solve the smelly drain.

The big stink is driving the Fenders round the bend.

Every time you go to the toilet, you think, "I hope the drains don't overflow."

It causes great stress between us and our neighbours.

Eventually, the builder washed his hands of the problem and denied the smelly drain was his fault.

After two and a half years, Pam and Allan called in the Federation of Master Builders

to investigate the builder's work.

For two and a half years we've had the builder back,

we've been to adjudication with the Federation of Master Builders, trying to get it sorted out.

We've had cameras down, we've had the drains unblocked several times.

And, em, he still denies that he's done anything wrong with the drain.

The adjudicator appointed by the Federation of Master Builders

and the council Building Control Officer said the drains were fine,

but even today the smell lingers on.

Pamela's family have lived here peacefully since the house was built

but now that peace has been shattered. It's time for me to find out what's gone on.

-Hello. Are you Pam?

-I am.

-I'm Clive from Cowboy Trap.

-You can come in.

-'Pam and Allan spent £30,000 on the extension, so they could live with Mum.

'They have more space, but their house has a nasty smell

'and they've run out of funds and ideas.'

What could we do for you that would help you?

-And put a smile back on your face.

-Get the drains sorted and then we can move on

-and get the garden done.

-I have to stress that if we're going to do the drains,

it will mean a bit of disruption to the kitchen because we've got to lift tiles, lift the concrete pad.

-There is going to be disruption.

-That is nothing compared to what we've gone through.

-I can see that.

And I feel really sorry for you for what you've had to go through.

The smell has sapped the Fenders' energy. We've hunted for a top expert to sort out this stink.

The specialist we've found is top of his game. Let's hope he'll succeed where others have failed.

Pamela and Allan really need these drains sorted out so they can enjoy their garden again.

It's time for me to go get the Good Guys.

Coming up: an independent chartered surveyor casts his expert eye on the Fenders' dismal drains.

The first question is why did they make it so complicated? It was an easy job.

Now we're travelling south to Telford, Shropshire. Just last year,

hospice worker Lisa Howell was diagnosed with cancer. After an operation and chemotherapy,

she needed a second operation to determine the next course of action.

So she wanted to update her bathroom to make it easy to use during her convalescence.

I knew after my operation on this side of my arm, it would be quite difficult to get into the bath

because of swelling, a wound and all the rest of it.

I wanted a bathroom to be functional, safe and reasonably presentable,

but as a priority to get done during that one-month period before my operation.

Using critical illness insurance, Lisa didn't have much to spend,

so she wanted to keep her original bath, toilet and sink and redecorate around them.

In terms of the work that was to be done on the bathroom,

what I needed was obviously an electric supply to the already plumbed-in shower,

I needed the tiles removing because they were odd, and then putting back on,

and along another part of the wall by the toilet and sink.

It was only a matter of weeks until Lisa's operation,

so she wanted the job done fast. She scoured local papers for builders and chose one to start straight away

-and who could finish before she went into hospital.

-He was exceptionally eager to start. He'd no work on.

He came across as very honest, very presentable.

Somebody you could have in your house and feel reasonably comfortable. Most women would want that.

On that note, she hired him, but it wasn't long before things started to take a turn for the worse.

On the second day, he left the young apprentice upstairs and went outside on the phone for an hour and a half.

And I could hear the young apprentice upstairs smashing away at the tiles.

I glanced up and thought, "That's a bit aggressive."

Leaving a young apprentice unattended to smash off wall tiles should have been the first warning,

but Lisa was desperate for work to continue.

But it wasn't until that night that she discovered the extent of the apprentice's actions.

You do expect some dirt, don't get me wrong. There was rubble in the toilet cistern, the sink had been chipped,

the toilet cover chipped. The bath was a mess. It was covered in chips and scratches.

Lisa had to spend two hours cleaning up the mess before she could even use her scratched and chipped bath.

She confronted the builder.

I flagged up the damage to the bathroom suite and he played it down. "You expect some damage."

I said, "No, you shouldn't."

He said he would get a colleague to rub it out and rub it down.

Or we'd have to review getting a replacement or an alternative.

The builder finally agreed to get Lisa's chipped bath replaced,

but she soon began to suspect that things weren't quite right when the new bath didn't turn up.

He said to me, "My wife's ordered it online and it will be here on 8th March, just before your operation.

"But no guarantees."

At that point I had a little bit of an alarm bell going. Something's not quite right.

Lisa was right to hear alarm bells. The builder hadn't ordered the bath, so here's a tip for you.

You'll know the product will arrive.

For a small job like this, you don't need to pay upfront.

The elusive bath wasn't the only alarm bell ringing for Lisa.

I also noticed the way they were putting the electric wiring into the shelves. It was a concern for me.

I did stop them and say, "Is that right?" He said, "It'll be fine."

So I queried that.

I also queried the fact that you could spur off a shower. I'm no electrician.

I questioned it. Would it impact on my circuit breaking? He said, "It's just basic electrics.

"I can do this no problem."

Lisa paid £737,

all but £200 of the builder's bill. All she wanted was her shower connected to the electricity supply,

a new extractor fan and smart tiles.

What she got was a chipped bath, damaged toilet and sink, dangerous electrics and terrible tiling.

This is the original layout. As you can see, damage to the sink and in here...

There was a lot of rubble. That was removed by the builder.

Something happened in the process and it's not working very well. It's very noisy.

And there's a constant dripping when you've used it.

And these lovely little things here are the matches that were removed

that were used as spacers by the builder.

As you can see, I've got a wooden ceiling and wooden floor. Not the best thing to use.

This area here is where an extractor fan was going to be fitted on a timer

which was going to be spurred off this unit here. I did point out that this quite concerned me.

I didn't think that was safe. And I've been proved correct in that assumption since.

Over here, particularly this area here, all the tiles are cracked.

And when you're sitting or standing in this bath, you can see all the tiles are off.

I can't use this bath because the bricks are very porous

and I wouldn't want to make it worse.

So a bathroom that I can't use, it doesn't look presentable, not safe.

This was a stressful time for Lisa. There was an operation to see how far her cancer had spread.

When she got home, there was no bathroom and she had to make a 30-mile journey

to use her friend's shower.

I was really struggling. My sister had arrived. She was horrified at the state of the bathroom.

She said, "Lisa, there's no way we can live like this.

"You've just had an operation and we can't use that bathroom."

We had to travel to my friend Gill's, who's been absolutely phenomenal,

so that was a 30-mile round trip every couple of days to have a shower.

And my sister said, "You can't do this. You have to come back with me."

Lisa has a strong network of friends who supported her through this.

Eventually, the builder bought a new bath, but by now he'd wasted four months of her precious time.

Time is so precious.

When that's stolen from you, when you're sitting in waiting all day for someone to arrive,

you're spending months sitting wondering, you put your life on hold, you put your family on hold.

With Lisa's illness, time is particularly poignant

and her friend Ian was disgusted by the way this cowboy had left her.

Basically, she became a prisoner in her own household and that is

the thing that got to me most.

Losing her money to a so-called builder was bad enough,

but the thing is when you have a possible terminal illness,

then life becomes very precious and what he stole from her was time.

Valuable time.

Lisa's been through a lot this year, so it's time for me to find out what went wrong.

-Hi. Are you Lisa?

-I am.

-I'm Clive from Cowboy Trap.

-You've had cowboy builders?

-I have. Come in.

-Jolly good.

'I can't believe this builder's left Lisa in such a state.

'I want to see how we can make her life more comfortable.'

What would you like us to do? In the short space of time we've got, what can we do?

Just give me my bathroom back. I'd like it to be done to a level that makes it functional,

-safe and serviceable, so I can just have a shower and a bath.

-OK.

-That would be bliss.

-Basics.

It's important now we wash that man right out of our hair.

-I'll be under that shower for an hour!

-Great.

Our guys have got a big job here ripping off the tiles,

starting from scratch and making the electrics safe.

Lisa has been left with a bathroom that is completely unusable

She has to travel to friends' just to have a shower. Unbelievable.

Time for the Good Guys to put things right.

Coming up: an independent chartered surveyor looks at the ludicrous labouring in Lisa's bathroom.

It's really bad quality and incomplete.

Back in Wallsend near Newcastle,

we hope to help Pam and Allan Fender. They paid £30,000 to extend their home

so they could care for Pam's elderly mother. Although most of their work was fine,

the rear extension was built over the old drain and now the new drain stinks.

Worse, every couple of months, it overflows.

Before our sewer expert investigates, I want to hear from chartered surveyor Peter Fall.

-Peter, good to see you again.

-Hello, Clive.

More problems for you to look at.

What we really want to focus on is the sewerage system here

that's been installed with the new build.

Just give us an overall view of it.

The first question is why did they make it so complicated?

It was an easy job. They've got a drain under the new extension - an existing drain.

They could have put the manhole bang on top of that drain inside of the extension,

put an internal manhole cover and frame on, and it would have done away with this convoluted pipework,

all these bends and twists, and lack of access.

So now we have a drainage system which regularly blocks because of all the bends,

-and then you can't get at it.

-From a health and safety perspective, it was flooding.

You've got to think about germs.

Drains and such should be out of sight, out of mind.

Properly-laid drains should give you no problems.

So it comes to our score. Giving these guys a mark out of 10 for what you've already seen,

-what would the score be?

-2. At best.

-Two?!

-For me, it wants ripping up and starting again.

2 out of 10! No wonder there's such a stink!

We need to get to the bottom of the Fenders' sewer stench so we've called in the cavalry -

drain expert Andy Crane. He's the local drain brain and comes highly recommended.

Andy's already done his homework studying the plans and putting cameras in the smelly sewer.

He believes he's found the cause of all the bother

and it's lurking right under their nose. The solution is simple -

the pipe to the drain is too twisty, too many bends.

He's found a much simpler route to take waste into the sewer, so what's Andy's plan?

Basically, the drain runs uphill.

-Obviously we want it to run downhill because water runs downhill.

-Yes.

So the idea is we've found an existing connection on the main sewer

that we can tap into so the plan is to reroute the toilet into that

and there you go. It's as simple as that.

Presumably when he was doing the work, he would have see that.

He'd have to remove the existing gully pot that's out the back and this is tapped into that,

so I can't for the life of me understand why he never used that.

-In terms of time, how long will it take you to rectify that?

-Hopefully, get it done in a day.

-It depends what we find under the concrete.

-So it's jackhammers and a lot of disturbance?

There's been floor tiles up, the lot. Quite a disturbance, yeah.

The extension has been built right over the old outside drain

so Andy's got to excavate the kitchen floor. It's a big job.

Poor Pam and Allan have had more than building work to cope with. There has been personal tragedy.

'Pam's elderly mother died during the work and their son was seriously ill

'while they were in the caravan.'

-What was the stress level like?

-To be honest, when I'm looking back,

I don't know how I was functioning. I was so stressed and depressed.

I was just...coping day to day and a lot of it I think I've wiped out of my head

because it was so horrible. A lot of it is just like a blur.

And then what happened was

my son had finished four years at Edinburgh University

and he was born with a heart condition.

-And...

-A week after he came back.

..he had to be rushed into hospital for open-heart surgery.

-Wow.

-So...

The building was the least of our worries.

So we were having to see to him at the hospital, see to my mam,

we were trying to still work. I had to go sick.

The stress was just too much.

I tell you, it disrupts your whole life.

'Pam and Allan had asked the builder to work on one room at a time so they could stay in their home.'

Hotel bills will significantly add to your building costs.

Pam and Allan ended up throwing their money down the drain when they had to move out.

'What would they like to say to their builder now?' If you had an opportunity to speak to him,

what would you like to ask him?

Why he couldn't see that he wasn't doing the work right?

I want to give you that opportunity now. I've got two numbers for him.

-Are you prepared to give him a call right now?

-Right.

Here's the phone. If you just press the call button there.

-It says number is not in use.

-OK. So the first number is not in use.

Let's try the second and see where we go.

-How's that doing? Is that out of use as well?

-Number out of use.

The second number's out of use.

The Federation of Master Builders investigated the work.

They said the builder should pay £1,000 for repairs,

but the Fenders should pay £2,000 for extra work already done.

The Fenders haven't paid and the builder is taking them to court.

They're counter-claiming.

'Coming up: I can't wait to see the look on their faces when they see down their new drain.'

-That's great.

-Wow.

We're back in Telford now. Lisa Howell wanted minor improvements to make her bathroom easier to use

after an operation for cancer, but the bodging builder wrecked her bathroom suite

and left her with dangerous electrics and terrible tiling.

We're ready to put an end to Lisa's bathroom blues. Before we start, I want a score

for the standard of work from independent chartered surveyor Nigel Mason.

The work is of a limited nature. However, clearly it's of very bad quality.

I think the tiles need to all come off

and have a professional tiler replace them.

The walls will need reskinned to get a good quality flat surface for the tiles to go on.

The fixtures and fitting need to be properly fixed. They're loose.

The extractor fan's not been installed. It was included in the quotation.

We need to get proper extracts.

In terms of marks out of 10,

from what I've seen I'd perhaps give it 2.

2 out of 10?! That kind of score does not belong in any profession.

By starting from scratch, we'll make Lisa's bathroom safe and easy for her to use.

Graham is leading our team of Good Guys today.

Get this wall replastered.

The shower's got to be rewired

back to the pull cord, maybe further. We'll test the cable.

And then we get a new basin. This has all been chipped.

The loo was full of rubbish so that doesn't work properly.

We do have to re-route some plumbing. It's going to take about a week. It is quite a lot to do.

'While Graham and his team put his plan into action,

'I want to find out from Lisa how she was feeling during this traumatic time.'

What's been going on health-wise?

Last year, in July, I was diagnosed as having cancer.

At the time they suspected breast cancer.

They're not quite sure at the minute of where it is.

They think it's breast or ovarian.

So I had an operation at the time, in July,

and then that was followed by six months of chemotherapy.

I had another operation in March

and various scans throughout that time period.

Three weeks ago I was given my last all clear on my bone scan.

Well, that's good news, but at that time really stressful.

Yeah. The time before the bathroom was done I was due another operation to decide how far it had spread

to decide what future treatment and operations there would be.

That, to me, was the peak of the most stressful time in that whole process for me.

If you can imagine, as anybody would,

you're sat there thinking, "I'm going to either make this or it's curtains" kind of thing.

So it was quite a stressful time.

I knew the extent of what the operation would leave me in terms of disability,

keeping an eye on the wound, so I knew I'd be very limited for a reasonable period of time.

-So this diagnosis came up before you got the builder in to do the work.

-Yeah.

-You'd already got that stress.

-Yeah.

I had that three-month window of opportunity to get some work done in my bathroom,

particularly the shower, which hadn't been plumbed in.

And basically making it safe and functional for me to use in that convalescent period.

'Sadly for Lisa, needing work immediately made her more vulnerable to the cowboys.

'So take a tip from me...'

Out of the blue, Lisa's builder just upped and left the job.

He then began two weeks of sending her text messages with excuses. He never came back

and eventually sent two colleagues to fit a new bath two months later.

I can't believe that this builder would leave Lisa in such a state. What's he got to say for himself?

Listen, if you had the opportunity to speak to him, what would you say?

I'd love to know why it took him so long to order the bath,

bearing in mind he'd ordered it on 22nd of February.

-Why did he persistently lie by text and by email to say he'd ordered it, when he didn't until 12th April.

-OK.

And he didn't get his act together to put it in until 12th June. And he got somebody else to do it.

Why would he just do such an immoral thing to another human being?

To me he's not a professional and shouldn't be practising.

He gives really good, genuine builders and traders a bad name.

-I'm going to give you that opportunity.

-Great.

-It's ringing.

-I know.

BEEP Hello. It's Lisa Howell speaking.

Could you give me a call back on this number? Thank you very much.

-I hate it when that happens.

-It's so frustrating!

-But as I say,

our office has been on to him and has been badgering him, as they do with all our cowboys.

When our office spoke to Lisa's builder, he said he did offer to come back and finish the job

and his tiling was good quality.

Because of the delicate condition you are in, recovering...

-I don't want you to concern yourself about this man any more. Right?

-I can feel myself tense now.

Don't. Do you know why? They're not worth it.

-No.

-They're really not.

Lisa need worry no more.

We've got the Good Guys in and they're off to a flying start.

'Coming up: I hope Lisa's bowled over with her new bathroom.'

It's absolutely amazing. God...!

We're back in Wallsend near Newcastle. Pam and Allan Fender's new extension left a big stink.

The new build was right over the old outside drain and the new drain smells.

The builder couldn't sniff out the problem, but we brought in expert drain brain Andy.

He discovered the new pipe was running uphill, so he's re-routing it into the main sewer.

Hey, boys! That is a noisy beast, that is! Especially when it's inside as well.

It's bad enough outside. You de-masking?

-Aye. Sorry about that, Clive.

-It is Andy after all.

-Hello!

You've been really cracking on. Just tell us what you've found with your excavation work.

-What problems?

-Em...

-Nothing that we didn't really expect to find. Six inch of concrete.

-Yeah.

-Then we came across...

-Thermal liner.

-The thermal board there is good.

-Yeah.

-We were just wondering what was below that. We've now come across what was the old path.

-Yes. For the old waste.

-Yeah. And obviously below that there's subsoil.

And we're hoping to find what was the old drain that we can then tap into.

-For now, boys, carry on, but wait till I get outside!

-OK.

-Thanks.

-Cheers now.

'What Andy's doing is simplifying the route the waste takes into the sewer.

'The fall line from the drain has too many bends. The solution is simple -

'let gravity solve the problem.' You should have it like so.

And when the apple goes in, this is what happens.

The waste simply goes away. Sir Isaac Newton, eat your heart out!

It's time we turned things around for the Fenders, but what have they learned from the whole experience?

Well, I would say no matter how urgent your build is,

take time to check the builder out.

-Next time, more patience.

-That's right.

-What about you, Allan?

Go and inspect the last job which he did.

-You've got to see a completed property.

-Yes.

-And speak to the homeowner, find out

if everything was hunky dory.

Our Good Guy Andy has done an amazing job. It's taken 2.5 years to solve the mystery of the stink,

but this disastrous drain couldn't defy his expert eye. He's found a new simple route for the pipe

into the sewer and stopped the stench. Now the Fenders can breathe a sigh of relief

and enjoy a breath of fresh air.

Just remind me first of all what the problems were.

Loads of problems. It was overflowing into the garden.

We haven't been able to get the garden landscaped because of it.

Neighbours have been complaining because of the smell.

-Are you ready to go and view underground?

-Yes.

-Yeah.

-Got your miner's hat on?

Let's go. Come on. Let's have a look.

We've rigged up an extra special show to prove to Pam and Allan that the drain is fixed.

Come and sit down. We're going to watch a movie.

Moving pictures, anyway!

What you're seeing there, that is your original, pre-formed pot.

'Andy has tapped into this main drain and everything is now running smoothly.'

-Give it a flush, Andy! I can hear it.

-There!

-Is that good?

-Great, thank you.

-Absolutely brilliant.

What will this allow you to be able to do now that you know that it all flushes away nicely?

Now we can get our garden landscaped. That'll be brilliant.

-Is that good?

-Great.

-Do you feel flushed with success?

-Yes!

-Worth a high five, Allan.

It's got to be.

Absolutely brilliant.

Pam and Allan wanted an extension so they could care for Mum,

but the new build over the old drain caused a big stink.

Every time they flushed or washed, they feared it would overflow.

Now the flow to the sewer has been re-routed. The complex curves which clogged and blocked

have been replaced with a far simpler stretch of new pipework.

Now the flushed waste flows fast and freely away, so there's little chance of overflow or odour.

Finally, Pam can create a beautiful garden and fulfil her much-missed mum's wish.

You know, I am well chuffed that we've sorted that out.

Now they can set about making a garden that Pam's mum would have been proud of.

We're heading back to Telford in Shropshire.

Lisa's damaged bath, dodgy electrics and terrible tiling left her fed up and frustrated.

She had to deal with this bodged bathroom at a time of great stress.

Our Good Guys have gone back to basics, ripping it all out and starting again.

They're making sure Lisa will be soaking in her bath before long.

We've replumbed everything.

We hacked all the plaster off, lined it and plastered it, fitted a new fan.

-We then tiled it, as you can see.

-Yeah, looking good.

What have you got left to do and how long will it take?

-Just a few accessories to put up. Towel rail, a soap dish over here for the shower.

-OK.

Finish off the shower. The electrician has to test that.

-And seal up and that's it.

-Job's a good 'un.

I'll leave Graham and the team to add the final finishing touches.

Lisa's original builder was clueless. Amazingly, he even bragged about how his bodging

left behind a trail of unhappy customers.

He said, "I'm in dispute with them about finishing payment."

I said, "Oh, right." And I was taking this in, probably not all the facts accurately,

but thinking, "Oh, no!" And I said, "Any other one?"

He said yes. That was, I think, for a £50,000 extension

whereby the customers paid the contractors directly and he was in dispute with them.

It was just that moment of, "Oh, no! What have I got on my hands?"

Luckily for Lisa, our guys are nearly done, but I want to make sure she never has any cowboys again.

What do you think you've learned from having a cowboy builder that you can take with you

-the next time you ever need a tradesperson?

-Certainly make sure

that you get the contract in your hand and the work schedule.

From the outset. Make sure that you see any references and any previous experience of work that they've done.

And also check any qualifications and any certificates and affiliations that they've got.

And don't give any money upfront whatsoever.

After everything she's been through, I can't wait to show Lisa what the Good Guys have done.

Now about this bathroom. Just describe to me what it was like.

Em, the tiling was appalling. Half done, cracked and damaged.

There had been a broken bathroom suite in there and there was still rubbish and rubble left.

There was wiring ready for the extractor going in. That was there.

Live, I presume. It was all there and nothing done for several months.

-Now are you ready to take a look at what they've done?

-I am.

-Come on, then! Let's go!

Come and have a look at this.

Wow.

Absolutely amazing. Oh...

-It's a bit different, intit, chuck?

-Yeah!

-It's absolutely amazing. God!

-Let me tell you what they've done.

Tiling - they've ripped off all the old surface there

and reboarded, plastered, painted.

The toilet is now in situ properly. The cistern was all over the place.

I'm loving them taps. They're cracking taps you've got.

The pedestal, the sink, the bath.

Little bits of extras like this boarding here that now matches the ceiling.

And you've got the extractor fan in position, too.

-The whole thing, what's your opinion?

-It's just amazing. I'm overwhelmed. It's beautiful.

It's just amazing. I could be in that bath for an hour tonight!

-I don't blame you! It has fantastic clean lines. A bathroom to be proud of.

-Beautiful.

It's more than what I asked for. Look at what I've got!

Lisa's bodging builder abandoned this bathroom. He was only hired to tile and fix a shower and fan

but he trashed the existing bathroom suite and left lethal electrics.

We've had to start again, removing all the terrible tiling, making the wiring safe,

installing the shower and fitting a new basin and toilet.

Then we retiled the walls for a sleek and elegant ambience

and accessorised for a touch of luxury. Now Lisa finally has the bathroom she deserves.

I think that's a cracking job and I hope we've put Lisa on the road to recovery.

Remember, do your research and check your builder references thoroughly.

That way you won't go falling into the Cowboy Trap.

Subtitles by Subtext for Red Bee Media Ltd - 2010

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