0:00:04 > 0:00:08Did you know that bodging builders, dodgy decorators and cheeky chippies
0:00:08 > 0:00:12cost UK home-owners tens of millions of pounds every year?
0:00:12 > 0:00:19They received an enormous amount of our money and they just took off.
0:00:19 > 0:00:25I'll show you some of the tricks these con men use to get their hands on your hard-earned cash.
0:00:25 > 0:00:30I didn't sleep for wondering whether they were going to put bricks through the windows.
0:00:30 > 0:00:35For a little while, I was really anxious about what was going to happen.
0:00:35 > 0:00:40My experts will put right the damage and give the people their homes back.
0:00:40 > 0:00:44- It's brilliant. Thank you. - Jolly good.
0:00:44 > 0:00:50I'll be giving loads of advice and tons of tips to prevent YOU from falling into the cowboy trap.
0:00:58 > 0:01:03Today, we're in Tonbridge, Kent, with the Kitchens family.
0:01:03 > 0:01:09Despite their apt name, it wasn't a new kitchen they wanted. They dreamed of a luxury bathroom,
0:01:09 > 0:01:14complete with spa bath and a smart brick-built garage with secure store outside.
0:01:14 > 0:01:20What they've been left with is half-finished blockwork and an abandoned bathroom.
0:01:20 > 0:01:24Everything that could have gone wrong went wrong.
0:01:24 > 0:01:28We bought this place to be a home and it's not really a home any more.
0:01:28 > 0:01:31It's just bricks and mortar.
0:01:31 > 0:01:34Michael and Susie are both Embassy staff,
0:01:34 > 0:01:39but there was nothing diplomatic about the way their cowboy builders left them.
0:01:39 > 0:01:41They pretended everything was fine.
0:01:41 > 0:01:46They didn't ever front up and say, "We're going to have to start this bit again"
0:01:46 > 0:01:51or "we've bought the wrong thing" or "we've cut your tiles all wrong".
0:01:51 > 0:01:55It was, "Everything's fine, we'll fix it," and then they just disappeared.
0:01:55 > 0:02:02And in Grimsby, we'll be paying a visit to student nurse and single mum Carla Siviter.
0:02:02 > 0:02:05We'll be much better behaved than the pretend plasterers
0:02:05 > 0:02:12who spread their mix on almost every surface imaginable, except the walls and ceiling they were booked to fix.
0:02:12 > 0:02:14They were just con men, really.
0:02:14 > 0:02:17They just slapped a bit of plaster on the wall
0:02:17 > 0:02:19and didn't know what they were doing.
0:02:19 > 0:02:25And we'll discover cowboys aren't only cack-handed, they can be con men and criminals, too.
0:02:26 > 0:02:33I was pregnant and really frightened. They said they would put the windows through and make us pay the money.
0:02:33 > 0:02:35I was petrified!
0:02:36 > 0:02:42But first up, we're in Tonbridge, Kent, with Michael and Susie Kitchens
0:02:42 > 0:02:44and their children Tamira and Tyson.
0:02:44 > 0:02:48They wanted to re-model the family home and rent it out
0:02:48 > 0:02:54because mum Susie has an exciting new posting at the British Embassy in Tanzania.
0:02:54 > 0:03:00They dreamed of building a luxury bathroom inside and a new garage and storeroom outside
0:03:00 > 0:03:02to keep their belongings safe.
0:03:02 > 0:03:07We started thinking about what we were going to do and putting in a nice bathroom.
0:03:07 > 0:03:14The old one was serviceable, but we wanted a bit of glamour and we knew we'd let the house out eventually
0:03:14 > 0:03:17and a nice bathroom is attractive to people.
0:03:17 > 0:03:22The bathroom was to be updated with a luxury spa bath with shower and screen.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25In the garden, the old garage was demolished,
0:03:25 > 0:03:29ready to be replaced with a modern brick-built structure
0:03:29 > 0:03:32to provide posh parking and a secure storeroom.
0:03:32 > 0:03:38We were going to have a concrete base, then a garage with a storage area built on at the back,
0:03:38 > 0:03:42so we can leave our furniture there and have the garage for our tenants.
0:03:42 > 0:03:47With only six months to complete the work before the big move,
0:03:47 > 0:03:50Susie and Michael had to call in the professionals.
0:03:50 > 0:03:56Michael spent a lot of time doing the research on it on the internet and talking to people.
0:03:56 > 0:04:00We got everything approved through the council that had to be done,
0:04:00 > 0:04:04found the builders, took up references on them
0:04:04 > 0:04:07and after a lot of delay, eventually got started.
0:04:07 > 0:04:12It wasn't without hiccup, but it was chugging along and then it all stopped.
0:04:14 > 0:04:20For a new garage, store and luxury family bathroom,
0:04:20 > 0:04:24Michael and Susie handed over £17,000 up front.
0:04:24 > 0:04:31Just two and a half weeks after work started, the cowboy con artists fled.
0:04:31 > 0:04:35I find it hard to believe that they were actually builders now.
0:04:35 > 0:04:39I think they were just fraudsters pretending to be real builders.
0:04:39 > 0:04:46They received an enormous amount of our money and they just took off.
0:04:46 > 0:04:51When the builders came, two of them in particular who were here most of the time,
0:04:51 > 0:04:57they seemed really nice, they talked about their kids, they chatted with my kids.
0:04:57 > 0:05:03Tamira made her first ever cup of tea for someone that wasn't family when she made tea for the builders,
0:05:03 > 0:05:06so I thought that they were working with us,
0:05:06 > 0:05:11and now, looking back, I can see they were working against us the whole time,
0:05:11 > 0:05:15just out to make money from us. And that is disappointing.
0:05:17 > 0:05:23Rogue tradespeople don't just hurt you in the pocket, they hurt you here, too. Here's a tip.
0:05:23 > 0:05:26Beware of builders who want to talk, not work.
0:05:26 > 0:05:31They may only be busy working out how to relieve YOU of your cash
0:05:31 > 0:05:33before THEY take to the hills.
0:05:33 > 0:05:40Three months after these cowboys disappeared into the sunset, time ran out for the Kitchens family.
0:05:40 > 0:05:45Susie had to start her new job at the British Embassy in Tanzania,
0:05:45 > 0:05:52so she, Tamira and Tyson had no option but to pack their bags and head off to Africa without Michael.
0:05:53 > 0:05:56Her mum describes how that felt.
0:05:57 > 0:05:59It was a lot of stress on them.
0:05:59 > 0:06:03Susie's got to start a new job in a new country,
0:06:03 > 0:06:05set up her house on her own
0:06:05 > 0:06:09and have two children and start them off at school and everything.
0:06:09 > 0:06:13She should've had her husband going out with her to help with all that,
0:06:13 > 0:06:17but he's had to sort out all this kerfuffle with the builders.
0:06:17 > 0:06:21Michael's been left behind to sort out the problems with the property
0:06:21 > 0:06:24while his wife and children have gone to another country.
0:06:24 > 0:06:29'Let's take a closer look at just what's caused all the heartache.'
0:06:29 > 0:06:32- Is it Michael?- Yes. - Hi, I'm Clive.- Pleased to meet you.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35- I hear you've had some bad boy builders in town.- Yes.
0:06:35 > 0:06:40Would you show me the work they've done, or not, as the case may be?
0:06:40 > 0:06:45'The Kitchens wanted a new garage and furniture store built out the back.
0:06:45 > 0:06:49'Well, I can see something has been started, but it doesn't look good.'
0:06:49 > 0:06:55I tell you what, Michael. I am not loving that block wall at all. It looks terrible.
0:06:55 > 0:06:59Their work was really shoddy at best,
0:06:59 > 0:07:03but what was your original plan for this area here?
0:07:03 > 0:07:06This was supposed to be a storage room here
0:07:06 > 0:07:10and the front part was going to be the garage area.
0:07:10 > 0:07:14- Made of blockwork? - That wasn't the original idea.
0:07:14 > 0:07:19The builder changed it to blockwork because he said it had more thermal value.
0:07:19 > 0:07:25'Here's the bad news. The cowboys didn't protect the blocks from the damp
0:07:25 > 0:07:27'and they'll have to be demolished,
0:07:27 > 0:07:31'but at least this eyesore is at the bottom of the garden.
0:07:31 > 0:07:35'Inside the house, the Kitchens also hoped for a glamorous new bathroom.
0:07:35 > 0:07:39'Let's see what they've been left with.'
0:07:40 > 0:07:46It's certainly compact and bijou in here. What was the plan and what have the builders done here so far?
0:07:46 > 0:07:50So far, as you can see, they completely stripped...
0:07:50 > 0:07:54- They've taken out everything that was here before.- Yeah.
0:07:54 > 0:07:57- They've cut a soil pipe.- Oh!
0:07:58 > 0:08:02Now, that's not good. That's the old cast-iron stack.
0:08:02 > 0:08:08- Does that feed...?- To another toilet.- OK, so that's actually live then.- Yes.- That's got traffic.
0:08:08 > 0:08:13'The soil pipe is the bit that carries all the waste from the toilet to the sewer.
0:08:13 > 0:08:19'It's sometimes known as a stench pipe and a potential stench is just what these jokers have left behind.
0:08:19 > 0:08:25'They've hacked through perfectly good cast-iron and patched the pipe with rubber hose.
0:08:25 > 0:08:27'Heaven knows why!'
0:08:27 > 0:08:32Even though that'll be boxed in, it's not the right way to do it.
0:08:32 > 0:08:36You could get smell coming back out of that, so that's not good.
0:08:36 > 0:08:43'Even though it's a tiny bathroom, these cowboys have managed to wreck almost everything.'
0:08:43 > 0:08:46- They're new tiles? - Yes, they are new tiles.
0:08:46 > 0:08:48There's nothing right about it.
0:08:48 > 0:08:54Nothing at all. It looks very uneven, so they haven't prepped the wall beforehand.
0:08:54 > 0:08:59'There's no way these con artists had any intention of finishing this job.
0:08:59 > 0:09:02'Once they got Michael's cash, they fled.'
0:09:02 > 0:09:09Looking at the electrics, they've got your shower pull cord and your light pull cord behind the door.
0:09:09 > 0:09:14- What's happened there? - Those are supposed to be relocated to outside the door.
0:09:14 > 0:09:18'Michael and Susie can never let their home in this state.
0:09:18 > 0:09:23'Our best chance of reuniting this family is to concentrate on the inside of the house.
0:09:23 > 0:09:29'That means our priority has to be sorting out this terrible bathroom.'
0:09:29 > 0:09:34- We've purchased the suite already, so the suite is on site.- OK.
0:09:34 > 0:09:39All these tiles need to come off, so new tiles can go on correctly.
0:09:39 > 0:09:45Yes. It certainly needs levelling again, so that we can get a nice, even finish.
0:09:45 > 0:09:51And so you'd like it to be a bit of a dream bathroom to your original specification.
0:09:51 > 0:09:54- Would you like that?- Excellent.- OK.
0:09:55 > 0:09:59And here's another tip to help spot the cowboys.
0:09:59 > 0:10:03Be wary of contractors who start lots of jobs, but finish none.
0:10:11 > 0:10:14But we've got a top team on this job today
0:10:14 > 0:10:20and these good guys have got their work cut out to restore Michael's faith in the building trade.
0:10:20 > 0:10:24We must strip this room back to the bare walls,
0:10:24 > 0:10:28redo the plumbing, plaster, skim, re-tile
0:10:28 > 0:10:33and finally fit Michael's new suite, complete with luxury spa bath.
0:10:35 > 0:10:37If we can sort this family bathroom out,
0:10:37 > 0:10:42Michael stands a fighting chance of getting the rest of the house sorted
0:10:42 > 0:10:46and soon he'll be able to be reunited with his family in Africa.
0:10:46 > 0:10:52Coming up, how this cowboy con job turned into a family crisis
0:10:52 > 0:10:56and Susie had no choice but to leave the country.
0:10:59 > 0:11:04Here in Grimsby, we find Carla, a single mum, who employed builders
0:11:04 > 0:11:09who seemed to take the money and run and leave behind lots of damage.
0:11:09 > 0:11:15Single mum and student nurse Carla Siviter hoped she could transform the decor of her modest home
0:11:15 > 0:11:19into something you'd see in a glossy interiors magazine,
0:11:19 > 0:11:25but Carla's crinkly '70s style Artex ceiling and walls were far from her dream,
0:11:25 > 0:11:31so as soon as she'd saved up, she called in a team of plasterers to make her rooms silky smooth.
0:11:31 > 0:11:37We didn't really have a set budget. It was just as much as we could get done for as little as possible.
0:11:37 > 0:11:40I was pregnant as well at the time,
0:11:40 > 0:11:44so literally we had no money at all.
0:11:44 > 0:11:48When Carla started getting plasterers' quotes,
0:11:48 > 0:11:54she was disappointed to discover her budget wouldn't stretch as far as she'd hoped.
0:11:54 > 0:11:59To start with, we went through the Yellow Pages, but all those quotes were really expensive,
0:11:59 > 0:12:03so then we looked in the local paper for plasterers
0:12:03 > 0:12:07and we got three quotes from people that we found in the papers.
0:12:07 > 0:12:11Carla agreed the price and booked the plasterers.
0:12:11 > 0:12:17Back then, she was four months' pregnant, so she left her now ex-husband to oversee the work.
0:12:17 > 0:12:21I came back and the whole house was completely wrecked.
0:12:21 > 0:12:26We needed new carpets everywhere, we needed to re-decorate the whole house
0:12:26 > 0:12:29cos there was plaster all over the house.
0:12:29 > 0:12:34These cowboys failed to cover the floors and furniture to protect them from the work.
0:12:34 > 0:12:38Their carelessness cost Carla a small fortune to fix.
0:12:38 > 0:12:45We had to have all new flooring in the lounge, the hall, up the stairs.
0:12:45 > 0:12:49We've got a wooden floor in the bedroom and it was just caked,
0:12:49 > 0:12:53so we had to get a professional sander to re-sand it all down.
0:12:53 > 0:12:55Here's a tip.
0:12:55 > 0:12:59Good builders will ask you to clear your rooms before they start work
0:12:59 > 0:13:03and they'll cover your furnishings with large, clean dust sheets.
0:13:03 > 0:13:07If you don't see dust sheets, do expect to see damage.
0:13:07 > 0:13:14Carla's so-called plasterers got more mix on the floors than they did on the walls,
0:13:14 > 0:13:16but for trashing her home,
0:13:16 > 0:13:22these cowboys had the cheek to demand a whopping 600 quid!
0:13:22 > 0:13:28I said I wasn't willing to pay what they had quoted us for because the finish was appalling as well,
0:13:28 > 0:13:33so they then started getting a bit mouthy with us and being really aggressive.
0:13:33 > 0:13:38Fast-forward four years and Carla's relationship has ended.
0:13:38 > 0:13:43Her daughter is a lively three-year-old and Carla is about to qualify as a midwife.
0:13:43 > 0:13:50But money remains tight and her dream for a glossy magazine-style interior is a distant memory.
0:13:50 > 0:13:55I went back to uni, so obviously money's been even tighter than it was before.
0:13:55 > 0:13:59Then me and my partner split up, so I have even less money now.
0:13:59 > 0:14:06I've literally just had no money to put right everything that was left.
0:14:06 > 0:14:10It's time for me to take a look at exactly what's gone wrong.
0:14:14 > 0:14:17- Hello.- Hi.- Are you Carla?- I am.
0:14:17 > 0:14:20'Carla's cowboys rode out of town four years ago
0:14:20 > 0:14:26'and since then, she's been living in this mess, unable to afford to make right their wrongs.'
0:14:26 > 0:14:29So what was the plan in here, Carla?
0:14:29 > 0:14:34The plasterers were going to re-skim all the walls and the ceilings in here.
0:14:34 > 0:14:38- Were they a bit rough?- Yeah.- So you just wanted new, skimmed walls.
0:14:38 > 0:14:43- Yeah.- And then...?- And to get rid of the Artex on the ceilings.- OK.
0:14:43 > 0:14:47I've just spotted something. I've stopped in my tracks.
0:14:47 > 0:14:51- Interesting.- Yeah, they plastered straight on to the wood.
0:14:51 > 0:14:54- Why?- Then it dried and cracked and fell off.
0:14:54 > 0:14:59Obviously, it will, because for a start, timber is a living, breathing thing.
0:14:59 > 0:15:05It's going to swell, shrink, move and, therefore, plaster doesn't stand a chance of hanging on to it.
0:15:05 > 0:15:10It's not something you would do and something that I wouldn't recommend,
0:15:10 > 0:15:14so just that little spot there tells me that they are pretty clueless.
0:15:14 > 0:15:17I wouldn't have thought that they were builders.
0:15:17 > 0:15:20What happened to the ceiling rose?
0:15:20 > 0:15:26I wasn't here, but when I came home, there was a hole in the ceiling where they removed the ceiling rose.
0:15:27 > 0:15:31'Carla's had more bad luck in the kitchen too.
0:15:31 > 0:15:34'No wonder she's lost faith in builders.'
0:15:34 > 0:15:38When we moved in, there'd been a new flat roof put on,
0:15:38 > 0:15:42then it started raining and water started coming through the ceiling.
0:15:42 > 0:15:46That ceiling's got a belly on it like mine. It's not very good.
0:15:46 > 0:15:49So that was like that when you moved in?
0:15:49 > 0:15:52The roof was there, then it started leaking.
0:15:52 > 0:15:58We started decorating the kitchen, but then we thought the ceiling might come down, so we stopped.
0:15:58 > 0:16:01'I can see why Carla is in no hurry to squander more
0:16:01 > 0:16:06'of her slender student nurse's wages on con artists,
0:16:06 > 0:16:11'so how can we convince her there are good guys out there?'
0:16:11 > 0:16:15What could we do for you now to put a smile back on your face?
0:16:15 > 0:16:19It would be amazing to get the plastering finished
0:16:19 > 0:16:23- and just to make it look normal.- OK.
0:16:23 > 0:16:27'We're not just here to cover up cracks. Oh, no.
0:16:27 > 0:16:33'We're going to make good all the damage Carla's previous plasterers left behind.
0:16:33 > 0:16:38'We'll hack away at the loose stuff, smooth over the rough stuff and attend to the archway,
0:16:38 > 0:16:42're-fix the skirting boards and skim the ceilings,
0:16:42 > 0:16:47'then as an extra surprise, we plan to create that glossy magazine style look she dreamed of
0:16:47 > 0:16:50'before her nightmare began.'
0:16:52 > 0:16:57It's just this sort of cowboy builder that really does my head in.
0:16:57 > 0:17:03It's one of those snatch-and-grab jobs where they take your money and leave you in total devastation.
0:17:03 > 0:17:07It's time to get the good guys in and show how it should be done.
0:17:08 > 0:17:14We've got a crack team on the job today to show Carla just how good new plastering looks
0:17:14 > 0:17:17when it's done by the professionals.
0:17:17 > 0:17:23Coming up, Carla discovers the men she'd let into her home weren't who they claimed to be.
0:17:23 > 0:17:27We found out later that they'd given us false names
0:17:27 > 0:17:32and all the contact details and everything we had for them were all false.
0:17:32 > 0:17:39Back in Tonbridge, Kent, our team of good guys is hard at work, trying to rebuild a botched bathroom,
0:17:39 > 0:17:42so we can reunite a family.
0:17:42 > 0:17:47Mum Susie has an exciting new posting at the British Embassy in Tanzania
0:17:47 > 0:17:53and the whole family was supposed to go too. To help rent out their home while they were abroad,
0:17:53 > 0:18:00husband Michael planned a new garage and secure furniture store outside and luxury bathroom inside,
0:18:00 > 0:18:04but the cowboy con artists he hired fled with their cash.
0:18:04 > 0:18:09Now the family dream is in ruins and Mum and the kids are in Africa without their dad.
0:18:09 > 0:18:12Moving without Michael is doubly hard.
0:18:12 > 0:18:18I'm trying to be reassuring to the children because they're finding it very unsettling
0:18:18 > 0:18:20that we've got all this going on.
0:18:20 > 0:18:24And the financial stress because we've lost a lot of money.
0:18:24 > 0:18:28We know it's going to cost more than we'd anticipated to finish
0:18:28 > 0:18:34because we've got to go back to square one or even minus square one to put it right.
0:18:34 > 0:18:37With the new Embassy posting unable to wait,
0:18:37 > 0:18:42Susie, Tamira and Tyson have had to stick to their plan
0:18:42 > 0:18:44and board the flight to Africa.
0:18:44 > 0:18:46Michael was supposed to go too.
0:18:46 > 0:18:52In fact, he even handed in his notice, but with the house in such chaos, how could he possibly leave?
0:18:52 > 0:18:58You see this type of stuff on television or you read about it in the paper all the time
0:18:58 > 0:19:03and you say to yourself, "How can people be so dumb?
0:19:03 > 0:19:09"This would never happen to me. I would never put myself in a situation where that could happen."
0:19:09 > 0:19:11And yet here we are.
0:19:12 > 0:19:15'I don't like what I've seen at all,
0:19:15 > 0:19:20'but how does independent building inspector Duncan White rate it?'
0:19:20 > 0:19:25- What do you make of this blockwork? - Not great. The blocks aren't level.
0:19:25 > 0:19:29It's not straight. It's not a great piece of work.
0:19:29 > 0:19:34It's not. You're right there. You look at the mortar lines, they're all over the place.
0:19:34 > 0:19:37There's big gaps, small gaps.
0:19:37 > 0:19:43I did find a discarded spirit level down the back there, but I don't think they know how to use one.
0:19:43 > 0:19:49'The blockwork outside will have to be demolished, but what about the abandoned luxury bathroom inside?
0:19:49 > 0:19:53'The inspector doesn't like the look of that soil stack.'
0:19:53 > 0:19:57It's not great. They've used a rubber connector. That's not ideal here.
0:19:57 > 0:20:01It's not fixed properly, so it moves when you wobble it.
0:20:01 > 0:20:07They've cut the cast-iron and filled it full of silicone when they put the plastic pipe back in. It's not good.
0:20:07 > 0:20:13It's a real bodge there. So, overall, looking at what we've seen outside and then inside,
0:20:13 > 0:20:18if you were to give it a mark out of ten, what do you think it would be?
0:20:18 > 0:20:21- Probably between nought and one. - I think that's generous.
0:20:24 > 0:20:29How about that? Nought or one out of ten? That's a disgrace!
0:20:29 > 0:20:36'To transform this abandoned bathroom from loser to luxury, our good guys have their work cut out.
0:20:36 > 0:20:41'We've got to sort out the soil pipe, tear down the tiles, re-site the electrics
0:20:41 > 0:20:47'and that's before we can even think about installing Michael's new spa bath and suite.'
0:20:47 > 0:20:51We maxed ourselves out just to buy the house. We've got a big mortgage.
0:20:51 > 0:20:55And we took out an extra loan to do the building work,
0:20:55 > 0:21:01thinking that we'd have the house to let when we went overseas and the income we'd get from that would help,
0:21:01 > 0:21:06but now we've got the debt, no house to let and Michael with no job.
0:21:06 > 0:21:11This is a big move to move your whole family out to another country like that.
0:21:11 > 0:21:17They started in good time, so that they should have had the house beautifully done
0:21:17 > 0:21:20and able to let before they went.
0:21:20 > 0:21:25All that's just gone up in the air and now Susie has to go on her own with the children.
0:21:25 > 0:21:29Michael has to stay here on his own and sort it out.
0:21:29 > 0:21:34Susie won't even see the house when it's been done, so it's not been a good start.
0:21:34 > 0:21:38But just how did they get into this mess in the first place?
0:21:38 > 0:21:42'In his search for a builder, Michael exceeded even my advice.'
0:21:42 > 0:21:46Now, I normally suggest that we get three quotes.
0:21:46 > 0:21:51But you went way further than that. How many quotes did you get?
0:21:51 > 0:21:55- At least 15.- 15 quotes. That was a lot to choose from.
0:21:55 > 0:21:59Why did you choose that particular one from 15?
0:21:59 > 0:22:05He wasn't the cheapest or the most expensive. He just seemed the most knowledgeable.
0:22:05 > 0:22:08And he had answers.
0:22:08 > 0:22:13He articulated things a lot better than most of the guys that I saw.
0:22:13 > 0:22:18Words are just words at the end of the day. You need to physically see what they can do.
0:22:18 > 0:22:22Here's a tip. Be wary of builders with silver tongues
0:22:22 > 0:22:24who are only after YOUR silver.
0:22:24 > 0:22:27Talk is cheap, so don't rely on it.
0:22:27 > 0:22:29Instead, go and see their work
0:22:29 > 0:22:32and ask previous customers if they're happy.
0:22:32 > 0:22:37Nine times out of ten, the cowboy builder is brilliant on dialogue,
0:22:37 > 0:22:43brilliant on what they can give you, that dream, but normally, they can never give you that dream,
0:22:43 > 0:22:47and in hindsight, was he as good as his word?
0:22:47 > 0:22:50Not even close. Not even close.
0:22:50 > 0:22:53For the garage and bathroom, the quote was how much?
0:22:53 > 0:22:55Right under 22,000.
0:22:55 > 0:22:59By the time he'd left site, how much of that 22,000 had he had?
0:22:59 > 0:23:02- 17.- 17 grand.
0:23:02 > 0:23:08OK, 20-odd grand you were quoted. You've given him 17,000, nearly the maximum.
0:23:08 > 0:23:14Do you think you got value for money? Do you think you got 17 grand's worth of good work?
0:23:14 > 0:23:18No, I don't think I got £1,000-worth of good work.
0:23:18 > 0:23:21How did that make you feel in terms of trust?
0:23:22 > 0:23:25Um...I felt extremely disappointed.
0:23:25 > 0:23:27Not only in him, but in myself.
0:23:27 > 0:23:33I let my guard down. Even though I thought I did all the right things, I clearly didn't.
0:23:33 > 0:23:40'To help restore Michael's faith in builders, our good guys, led by Cliff Williams, are hard at work,
0:23:40 > 0:23:46'completely stripping back the bodged bathroom, ready to install the luxury new spa bath.
0:23:46 > 0:23:53'It's just as well Michael called us in because the previous cowboys have covered up a leaky pipe.'
0:23:53 > 0:23:56- A water leak. - A water leak?
0:23:56 > 0:24:00Yeah, above the ceiling line, which eventually would have come through
0:24:00 > 0:24:04after about two or three months after we finished the job,
0:24:04 > 0:24:08- so we'll cut that out and repair that as we go.- Nice one.
0:24:08 > 0:24:10These are the things you don't see.
0:24:10 > 0:24:14'We're doing so much more than installing a bathroom.
0:24:14 > 0:24:17'We're hoping to reunite the family.
0:24:17 > 0:24:23'The building work was planned, so the house could be rented out while Mum Susie took a new job in Africa,
0:24:23 > 0:24:28'but the cowboy builders have wrecked their home and their plans.
0:24:28 > 0:24:34'They ran out of time and Michael was devastated when Susie, with her new job waiting,
0:24:34 > 0:24:37'had to prepare to leave without him.'
0:24:38 > 0:24:40I never imagined we'd come to this.
0:24:40 > 0:24:44We've been planning this trip for almost a year now
0:24:44 > 0:24:50and all the plans we had for the house have been built around this.
0:24:54 > 0:25:00After months of waiting, finally, the day has arrived and we're packing up.
0:25:01 > 0:25:05Michael's going to stay here until it's all sorted.
0:25:05 > 0:25:08'With the building work at a standstill,
0:25:08 > 0:25:13'the family will be split across two continents for the next few months.'
0:25:14 > 0:25:18I'm not exactly ready for it. I try to put on a brave face for them,
0:25:18 > 0:25:22but deep down inside, it's tearing me apart.
0:25:22 > 0:25:28I'm worrying about whether we've packed everything, how the kids are going to be.
0:25:28 > 0:25:31I'm worried about Michael who's gone very quiet.
0:25:35 > 0:25:38Everything was supposed to be ready.
0:25:38 > 0:25:42We banked on it being ready financially and emotionally
0:25:42 > 0:25:44and logistically for the family
0:25:44 > 0:25:47and it's just been ripped to pieces.
0:25:47 > 0:25:52'It beggars belief that what should have been a simple construction job
0:25:52 > 0:25:56'has resulted in a dad saying goodbye to his wife and kids.'
0:26:08 > 0:26:11HORN TOOTS
0:26:20 > 0:26:26'Coming up, I hope our good guys' work can help restore Michael's faith in builders.'
0:26:26 > 0:26:30Wow, I'm blown away! It's beautiful.
0:26:31 > 0:26:37'Back in Grimsby, Carla Siviter dreamed of giving her modest home a magazine-style makeover
0:26:37 > 0:26:42'to cover up her '70s style crinkly walls and ceilings,
0:26:42 > 0:26:48'but instead, cowboys posing as plasterers took £600 of her cash and trashed her carpets and floors
0:26:48 > 0:26:52'with the stuff they should have been applying to the walls.'
0:26:52 > 0:26:58They just slapped a bit of plaster on the wall. They didn't seem to really know what they were doing.
0:26:58 > 0:27:02They slapped it on the wall, took our money and left.
0:27:02 > 0:27:07'When these cowboy builders rode into her home four years ago, Carla was four months' pregnant.'
0:27:07 > 0:27:12We were upset that we were supposed to have everything nice for the baby coming,
0:27:12 > 0:27:18then there were holes in the sides of the walls, the archway that's cracked and falling apart
0:27:18 > 0:27:21and the rest of the plastering that wasn't completed.
0:27:21 > 0:27:28'Carla and her husband have since divorced and she's bringing up her daughter on student nurse's wages.
0:27:28 > 0:27:33'We're bringing in the good guys to make good the damage Carla can't afford to fix.
0:27:33 > 0:27:39'We'll cover up that horrible Artex and give Carla the smooth, plastered walls she dreamed of.
0:27:39 > 0:27:43'First, let's bring in building inspector Colin Harrop
0:27:43 > 0:27:46'and hear his verdict on the previous plasterer.'
0:27:46 > 0:27:50We've got a smear of plaster on a pretty thin piece of timber
0:27:50 > 0:27:52and it's fallen off.
0:27:52 > 0:27:59- I don't think there's anything that we can do, other than take it off and start again.- That is the plan.
0:27:59 > 0:28:03I didn't quite understand, when they took the ceiling rose down,
0:28:03 > 0:28:07why that section of ceiling collapsed. That's unusual.
0:28:07 > 0:28:13What I think has happened is this Artex ceiling finish has probably been on quite a long time
0:28:13 > 0:28:16and it's leeched into the ceiling slightly.
0:28:16 > 0:28:21I think they've tried to bodge in a piece of the ceiling with the result you'd expect.
0:28:21 > 0:28:26It's fairly obvious that these chancers have done a pretty bad job.
0:28:26 > 0:28:32If you were going to mark them out of ten, what sort of score would you give them?
0:28:32 > 0:28:36I think we'd be looking at three out of ten, around about that level.
0:28:36 > 0:28:42It's the kind of level that I'd expect someone to achieve who's doing DIY for the first time.
0:28:45 > 0:28:49Three out of ten? I'd have given him one and that is being generous.
0:28:49 > 0:28:53Carla has had a tough old time, but her problem is simple to solve.
0:28:53 > 0:28:57The guy getting the plaster ready is a top bloke.
0:28:57 > 0:29:01In fact, he's known as the Prince of Plasterers. Time to meet him.
0:29:01 > 0:29:05- Sorry to disturb your work, Vic. How are you doing?- All right.
0:29:05 > 0:29:09- What did you think of the work carried out?- Good, wasn't it(?)
0:29:09 > 0:29:13- Bit shabby.- A bit shabby?- I've seen better.- It was absolutely poor.
0:29:13 > 0:29:18But what I'd like to know now is what the plan is to put it right.
0:29:18 > 0:29:22We're just taking this timber off the side of here.
0:29:22 > 0:29:26Basically, they'd skimmed over the timber, which you can't do.
0:29:26 > 0:29:31So we've just taken the timber off and dabbed some plasterboard.
0:29:31 > 0:29:36- On each reveal there. - On each of the reveals, re-bead it and then skim it in.- OK, cool.
0:29:36 > 0:29:41And what's the score with the ceiling over the Artex?
0:29:41 > 0:29:47Well, we've just PVA'd it, gave it a quick scrape, and then we're just going to skim over the top.
0:29:47 > 0:29:49- OK.- And see how it goes.
0:29:49 > 0:29:53So, a finish skim over the top, give it a nice, smooth finish.
0:29:53 > 0:29:55See you in a while. Cheers, boys.
0:29:56 > 0:30:01'While our good guys get on with covering up the crimes of the cowboy plasterers,
0:30:01 > 0:30:08'I want to find out what happened when Carla came home and confronted them four years ago.'
0:30:08 > 0:30:13So you come in, you see it's all going wrong. What are you saying to 'em?
0:30:13 > 0:30:17I stopped him. I said pretty much, "What are you doing?
0:30:17 > 0:30:20"You've completely wrecked the house."
0:30:20 > 0:30:23And that's when they started...
0:30:24 > 0:30:29..being aggressive and abusing and threatening us.
0:30:29 > 0:30:33They threatened to put our windows through if we didn't pay them.
0:30:33 > 0:30:38They were going to get their friends round to threaten the money out of us.
0:30:38 > 0:30:43So they got aggressive. How did you get them out of the property?
0:30:43 > 0:30:47I rang my mum who got my dad to come round
0:30:47 > 0:30:51and he kind of diffused the situation, really.
0:30:51 > 0:30:55I didn't want to pay them anything. They wanted the full amount.
0:30:55 > 0:30:58So it was kind of a compromise to...
0:30:58 > 0:31:01- What was the compromise?- £600.
0:31:01 > 0:31:04Looking back now...
0:31:04 > 0:31:06Hindsight is a wonderful thing.
0:31:07 > 0:31:10Would you have given them the £600?
0:31:10 > 0:31:13No. But I was pregnant at the time and it's...
0:31:13 > 0:31:17That sends your emotions, I would imagine, all over the place.
0:31:17 > 0:31:21And it's just getting them out and getting them away.
0:31:21 > 0:31:27We went to the police and made a statement against them in case anything did happen.
0:31:27 > 0:31:30We found out later that they'd given us false names
0:31:30 > 0:31:34and all the contact details we had for them were all false.
0:31:35 > 0:31:38'So here's a tip.
0:31:38 > 0:31:41'Make sure you have a real address and landline telephone number
0:31:41 > 0:31:44'for any tradespeople you employ.
0:31:44 > 0:31:47'Look them up online or in the phone directory.
0:31:47 > 0:31:50'If things go wrong, at least you can trace them.
0:31:50 > 0:31:54'Without these details, the police couldn't help Carla.
0:31:55 > 0:32:01'She never managed to trace the builders, so there's no opportunity to contact them now either.
0:32:01 > 0:32:05'Fortunately, our good guys are making right the damage
0:32:05 > 0:32:10'and finally, Carla will see what the real professionals are capable of.
0:32:10 > 0:32:12'I hope it will restore her faith.'
0:32:12 > 0:32:18- Hey, dubbed the Prince of Plaster! Come down and have a chat with us. How are you?- All right.
0:32:18 > 0:32:20It looks like glass now.
0:32:20 > 0:32:25Beautiful finish. That's what it's about, getting the professionals in.
0:32:25 > 0:32:29- That looks a whole heap different now.- A little different, yeah.
0:32:29 > 0:32:34- I tell you what - she's had to suffer this for about four years. - A long time.
0:32:34 > 0:32:37I'm sure it's going to really please her when she looks at it.
0:32:37 > 0:32:42'Well, I think we can all see I'm excited, but what about Carla?'
0:32:43 > 0:32:46Come with me outside. I know it's a bit chilly-willy.
0:32:46 > 0:32:51But at least it gets you out of the dust and everything going on in there.
0:32:51 > 0:32:54So, on a scale of one to ten, how excited are you getting?
0:32:54 > 0:32:57- Ten, definitely.- Ten, I like it!
0:32:57 > 0:33:04- It's a good opportunity to draw a line in the sand and move on.- Yeah, get on with things.- That's important.
0:33:04 > 0:33:07'Coming up, I can't wait to see Carla's face
0:33:07 > 0:33:11'when we reveal the glossy magazine look she always dreamed of.'
0:33:11 > 0:33:14It's brilliant. Thank you!
0:33:14 > 0:33:20'Back in Tonbridge, Kent, we're full steam ahead installing a new spa bath and suite,
0:33:20 > 0:33:26'so Michael Kitchens can rent out the house and join the rest of his family in Tanzania
0:33:26 > 0:33:30'where his wife has been posted to the British Embassy.
0:33:30 > 0:33:36'Susie and Michael hoped creating a new luxury bathroom would help rent out the house.
0:33:36 > 0:33:39'They paid cowboys £17,000 up front to do the work,
0:33:39 > 0:33:43'including building a garage and furniture store outside,
0:33:43 > 0:33:47'but after just two weeks, the cowboys scarpered with their cash.'
0:33:47 > 0:33:49Maybe it's what they've always done.
0:33:49 > 0:33:53My view of humanity is going to have to change
0:33:53 > 0:33:55because it seems there are people
0:33:55 > 0:33:58out there like that and I hoped there weren't.
0:33:58 > 0:34:04'Susie has left for her new posting, taking the kids, but leaving Michael behind to finish the work
0:34:04 > 0:34:09'and try and get their savings back, so he doesn't want us to phone his builder today.'
0:34:09 > 0:34:14I've taken legal proceedings against the individual involved.
0:34:14 > 0:34:17It would be detrimental to my case
0:34:17 > 0:34:20if this individual was to become knowledgeable
0:34:20 > 0:34:23that he was being chased out there.
0:34:23 > 0:34:25He'd just close up shop and move on.
0:34:25 > 0:34:31Yes, you don't want to give him the heads up, if you like, and I think that's a wise decision.
0:34:31 > 0:34:35'Michael has sufficient details to pursue legal action
0:34:35 > 0:34:39'because he kept a careful note of all the dealings with the builder.
0:34:39 > 0:34:43'So here's a tip. Keep notes on all correspondence and phone calls.
0:34:43 > 0:34:47'Accurate records will help you if there is a dispute.
0:34:47 > 0:34:52'The whole experience has been an expensive lesson for Michael, so what has he learned?'
0:34:52 > 0:34:56Number one, not to be so trusting. Do your homework.
0:34:56 > 0:35:00Just do your homework, which I thought I did.
0:35:00 > 0:35:04I didn't go deep enough. Now I know that in hindsight.
0:35:04 > 0:35:08'I hope that now Michael is about to see the work the professionals do,
0:35:08 > 0:35:12'it will restore his confidence and allow him to move on.
0:35:12 > 0:35:18'Our good guys have done a cracking job creating the luxury bathroom the family had dreamed about.'
0:35:18 > 0:35:21I can't wait to show you this.
0:35:21 > 0:35:27But before I do show you the bathroom, just describe to me what it was like before we arrived.
0:35:27 > 0:35:31It was just an ugly shell of a room, not attractive at all.
0:35:31 > 0:35:33OK, now what are you hoping for?
0:35:33 > 0:35:39- Just a functioning facility. - Are you ready to have a look at your functioning facility?
0:35:39 > 0:35:41- Yes.- Let's go.
0:35:45 > 0:35:47Wow! It's incredible.
0:35:49 > 0:35:53- I'm blown away. It's beautiful. - It is amazing, isn't it?
0:35:53 > 0:35:58It's more than I expected. It seems a lot bigger and a lot lighter.
0:35:58 > 0:36:01It's better than nice. It's extremely nice.
0:36:01 > 0:36:07'The good guys have transformed Michael's former shell of a room into a luxury bathroom.
0:36:07 > 0:36:11'We've removed all the badly fitting tiles, levelled the walls,
0:36:11 > 0:36:15're-tiled with this elegant, new, colour-coordinated finish
0:36:15 > 0:36:19'to perfectly set off the gleaming white suite.
0:36:19 > 0:36:22'We've fitted a new, shiny, chrome, heated towel rail
0:36:22 > 0:36:28'and polished off the accessories with a nice, large, contemporary mirror.
0:36:28 > 0:36:32'The spa bath should help soak away some of the painful memories
0:36:32 > 0:36:35'left behind by the previous cowboys.
0:36:35 > 0:36:38'And there's a shower and screen over the bath.
0:36:38 > 0:36:41'Finally, there's no sign of that horrible soil pipe
0:36:41 > 0:36:45'which has been replaced and hidden away behind some sleek boxing in.
0:36:45 > 0:36:51'This is the kind of finish you expect when you bring the professionals in.'
0:36:51 > 0:36:57- Are you happy with it? - I'm ecstatic. I'm blown away by it. - I'm pleased you're pleased.
0:36:57 > 0:37:02'Hopefully, Michael can get on with fixing the other problems left by the cowboys
0:37:02 > 0:37:06'and get on a plane to join the rest of his family.
0:37:08 > 0:37:13'Let's see if we can play happy families in Grimsby too, shall we?
0:37:13 > 0:37:17'Cowboy plasterers left Carla Siviter's house in a right old state,
0:37:17 > 0:37:23'so our good guys have been hard at work giving her bumpy walls and ceilings
0:37:23 > 0:37:26'a reviving coat of plaster and paint.
0:37:26 > 0:37:32'We're not neglecting the woodwork either because we want Carla to have a finish she can be proud of.'
0:37:32 > 0:37:37Before you drill any more, just talk me through what you're doing.
0:37:37 > 0:37:41The last time I saw this door, it was hanging off.
0:37:41 > 0:37:44Basically, the door had been hung so many times
0:37:44 > 0:37:46with wall plugs.
0:37:46 > 0:37:50And that isn't the way to go about it, basically.
0:37:50 > 0:37:56The best way of going about it is to re-chop a set of hinges away from where the old ones were.
0:37:56 > 0:38:02- There were two old ones before. - So I've gone right up here and right down there.
0:38:02 > 0:38:05They're the two main points of the door for weight.
0:38:05 > 0:38:09- It's almost like a great weight balance.- Yes, it is.
0:38:09 > 0:38:15You're supposed to chop in seven inches from the top of the rebate and nine inches from the bottom.
0:38:15 > 0:38:20Top tip. Remember that. Seven inches from the top and nine inches from the bottom.
0:38:20 > 0:38:25- Brilliant job.- Thank you. Cheers. Bye.- Catch you later.
0:38:25 > 0:38:27'And while Andy is re-hanging the door,
0:38:27 > 0:38:32'the decorators are giving the others a smart new coat of paint.'
0:38:32 > 0:38:36Look at that brush action! That is fantastic brush action, Geoff.
0:38:36 > 0:38:40- I've got a lot of years practising that.- That's total professionalism.
0:38:40 > 0:38:44That's what we need round here, from the jobs we've had before.
0:38:44 > 0:38:50You've got three of your guys here, four including you, and things have moved on a real pace.
0:38:50 > 0:38:53Pick up on what you've done so far.
0:38:53 > 0:38:57We started by doing all the filling, preparation work, rubbing down.
0:38:57 > 0:39:01- Anywhere where there's joints, fill it with a flexible filler.- Yeah.
0:39:01 > 0:39:07Anywhere where there's any black lines showing from gaps, we fill those to give a nice, clean line.
0:39:07 > 0:39:14- For decorators, preparation is everything.- Without preparation, you're wasting your time.- Brilliant.
0:39:14 > 0:39:16- Carry on with that door.- Thank you.
0:39:16 > 0:39:21'If only Carla's original builders had been as meticulous as our good guys.'
0:39:21 > 0:39:25Now this is the bit I absolutely love.
0:39:25 > 0:39:29We've got four decorators beavering away, doing a cracking job,
0:39:29 > 0:39:32and Andy's woodworking skills are second to none.
0:39:32 > 0:39:37In a couple of hours, we'll show Carla what we've done and I can't wait.
0:39:37 > 0:39:41'But after living with the damage for four years,
0:39:41 > 0:39:44'what has she learned from her bad experience?'
0:39:44 > 0:39:46What advice would you have?
0:39:46 > 0:39:50I'd say check them out, make sure they were reputable,
0:39:50 > 0:39:53get references, go see their work.
0:39:53 > 0:39:56Try and get someone that's certified
0:39:56 > 0:40:01because then at least there'd be a body to complain to if something did go wrong.
0:40:01 > 0:40:06We cannot allow these guys who pretend to be professionals to get away with it.
0:40:06 > 0:40:08'Here's a tip.
0:40:08 > 0:40:11'Using certified tradespeople may give extra reassurance
0:40:11 > 0:40:15'and somewhere else to turn to if things go wrong.
0:40:15 > 0:40:18'And remember, not all tradespeople are cowboys.
0:40:18 > 0:40:25'Our team of good guys have worked wonders to transform Carla's interior from bodged to beautiful,
0:40:25 > 0:40:28'but how does she remember it?'
0:40:28 > 0:40:32Give us a picture of what it was like in there before we arrived.
0:40:32 > 0:40:37There was a patched-up hole in the ceiling, it was all Artex.
0:40:37 > 0:40:41There was plaster falling off the walls.
0:40:41 > 0:40:44I just want it to be neat and tidy.
0:40:44 > 0:40:50- That's a basic, really. Just neat and tidy and a good job done.- Yeah. - I'm hoping that we've done that.
0:40:50 > 0:40:55- Are you ready to go in and take your first glimpse?- I think so.
0:40:55 > 0:40:57Let's find out what you think.
0:40:58 > 0:41:00Oh!
0:41:00 > 0:41:02That's really good!
0:41:02 > 0:41:07- It's completely different, isn't it?- That is so much better.
0:41:07 > 0:41:13- So much brighter as well.- It is. It's neat. We've had some real top-class decorators in as well.- Yeah.
0:41:13 > 0:41:16'This is what's possible when the good guys get to work.
0:41:16 > 0:41:20'We've banished all signs of that crinkly '70s Artex
0:41:20 > 0:41:24'and given the living room ceiling a sleek, modern finish.
0:41:24 > 0:41:30'The crumbling plaster is a thing of the past and so are the wonky skirting boards,
0:41:30 > 0:41:32'but we've gone the extra mile here.
0:41:32 > 0:41:37'We've re-hung that unhinged door and given the living room a fresh decor,
0:41:37 > 0:41:41'definitely worthy of a spread in a glossy magazine.'
0:41:41 > 0:41:45And, of course, your kitchen ceiling too is now nice and flat.
0:41:45 > 0:41:48No belly in it like mine.
0:41:48 > 0:41:54'We didn't stop there. Our guys' paint, rollers and brushes have swept through the entire downstairs.
0:41:54 > 0:42:00'Carla can put the long wait and a lot of regret behind her and finally look to the future.
0:42:00 > 0:42:05'Even Carla's mum has arrived to help celebrate the transformation.'
0:42:05 > 0:42:08Oh, wow! Oh, crikey, that is so different!
0:42:08 > 0:42:11- Do you like it?- I can't believe it.
0:42:11 > 0:42:14- Do you like it even? - That is amazing.
0:42:14 > 0:42:18'Carla and the Kitchens both fell headlong into the cowboy trap,
0:42:18 > 0:42:25'but I hope sharing their stories will make life tougher for all the cowboys everywhere.'
0:42:25 > 0:42:28You know who you are and now we know who you are
0:42:28 > 0:42:33and by exposing your cons and tricks, we're preventing others from falling into the cowboy trap.
0:42:57 > 0:43:00Subtitles by Subtext for Red Bee Media Ltd 2010