Episode 16 Cowboy Trap

I'm on the trail of those cowboy builders who take your money,

but fail to do the job, leaving you with all the heartache

and to clear up the mess.

We had no wall up in the bathroom. You could see the stars.

When you were talking about minus eight degrees in November,

you could see your own breath, let alone the steam from the hot water.

I've come across some really dodgy builders in my time and it's such a pity that these bad apples

give the rest of the profession a bad name.

You can't worry about curtains if you haven't got drains or if you haven't got a roof.

Today, I hope I can give some help to an unfortunate homeowner

who's been left in the lurch by a cowboy builder.

It will never be finished. We're always going to live in squalor.

Along the way, I'll be giving you some tips on how you can avoid falling into the Cowboy Trap.

Today, Cowboy Trap has come to the London borough of Greenwich,

home to the Greenwich Meridian, Greenwich Mean Time and the Royal Observatory.

This area has a proud maritime tradition and was the birthplace

of two of our greatest monarchs -

Henry VIII and his daughter Elizabeth I.

Greenwich is a picturesque and very popular part of South East London.

It's close to the Thames and surrounded by beautiful parkland.

It's no wonder Susie and David Bassett decided to set up home here.

This house works for us. In terms of everything.

We're near our family and friends. It's good for work.

We really, really, really wanted to stay here until we retire.

Susie and David were neighbours for nearly 14 years before they started a relationship.

It certainly wasn't love at first sight.

We met many years earlier when I was doing some charity work.

When I knocked on David's door, he gave me short shrift really.

He said he wasn't interested and slammed the door in my face.

But ten years later, banking PA Susie

and landscape gardener David met again.

Love blossomed and they soon got married.

In 2006, the happy couple purchased their first house together.

It was in a great location, but it needed a lot of work doing to it.

Over time, the dream was to create extra space,

so they could pursue their interests in both music and art.

They also wanted extra rooms to house their mums, who were disabled.

Our mothers are in wheelchairs and to have them here, they would need the access to a downstairs toilet.

The couple's dream was to create downstairs facilities

for their mums, as well as extra space for their own interests.

This included a room for David's huge record collection

and an art studio upstairs for Susie.

The view from the top of the house is excellent. I'm interested in painting.

I thought this would be an ideal art studio,

and with a vision across the park would be relaxing and inspiring.

Once the newlyweds moved in,

they hired an architect who drew up plans.

It took a year for the council to grant planning permission.

Meanwhile, Susie and David researched local builders to carry out the work.

We got three quotes in for the build of the property.

We thought we'd go midway.

We had to watch our budget but we wanted the job done correctly and in a time span we thought was fair.

The Bassetts wanted a loft conversion,

a double storey side and single rear extension, plus modernisation

throughout, including new central heating and electrics.

Their builder quoted just over £94,000,

which Susie and David agreed to pay in stages throughout the build.

The work seemed to get off to a good start,

but it wasn't long before the job took a turn for the worse.

What happened next was far from a fairytale.

Their dream of the perfect family home became a nightmare due to a building horror story.

Neighbours had told us they'd noticed when we were at work there was nothing happening.

That was alarm bells. We thought, "This should be completed by the end of October

"and this is September and there's no work happening."

If you have to work or be away from the property during your build, take my advice.

When Susie and David's neighbours tipped them off about their builder's no-shows,

they decided to take action.

We took this up with the builder. We were given excuses, which...

They were always fairly plausible at the time.

Desperate to keep the builder on side and on site,

the couple believed him when he said the build was running to schedule and not to worry.

But as weeks of delays turned into months,

they began to suspect the explanations of bad weather,

tradesmen letting him down and a lack of supplies were just excuses.

Winter was fast approaching and Susie and David urgently needed heating at the very least.

We hadn't got any heating in the house.

The plumbing was in and also this boiler needed to be commissioned before it could be up and running.

I believe the builder then gave the plumber two cheques to pay for the commissioning.

We heard from the plumber that he hadn't been paid,

therefore he was not able to commission the boiler.

This happened twice.

The first ones bounced in December

and then on the 7th of February,

which was the day we had a trade in under the builder,

the plumber had a call from his wife saying,

"There's a letter from the bank. The cheques have bounced again."

Despite little progress and major delays,

the Bassetts had already handed over a substantial amount of cash,

so the builder could pay for materials and tradesmen, including the plumber.

Susie suffers with sciatica and she and David ended up with no roof

and no central heating at the worst possible time.

Winter was the worst ever on record.

We had to watch TV with coats, hats and gloves on.

In February 2011, four months after the job

should have been completed, Susie and David's builder walked off the job.

He said another builder was coming to take over. That was the last they heard from him.

When the builder left, we had no central heating and we hadn't had any heating since October.

We had holes all over the house, we had no roof.

We had no lights in the new section, we didn't have a bathroom.

We had one old loo. Nothing works.

The relationship between the Bassetts and the builder had completely broken down.

He fobbed them off with excuses, didn't pay subcontractors and the work ground to a halt.

They lost all trust in him,

but in spite of this, David and Susie still tried

to maintain contact with him by calling,

leaving messages and sending texts.

The last attempt we made was to get a meeting here

on the 10th of March and he declined twice by text.

We haven't heard from him since.

We're not going to chase up any more. The damage is done.

We have to now get to a liveable state.

Before the builder fled, Susie and David had paid him £78,000.

That's just 16 grand less than their original quote.

But they were left in an unliveable and dangerous state

without heating, guttering, kitchen or bathroom and an incomplete roof.

The contractor that took over the job made the most of what little money they had left,

but the house is nowhere near finished.

The couple have been struggling to see how they're going to get out of this mess.

I still look at it and I think it will never be finished

and we're always going to live in squalor.

David's sister, also called Susie, has witnessed how living

in these conditions has affected her brother and sister-in-law.

Both of them have been very stressed.

David's obviously been shouting

and finding it very difficult to cope with at times.

Susie's suffering with sciatica and she's off work

and she's had to live here in the dirt and the cold.

It's just miserable.

I don't know how they've put up with it for so long.

The couple's nephew Danny is a handyman who's been trying to help them fix some of the problems.

He too has seen the distress this upheaval has caused.

My uncle got very low about it. Not feeling like the end was in sight.

And it affected my aunt's health and it has put her in a bad position.

She's not 100% healthy, due to what happened on that job over winter.

This is Susie and David's four-bed semi-detached

and it's just a stone's throw from a picturesque Fairy Hill Park.

Tudor legend King Henry VIII was educated just down the road.

When it comes to Susie and David's cowboy builder,

old King Henry would have had just one thing to say - off with his head!

'I'm here today to find out how Susie and David have got themselves

'into this mess and see what we can do to get the build back on track.'

RINGS BELL

-Hiya. You must be Susie and David.

-We are.

-Can I come in?

-If you'd like to put your boots on!

Right, it looks like cowboy builders

have certainly affected a lot of the property, not only from the inside,

but from the outside as well.

-Do you mind if I take a look around?

-Please do.

-Thank you.

'I head straight through to the extension at the side

'here the couple needed a toilet for their disabled mums.'

A join in the plaster there.

'This builder's methods do seem a bit bizarre.'

So what's this supposed to be?

Door into the garage... Ooh! That's a toilet!

Nobody's considered where the waste pipe's going to go.

But they've plastered anyway!

'The situation ain't much better in the bathroom upstairs.'

I'm not 100% sure how this floor's been laid out.

I've just felt one of these tiles move under my feet.

'Eager to get one room usable, David even had a go at tiling

'the bathroom floor himself, but with mixed results.'

I'm not particularly happy about that, and what it's sitting on.

Look at this! We're going uphill here!

There's no levels been done there at all.

Somebody must have had a plan.

Just not sure who.

'But those plans don't seem to have worked for the stairs either.'

First of all, this is where we're going up into the dormer, I would imagine.

Straight away, one of the things that jumps out at me is these stairs have got no handrail,

so I would almost certainly say anybody trying to access this, don't!

'Back downstairs, the heating system seems to be missing a vital ingredient.'

The radiator's in, but it's not piped up, that's for sure.

I hope they weren't like that in this last winter.

If that wasn't plumbed in, it would have been chilly willy in here!

'Even the outside of the house hasn't been spared from this bad builder practice.'

Wow! Look at this! This is nuts!

As you look down here, this is where the drainage system should be.

I don't know how long this has been in this situation,

but you can see where you've got saltation coming out onto the brickwork.

That means there's a lot of rain been gathering in down there.

That's not good. I think we might have found the culprit.

That just runs into this gully that's full of rubble.

That's what's causing all this saltation here.

Those bricks are soaked.

Absolutely soaked. It will take ages to dry them out.

I have to say, this is an incomplete job, for sure.

Those bricks there, they've been faced off,

they're ready for a render coat.

The bad side of it far outweighs the good.

And then really, this is just a danger zone.

Now that looks also like open sewer there.

'I've seen some of this cowboy's calamities, but I want David

'to talk me through the impact these problems have had on the family.'

The first thing for me is down here, the drainage.

I would say you've got at least six courses there that are solid wet through. What happened there?

They had not linked up any drainage to the pipe whatsoever.

-The water is just sitting there right by the foundations.

-So that needs sorting.

Round to the side of the house, we've still got loads of problems. Talk me through that one.

The builder was going to put in new water mains from the main road to bring it in.

He left us without water mains. I've had to dig a channel a minimum of 18 inches,

all the way through, just to put the mains water connection on.

One of the reasons they haven't finished is because the job

is not finished, there's no pipe connections to the downstairs loo.

Both my mother and Susie's mother are in wheelchairs. That's why we need a downstairs toilet.

'So that partly explains why there's no waste pipe on the inside,

'but they still could have left a hole.'

In here, it's all been plastered off, but where was the waste going?

All that's got to be drilled out.

Before the guys came, there was a waste pipe in the ground

and a pipe the other side of the dishwasher, in the ground.

But with the toilets we'd bought, they don't go into the ground - they have to go through the wall.

So that needs a core drill going through there, which is obviously going to damage plaster.

Is this an area you'd like to see sorted? Certainly to have the toilet and the basin.

If we were to have our parents, we must have a downstairs toilet.

OK. We'll put that on the... probably on the most important list,

to get sorted. All right? Let's go.

'Up in the loft conversion, the measurements don't seem to add up.'

That door without a doubt is a fire door

and will be resistant for half an hour.

Where they've cut it off, they've topped it with softwood,

which is no good, and the perimeter gap is too wide.

'David and the contractor who took over the job have had to carry out some remedial work,

'so that Susie and David are able to manage day-to-day.'

What problems have you had?

Well, when the builders were still here, if you wanted to use the toilet you'd have to say so

because shutting the door was no good, as there was no roof.

-So there was no ceiling on?

-No. And a tarpaulin up here.

If you wanted to have a bath, you could see the stars at night.

-There was no privacy.

-None at all.

'Even though the bad builder had laid an uneven floor,

'David was so desperate to get the bathroom finished, he tiled on top. Oh, no!'

If you're going to get movement before you even lay a tile,

you'll continue to get movement when you get the tile on top of it.

Hence the reason you're up and down like a fiddler's elbow.

I have to say, and I don't want you to burst into tears,

-that's going to have to come up.

-I quite agree. It's got to be correct first off.

There's no point rushing because we're going to have to live with it.

'To save you from making the same mistake, I'm going to a tile showroom

'to demonstrate my top tips for perfect tiling.'

Whatever happens, you need to prep the floor.

You can't tile directly on to a wooden floor.

You have to make sure that floor is secure by using marine ply,

around 12mm, and make sure it's rock solid.

In a bathroom, which Susie and David's is,

you'll need to use flexible adhesive,

it also needs to be waterproof, as well as your grout as well.

You find the centre of the wall, in terms of the length

and the centre in terms of the width.

You draw two lines and in the middle is where those two lines meet,

that is the centre of the room.

You'll work outwards to start off with.

But I think the critical thing to do is to dry lay the whole lot.

Make your starter point there, but also, remember,

don't dry lay them without using your spacers.

Mark every single tile, one, two, three, four and son.

take a photograph, print it off, stick it on the wall and you know where everything's going to go.

When you're putting your adhesive down, don't be shy.

Spread it out and start working your way from the middle line

out to the walls.

Do half of it and then let it go for around 24 hours,

more if you can, and then work on the other side.

It's about not being afraid to put the grout in.

You make motions back and fore over the tiles.

It's pushing that grout deep into it.

Once that's done, a certain area,

get your sponge, not too wet, wipe it over the top,

so you're taking all of that surface grout off the tiles.

And then you need this little baby, nice dry cloth,

after a couple of hours, to dust it off.

I think you'll be dead chuffed with the finished result.

'Coming up - I invite an independent chartered surveyor to cast their expert eye over this wreck.'

Basically, it's putting lives at risk.

'And Susie and David reveal how far their horror story has pushed them.'

-I'd have been happy just to pack a bag.

-Really?

Susie and David's dream was for their first home together

to support their interests of gardening, art and music.

They embarked on a complete revamp, including side

and rear extension, new central heating and electrics.

Before the bad builder disappeared,

the Bassetts had paid out £78,000,

only £16,000 less than their quote.

They were left with an incomplete and dangerous home,

with no heating, guttering, kitchen or bathroom.

Oh, and an incomplete roof.

They've carried out some remedial work,

but they're nowhere near finished.

It's time to get to the bottom of how they ended up in this predicament.

-How did you find your builder?

-We had three quotes.

We got someone to look at the windows who had already done some work

on my mother-in-law's house, Susie's mum, and we were impressed with the work they did.

On that recommendation, we thought it was worth an interview with his brother, the builder.

A recommendation from another tradesman may seem a good idea,

but take my tip -

It's best to double check.

The builder comes in, looks at the plans and gives you a quote.

The original quote was around 95 or something like that.

-So about 95 grand.

-Yeah.

We negotiated with him and we came to a final figure of 94,385.

I did ask for a contract.

So, 94,385, it's not a million miles away from his original quote,

so how come there was just a few quid off?

Cos we just said, "Can you do anything on the price?"

He said, "I'll come back to you."

You don't say, if you don't mind me saying,

"Can you do a little bit off the price?"

-We've never had an extension before.

-That price has got to be better!

That price has got to be better.

He'd knock you as much as 20p off the bill!

You've been hammered here in lots of areas around the property,

not just in one specified area.

It is a builder's disease, that's spread. Everywhere.

When you're negotiating your renovation costs, here's my advice:

Don't ask for a better quote...

..but don't sacrifice on quality.

It's been two months since the Bassetts' builder upped and left.

There's evidence of his poor practice everywhere,

a constant reminder for Susie and David of their crushed dream.

How did it all break down in the end?

I think it was when the final trade walked out, a plumber who was here.

We still didn't have any heating.

I sent some very angry texts, basically saying,

"Thank you very much. We are freezing. We're living in a slum.

"And you really need to sort this out."

Every room was disgusting.

Everything that the carpenter and David have managed to achieve

has been done since the builder is out of the picture.

When you got to the stage where you'd come to loggerheads and you thought to yourself,

"That dream I had in my mind has now gone," what did that feel like?

-I'd have been quite happy just to pack a bag.

-Really?

We had that talk, yeah.

Happy to pack a bag due to this guy?

Mmm. Just go. Yeah.

Wow! That is hard to take.

That's the level of stress that these guys can cause.

-Yeah.

-And that's something you can really hate them for.

There's no two ways about it.

'It's clear that the Bassetts have been through the mill.

'But we've got a team of local builders on hand to put right some of their builder's bodges.

'I want to find out how we can help.'

If there was any one thing you would like us to do, what may that be?

-We've got to have a bathroom.

-Bring on the bathroom!

-Heating.

-Oh, heating, no!

-I'd love heating.

-OK, I need to sit down and plan with our builders what we're going to do.

-OK.

I want you to dry your eyes,

but I really want to try and put a smile back on your face.

-That's exactly what I intend to do.

-Thank you.

-Pleasure.

-Thank you.

I've seen quite enough evidence of dodgy designs and botched building work for myself,

but I'd like to get the opinion of an independent chartered surveyor.

I've asked along Arnold Tarling to see what he thinks of the work.

-Here he is. Arnold, how are you?

-I'm fine, thanks.

Good to see you, but there's lots of things. We've got breaches of regulations all over the place.

Tell us one or two of the things you've found.

The safety aspects of the building, the way in which the builders

have been working, leaving live electrical components exposed.

You won't be safe in this building, because of the fire doors.

This fire door, it's not fitted correctly.

-There's a gap all around it. What's the worst that could happen?

-They won't meet regulations.

The smoke will come up here straight away, the fire will spread very quickly. It's putting lives at risk.

'But it's not just the builder who's at fault. The dimensions in the loft don't add up.

'The doorways are too narrow and there's not much headroom.'

The architect expected to get a cupboard on this side.

Starting from there and going back in there.

-So like a wardrobe.

-A wardrobe. You couldn't possibly get anything inside it.

-No way.

It's a bit like Alice in Wonderland, you know, going down and down.

There's no way in the world, unless you're a meerkat...

That's a wardrobe for a meerkat!

-Yeah!

-That's not one for an adult human being!

Or even a kid!

-And getting it right is simples(!)

-Indeed, it is!

There's no two ways about it!

'But it seems the architect's plans are only questionable for the loft conversion.

'So it's no excuse for the shoddy workmanship and the problems in the rest of the house.'

Cowboy builders really do your head in,

but I'm hopeful we can put right some of this dodgy work.

And give Susie and David some much-needed piece of mind.

I have not got enough tape to wrap around this whole house,

so I'm going to shut the door and declare this whole house no-go zone!

Now this is one of the bits I love. It's time to bring on the good guys.

'Our independent surveyor has pointed out some features that need to be fixed,

'but Susie and David's priority is to have a safe and useable living space.

'I need to make a plan of action with head builder Paul.'

You've had a good look around. In terms of just coming outside,

I'm going to start with something I'm perhaps not so bothered about

and that's rendering off and facing off that brickwork.

Right. We're going to render that and get it painted.

Outside here is the real debacle. He's made a right mess of it.

We've got to connect a bottle gully there, so it can go into a natural water system or a soak away.

There's a natural surface water running there down to

a lake about half a mile away. We'll connect into that.

And then, down the side, we've got loads of problems. The sewerage.

-Yeah.

-What do you think for that?

Well, again, there's no connections for the toilet.

The manholes are unfinished. The drainage is in a bad state.

-We've got to meet building regs.

-Good to have you on board.

-I can't wait to show them what you guys have done.

-Brilliant.

'Coming up - David wants answers from his bungling builder.'

Why don't you come down and do the job you were paid to do?

'And I reveal to Susie and David the first finished room in the house.'

The floor doesn't shake!

In Greenwich, Susie and David Bassett hired a builder to construct their dream home.

But eight months into a four-month schedule, he left, leaving their home in an uninhabitable

and dangerous condition with substandard workmanship throughout.

Paul and his team have been hard at work, fixing those blunders,

so we can put the couple back on the road to recovery from this ghastly experience.

I want to take a gander at how well the work is shaping up.

Loads has gone on. I need to get an update about where we are at this stage.

Start me off first with the bathroom.

-We've took up the floor, that was horrendous. Really bad.

-Tell us.

Well, we've had to reinforce joists, put pieces on them to try

and bring the two floors up. When they've built the extension,

no-one's checked the finished floor level and the existing.

-So, when they've knocked through, there's about 40mm difference.

-Wow!

Especially if the floor was floating as well,

if you were ever hoping to put tiles on, they'd be blowing out in no time. What happened next?

We've decided to finish the tiling for Mr Bassett.

All the floor. We've installed a new bath as well.

In terms of the not so nice bits, the drainage, how did that develop?

Well, we've had Building Control down.

It was a bit of a mish-mash, trying to find out where to go.

We've followed the instructions and he's come back and passed the drains off.

-It was redirected.

-Yes, it's been redirected to a soak away.

In terms of the waste and the open drain that was down there?

We had to dig up and connect it into the existing foul.

And rerun and bring up some bottle gullies.

One for kitchen waste, one for cloakroom and basin waste.

'A bottle gully is used to remove waste water

'and is designed to hold some water in a trap to stop any foul air escaping from the drainage system.'

-What happened on the heating front?

-Our plumber's connected all of the heating now.

-He put some inhibitor through the pipes as well.

-Sorted.

-Upstairs as well was a safety issue.

-OK.

-You've done the handrail and the spindle.

-Yes, as you know, Mrs Bassett suffers from acute sciatica.

It's hared for her to get about at the best of times. Upstairs, there was no handrail there.

-There could have been a serious accident.

-The render.

-Oh, yes!

That's all been sorted as well.

-All sorted.

-All the rendering on the back elevation's done.

We decided to give them a lick of paint as well.

I don't fancy David getting up there, in case he falls.

-You've got a heart of gold!

-I have!

-You've got a heart of gold!

The builders are making good the bodges the cowboy left behind

and restoring our couple's faith in skilled tradesmen.

But Susie and David still have questions for their builder

and I want to help them get answers.

Guys, when was the last time you had

any conversation with your builder, can you remember?

The last time we had a meeting with him was on the 8th of February,

which was the day that he left us.

If you had three questions, what questions would you like to ask him?

The two workstations in the house, the kitchen and bathroom,

and he left us with neither - that I can't believe.

That's the first question.

Basically, how he could have left as overall in such a mess, I think.

No central heating at all through one of the coldest winters we've had.

And I think the other issue is the money.

Certainly, because we weren't able to complete the job,

which we tried to do off our own backs, and with the budget

that was left, and there was no way we could complete.

So, we want to know why he's taken the money from us.

OK, well, I'm going to give you that opportunity -

-are you ready to rock 'n' roll?

-I certainly am.

-OK, fire away, then.

It's David Bassett here - can you explain why

you actually left us with no bathroom or central heating, and no kitchen?

'After months of pain and stress,

'David finally has an opportunity to get some answers.'

Why didn't you come down and do the job that you were paid to do?

Don't lose your temper, darling, please.

Right, well, I want to finalise this situation that you've left us in,

I think we should meet and sort this mess out that you've left us in.

When will you be able to have this meeting with us?

Next week. Can you give me a date?

Thursday next week. Fine.

-Time.

-Time?

4.30, OK. 4.30, Thursday of next week.

Right. Goodbye now.

Well done. Well done.

If he does turn up, worst-case scenario, he will come with someone.

-You also need somebody else here in the property...

-Independent.

..not involved in the conversation, they need to be to the side,

and sit down and try and talk it out calmly.

You may, if he turns up, get a result.

I'm not holding my breath, though, but you may get a result.

-But you must stay calm. So, be prepared with notes.

-Right.

Our team spoke to the builder, who disputes that the problems

have anything to do with him - despite the evidence of shoddy work,

he blames the architect.

We spoke to the architect, who said that, after the final plans

were approved, he met with the builder and the Bassetts,

who discussed and agreed any outstanding issues.

He also said that he had no responsibility for the quality

of the building work that was carried out.

The builder did turn up to the Thursday meeting with David,

but he denied responsibility for the sloppy job.

I know one thing for sure - Susie and David aren't to blame.

Our head builder, Paul, and his team have a big job on their hands,

but they've completed the work, and I can't wait to take a look.

Ho-ho! That's a good start - radiators on!

That could mean we've actually got heating in the building!

'They really need an accessible toilet,

'so that both Susie and David's mums can visit.'

Just get past all the boxes. Ah, that's much better.

Toilet in, for a start. We've got the sink -

look at that, like a smaller version of a Belfast sink - loving that.

Things are looking good!

'Outside, the difference is astounding.'

# They re-rendered They re-rendered...! #

That looks a cracking job. That was bare brick before -

now it's been rendered, painted - love it!

'Round the side, the danger has gone.'

Now, we've got a bottle gully there, there and there -

that rainwater has been redirected.

And where the inspection pit is, with the manhole cover,

everything's seated properly, it looks so much better.

But above all else, it's safe.

'I need to check it's safe inside, too,

'especially with Susie suffering from sciatica.'

And, of course, this is really important,

because there was no banister here, no spindles at all.

If you're thinking about safety, particularly with Susie,

she's infirm, not brilliant on her pins at the moment.

This is safety first, second and third.

'I've saved the best till last.'

Now, this is what I'm talking about!

Come on! This looks brilliant!

All tiled out - what do you reckon to that?

It looks great. This looks proper!

Absolutely! What a difference!

This is number one for me.

'After surviving one of the worst winters on record,

'and suffering with months of stress and strains,

'I can't wait to see what Susie and David make of the transformation.'

'Susie is struggling to walk at the moment due to her sciatica,

'so I'm going to do the big tour with David

'then bring her in for the grand finale.'

-Come on, David, let's take a look outside first.

-OK.

I'll just show you through.

I just want to show you this first, come here.

-Do you remember all the bare brickwork?

-Oh, yes.

All nicely rendered and painted now.

That looks absolutely stunning now,

it looks so much better than the old bare bricks.

But you've also got bottle gullies - let me tell you about those.

You'll notice the bottle gullies that we've got here -

one, two, three - they've redirected that now,

and also, if you notice where the manhole cover is,

that's all been sealed off properly, and all the waste dealt with.

What was it like before, David?

We didn't have any mains water to the house,

so I've had to dig a trench from the pavement

to just before the manhole cover for the mains to come in.

Basically, it was a dangerous area - in fact,

you could not walk down here.

It was open, and all the pipework was to be seen.

-At least now, you know everything's working properly.

-Excellent.

-Shall we go and have a look at the downstairs toilet?

-Yes.

-Come on.

-Come in, mate. It's a bit tricky, a bit compact and bijou.

-Right!

How important is it now for you to actually have got the toilet in,

-the sink, etc?

-Both our parents, my mother and my mother-in-law,

are in wheelchairs, and there is no way they can go upstairs. We definitely need a downstairs loo.

It looks totally different to the last time I was here.

-Oh, yes.

-And I reckon, by the time it's all done,

we'll be flushed...with success.

'A top priority was that David and Susie

'didn't have to suffer another miserable winter.'

Now, this is really important for me.

Erm, the radiator is now on,

and...tell me that the heating's actually been working.

It is now working, so much so that we actually have them on,

and it's sunny today, because we're proud to have heating in the house.

It'll cost us, but I'm looking forward to next winter,

-whereas this was a winter of hell we've just had.

-Brilliant.

So, from the radiator, another important factor,

remember, before, you had no balustrade, hand rail,

spindles, and it was pretty dangerous before,

because here, you'd got the chest of drawers, bits of tiles here as well.

Tiles, kitchen bathroom cabinets, ready to go in.

We had a bath on the hallway, so it was a dangerous place anyway to be,

let alone no balustrade.

But now you've got it, and that's crucial, particularly with Susie -

when she wants to get up there, she can now do so safely.

'It's time to get Susie upstairs,

'to see what she's waited for for so long - a finished bathroom.'

So, just remind us what it was like before we arrived, in that bathroom.

Tiles coming off the floor, er...

-Three walls.

-Three walls, yeah, no...no bath.

A special floor, because it had two levels.

Yes! It was like the wobbly floor.

And that was about it, really, it was not even half-built.

-Not really usable, was it?

-No.

-Not at all.

Now, would you like to come with me

and let's enjoy together what a bathroom should really be like?

-Love to.

-Would you?

-Definitely.

-OK, follow me.

Come and have a look...at this!

Cool! I'm really looking forward to having a bath, really.

-That is an amazing bath, loving that.

-Yeah, it's cool.

-All tiled down now, floor tiled - what do you think?

-Brilliant.

I've been looking at that bath for six months in a cardboard box

-on the landing - it's now a reality. Wow!

-Brilliant.

It's now a reality. I mean, a simple thing,

it is a bathroom at the end of the day,

so it needs a bath. One or two little bits need to be finished off.

-Sure.

-We've got a little bit of stuff around the door,

one light still to go in, but in general...

-But that's minor, isn't it?

-Definitely.

-Compared to how it was.

-Wow!

-It's one level!

-No! No!

-The floor doesn't shake! Ha-ha-ha!

-It's definitely one level!

-Brilliant.

What sort of a difference is this going to make to your life,

-now you've got it finished?

-Well, it's giving us a life.

The real reason is, you need two workstations in the house,

we haven't had a bathroom or a kitchen!

-Now we can start living.

-Yeah.

The other good thing about it is that this is now officially

the first room in the house that's finished.

It's amazing, when you think about it!

-Isn't it? That, in itself...

-The project was supposed to be finished

in October of last year, 2010. It's now April 2011,

-we have our first room complete.

-Yes - wonderful.

-Yes!

-Do the lights work?

-That is worth celebrating.

-I tell you what, David can do the switch-on!

-Woah!

-Yes, brilliant!

-The lights actually work.

There's a long way to go, I realise that,

-but do you think now you're back on track?

-Definitely.

-We're positive now, whereas before...

-Definitely.

..the negativity that we had between us was very stressful,

-and it's turned things around to the positive side.

-Yeah, definitely.

-Is it a big thumbs-up, you're happy?

-Huge thumbs-up, huge.

-Yes.

-The dream's on its way. David, great to see you.

-Thank you very much.

Lovely to see you, missus.

-Thank you very much.

-Enjoy your bath, good luck in the future.

-See you, guys.

-Thank you, bye.

-Bye-bye.

Well, I think we can safely say we've achieved our goal,

and that was getting Susie and David's build back on track.

And I'm telling all cowboy builders out there,

be on the lookout, because we're on your trail.

If you've had a problem with builders, and you would like

to tell your story on Cowboy Trap, please call us or e-mail us.

Help us round up the cowboys!

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