Episode 18 Cowboy Trap

I'm on the road, yet again in search of shoddy work

carried out by cowboy builders.

It's not safe. This could have fell through and hurt somebody.

Cowboy builders do not stop at county boundaries.

They hunt far and wide for their next victim, so watch out,

they could be knocking on your door very soon.

As it stands, it's just worthless and it's just...dragging me down.

It's time to put a stop to their unscrupulous scams.

They make empty promises, they destroy people's homes

and take your hard-earned cash.

In short, they ruin people's lives.

Can you believe that? Ross, stop what you're doing

because otherwise you're going to join us in this living room!

I'm on the hunt for Britain's cowboy builders,

exposing the botched work and shady tactics of these dodgy dealers,

and on a mission to prevent you from falling into the cowboy trap!

Today, I'm in East Lothian, on the trail of a cowboy builder

here in bonny Scotland.

On going over the border, I passed Gretna Green,

Scotland's very own love town,

where over 5,000 people a year get married.

I'm on my way to meet one of those very couples,

Veronica and Ross Mercer, who got married in Gretna back in 2000.

Ross and I married at Gretna Green, with Ross' mum and dad

and our two dogs.

Nothing unusual about that, you might think,

until I heard that they had their pet cocker spaniels

to act as official witnesses at the wedding.

So it must have been a case of "till death do us bark"

or "for richer, for paw." Paw, dog, you get it?

Ah, forget it!

We absolutely adore our dogs.

In fact, I'd have more dogs if I didn't have this illness.

I love dogs!

Veronica, or "Vee" as she's known, has suffered from severe arthritis

since she was 15, and is now medically retired.

Her husband, Ross, works as a security officer

for the local authority, often working nights,

leaving Veronica to cope at home on her own.

Veronica and Ross come from close families.

Like most couples, they'd like to look after their elderly relatives.

So, they hatched a plan to create a granny flat

for Ross' mum and dad to move in with them.

That seemed like a win-win situation for everyone.

It'd save money and make life far easier.

The dream really, was for my parents to eventually move in.

The upstairs would be a sitting room and their bedroom.

Obviously they would have the en-suite for their toilet.

Downstairs we would occupy.

Obviously, we would have meals together.

Er, but the main aim was to look after Veronica and vice versa,

with my parents, while I was working.

The idea was to convert the loft space into a self-contained area,

with some privacy, and yet still be in a main part of the house.

It made perfect sense so Veronica and Ross set about getting the project started.

The couple already had one quote

but then a friend recommended a local builder. By sheer coincidence,

this builder's parents also lived across the road

so they thought they'd be in safe hands.

He gave us a quotation and we had already another quotation

from another builder, and he was obviously the cheapest

and we went for the cheaper one.

Beware - the cheapest price isn't usually for the best work

so take a tip from me.

Get at least three quotes

so you can judge whether you're getting a fair price.

You'll risk adding extra cost later down the line

if the work is substandard.

When Veronica and Ross received their builder's quote,

it was the cheapest but they felt reassured because he'd come recommended.

Their dream was for a loft conversion to create

a bedroom with en-suite bathroom and a sitting room with a walk-in wardrobe,

so Ross' parents could move in with them.

This would be mutually beneficial, so Veronica could care for them

and they could look after her when she needed.

The builder quoted £31,000

so the Mercers decided to remortgage their home

to finance the project.

They agreed to pay cash in stages throughout the job

and the builder said he would complete all the relevant paperwork.

He asked for cash in hand, every fortnight, I think it was,

like instalments, which we were quite happy to give.

Parents stay opposite, so to me, I thought,

"Well, he does a bad job, the whole village will hear about it."

The job began in October 2004 and in no time at all,

the work was looking great.

I used to pop home at lunchtimes, you know,

cos it was quite exciting, seeing our staircase going in.

Two months later, work was complete and on the surface, the job looked great.

The carpets were laid and the furniture in,

so Ross' parents started packing, ready to move.

But shortly after the builder left,

Veronica and Ross began hearing strange noises coming from the loft conversion

and the cracks began to show.

We knew there was something wrong when we stood on the floor

because the floor was...

If it's new wood and everything's been bolted down, you should not hear anything at all.

You can hear everything!

But the Mercers had faith in their builder's workmanship

so didn't think too much of it.

At the time, Ross had been working in the admin department

of the local building control office

so he thought he'd check with a co-worker about his outstanding paperwork.

I went up to a senior colleague and said, "Here, I've not got my completion certificate yet."

She says, "Ross, we didn't even know you'd started your work!"

Veronica and Ross immediately called in a building inspector.

Their builder had tried to conceal his second-rate work

but once the inspector scratched the surface,

they discovered some shocking surprises.

Not only were there cracks in the ceiling downstairs

and movement in the new floor upstairs,

but the beams that were supposed to support this new floor were missing,

making it extremely unsafe.

And...his words, weren't they? In 40 years of doing it...

40 years of building work, he has never seen anything like it in his entire life.

The Mercers had handed over their full quote of 31 grand

for their loft conversion.

They were left with an unusable attic space

which lacked the vital support joists,

making it too dangerous to live in. Worse still,

without the essential building completion certificate, their home is virtually unsellable.

The beams have not been strengthened

and also, beams haven't been put in where they should have been put in

so therefore our ceilings are bowing

-and some ceilings are cracking.

-It's just not safe.

It's just not safe.

The movement in the faulty floor upstairs

is having a knock-on effect downstairs, where the cracks will only get worse.

This was the first crack that started to appear,

which leads right across

and it goes right through the staircase.

As you go along, we come to another problem here.

It started cracking right down and right at the front door,

which is quite worrying. That's the end of the roof,

and that's cracking right along... That's a worrying sign.

This wretched rogue builder didn't just leave the Mercers

with a lousy loft conversion. He's left them out of pocket,

to the tune of 31 grand. Veronica and Ross are in utter despair.

I feel as if I'm to blame

because I told the man, "Could you please come and do the job?"

I honestly believed in him.

And he's ruined my life.

He's made me ten times worse...

..with my illness.

And just the thought of it makes me sick.

He's actually nearly ruined my marriage, family life,

all because of what he's done upstairs.

Their attic agony is made worse

because Ross' parents, Norma and John, couldn't move in as planned.

What's more, John had his suspicions from the very start.

My husband, from day one, was not too keen.

For some unknown reason, he just was not too keen.

I'm intrigued, John, what was your sixth sense there,

-that you thought, "This guy isn't quite right."

-I was in the front garden when he arrived.

Vee said to me, "There's the builder that's going to do the conversion."

I looked, there was nothing on the van.

I thought, "Oh no..."

-There was no livery on the van, it was a plain van?

-Plain white van.

Just an old rickety van. I said, "I don't know, I think that's wrong, don't take him."

-Did you voice that at the time?

-Yes!

-And it caused Vee to be upset.

-Vee has been upset from day one,

since that happened because she was the one that got him, she got him employed to do the job.

And she blames herself.

Did you, in the back of your mind, think,

"Well, maybe I was wrong in my first impression"

-or did you still have that same impression, that this guy was wrong?

-Yes.

-Still had it.

But isn't it hard, when you're talking to your daughter-in-law and your son, going...

Cos sometimes you don't want to say things like that, for fear...

I'm frightened to say it now, because she bursts out crying,

-because she knows she got them to do the job.

-She blames herself.

'The Mercers have been tormented by their unusable upstairs space

'for far too long.

'I'm here to see how they got into such a state

'and find out what we can do to help put them back on the right track.'

DOG BARKS

-Morning, Clive!

-How are you? Are you Veronica?

-Yes, I'm Veronica.

-And you must be Ross.

How are you, son? I hear you've had problems with cowboy builders.

-Yes, we have.

-Do you mind me having a look?

-Please come in.

I'll nip upstairs and come and fetch you in a bit.

'It's going to be tricky, seeing the problems initially

'because they're structural, not cosmetic.

'First, to the right, is the lounge.'

Floor's a little bit creaky.

Problems there.

'On the left of the house, on the other side of the stairs,

'is the bedroom.'

I think it's going to be a case of peeling back the layers again

because to all intents and purposes, you can't see much from the outside.

You can certainly see that there, as you move along the carpet,

it rises and then it drops,

so you've got a curvature there for some reason.

'This walk-in wardrobe is just off the bedroom.'

It's a case of peeling it all back

and checking out where the problems lie. It's not on the surface, that's for sure.

Another inspection hole been created there.

Huh... Plastic microball pipe work.

'It seems that the main problems are hidden away

'so I've asked homeowner Ross to show me where he's found the main attic aggravation.'

-Have you had a structural engineer in, take a look?

-Yes, we have.

This is why this inspection hole was created.

We had to make three inspection holes.

And I take it it was because of the way the joists were running.

What have they found out about the joists, about the base of the floor?

The chap did swear quite a lot and said

never, in his 40 years of surveying, had he seen such a bosh job.

Right, OK, so we need to try and get a closer look

as to what he's calling the worst bodge job he's seen in 40 years.

Now, this floor seems well dodgy.

What happens when you're walking on this floor, is there any effect downstairs?

-The light fitting actually moves.

-Does it?

-Yes!

Where do you have to stand to do that?

-Round about there.

-Round about here.

So somewhere about there. Tell you what, do us a favour, Ross.

Do you mind just moving up and down on that?

I want to go and see if it moves the light fitting.

Come on, let's go and have a look.

CREAKING

Can you believe that? Ross, stop what you're doing

because otherwise you're going to join us in this living room!

That is really nuts!

Ah, come on, that's no good.

We've got to go and shut that area off, nobody can go up there any more.

Later, I'll be speaking to the Mercers' structural engineer

to get his opinion on the bad builder's interpretation

of the original plans.

They've just stripped back to the carcass, relined it out and made it look pretty.

They haven't done any of the structural strengthening.

And the Mercers' sorry tale takes another cruel twist.

And the ludicrous thing is, they took us to the small claims court,

our own solicitors.

-Took YOU to the small claims court?

-Yes.

-I had to stand in the dock with all the criminals and everything that was waiting to be tried.

-Wow.

Veronica and Ross' dream was to create a granny flat

for Ross' parents. Converting their loft would give Norma and John

a bedroom with en-suite bathroom and sitting room.

Their brazen builder took £31,000

and left them with a job that may look fine on the surface

but this appalling attic space is too dangerous to live in.

We need to get them help before someone gets hurt.

I've called in local Building Standards Officer Vicky.

Veronica and Ross called Vicky to inspect the job

when they first realised they had a problem.

So she's come back to talk me through what happened.

Walking into the property, there were certain signs

that there was obvious structural implications.

A full inspection was carried out, works were noted

that weren't perhaps...that were obvious there were signs there was going to be problems,

so it was advised the clients obtain a structural assessment of the works

to be forwarded to our department. There was excessive cracking throughout the property,

particularly in the mid-floor construction,

which is the ground-floor ceiling.

When I carried out the inspection, there was a lot of movement

within what would be the first floor.

There was beams designed to be in place by the structural engineer

-that weren't found to be there.

-So the steels were there

on the plan but the builder decided to neglect

to either look at that plan

or take common sense and go, "Actually, this area now

"is not for old boxes and things that we hoard for ever and a day.

"This is actually going to carry people, beds, etc."

So we're now at that stage where it's impossible

if they ever wanted to sell this property, because it's not got sign-off, they couldn't.

What do they now need to do, in your expert opinion,

to get that completed?

We'd advise that they consult with an appropriately qualified structural engineer.

There was a structural engineer involved

at the original building work application and we'd advise they seek consultation with him directly.

Based on his findings, he'd produce a report

and we'd advise the report findings are put into place in the property,

in order so as we can issue a certificate of completion.

Vicky, fantastic to see you, and I'm hoping to get this sorted out

-with the right team very soon.

-OK.

-Thank you.

Before we call in the structural engineer to give us his advice,

I want to find out how the Mercers have ended up in such a fix.

Where was the funds going to be coming from, Vee?

What we did was we remortgaged the house

-and got a second mortgage.

-Did your mortgage arranger

tell you exactly what the finished payment would be by the time your mortgage had finished?

They probably did but we were just that excited about being accepted,

-having these funds ready, just...

-It's strange, isn't it, because you've got this dream...

-Yes.

-We had the dream.

-Everything else doesn't matter.

So when was the first alarm bell then?

They started on the third week in October,

finished on Christmas Eve

and when I passed the local council,

went in, saw a friend and said, "How do I go about getting my completion certificate?"

She checked her computer and of course, the five slips of paper

that come with your building warrant, he hadn't put in one.

These are stage tickets. So he does a certain stage,

hands a ticket in, they come and do the inspection.

And he hadn't handed in. They had no notification

that any work had been started at all.

When I knew that was the case,

I contacted the building control officer dealing with our case,

er, immediately and said, "Look, can you come out as soon as?"

Building control is a service provided by your local authority

to ensure building works comply with building regulations.

Ultimately, it's your responsibility,

so contact building control at each stage of your build

to make sure they're up to date with your progress.

Unfortunately, the Mercers put their faith in the troublesome tradesman

and have paid the price.

How do you feel then, at that moment in time, when the shock hits?

Numb...

and how do I tell my wife?

I was just going to say that. How do you walk back in to your home

-and tell Vee what the score is?

-I felt a failure...

as any man would.

-Did you feel you'd let Vee and the family down?

-Yes, yes.

And I knew there'd be humongous repercussions, arguments, tears.

And to this day, there are still tears and arguments.

Vee, Ross comes home and he says to you,

"I've got some news." What was that like?

Just...I can't, I don't believe you.

I said, "I really can't believe you."

Just couldn't believe somebody would do that.

-So that excitement and the dream...

-It's gone

because without that,

there is no...nothing worth it, it's nil.

Still devastated by this alarming information,

the Mercers discovered that the cost of the remedial work was up to 20 grand.

So they decided to take legal action against their bungling builder.

So again, this is something you had to consider,

was bringing in a solicitor and taking this guy to court,

regardless at this stage, you didn't know what assets this guy had got.

He can quite easily toss away his company name and create another one.

We just didn't give that a thought,

we thought, "We'll go down the right line and get a solicitor involved."

The remedial plan stated between 15,000 and 20,000.

None of the family had 15,000 or 20,000

and it's a catch-22 because the bank would not lend you the money

because you haven't got a completion certificate.

Correct.

Like many who find themselves in this situation,

the Mercers turned to legal action to recover their costs

but take my advice...

Solicitors' fees can quickly mount up.

Sadly for Veronica and Ross, even winning your case doesn't mean you're going to get your money back.

Did the case ever come to court?

It came to court and we won £20,000 plus expenses.

And we are sitting here with nothing.

We got no money back.

Their despicable builder declared himself bankrupt

so they couldn't get a penny.

What about your own solicitor's fees?

-17,000.

-By the end of that,

we were advised that if we wanted our 20,000 plus expenses,

we would have to start a fresh legal action against him

which we were not prepared to do.

And we were still due about £2,800.

And the ludicrous thing is, they took us to the small claims court, our own solicitors.

-Took YOU to the small claims court.

-Yes, I had to stand in the dock,

-with all the criminals and everything that was waiting to be tried.

-Wow.

And today, I'm still paying for that.

The Mercers have now forked out almost £50,000

between their builder and solicitor.

And they're still no further forward.

I really want to try and help them deal with their attic anguish.

I want to try, if I can, and relieve the sadness and the pressure from you.

I really do want to do that.

What could we do for you, Vee?

Just...I would really just like to put it right,

just...enough to get my building worth some money.

You know, a completion certificate.

Because as it stands, it's just worthless

and it's just...dragging me down.

Well, we're here with the good guys and we're going to start sorting it out for you.

I just... It would be like ...a miracle happening,

-that's all I can say.

-It would.

Well, let's sort that miracle out.

-Thanks very much.

-Thanks very much.

-Pleasure.

'Veronica and Ross have clearly been hit hard by their bad builder.

'I see a lot of problems caused by cowboys

'but it's the emotional damage that takes its toll

'and it's apparent that Veronica is really suffering.'

Before I put our team of local builders to work,

I'm taking building inspector Vicky's advice

and speaking to structural engineer Ken.

His team has been involved in the work since the planning stage

before the bodging builder took over,

so he can advise us on how to proceed.

Ah, now you must be Ken.

-Good morning.

-How are you, sir? I'm Clive.

Ken, describe to us what your role is, what your job is?

My practice was responsible for the structural design

-of the alterations to this property.

-So how do you feel now

that those design plans have not been followed through?

We've done the design, we've helped obtain the building warrant.

Unfortunately, the builder hasn't implemented any of the structural strengthening we required.

The most graphic illustration is in the ceiling of the lounge

where there's wide cracks and deflection to the lounge ceiling.

Even more so when people walk around upstairs.

There simply has been no strengthening to that floor.

The floor originally was a ceiling, of course,

and only supported plasterboard but now it's got to support habitable accommodation.

In terms of looking at what the builder has done,

in terms of the joists and everything else,

what have they done wrong other than putting the steels in?

They haven't doubled up any of the joists where we've required them to.

They've simply stripped back to the carcass, relined it out,

they haven't done any of the structural strengthening.

Do you think they've tried to hide that away from building control?

-I think they've tried to conceal it from everybody.

-I normally ask

guys like yourself what mark out of ten you'd give these guys for the work they've carried out.

I'd categorise that as a very low marking, maybe one or two out of ten.

Just as I thought, beneath the plaster and the paint,

there's a whole heap of trouble.

This is a ticking time bomb, just waiting to erupt in possible disaster.

I've decided I'm declaring this a danger zone,

I'm cordoning off the area

and I'm going to call in the good guys and get this mess sorted out.

Veronica and Ross are desperate to put an end to their loft hell

so they're chipping in to get the whole job sorted once and for all.

Head builder David and his team are ready to start.

We need to come up with a plan that will cause as little disruption as possible.

I've asked Building Standards Officer Vicky to join us

so we're all singing from the same hymn sheet.

Er, this is David. How are you, David? He's our builder.

This is Vicky, she's our Building Standards Surveyor for the area.

Vicky, just explain what is required to put this right.

We need to have a structural investigation to determine what exactly went on

in the mid-floor construction.

Realistically, what we're standing on, should only be for light storage.

It's not meant for people to be up here.

We know steels are going to go in to reinforce it, which it should have been in the first place

but have you got any other idea what might be required?

What has to happen is now that you've got a floor down,

there's not much we can do apart from if we lifted the whole floor.

That's not going to happen at this stage. We need to make minimum mess.

What we now need to do is we'll take out small sections of the wall here,

to allow beams to go round the back.

The beams are then going to be carried from wall-head to wall-head

which is going to be a beam there and a beam there

which now is the new span.

We'll then hang joist hangers down from the steel beams which means

it's a shorter span which is going to suffice.

-Therefore, where Vicky's concerned, she'll be able to hand over that completion certificate.

-Correct.

Coming up, will Veronica's bungling builder have any answers

to her questions?

How could you leave us in such a mess?

I've got a feeling the Mercers are going to reach lofty heights of happiness

when I show them what the good guys can achieve.

-I really cannot believe it!

-It's amazing.

-Honestly...

In Pencaitland, East Lothian,

Veronica and Ross Mercer stumbled into the cowboy trap

when they called in a builder to convert their loft.

They wanted an extra bedroom,

en-suite and sitting room for Ross' parents to move in, so they could look after each other.

They had paid their cowboy builder £31,000

and were left with an unsafe attic space and 17 grand of legal fees.

It's now long after Ross' mum and dad were due to move in

but Norma and John still feel the disappointment of their dashed dream.

What sort of effect do you think it's generally had on them

and on yourselves?

Well, on them there's been tears, there's been disillusion,

there's been loads of things, upsets.

For us, again the same. Really disappointed it hasn't worked out.

For six years, to have everything on hold, your decor, your home,

arguments, tears...

The whole Mercer family deserve a decent break.

Our team of builders are beavering away to transform their attic space

into the loft conversion they dreamed of.

We started by emptying the place out, getting all the carpets up,

and the first thing we had to do was to make sure we move all the plasterboard from here,

all the insulation and all the insulation behind it

because we have all the steel going in.

The reason the steel's going in is we can see four joists originally

were meant to be doubled up. As you can see, the size of these is very small.

So what we're now changing it from is we're putting steel beams in,

bolted on to this wall, sitting onto a padstone at that end.

Padstones, or concrete blocks, are put in to support the new steel beams

and keep the family safe and the structure sound.

The aim was to put them all in from above

but now two of the padstones must be installed from below,

in the main bedroom.

So sadly, it's going to cause Veronica and Ross

a bit more disruption than we planned.

Basically, we've just been told they're going in to our bedroom

and the kitchen, so really it's all the whole attic floor.

What was three steel beams is now inevitably going to be even more.

So it's going to be a more complex job.

Veronica is already feeling extremely fragile

and this unexpected chaos in the couple's bedroom

has been hard to handle.

My wife has had to go out after she was told this.

Er...it really is a nightmare, but the only good thing is

this nightmare's going to finish, hopefully.

David and his boys will soon have the Mercers feeling on top of the world again,

with their loft conversion looking like it should have

in the first place.

This is a good example of the vital work that usually goes unseen

when you get the right builders on the job.

I want to help Veronica stop feeling so guilty about this sorry saga

and put their seven years of gripes and grievances

to their bodging builder.

If you had an opportunity to speak to him, say two or three questions,

what would they be?

Well, the first one would be, how could you leave us in such a mess?

The same ones, really. Why did you breach building control regulations?

Which is really important because it left you in danger, really.

-The last thing I'd really like to know...

-And the most important...

And the most important is, why did you not pay us the money you owe us?

-You won in court, didn't you?

-We won.

-He didn't even turn up.

I'm going to give you an opportunity now to actually call

and give him an opportunity of a right of reply. Are you ready...

-Absolutely.

-..Veronica, to do this?

-Absolutely.

-OK. So here we go.

PHONE RINGS

Nobody's answering.

-Nobody's answering at the moment.

-No, not a thing.

-It's no surprise to me.

-Not at all.

-No.

'When our team spoke to the builder, he refused to comment.'

Unfortunately, it seems the Mercers' questions will remain unanswered.

But I'm sure that seeing their lovely new loft

will help Veronica and Ross to put their attic agony behind them.

First, I want to catch up with head builder David

to check on progress.

-All done, inside?

-Yes, yes.

-We've decorated downstairs as well as upstairs.

-This is the thing.

I always say this about the good guys, they're always prepared to go the extra mile.

-Extra mile, that's for sure.

-In this case, probably an extra ten miles!

-But at least it's now completed.

-It probably should have been done a bit different, to be honest.

What we've had to do is a lot of steelwork

which is an afterthought.

What we've done is steelwork to try and do it

without stripping everything out.

-Almost like trying to put your underpants on without taking your jeans off!

-Exactly. Like Superman!

It's a tricky old job, isn't it?

At least now, I'm sure Ross and Veronica and everyone will be happy

that they're safe. They've also had

a brilliant team of guys in there to do the job.

It just shows, they are out there, all you've got to do is research and you'll find them.

People like David and the team. Well played, sir.

-Great to meet you.

-No worries.

-Thank you very much for the work you've done.

Now that David and his team have finished working their magic,

we've called in building control.

Vicky's been monitoring the work throughout

but her colleague, John, has come today to inspect the work

and hopefully issue that all-important completion certificate.

-Ah, here he is. All right, John?

-How are you doing, Clive?

You're surveying now... Good to see you.

You're surveying but it feels a whole heap different

to what it did when we first arrived.

Obviously the changes have happened now, have been made.

What are your feelings?

They got the amendment to warrant through the engineer,

they've done it properly this time, we've inspected as it went along,

rather than not being involved previously,

so we're happy to sign off and in fact, we have the completion certificate to hand over to you.

-Have you got it now?

-We have.

-Do you mind if I have a look at it?

-No problem at all.

-Cos this is...OK.

-So, East Lothian Council...

-And the certificate's over.

OK. This is just going to be such a weight lifted off

-Veronica and Ross' shoulders.

-They've been through a lot of trauma.

They have been through a lot of trauma. Really appreciate your efforts!

-It was a pleasure.

-Cheers, John.

I can't wait to share this exciting news with the Mercers.

Our top team of builders have produced a fantastic finish

so all I need to do now is see if Veronica and Ross

are ready to see their lofty new addition.

-Are you sitting comfortably?

-Yes, definitely.

-Then I'll begin.

I've had a quick nosy round.

So, are you ready to come see what the good guys have done?

-Yes, definitely.

-We're absolutely ready.

-Definitely.

Good, cos I can't wait to show you. Let's not waste another second.

-Let's rock 'n' roll. After you, Ross.

-Thank you very much.

-Veronica.

-Thank you.

-No cracks!

-No cracks.

Oh my goodness!

-It's brand new, that's all I can say.

-It's fantastic, isn't it?

-It makes such a difference. Nice clean lines.

-Fabulous.

The most important thing was going on upstairs, so are you ready

-to go in, take a look and see what's been happening up there?

-Can't wait.

-Yes.

-Absolutely.

-OK. After you then, young Ross.

-Certainly.

The Mercers' dream was for Ross' parents to share their home

and their lives.

A huge amount of work has gone into making this loft safe

but the evidence is concealed behind those fabulous finishes.

The worrying wooden beams are now supported by sturdy steel joists

and the attic area is ready to live in.

We've helped get the rooms the way they want

which has involved a radical redesign.

The room that had the bed is now the new living room.

Oh, wow!

What a difference!

-The floor!

-The floor as well.

-Oh my...

-You've got laminate floor down.

-..goodness!

-You had carpet before, if you remember.

-I can walk on the floor!

-No creaking!

-Oh my goodness.

-No creaking.

-I'll not be frightened to walk on it anyway.

-That's fabulous.

-There's one thing I do want to show you further in here.

Just have a quick go inside your walk-in wardrobe.

Oh my goodness!

Oh, it's fabulous!

That's fabulous!

It's beautiful. Honestly...

Super, absolutely super.

'And across the stairwell, to the right of the house

'the former sitting room is now the master bedroom with en-suite.'

Oh my...

Look at this!

SHE GASPS

Wow!

-That's like something out of a designer shop!

-That's what I said.

I'm really, really speechless.

I think my parents are going to be very, very happy.

I really cannot believe it. Honestly.

-Beautiful.

-Brilliant, eh?

-Beautiful.

-It's just...

just so great to be able to live in it.

When you think about it, these builders have done a cracking job.

Are you chuffed, on a scale of one to ten?

-11.

-15!

-15! I'm happy with 15.

-Yes, so am I.

There's a couple of other people I'd like to show.

Now, I wonder who it is...

Who are they? Important people in your life.

It seems we've helped Veronica feel a lot happier with her loft

but it's Ross' parents who'll be living up here

so we need to find out if Norma and John approve

of their new abode.

This is where you're going to be staying.

Wonderful!

Absolutely...wonderful.

-Goodness me.

-Great!

What a difference! That's great.

-Superb!

-This is home!

-It's what we wanted from day one...

-Yeah.

-A long time coming.

-..and didn't get.

-Seven years.

It's been worth it, it's been worth it.

It looks fantastic now, it looks fantastic.

I'm going to put an extra smile on your face

because this is an important thing I've got to hand over.

This is a document from East Lothian Council.

This is to say that building control have now passed all the works...

-Fantastic.

-..on the property. I'll hand that to you, Ross.

-I'll put that in the file.

-Absolutely fabulous.

This is what I used to have a look at and there it is.

-My goodness.

-So, is everybody happy? That's the main thing.

-Very much so!

-You've done a great job.

It's been an absolute pleasure. Have a nosy round.

-Good luck, everybody, and I'm so pleased for you all.

-Thanks again!

-Thank you!

-Take it easy now.

-Thank you very much.

-Bye!

-Bye!

The colours, everything, it's just wonderful.

I think you can safely say that Veronica and Ross are well chuffed

with the job that our good guys have done.

But I've got a message for all cowboy builders out there.

The net is closing in.

If you've had a problem with builders

and you'd like to tell your story on Cowboy Trap,

then please call us.

Help us round up the cowboys.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd