Episode 19 Cowboy Trap

I'm on the road again, on the case of yet more dodgy builders,

who promise the earth

but leave decent homeowners in the lurch with their bodged building work.

It's just so unfair, so unfair

that I have to live like this.

Over the years, I've seen enough cowboy building work

to last me a lifetime.

But I'm still surprised how they managed to con people

out of their hard-earned cash.

I was angry, because I couldn't believe

that I could be left in this state.

I'm hoping to offer a helping hand to a homeowner

who's been badly let down by a cowboy builder,

who was the husband of a work colleague.

I don't trust anybody any more.

Along the way, I'll be giving you loads of hints and tips

in the hope that it will prevent you from falling

into the cowboy trap.

Today, the cowboy trail brings me to Merthyr Tydfil,

just 20 miles outside of Cardiff.

It used to be one of the biggest towns in Wales

and it's steeped in history -

from exploding cannons to wallpaper.

I kid you not.

Lord Nelson's cannons were built here

for his battles against the French and Spanish.

And Laura Ashley was born in Merthyr,

so I guess you could say if it wasn't for Merthyr Tydfil,

we'd all be speaking French or Spanish

and be living a life free of floral-print pattern!

But in enough of these grandiose tales of old.

It's time to meet the hero of our story.

38-year-old Brian Harris works as a manager

in a road-traffic call centre.

When he's not helping to keep motorists on the road,

he loves to get out and about in the beautiful Welsh countryside.

Merthyr's just freedom.

You've got the Brecon Beacons on your doorstep.

You can get into the car, park up and just go for a walk

and you can walk for hours and hours without ever coming to an end.

It's just somewhere I've grown up.

Brian was diagnosed with Crohn's disease nine years ago.

It's similar to irritable bowel syndrome.

It affects my immune system,

so stress can cause me to have flare-ups,

which I can be quite unwell on.

A few years ago, he decided to set up home

close to his friends and family

in the place he knows and loves best.

And when he came across a wonderful mid-terrace property

that he could turn into a home, he decided to snap it up quick.

This is the first property that I had, so it was very special to me

and I thought this is something I could renovate into my own style.

Brian's house is over 100 years old and he wanted to bring it up to date

into the 21st century.

So, in the tradition of Merthyr Tydfil's industrialists,

he go out his pencil and re-imagined it.

And he had grand expectations of creating a lovely new lounge.

It was to be a comfortable home for me, because I live on my own.

The house was really old and run down.

I wanted to update it, modernise it,

and to be something that had my stamp on it.

Brian also wanted a bathroom to reflect his taste,

so it was a case of out with the old

and in with a brand new, swanky bathroom suite.

I wanted again to bring it in more modern line

and tile it from top to bottom.

Be kind of trendy.

With plans for his bathroom, and executive lounge now in place,

Brian set about finding the builder to do the work.

But he didn't have to travel too far,

because a colleague at work was married to a builder.

For Brian, that was convenient, but, above all, a safe bet.

Because he was recommended by a work colleague,

I felt as if I wouldn't be ripped off by the builder.

It was being introduced to somebody who was already a friend.

I was just overwhelmed. I was so happy and so excited

that someone that I trusted could do the work for me.

And I was just so looking forward to the end result.

Brian felt safe in the knowledge that his builder

was married to a work colleague,

so, therefore, he let his guard down.

He didn't take up any references

or go and see any previous work the builder had done.

To you regular watchers of Cowboy Trap,

you know I believe that to be vital.

Therefore, Brian didn't have a contract agreement,

no staged payments were put in place and no work schedule, either.

In fact, all the elements were just tossed into the air and left to chance.

The six-week build started in December 2008.

The final agreed price for all materials and labour was £10,000.

Even when Brian asked for additional work to be done, like having the boiler moved,

the builder said, "That's no problem."

In fact, nothing was a problem to the builder. At first.

The builder made me feel very secure.

He totally understood what I want it and we could work together on it.

It was very exciting for me to be able to trust someone.

Everything seemed to be going according to plan.

With Brian having a debilitating illness called Crohn's disease,

which leaves him tired and requiring a bathroom on a regular basis,

he decided to move out while work continued.

I decided to go to Spain for a few days to spend some time with friends.

But I decided to come back early, because I was excited.

I wanted to see how the house was going.

I wanted to see how the work was progressing

and I wanted to be here to see it for myself.

But then, disaster struck.

Returning after five days away,

Brian realised his worst nightmare had come true.

There was evidence of bodged work all over the place.

The dividing wall had been removed,

but the steel they'd put in place was a shambles

and they'd come up with a unique design idea for the bathroom, too.

To my amazement, I was overwhelmed that where the old toilet was,

the bath had been put in that position.

Rather than purchase a bath that fitted into that area,

the builder gouged two inches out of the wall

to get the bath to fit.

The toilet was on a piece of plywood.

I was angry, because I couldn't believe

that I could be left in this state.

The work, or lack of it, was having an adverse effect on Brian's health,

so he did what many people would do in the same situation

and he sought legal advice from his home-insurance company.

They could give me legal advice,

but any court costs, or any fees would have to be paid by myself,

so I decided it was not an avenue I could pursue,

because I didn't have the funds and the money to be able to do that.

Poor Brian had high hopes of his redesigned home,

but it was slowly dawning on him

that his beautiful new bathroom and lounge

was turning into the stuff of nightmares.

I was so excited about getting the work done,

and then the disappointment.

I felt betrayed and I didn't feel as if I could trust the builder again.

I don't trust anybody any more.

Best friend Nicola has known Brian for over 16 years.

She knows only too well the effect the building work has had on him.

He didn't answer my calls for a while, not answer my calls,

but I'd say, "I'm popping by, I'll come in for a cup of tea."

He be, "No, you can't do that."

He kind of withdrew a bit.

I think he was so devastated as to what happened.

And he was embarrassed, even though I'm one of his closest friends,

he was embarrassed about the way he that he had been ripped off.

He lost trust in people, as well, really.

He lost a lot of trust in people

and lost the motivation to do anything.

I will not allow anybody to come here. It's out of bounds.

It's so embarrassing.

To what I was expecting, is just so unfair.

So unfair that I have to live like this.

And Brian's been living in this mess over three years now,

so it's no surprise that it's eroded his self-confidence

and left him feeling down.

'But now I'm here on a mission to rescue Brian's build

'and see if I can put a smile back on his face again.'

-Are you Brian?

-I am.

-I'm Clive from Cowboy Trap.

-Hi, Clive.

-How are you?

-I'm good, thank you.

You've had problems with cowboy builders. Do you mind if I look around?

-No, come on in.

-Cheers.

'While Brian sticks the kettle on,

'I want to see what I'm dealing with here.'

When I walk into these properties, I never really know

whether I'm walking into a Pandora's box of major problems

or just more aesthetics, but that is a poor finish.

Whoever's done this is definitely not a plasterer.

Look at the ceiling.

'Oh, Pandora's box, indeed.'

Through from the hallway the steel lintel is not fixed properly

meaning the upstairs is in danger of falling, well, downstairs.

The floor is up and down like a fiddler's elbow

and the gas meter is just hanging by a thread.

And with all these exposed wires, I wouldn't be surprised

if this place short-circuited.

To top it all, I think there might be some rising damp.

I've got my damp meter out. It's got two probes.

A good way of testing it, to make sure it works,

is palm of your hand and back in the hand.

-Palm of your hand should have more moisture.

-HIGH-PITCHED BEEP

-Which makes a loud sound. Back of the hand, not so much.

-IMITATES LOW-PITCHED BEEP

-I can feel a gadget moment coming on.

-HIGH-PITCHED BEEP

HIGH-PITCHED BEEP

Ooh! That's high pitch.

That's a lot of damp in there.

How's about that then?

That's all the evidence I need. This is serious.

'Time to see if the kitchen fares any better.'

This kitchen is very compact and bijou.

A galley-style kitchen, if you like.

Don't know what's going on there. None of the joists are secured into the wall.

We've got patches of damp all over the place. It's quite tight for space.

That is for sure, especially for a big geezer.

OK, let's see what's through here.

This will be the bodged bathroom.

The bath is oversized,

so my guess is someone has gone down to the DIY store,

bagged a bargain without doing any measuring, and it's crucial,

when you're doing a bathroom, to go for my four-measure rule.

Measure, measure, measure. And just for good measure, measure again.

'This bathroom is stinking.'

I've spotted another problem with the toilet waste pipe.

It's actually got a back fall. You've heard me talk about this a lot.

There's no way that when you're going to the toilet, that is not filling up.

Because that has got a back fall to the waste, which means

it's struggling, which means there will be waste sitting in that pipe.

It's no good.

'Brian even has to lend a helping hand

'by pouring in buckets of water to help clear the waste.'

Any builder or plumber worth their salt will get pipe-work right,

so to demonstrate Brian's problem,

I've come to builder's yard.

He'd got what they call back fall, which means

when you go to the toilet, each time you flush,

the problem is a lot of that soil is going to stay in the pipe, particularly around the bend.

Also, you're going to get a lot of water backing up,

that's why he has to get buckets to throw down the toilet to shift it.

That is no good at all. What you need, and this is a plumbers rule of thumb,

is an 18-mil fall. This is a top tip in case

your plumber is missing something, or you look at the pipe and think, "That doesn't look right."

I will use this orange to show you. This hasn't got much of a back fall, to be fair,

but the orange will not come out at the other end.

Are you ready? Let's go.

There you go.

Nothing coming out at the other end. If I just get the orange back out.

If it'll come. There it is. We've got the orange.

I've now recreated virtually that 18 mil for every metre.

Now watch. It's fairly obvious as you see this,

but it should be obvious to the plumber, as well.

What I'm going to try to do is drop the orange in -

I won't have to drop it in so high.

I'm going to drop it in and try to catch it the other end. Are you ready?

No pressure, then.

-HE CHUCKLES

-There it is. Good as gold.

Remember, check that plumber and make sure you've got the proper fall line.

I've come to Merthyr Tydfil to see if I can help Brian Harris

out of this cowboy trap, after he fell foul of a bodging builder.

Last year, Brian was quoted £10,000 to have some work done on the exterior

and to have two rooms downstairs knocked into one massive lounge.

And for his bathroom, which was the product of a bygone era,

into something more contemporary and fit for the 21st century.

Hm.

I don't think this work was quite what Brian had in mind,

at least I hope it wasn't!

Tell me what's been done, or what should've been done.

I wanted all the walls knocked off, back to the brick and plastered.

It really is a real poor job.

Even when he was doing the work in here, did you come along and go,

-"That doesn't look..."

-No, I was away for the initial few days

because of the amount of work to be done.

'There is only one way to describe this work...'

-Terrible. Let's have a look out back stop

-OK.

'Brian envisaged a cool kitchen.'

One he could bring his friends home to and cook up a treat.

I don't think is quite the place.

Have you lifted these tiles?

No, the builder has done that.

It was supposed to be replaced, along with the kitchen units and walls and new ceiling.

It's been left in quite a mess.

-The builder has hit everywhere downstairs.

-Yes.

'Now for the most important room in the house.'

Um, I'm sort of concerned about the bath itself. What did you want?

The plan was to tile the floor, replace the bathroom suite,

tile the walls, install a shower new light in, an extractor fan,

new window, and I was advised they could make the bathroom look bigger

-by placing the bath there toilet in the position it's in.

-Do you think it has?

-No.

-No. That is a bunch of bunkum, I tell you now.

It's just a shambles.

-It needs a complete revamp.

-It does.

Doesn't it? OK, let's get out of here, especially with that. It looks terrible.

Coming up, I call in an independent chartered surveyor

to assess this little house of horrors.

-You can't live with this, it's not possible.

-And the full impact of this cowboy builder

hits Brian smack between the eyes.

I was just so stressed out with it.

I was disappointed with myself, which caused me to have an ongoing flare-up with my Crohn's.

I took it really personally, "Why me, what have I done?"

You know, to deserve this.

Here in Wales, beside the beautiful Brecon Beacons,

lies the former mining town of Merthyr Tydfil,

which is home to 38-year-old Brian Harris.

Two years ago, he decided to renovate his house,

finally settling on a builder married to a friend at work.

But, after shelling out £4,500 in cash,

his builder upped and left, never to return.

It has become clear to Brian that the bathroom was a disaster zone

and the lounge wasn't so much disappointing as devastating.

'It's time for me to sit down face to face with Brian,

'to see if we can get to the bottom of what's been going on.'

I'd like to know more of the strife of Brian

when it comes to cowboy builders.

-What work did you want?

-I wanted the two living rooms knocked into one,

nice big skirting boards nice laminate flooring.

I decided to keep the bathroom suite as it, but just update it.

And have it in the style I wanted it

and not in the style I purchased it in.

-So that was the dream.

-That was the dream, yes.

Unable to find a local builder,

Brian thought he'd come up with the perfect solution.

So you asked around work and somebody stepped forward and said "I know somebody"?

-Yes.

-She recommended her husband to do the work and we got put in contact.

It was nice to be able to trust someone

with having access to my house,

I kind of knew them, so I was happy, really ecstatic.

'The builder quoted £10,000 to do the work.'

Did you ask to see any of his previous work?

I'd seen some mobile-phone pictures

of work that had been done on his wife's house.

But you are looking at pictures off a mobile phone.

I always say don't look at photographs in a portfolio, big ones.

I'd worked with this person for a number of years. I never thought

-I'd be in the position I'm in now.

-You were lured into a false sense of security?

-Yes.

Well, I never.

This story has alarm bells written all over it.

So take a tip from me.

Mobile pictures of the builder's previous jobs are never enough.

You need to see their work for yourself, in person.

Don't trust a builder just because a friend tells you they're good.

And don't let your heart rule your head.

Poor Brian learned the hard way

and put all his trust

and hard-earned savings into the hands of a friend at work -

the wife of a cowboy builder.

I've found, a lot of experience, that the wives

and the girlfriends and partners do not know what they're up to.

-No, she didn't.

-They don't know they're doing bad work.

And don't forget, she was his feeder.

She was going to feed him business.

Unable to see the trap he was falling into,

Brian paid £4,500 in cash and work got under way almost immediately,

without even the most basic of paperwork.

-Did you have a contract?

-No.

£4,500 up front, in cash, no receipt, if he ever got caught

for non-payment of taxes by the Inland Revenue,

and they can trace it back to who paid him -

you are employing him as the homeowner -

-they can come to you for that.

-Really?

-Yes.

'Ker-ching!'

Money truly makes the world go round.

Here's another tip from me. Never pay cash to a builder.

Always pay by cheque or banker's draft.

It's vital there is proper proof of payments

made from you to the builder,

or you could be liable for the tax the builder owes.

Brian fell into the cowboy trap of paying up front and in cash.

So you paid £4,500 for this?

Mm-hm.

Are we saying the builder never returned again?

-He asked for more money for the kitchen.

-And you said?

-No.

-Hurrah.

And because I didn't give him more money,

the next day, I came home from work, all his tools and materials had gone.

All the rest of the materials that I'd paid for had gone, as well.

-They were in the initial £4,500.

-It's what I mean, it's non-traceable.

So it's your word against his.

In a court of law, it would get thrown out.

As if the financial pressures weren't enough,

Brian faced a daily struggle because of his illness.

I suffer with Crohn's disease and I need to avoid stressful situations.

So to have that sunshine collapsed in front of you,

what effect did that have on you?

Well, I was so stressed out with it.

I was disappointed with myself that I had trusted someone.

It caused me to have an ongoing flare-up with my Crohn's,

because of the way that I was dealing with it personally.

I took it personally. "Why me? What have I done to deserve this?"

What sort of impact on your life has living in this condition had, Brian,

not only from a health perspective, but, of course,

obviously, you want to use the house as intended, to be a home.

I have godson who doesn't come here.

I don't invite my family and friends because of the state of the house. It's totally embarrassing.

This property desperately needs some TLC from a quality builder.

-Definitely.

-We're going to make sure that happens.

Poor Brian. My heart really goes out to him.

There's a ton of bodges that have gone on here

and I'm really worried about them, but don't just take my word for it.

I've asked independent chartered surveyor Tony Owens

to cast his eagle eye over it and see what he thinks.

-Ah.

-I love it when you guys make long notes! How are you, Tony?

I'm Clive. Just talk us through some of the problems you've found.

Overall, it's just the quality.

This isn't plastering by any stretch of the imagination.

This isn't a tradesman.

Did you look in the bathroom?

-I have looked in the bathroom.

-What did you make of that?

-Er... I think

the builder has bought a Saturday special

that doesn't fit the wall, so he's chased out the wall to make room for the suite.

I think that's exactly what he's done.

Looking at the work that has been carried out in here,

if we can call it work, what mark out of ten would you give them?

Well this is a 0-1 basically. There's no two ways.

You can't live with this. It's not possible.

Well I think zero is fair, I do. Very fair. Nice one, Tony.

I tell you what,

this cowboy builder definitely comes from Bodge City.

Take a look at that. It is total nonsense.

There are so many jobs in here that are poor at best.

This is definitely a no-go zone.

So I'm going to tape off the area

and the only people allowed across this line are the good guys and myself.

And, talking of which, it's time to get those good guys in.

We have a massive job on our hands. Brian is so desperate to get the work done,

he is going to contribute to the cost of the job.

Luckily, head builder John Sutton has been in the trade for years,

so, between us, we are going to come up with a cunning plan.

-There really is. Hi, John.

-Clive, how are you?

-Good to see you.

-Lots to do in this property.

-There is, unfortunately.

It's been plastered in such a hideous fashion.

-He wasn't a plasterer.

-No way!

We're going to have to straighten walls out.

Straighten out the beam, and then we can decorate it. The kitchen is similarly grim.

Because we're putting a false ceiling in, it gives us the opportunity

to put some low-voltage downlights in.

It'll funk it up a little bit.

And then the all-important bathroom.

The bathroom, as you've seen, is a disaster.

We'll put a new bath, the right length of bath,

back in the same position.

It's been a tragedy of building work

done by somebody who wasn't a builder.

If he was a butcher, baker or candlestick maker,

you'd expect him to have at least been a butcher by trade.

'He was a butcher all right. The building butcher of Merthyr.'

John and his team of good guys get stuck in straight away.

Over the next ten days, they have a right job on their hands.

The all-important bathroom must be re-plumbed and redecorated,

the kitchen modernised, ceiling, walls and doors made safe,

the lounge must be properly plastered, and that's just the basics.

With all this madness and mayhem, no wonder it looks like

they're building Noah's Ark in Brian's back garden.

Coming up, Brian calls his bodging builder.

I'd like to know why you promised to do the work to a high standard and left me in the mess that you did.

And I show him what the good guys can do.

-I mean, the difference!

-I can't believe it.

-It really is darkness into the light.

-Yes, it's just...

Phew. Too much to take in.

38-year-old sales manager Brian Harris

lives in the former mining town of Merthyr Tydfil.

Two years ago, he finally saved up enough money to fulfil his long-held dream

of turning his house into a home.

He was overjoyed when a work colleague's builder husband

offered to do the work for just £10,000.

So he paid half the money up front in cash without getting a receipt.

But when Brian refused to pay out even more cash, the cowboy, his supposed friend,

upped and left, leaving his house in a right old state.

In fact, it was almost unliveable.

For someone facing the daily struggle of Crohn's disease,

it was a hard knock.

Waking up every day for the last three years in that environment

hasn't been healthy for me.

With my Crohn's disease, it's caused lots of stress. It wasn't comfortable to live in.

Sadly, it has not only affected his physical health,

it's had a huge impact on his confidence, too.

He doesn't like failure.

Everything he does, he likes to succeed in doing.

The knock this is had on him has knocked every aspect of his life.

It's knocked his confidence in everything that he does.

I'm very anti-social with my friends.

Too embarrassed to invite them to the property.

It's been three years of stress for me, really.

We've now brought in the good guys, who are working round the clock

to update this former miner's house into the place of Brian's dreams.

-But the last few days haven't been easy.

-Everything was a bit of a mess,

a bit of a shambles. There was damp everywhere.

Never seen plastering like it.

You're not wrong.

This whole project nearly collapsed

when the ceiling wanted to get up close and personal with the floor.

The coated plaster put on by the last guys was so ill-prepared,

the weight of our new plaster brought the whole ceiling onto the floor. Completely collapsed.

It has been a major push for the guys.

We're running out of time, but we're working hard.

We'll get it all done to him and he can live in the house properly, instead of a bomb site.

The new floor is as flat as a pancake.

They're wiring in the groovy kitchen spotlights,

the deluxe bath fits like a glove

and the gas meter's been boxed in.

We're well on our way to turning Brian's slapdash house into a homely retreat.

He can't stop thinking what it will look like.

I'm expecting just to have something modern and contemporary.

Something where I can invite my family and friends

and ultimately call a home.

Brian desperately needs to move on, but, before he can,

I need to help him get answers from the bodging builder.

He still works with the wife of his former builder,

but is so embarrassed about what's gone on,

he avoids talking about it at work at all.

Brian, when was the last time you had any dialogue with your builder?

-When the work was done, about three years ago.

-Does he owe you money?

-He does in theory

because I don't believe the money paid should have been paid for the quality of the work done.

I'm giving you an opportunity to give him a call,

because it's his opportunity of a right of reply.

There we go.

'It's no surprise

'when our call is diverted straight to the builder's voicemail.'

This is Brian Harris, from Merthyr Tydfil.

I asked you to do some work on my house.

Today, I'm here with the guys from Cowboy Trap on the BBC

and I have a few questions for you.

This is your right to reply.

I'd like to know why you promised to do the work my house

to a high standard and you left me in the mess that you did.

As you know, with my illness, I depend on the toilet

and I emphasised this and you left me with a toilet that was overflowing

and backing up and causing me lots of distress.

Thanks. Bye.

OK. Let's hope he'll give us a call back.

My main concern now

is that you can now rid yourself of the poison that lurks within

that cowboy builders create.

It's not just about the mess they cause, it's the effect they have on people.

-Definitely.

-As you as a person and how it affects you.

-Brian, thanks for going through that.

-No problem.

-Cheers, mate.

-Thank you.

-Pleasure.

Our team spoke to the builder. He claimed he didn't do the work

and that instead he gave the job to a friend of his,

who didn't finish it because Brian never paid him.

That sounds like a bit of a yarn to me, but it's clear that Brian

has badly been left down and would be sunk without the good guys.

We now look forward to the end product

and something that we can all be proud of on a Friday afternoon.

They're just doing the final touches

and have even put up a shiny, new mirror for this handsome fella.

No, not Brian, me!

Joking apart, Brian's done a great job,

picking out many of the fixtures himself.

So I'm really looking forward to seeing if all my ideas

and suggestions have come together.

The work is finished at last. Well done, boys, you must be exhausted.

Go home and have a well-earned cup of builder's tea.

It's nearly time for Brian to see his refurbished residence

and our man from Merthyr is excited.

It's a bit nerve-racking. My emotions are all over the place.

It's a new chapter in my life.

Well, Brian, I'm afraid you're going to hold fire for a moment,

because this big man wants to have a sneaky peek first.

Oh! 'Well, now this is what I'm talking about.

'Look at this open-plan lounge. It's just glorious.

'All it needs is Brian's personal touch.'

It is amazing.

The flooring I'm loving. If you remember before,

all you got there was a fuse board with the open-face box.

They've made a fantastic feature. Loving it.

Remember we'd got damp in a lot of places all over this property.

All that damp course has been sorted out over there.

'Look at this supporting beam.'

Before, it was just resting on the brick pillar in the hall.

It was an accident waiting to happen.

I feel really safe walking around this place,

knowing the upstairs isn't going to land on my head.

Isn't it amazing what can be achieved when the good guys come in?

Let's go and have a look at the kitchen.

The job's a good 'un.

Room-to-room laminate flooring,

fitted cabinets for Brian to store his sauces and saucers.

Things are looking good.

Even though the hob's electric, this place is cooking with gas.

They've made magnificent use of the space available.

Loving the lighting, because if you remember this was a tall ceiling.

It was also angled. You had a drop on it like that.

Big holes in the corner, real mess.

Now, again, transformation

beyond my wildest dreams.

It's got a feeling of a bachelor pad, if you like, but, in a way, he is a bachelor boy,

you know, at the moment.

But, even in the future,

this will be great for a couple to live in.

It will be excellent. Loving it.

Loving the hoods. Remarkable, remarkable finish, as well.

Now, onto the bathroom. What have the good guys managed to achieve?

Yeah, I mean, that looks so cool now.

Cool is an understatement.

This place has contemporary written all over it.

This beautiful bath fits like a dream.

What a great place for Brian to soak away any daily woes.

They haven't skimped on the budget, either.

Don't you just love these power showers?

It just looks so good, it's hard to describe, really,

words fail me again here.

Tiling looks fantastic. Again, a great use of the space.

New window, nice mirror. Liking that.

I mean, it is a perfectly usable bathroom that's in the 21st-century.

It's what Brian wanted, something more contemporary.

Love it.

Amazing. I'm well impressed.

The ground floor of the house

has been completely transformed into a pleasure palace.

Before I show Brian, there's one person I want to thank.

-That is amazing. Hey, John, how are you?

-What do you think?

-It looks incredible.

-Finished this last night.

Sounds like military precision of getting everybody lined up.

-It was really difficult.

-John, brilliant job.

It's a great transformation.

For the past couple of years, Brian has been living in purgatory.

He bought a house near his family for health reasons

and had high renovation hopes.

But he hit rock bottom after he fell into the cowboy trap

at the hands of a bodging builder.

Depressed and reluctant to let his friends help,

he'd retreated from life.

He'd lost confidence and was a shadow of his former self.

But the good guys have ridden into town

and, against all odds, have restored Brian's home back into a castle.

His friends are so excited for his future.

Having his house done up again, I just think it will give him

more confidence back.

Because the stress does affect his Crohn's,

so, hopefully, he won't be as ill with his Crohn's, as well.

Maybe he can move on and concentrate on other aspects of his life.

From the town that gave us Laura Ashley,

I think Brian might be ready for a bit of floral.

I've had great control over the colour scheme,

the colour of the wood, the kitchen.

We were looking and I was, "What do you think of the curtains,

"what you think of this table?"

And it's the excitement and to see a spark in his eyes.

He's just excited about having a home back,

rather than bare bricks.

There's a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow for our man from the Valleys.

When I think about it,

I get a glowing feeling inside, an excitement, so when I go back home,

I can actually call it a home and not just somewhere I've been staying.

Well, at long last,

Brian has now got the massive lounge he always wanted,

a cracking kitchen and bathroom

and, I tell you what, the whole thing looks brilliant.

Let's go and find out what he thinks about it.

I have a sneaky feeling Brian's been out ogling at home furnishings.

What a lucky boy.

Where is he?

'Hope he hasn't got too carried away,

'I want him to see the surprises we've got a store.'

It's like being in expectant father!

The only difference is, I've seen the baby before he has!

He's got to be here soon.

Here he is! He's here, he's here!

-Brian. How are you, son?

-Hi, Clive, how are you?

The council have even tarmacked the road for you!

LAUGHTER They have, too!

Great job. Talking of the work,

tell me what are you hoping for?

Well, the expectations I had initially, really,

and more now, because it's been done by professional people.

I'm expecting a house I can call home,

where I can have my family around to see me

and my friends around to entertain.

-I hope we can change the life of Brian.

-LAUGHTER

So, let's go, son. Come on.

I've got a feeling this place is going to be party central.

Right, OK.

Now, from the outside, just briefly,

that's was what we finished off.

'The good guys have sorted the damage,

'so now all Brian has to do is match up this patch of wallpaper.'

-It looks great. OK, are you ready to go in?

-I am, yes.

Da-da-da-da da-da da daaaa! Let's go.

Come in, Brian.

Come in, son.

Wow.

It's amazing. Wow.

Oh, my God.

This place used to be full of doom and gloom.

Now it's fit for our trendy man about town.

I mean, the difference!

I can't believe it.

It's not the same house. LAUGHTER

-Wow. The pillar.

-Yeah, yeah, yeah.

You've got plastered walls now, properly done. No damp.

So it looks the absolute business. What do you think to the corner unit?

'Remember where the gas meter was hanging by a thread

'and was a complete eyesore?'

'Well look at this baby now.'

Amazing. It looks really good.

-So now you don't see a gas meter.

-No, nothing, it's just stunning.

Do you think this is somewhere you can entertain and feel proud?

It's a home now. Yeah, definitely. Thank you.

Before, the focal point of Brian's lounge was a piece of cardboard.

Not only was it grotty, it was unsafe.

Now it's neither,

it's beautiful.

Once living in a world of darkness,

I'm sure Brian is going to be sparking on all cylinders

now our guys have shown him the light.

Come on, Brian, check this out, mate.

Oh!

Wow!

It's stunning.

-Wow, look at that.

-It's great, isn't it?

-It's amazing.

What do you think of the ceiling?

Again, it doesn't look like the same room, same house.

-It's so much better.

-Is like a show home.

-It is, yeah,

very much how I envisaged before. Definitely what I wanted.

And it's more. It's just... I can't believe it.

-Lost for words, eh?

-Yes, stunned.

-So would I be.

It looks just so cool. The thing about galley kitchens is that you've got to be able

to manipulate the space properly to make it look like you've got more space.

Look at what he had before.

I mean, come on, who would eat in a kitchen like this?

Brian must be thinking Santa Claus has come down the chimney.

'As for the space where the sink was, look at it now.

It is hard to believe it is the same place, isn't it, Brian?

-I can't imagine what it looked like before now.

-Who wants to?!

No, not that I want to, it's just I can't imagine it.

I couldn't imagine this happening, to be honest with you.

-It really is darkness into the light.

-Yeah.

It's just... Phew. Too much to take in.

But I'm saving the best for last.

Oh, my God, wow.

BRIAN LAUGHS

Wow, it's amazing!

A shower.

And the shower is supposed to be really powerful, as well.

It's supposed to have some real kick.

Remember what Brian had.

A bath that was gouged into the wall.

Now, it's perfectly sealed and fit for a king.

And as for the windowsill, it was just a brick wall.

Now, it's just as Brian wanted, clean, clean, clean.

-But you're loving the tiling and the effect?

-It's amazing, Clive.

More than I could've expected.

I couldn't have envisaged it, the way it was before

with the pipe the dodgy toilet and the backing up.

'Well, Brian, this toilet is the bee's knees.'

Just overwhelmed. Amazing.

'What was that Brian? I didn't quite catch that.'

Stunning. Amazing.

Life goes on and life moves on.

-I've been well chuffed to turn it around for you.

-Thank you, Clive.

-I really appreciate it.

-Thanks letting us into your life.

-Thank you.

I'll let you carry on looking round the house.

-Cheers, buddy.

-No problem, thanks, Clive.

-HE WHISPERS:

-I think he's choked.

Well, once again, I think it is proof positive

that when you get the good guys in, you get a good job done.

You've also got to remember not to take people on face value,

whether they're recommended by a friend or family member,

do your research and check them out.

That way, you won't go falling into the cowboy trap.

As for the cowboy builder, I've got this to say.

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

and, soon, Trading Standards will know it, too,

because I've collected all the information on you

and I'm going to take it to Trading Standards and see what they want to do about it.

If you've had a problem with builders

and would like to tell your story on Cowboy Trap,

then please call us...

Or you can send us an e-mail...

Help us round up the cowboys!

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