Episode 7 Cowboy Trap

I'm travelling up and down the country in search of more cowboy builder bodges.

The pace of the work was actually best described as leisurely.

Cowboy builders wreck your lives and your homes and could be knocking on a door near you very soon.

-There was nothing in the kitchen. It was just a shell.

-There was no sink, no running water.

Regular watchers of Cowboy Trap will know that I have seen loads and loads of bodged building work,

but some of the jobs leave me gobsmacked.

He came to collect the final payment for the second contract.

We haven't seen hide nor hair of him since.

Along the way, I'll be sharing some hints and tips, so that you won't go falling into the cowboy trap.

Today, I'm in Ipswich,

the county town of Suffolk, a place better known for its agriculture.

Ipswich is a vibrant place with a bustling marina and waterfront.

Over the years, it has attracted some of Britain's greats -

Admiral Nelson, painter Thomas Gainsborough

and the man who led Ipswich Town to European success - Sir Bobby Robson.

But along with the goodies come the baddies.

And there's no shortage of cowboy builders here.

For one young couple, cowboy builders are a lesson learned the hard way.

I've travelled to meet them to see the damage after a cowboy had a field day with their home.

I'm hot on the case of a story of a lovely young couple called Barbara Lawer and Lee Richards

who have lived in this 1930s semi-detached property for eight years.

30-year-old Barbara Lawer is a charity worker for young adults with learning difficulties

and her 29-year-old partner Lee Richards works as a postal administrator.

At first, they rented the house, but loved it so much, they decided to buy it.

What I like about this house is we've got a nice-sized garden, our gym at the back,

we get on quite well with the people that live around us

and we don't get much trouble here.

It's a nice area to be near to famil as well and just...

We like the house, we've been here seven, eight years and we're comfortable and happy here

Barbara and Lee had plenty to be excited about -

a young couple in love with each other and with their new home.

Their thoughts soon turned to children.

We wanted to buy the house, so we could do some work on it and then plan for a family, really.

But the original layout of this former council house wasn't right for a young family.

The original bathroom, it was in the kitchen.

And the kitchen floor is freezing cold. It used to be freezing cold.

A bit of an inconvenient place to have a bathroom,

having to go through the kitchen.

Also, just the layout as well, it was not a very efficient layout.

You had little nooks and crannies where it wasn't usable space.

Their dream was to put a single storey extension on the front of the house.

This would turn the old downstairs toilet into a shower room.

They planned to use the remaining space to create a big kitchen-diner.

Once they had done that, they could think about starting a family.

Just a nice living environment. Nothing fancy.

They saved every penny for two years,

then armed with plans, a £7,000 bank loan and all their cash,

the couple were ready to look for a builder.

They turned to the internet.

We found the builder on a website where you can put your job that you want done,

so I posted our job on there,

then builders come back saying if they're interested in giving you a quote.

Seven or eight builders came back showing an interest,

then sort of ratings by the customer who have used them and comments on the jobs they've done for them.

The couple contacted five builders and received quotes

ranging from £9,000 to £22,000.

They then spent time checking out each builder's online reviews.

You can view their profile which has got all the information about them and their background,

qualifications, so you had to assume they were going to be reliable and trustworthy.

Barbara and Lee picked their builder based on the reviews

and were given a contract with a schedule of work and payment plan.

Their extension was to take six weeks at an initial cost of £9,000.

With additional work, this figure would later rise to a total of £12,000.

The builder they found seemed like a good booking, someone they felt they could trust and rely on.

They couldn't wait to get going, but it wasn't long before alarm bells soon started to ring.

The pace of the work was actually best described as leisurely.

He didn't seem to go that quickly, not what we expected, not what the contract stated.

The builder had started on the extension, removed the bathroom and cleared the kitchen,

but was soon well behind the six-week completion schedule.

It was six weeks for the initial build which was the extension at the front.

-I think it was nine weeks into it when the roof finally went on.

-Mm-hm.

Although incomplete.

By this stage of the build, Barbara and Lee were living in a house that was totally unsecure.

They had only the most basic washing and cooking facilities.

The conditions were shocking, but life was about to get much worse.

The work was progressing so slowly

and soon ground to a complete halt.

The job was left unfinished and the builder disappeared

with over £12,000 of Barbara and Lee's hard-earned money.

The couple's £7,000 bank loan

and all of their savings had just walked out of the door.

After two months of work, their house was worse

than when they had started the project.

-It was disgusting.

-Mm-hm.

We've done a lot of tidying up. It was just covered in dirt.

There was nothing in the kitchen. It was just a shell.

There was no sink, no running water. He'd taken the toilet out.

It was just not nice.

Since their cowboy hightailed it with their cash,

Barbara and Lee have been forced to live in these horrific conditions.

With only a camping stove to make dinner, even cooking has become a chore.

The reason we're using this hob is because we haven't had a cooker for about five months.

It's really annoying having to cook like this.

We're limited to what we can cook.

It might sound quite small, but it's all hassle, it all adds up.

-Is it nearly ready yet?

-Almost.

It would mean a lot to me to have a new kitchen.

You know, what we'd saved up a lot of money for was to have something nice,

just somewhere for when we have kids and we can sit down together as a family, have a little dining table

and just little things like that.

Thank you.

This builder has left Barbara and Lee in a total mess.

Not only has he failed to deliver on the work that he promised,

he's disappeared with their hard-earned cash.

I want to find out what we can do to help and see how much of this work is up to scratch.

-Hello.

-Hi.

-You must Barbara.

-Yeah, nice to meet you.

-And you must be Lee.

-Lee.

-How are you, guys?

-All right, thanks.

-You've obviously had builders in the property. Have you had anything going on inside?

-Yes.

-Do you want to have a look in the kitchen?

-Please.

-Just through there.

-Stick the kettle on if you don't mind or shall I?

-You can if you like.

It's confusing me somewhat, I have to say,

cos from the outside, the brickwork and the blockwork looks fine.

As we come on the inside, obviously, this has been prepared, ready to be a kitchen area,

but straight away, I'm just looking at the door

and the way that the door's been fitted at the back here.

It definitely hasn't been measured up right. The rest of it,

we've got electrical cables... I'm going to check whether these are live.

Now, Doctor Who has his magic screwdriver.

I have my magic tracer pen.

This is something you can buy at a DIY shop no problem at all

and it detects the presence of live power in a cable.

As we look at this, first of all, it will not meet building regs.

That socket is just hanging exposed, right?

It's already got an extension lead plugged into it, but it's all open, totally exposed.

Now I'm guaranteeing that my trusty little pen will light up.

There you go.

There's live juice in that.

Now, that is just deadly, full stop,

and it would certainly make my hair curl. I'll check these over here.

My big worry is... I'm keeping fingers crossed now that these are not live.

So far, so good.

That's good news. They've already been isolated.

Oh, look at that! That's live.

The problem is that's a metal box that's sitting back in there.

Should the cable, a bare cable touch that box, that's live.

Wow, there are tripping hazards galore in there.

As there are no sockets available, they've used trailing leads all over the place. It's quite dangerous.

I want a closer look at this dodgy door.

The frame is so badly banged in, it's a burglar's dream.

It's great if your postman is delivering a rather big package.

I think some builders leave them, so he can pop them in from the top.

It's just not clever at all and in fact, if you pull on that,

that whole frame is moving. It's not in position at all.

That's no good. Where's the security in that? Nowhere.

Around the side of the house, the security slip-ups continue.

Just as I thought, no window.

They've put boarding up at the window, but the thing is, first and foremost, security.

Easily take these screws out and get in there.

In terms of keeping the heat in, absolutely useless. It's a shame.

Back inside, the downstairs disasters continue in what is meant to be their shower room.

OK...

This is a real mish-mash.

Oh, dear. So that is to outside... Look at this!

We've got multitudes of gaffer tape here.

Now, I can't believe that's the builder.

But you just never know.

What is going on?

I need to speak to the couple who have been living in this cowboy carnage.

Right, the confusing thing, first and foremost, guys,

is looking at the outside and the way he's done the brickwork and the blockwork, it ticks boxes for me.

But as I come inside, there's a lot of problems that I don't like.

One that I've recently come across as well

is you're using the sink with no waste escape to the drain outside.

It is going into a bucket underneath.

The big problem with that is this.

If that bucket gets knocked off and knocked over,

-you're standing on the cable.

-Yeah.

You've got extension leads all over the place.

Water and electricity do not make good bedfellows.

It's as simple as that. What has gone on in here?

Basically, what he's done, he's started little bits of everything, but finished nothing.

He started the electrics, then the electrician and him fell out,

so this is why we were left with the electrics as they are.

What went wrong with the door?

He came back and said that was a cost-cutting exercise.

-Did he warn you in advance?

-No.

-He just did it?

-He took a second-hand door and frame and put it into a hole he had already cut?

-Yeah.

-Yes.

Using second-hand goods is common cowboy "connage",

so take my advice.

Get a cost breakdown in your quote,

detailing exactly what fixtures and fittings are included.

Make sure your contract states the quality of fixtures and fittings

to be provided. This will stop disagreement further down the line.

Lee and Barbara didn't challenge their dodgy builder about the ill-fitting door.

Now they've been left with security and insulation issues.

OK, so just talk me through this door frame.

You've put the expansion foam in there. Tell us your reasons behind that.

Initially, that was all exposed. You had an inch gap either side.

-And the rest.

-Well, yeah. During that cold spell over winter, it was absolutely freezing.

We had this massive draught going through here and out the extension.

In order to stop that, I packed it up either side.

And you could bend the frame, so before that was in there,

you could quite easily break in without actually having to break in.

-So I could have flexed that door frame back a little and slipped in?

-Yeah.

-Probably not quite me!

-Come down to the side. He's put boarding up outside, but it's only temporary.

-That was actually me.

-Ah!

-So it was just...

-On the inside, it was just plasterboard.

That offers no resistance to moisture whatsoever.

Can we go inside and look at the toilet area, talk me through that?

-OK.

-After you, Lee.

Now, in here, I can see you've got carrier bags all over the place.

-That's again to stop draughts, is it?

-Yeah.

-And mice.

-And mice?

-Yeah, they've been coming in through the gaps, haven't they?

It's the health and safety, the hygiene factor, now you've got rodents coming into the property.

That plasterboard there, what is that yielding?

-Did you have to put that up?

-Yeah, to prevent the draught that we had.

-You put all the gaffer tape on it?

-Yeah, and the bags behind there and expanding foam between the cavities.

-Are we saying that behind that piece of plasterboard is nothing?

-It's just an empty void, yeah.

OK, that tells me lots. There's nothing there for venting either,

so he hadn't created anything ready for an air vent, an extractor fan.

This house of horrors needs walls built, insulation added, windows, kitchen and bathroom fitted,

not to mention whole areas plastered.

Once that's done, tiling and painting are next on the list.

They are certainly in need of DIY advice. Here's my tip.

This plaster is just a skim straight on to plasterboard,

so after a couple of weeks, nice and dry, you can paint it and you can paper it.

You've got to seal it, though, with your wash coat or your PVA base.

Other than that, if you've got a two-coat plaster and it's a lot thicker,

it needs loads of time to dry, a good couple of months to dry off,

and you get something called efflorescence.

It's like a soft type of limescale, if you like.

You just get a rough rag and keep ragging it off until it completely disappears,

then you're ready to paint or paper.

If you don't make sure that happens,

eventually, your emulsion or your paint will start to bubble and it'll drop off. You do not want that.

'Coming up, I call in an independent chartered surveyor

'to cast his expert eye over this bodged job.'

They've been left with something tha will cost £6,000 or £7,000 to finish

'And when it comes to extracting cash, I find out just how persuasive this cowboy builder could be.'

-Whoa! You paid him the 3,000...

-Yeah.

-On top of the nine?

-Yeah.

-Oh, no, you didn't?

-We did.

In Ipswich, Barbara Lawer and Lee Richards' dream was to have a family.

But before the patter of tiny feet came along,

they needed to extend their home.

They saved every penny, ready to turn their extension plans into reality.

However, their dream was short-lived.

They employed a builder, but nine weeks and £12,000 later,

the heartless cowboy ran for the hills, leaving them living in a building site.

I want to know more about their home, their plans

and how they fell into this lowdown, dirty cowboy trap.

We've owned the property for two and a half years probably,

but we've lived here, renting before that, for seven or eight years.

We thought we'd start at the back of the house and do the garden.

-You did that yourself?

-Yeah. And then work on the insides.

We had sort of a little toilet,

sort of a very ancient-looking kitchen with about three double unit in it and a sink

and a little bathroom with just a bath and a sink, so we thought we'd make the kitchen a bit bigger,

put a shower room on the front, so we've got a bit more space when we start a family.

That was your initial dream. How do you come about the finance?

You've either got to save up or put it on the mortgage. How did you go about doing that?

-We saved up about 4,000 or 5,000.

-About that, yeah.

-Then we got a £7,000 loan.

So when it came to finding your builder, how deep did you dig,

how much research did you do on this particular person?

Well, I'd heard about sites looking at builders and they get ratings and there was a website like that,

then there's comments from other people who have used them and rated them, so we went on there.

We had about five come out to do quotes, one of them being the builder that we used.

He had some ratings on there, but looking back, they were small jobs like plastering a room or repointing

nothing obviously to the scale of what we had done.

We didn't do any research once we employed him or we were thinking of employing him for the job.

It was just based on the feedback from that website.

I have to be honest, I'm not a fan of them.

If you feel you must use the internet to research builders,

take my tip - be aware.

Anyone can design a website.

Reviews and photos can be fabricated.

Only use websites run by organisations

offering assured trader schemes.

If you do find a builder there, still do your research.

Speak to previous clients and check the builder's work.

So you decided on them, you liked the personality, the price was right...

He said to you, "Right, you can have for that 9,000..."

a list of what you would get for the nine grand.

The damp course, then up to the plate level, then another price for the roof,

then for taking down the internal structures, it was all broken down.

That was quite handy and obviously that led to us trusting him that bit more

because we could see what we were paying for.

When the job is starting, have you got to give him any money up front?

We paid a £1,000 deposit before works commenced.

-Did he say it was for anything?

-It was just a deposit to secure our time slot with him.

Then he didn't ask for any more money,

then he turned up on the first day and said, "I need..." Whatever it wa that day, £1,000, £500.

I had to go down the bank and get hi money out, then he'd say...

Whoa, whoa! I need to take this a chunk at a time.

-Getting out money, you are talking cash pound notes?

-Yeah.

Do you know why you were paying in cash pound notes?

I guess it was just... I don't know.

It was the easiest form of money we could get to him in the time frame.

Your realise that's non-traceable?

'So the seeds of doubt were planted, but when did the work worries start to sprout?'

When is the first real alarm bell that you think, "Hang on..."?

I suppose the alarm bells didn't go off until quite late. Probably about nine, ten weeks into it

-when he just wasn't showing up when he said he would...

-I was concerned.

Hang on. Nine or ten weeks later? This was only going to take six.

Well, I'm quite a laidback person, so perhaps the weather wasn't quite in their favour or...

-He'd use the weather a lot as an excuse.

-Yeah. So we'd give him those extra few weeks.

You've now paid £9,000.

That's a lot of money gone.

As though parting with nine grand wasn't enough,

they were about to make another massive money mistake.

They had always planned on fitting a kitchen themselves

once their builder had finished. However, this cowboy persuaded them that he was the man for the job.

But he wanted an additional £3,000.

He was insistent that he could get the extension work completed and the kitchen, all within...

-Less than two weeks?

-Yeah.

-11 days.

-Whoa! You paid him the £3,000?

-Yeah.

-On top of the nine?

-Yeah.

-Oh, no, you didn't?

-We did.

We didn't have a bath at the time and the toilet was coming out,

so basically it was pay the money to get the job finished.

The couple's home was now a building site. That's when the cowboy builder stopped coming altogether.

OK.

-So did work just come to a halt or...?

-It did, yeah. Yeah.

And then we'd get a lot of text messages, "Really sorry. I'll definitely be there tomorrow."

-Yeah.

-And just...nothing.

-And this went on day after day until even the text messages stopped.

Yeah, they did. And he wouldn't reply. We'd try to ring him and he wouldn't answer.

Barbara and Lee have lost more than just their hard-earned cash to this cowboy builder.

His shoddy work has taken an emotional toll on their relationship, too.

She was stressing quite a bit and that can strain the relationship, if you allow it to.

That's what I'm getting at. You cannot put a price on that.

It probably pushed as apart a bit. It kind of drew a little bit of a wedge in the relationship.

They will get through this. They've got a great future ahead of them.

Not sure I can say the same of their cowboy builder who created this chaos.

-What are your feelings towards him?

-Yeah, I feel angry with him for what he's done

and how he's left us. Yeah. He's sitting in his home. I'm sure he's got all his basic amenities.

Personally, I feel they lose out more because they've got to sleep, you know,

-with their conscience. I go to bed...

-He hasn't got one, though.

-Well played.

I can see this guy is way too nice. They do not have a conscience, mate.

-No.

-They sleep far better than any of us.

This couple are devastated at losing their cash and now they don't have enough finances left

to transform this house of horrors to the family home they dreamed of.

Their plan to have kids is also on hold.

Now I want to know if there's something we can do to turn their shattered dream into a reality?

What could we do to help? In the short time that we're here.

Anything that you can, really!

It would be nice to have a kitchen. It'd be nice to have a toilet that doesn't move when you sit on it.

To have a house that doesn't have a constant draught. You know, the smell of dust is always...

in your nose and it gets into your lungs. There's a lot that you COULD do.

The list is endless.

With so much left unfinished, I'm itching to get stuck in to this job,

but what can we start on first?

You know, this job really is a bodge, but don't just take my word for it.

I've asked independent chartered surveyor Graham Walker to see what he thinks about it.

Lee and Barbara have clearly been left in the lurch

and it won't take long for Graham to see that, but what I really want to discuss is the quality of work.

This particular job offers me a conundrum. The moment I approached the front of the property,

-I have seen far worse brick and block work done that's got passed by local councils.

-Yeah.

I want your take on it. What do you think has gone on here?

Basically,

the workmanship isn't bad. It's actually...

-It's fair.

-The outside is.

The problem is it's only 50% complete.

They've been paid the money and the contractor has just walked away.

And they've been left with something that will cost them £6,000-£7,000 to finish.

-It's really sad.

-You've had a good chance to look around. What mark out of 10

would you give the work done so far?

The work done, out of 10...

I'd have to say sort of 5 out of 10, but for letting the people down, his clients down,

he's let them down totally so one would go lower. 4 out of 10.

I think that is being very fair. Thank you very much for your input, sir. Really, really invaluable.

I've got to be honest. Barbara and Lee have gone through hell.

They've been hit by a proper cowboy builder. And it's dangerous.

So I'm going to cordon the area off and class it as a no go zone.

The only people allowed past this tape are myself and the Good Guys - and I need them on board and fast!

I want head builder Steve and his team to get cracking on this cowboy chaos.

First we need a plan of action. ..Steve, king of all he surveys.

-How are you, son?

-Fine. How are you?

-I'm good. I'm Clive.

You've had a good look around.

What I'd really like is to get the kitchen done and the toilet and shower area done.

Have you got a rough ballpark of how long you think it would take?

At least three weeks in there to sort all that out.

There's quite a bit to finish off.

I can't wait to see what it's like when it's completed. Thanks. I'll catch up with you later. Cheers.

Coming up: can laidback Lee muster up what it takes to confront his cowboy builder?

Don't be too gentle with him. Be nice and succinct, but be firm at the same time, yeah?

And I can't wait to see the look on Barbara and Lee's faces when I reveal their transformed home.

It's unrecognisable from what it was.

In Ipswich, Lee Richards and Barbara Lawer found a builder online who they trusted

to extend their house.

Their dream was to create a more spacious home, fit for their future family.

But after paying £12,000, the cash-greedy cowboy upped and left with their money,

leaving their house ruined and risk-filled.

Steve and his team have been hard at work fixing endless builder blunders in the shower room

and kitchen. Even a kitchen specialist has been brought in to make this house a home.

Today we've made some units up. We had a second-hand kitchen. So we've made a kitchen from it.

We made the units fit, then we've picked tops up, started making the tops.

The length of the kitchen is quite long. And we've put the doors, drawers and handles on.

Now I know the job's not finished yet, but my fascination for fixes is getting the better of me.

I can't resist a sneaky peek.

It's nice to be back in Ipswich. From the outside, not much has changed, but I do notice

the lead flashing has been put on properly on the extension roof.

More importantly, I need to find out and get an update of what's been going on inside. Let's go.

There used to be just a sheet of tarpaulin here. Now there's a door.

We've got a toilet. It's been plastered.

That was a hole in the wall there.

Now we've got a window, wall's built up. Fantastic.

Let's have a look at the kitchen.

Oh... I'm loving the floor tiles, loving the wall tiles.

Still grout to finish, paint the walls...

But it looks... It's amazing, really. I'm well chuffed. The units are in.

Starting to look like a kitchen.

Do you remember this doorframe? It was actually falling out and there was a gap at the top

where I said the postman could deliver parcels.

We've got a new door, a new doorframe.

Just needs a bit of two-coat render on the front. Get that sorted.

I'm thrilled by how things are coming along. I can't wait to see the final rooms.

But it's not about me. What do Barbara and Lee think?

They've been checking progress for a couple of days.

-Now it looks amazingly different.

-It's almost there now. We're so pleased.

Little bits of titivation to do, but I'm really looking forward to that finished article.

I think it'll look great. And I'm really super chuffed with the craftsmanship.

They've been really hardworking. Compared to what we were used to, they've been brilliant.

These guys start at nine o'clock, sometimes finishing at six or seven.

You've been used to cowboys. These guys really want to go that extra mile for you.

You can see they've done that.

'Talking of cowboys, we can't forget Barbara and Lee's dodgy builder

'who left their house in chaos. It's time for a showdown with the man who blighted this couple's life.

'I want Lee to call him.'

I'll give you an opportunity to speak to him, but is there any questions, specifically, you'd ask?

Em, well, I suppose it's how he left us over that winter period,

-how could you leave someone like that?

-Yeah.

-Why you'd take someone's money and not finish the job.

-Yeah.

-Those are the most important things to me.

Now I know, Lee, you are an absolute gent. Right?

So I don't want you to be too gentle with him. Be nice and succinct, but be firm at the same time.

Let's go for it, son.

The number's not in use anymore!

-Wow.

-He's changed his phone number.

-He's laying low. He's definitely laying low on this occasion.

It's a shame because it's a right of reply for him. What is your feeling about that,

the number's not in use, he's discarded that Sim card?

I'm not really that surprised. I thought he'd do it a lot earlier.

-It's a typical cowboy builder trait, by the way.

-It's a coward's trait.

-A coward's trait.

You are so right. You are so right.

Our team did eventually track down the cowboy. He claimed Barbara and Lee owed HIM money!

But he also agreed to do some work on their house. He never showed up.

The case is now in the hands of the courts.

A couple of weeks later, the work of the Good Guys is complete.

I can't wait to see the final transformation.

That's much better. The last time I was here, things weren't finished.

Now it looks very much like it's finished. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

The difference since my last visit is massive.

You know, it's amazing what a couple of weeks' difference can make.

The job, for me now, looks so much better. I'm sure they'll love it.

Remember, the kitchen is the main part of the home.

Remember the top tip about painting onto plaster? They've done that.

They gave it the wash coat first to seal the plaster, then top coated it with the emulsion.

They've done a cracking job.

It's almost hard to remember what it was like when I first visited.

We had trailing leads all over the place, cables, tripping hazards.

We had live cables in the wall and, to be honest, it was dangerous. It really was.

Now it just feels great. It looks so much bigger.

The colour's just spot on. I couldn't have picked it better. Let's look at that shower room.

The first thing I notice in here is we haven't got a tarpaulin.

And I'll just make sure that the toilet's secure.

Last time it was all over the place.

We've got the chrome towel rail in.

I'm going to be honest with you. For you, maybe, you might not like this colour.

I do. I really do. I'm loving this orange.

It really does go well. A beautiful accent wall, particularly for this shower area. Ahh!

That looks so good, so different. We've got a nice big shower tray.

You've got a monster shower head. Really cool. I'm liking that.

I tell you now, it's just so much better.

Loving it.

I hope they love it.

'Next, a quick catch up with builder Steve.'

-Hey, Steve.

-How are you, mate?

-Good to see you!

-And you. Nice to see you again.

-What a difference compared to a few weeks ago!

-A little bit better.

You're having a laugh!

-What were you doing in here?

-Well, the kitchen was a mess.

-When we first came in, they had a little Calor gas heater.

-Yes.

-They were cooking on that.

Water was pouring into a bucket. We sorted that out, tiled the floor,

-the walls. Job done again.

-Great finish. It's a lovely job.

It's made a massive difference.

-Yeah.

-There are still little bits here and there for them to do, but we've got a usable kitchen.

-They've got a usable shower and toilet.

-That's it.

-And the job is looking absolutely top dog.

'As Steve heads off, it's time to show Barbara and Lee their new kitchen and shower room.

'I can't wait.' Before we go in and take a good look around, remind us what it was like.

Let's start with the kitchen. Can you remember the horrors?

-You can't really forget it.

-No!

-It's all ingrained.

-Yeah.

-Just a sink and a bucket, really!

-And a plyboard worktop.

-Yeah.

You have a giggle, then you think how did you live like that?

Yeah, it was so dark in there. One little bulb - it was horrible.

-A back door held in by four bits of wood.

-A camping stove!

-It was all I was cooking on.

-And the mice. We had several mice.

We had no cupboard doors or anything, so they went in and out.

Pasta, biscuits, crisps... They enjoyed the lot.

We want to put all that nightmare behind you. What are you hoping for?

-To have a functional kitchen and shower room!

-Are you ready to look?

-We are, yes.

-Yeah.

-Follow me. Come on.

And the first thing you notice now is you've got the door on, all fixed properly. No gap at the top.

Come and have a look at the kitchen.

It's a million times better than anything we could have thought of, let alone what it was.

-And it's a big space, too.

-Yeah.

-It's bigger than you think, for the size of the property.

-It's a nice, big kitchen.

-Yeah.

But one of the most important things is... I don't remember who it was who slopped out the buckets. You!

-80% him!

-OK, well, seeing as it was actually Lee, he should open the cupboard under the sink.

-And see what we've got. OK.

-..No, there's no bucket!

-No bucket!

-No bucket.

-You've got a proper trap now.

It's all fixed in.

The whole thing just looks so much better.

-No leaks?

-No leaks.

-Good.

You've got the security of the back door and, of course, the surround.

Remember, you'd the gap at the top. I japed that if the postman couldn't get a parcel through the front,

he could lob it in through there. Lee, what's the best thing for you in here?

Aside from not having to empty the bucket, it's the tiles. I love them. We chose them a long time ago.

I think they look great. I really like that. Barbara?

-What's the big thing for you?

-Having a proper cooker.

-Yeah?

-Not a camping stove.

Something I can cook anything and everything on. I'm not the best cook, but I do the odd roast.

Only a few weeks ago, this was a kitchen nightmare.

In fact, it was a ghastly, grimy galley where Barbara and Lee were forced to cook on a camping stove.

'What a difference the Good Guys have made!

'The bathroom is unrecognisable, too. I hope Barbara and Lee are suitably impressed.'

I love it!

The detail in the shower, the centrepiece, the glass door.

-The sink, the taps...

-Remind us what that wall was like.

We actually had the partition just about here, so it's been a long time since we've seen that!

-We didn't want to see it.

-What was there was a piece of plasterboard with a metal pole sticking through.

-And it was just breeze block, I think.

-Yeah. And holes.

-And holes.

-I hope it makes a difference to your lives.

-It has. Looking at it...

-It will.

-It will just make our lives...

-I feel happy!

-Normal, really. And enjoyable

to think about having a wash, not thinking I have to traipse out the house to someone else's.

-You can come in your own shower room.

-I'm well chuffed with being able to do something.

It doesn't matter what age anyone is that gets hit by cowboy builders, it's always horrible.

For a young couple starting out, it can knock your confidence.

But there are good guys out there and you will find them.

-They'll do you a fantastic job and you really deserve it.

-Thank you.

-Good luck in the future.

-Thanks very much.

-Take good care. Cheers now, guys.

-Bye.

I've got to say, that job is a cracker.

Remember, Lee and Barbara are a very young couple and in the future they'll need loads more craftsmen

and tradesmen, but they've got to do their research so they won't fall into the cowboy trap.

However, I have got one more job to do and that's to take the evidence about their cowboy builder

to the local Trading Standards office to see what they'll do.

Talking of cowboy builders, I've got a message for you: we're on your trail, so look out!

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 email.

Help us round up the cowboys!

Subtitles by Subtext for Red Bee Media Ltd - 2012