Episode 14 Cowboy Trap

All over the country,

cowboy builders are riding roughshod over homeowners' dreams.

It looks more like a greenhouse than a conservatory.

No job is too big or small for these unscrupulous jack-of-no-trades.

I can't stand it. It makes me think of him and his lies.

But we've got the good guys in our posse,

ready to turn these dens of disaster into happy homes. Yee-ha!

Having this new conservatory will change her whole life.

So, get your pen and paper handy to take down the top tips

that could keep you out of the cowboy trap.

Today, Cowboy Trap is in the Welsh Valleys.

A landscape so magical, it inspired the great poet Wordsworth.

The region's also seen massive urbanisation

since the Industrial Revolution.

These days, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty still survive,

but the once famous Welsh coal mining industry is gone,

and that has meant hardship for huge numbers of people.

This is Cwmbran, a so-called "new town",

that was expressly created to generate jobs for people

that were affected by the decline in the mining industry.

And although you can see the rolling hills behind me of the South Wales coalfields,

Cwmbran boasts a population of almost 50,000 people.

One of the town's biggest employers is the local biscuit factory,

and I'm on the trail of a cowboy builder who does takes the biscuit.

He carried out a terrible bodge job on this three-bedroom house in autumn 2010.

His unwitting victim was 69-year-old Barbara Peacock,

who has lived in Cwmbran for nearly 50 years.

She bought this house with her husband, Tommy, in 1976.

We liked the house very much. We did like it.

We were hoping to make a home here, you know, for the family,

and that was that, like.

But Tommy died in 1995, and Barbara was left on her own.

She's had frail health most of her life.

Barbara suffered two near-fatal blood clots on her lungs,

and now she's crippled by arthritis, which affects much of her body.

The arthritis is in my spine, my hands, feet, knee, everywhere.

Some days it's worse than others. In good weather, it's not too bad.

Sometimes you can't walk very far. It's difficult, you know?

Other times, you think, "Oh!" I can feel much better.

I suffer with my chest. I get breathless, very breathless.

-ALL:

-Snap!

Barbara never lets her physical problems get down.

She's one of those people who always tries to see the sunny side of life.

She loves spending time with her four grandchildren.

Life today is lovely, with the grandchildren.

It's been really enjoyable while they've been growing up.

Unfortunately, they are getting older now and I am getting more redundant.

But it's not just two-legged family members Barbara has a soft spot for.

Sam means everything to me. He's my companion.

I tell him everything. He never says a word.

Sit.

Barbara's father, Robert, lived with her in the house for five years while she cared for him.

After he died, he left her a little money,

which she decided to spend on a new conservatory.

Something her dad always wanted, and something she could remember him by.

How cruel, then, that a cowboy builder turned it into something

she'd now do ANYTHING to forget.

He used to love to sit out all day long.

After he'd gone and he left me some money,

I thought I'd get one in his memory.

Also, to remind me where he used to sit all the time.

Soon after Robert died, a glazing company came to the area,

refitting windows in all the council properties.

Barbara approached one of the fitters,

and mentioned her conservatory dreams.

The man said Barbara's timing was perfect.

He was looking to branch out on his own,

and he could build Barbara's conservatory as his first job.

When the builder showed her some photographs of how

the conservatory would look when it was finished, Barbara was sold.

So much so, she gave him a hefty three-grand deposit

and waited for the work to begin.

This would be the start of a litany of lies, excuses and delays.

The estimated time to completion was six to eight weeks,

and the total quote was for £4,580.

On September 1, 2010,

Barbara handed over the three-grand deposit upfront.

For me, that was a big mistake.

If your builder asks you to pay a deposit, check what it's for,

and only pay up if you think it's justified.

Reputable builders don't need a big wedge of cash upfront

because they have accounts with their suppliers.

If it's a deal breaker for your builder and you're suspicious,

let him go!

It could be the best thing you ever do.

Having paid her deposit,

Barbara looked forward to her new conservatory being completed.

In late October, a labourer came and put the base down.

But after that, nothing.

Barbara waited...

and she waited.

And she waited.

I went on and on and on, kept phoning and asking...

You know, gave it the time, and then asked how long it was going to be.

He said he was having some difficulty with one thing and another.

And the "one thing and another" became gradually more extreme.

The builder told Barbara he had been rushed into hospital with

a suspected heart attack, and that he'd either refund the money

or undertake to complete the conservatory in time for Christmas.

And although she was frustrated with all the delays,

she decided to get the job done. And who would blame her? But guess what?

She never laid eyes on him ever again.

So it came to New Year.

My son-in-law tried to get hold of him, and he eventually did,

because he had changed his phone number.

It was texting, it was no actual speaking, you know.

Even though it was a simple text message,

Barbara's son-in-law contacting the builder seemed to do the trick.

He finally sent some labourers to complete the job.

But completing a job is one thing - doing it properly is quite another.

They worked on the conservatory and...then one day he came.

A few times, he had been back and forward,

and he came and he said, "I've come to do the floor."

As with most things, when it comes to laying a conservatory floor,

preparation is everything,

but these cowboy labourers didn't seem to realise that.

It was soaking wet. I said, "Well, you can't do the floor.

"Where's the guttering?"

"Oh, no guttering.

"And any other jobs you want doing, you have to pay for."

I said, "I'm not paying any more money until this is finished."

So, he went away and he phoned me to say that the builder

would be getting in touch with me very shortly,

and I haven't heard anything from that day to this.

So there we have it.

Barbara was left high and dry with a conservatory floor

that was low and wet.

Her friend Sharon saw the emotional turmoil Barbara was going through.

This whole conservatory mess affected Barbara very badly

because of the length of time it's been going on,

the fact that she had lost £3,000

and she had absolutely nothing to show for it.

And it's...

constantly on her mind, obviously, because she looks at it every day.

Barbara called in a couple of builders to look at the work.

They told her that it would take a staggering six to seven grand to put things right.

At her wit's end, she decided to go to the small claims court, and won.

But by this time, her builder had ridden off into the sunset.

I do not understand how people can do this to other people.

Especially an elderly person that's on a pension.

They know full well there's no way they can ever recoup that money.

But I'm here to tell Barbara there's light at the end of the tunnel.

-Hello.

-Hello.

-You must be Barbara.

-I am.

-I'm Clive from Cowboy Trap.

-How are you?

-How do you do? Fine, thank you.

-I hear you've had problems with cowboy builders.

-I have.

-Do you mind if I come and take a look at the damage?

-Not at all.

Great, thank you, Barbara.

Now, it's lovely to meet Barbara, but I want to have a look

at this calamitous conservatory.

OK, straightaway, things that jump out at me here.

We've got a polycarb roof.

These trims don't look like they are on properly, and the end caps,

one missing there, one missing on the other end.

The glaring miss, I have to say, is we have no guttering.

So where is the water going to go?

I'll tell you where - either inside here, where it's actually...

That's a waste of space, for a start.

Water's just going to get straight in there anyway.

And down below - I'll show you that in a second -

the water is going to scoot under there too.

The upstand at the back, where the flashing is,

that needs to be at least another brick-height.

It's generally a poor fit all round.

I wouldn't use this as a greenhouse, let alone a conservatory.

And then, down here... Let me show you.

When I look at the ground here, what they should have done

when they poured concrete, they should have shuttered it up.

So what they do is, they make a timber frame,

so that when you pour it, it stays nice and neatly in there.

Here, they've just poured it

and let it flow right up to this boundary wall here.

It really is quite poor. And then they've just sat it straight on top.

Now, imagine this.

You've got all the rain falling directly from the main roof

onto this roof, and the water is just going to go whoosh!

The only place it's going to go is inside these gaps here

and then in underneath there, too.

It may not rain much in Texas, Mr Cowboy,

but it certainly rains in Wales.

This conservatory is about as un-rainproof as you can get,

and I've seen tents in a ten-force gale that are more stable.

Oh, look at that! This is madness.

If this guy builds conservatories for a living, I'm a ballet dancer.

I tell you that right now.

This is not for real, but yet, I can touch it and I can feel it,

so I know it's here.

But, looking at the gap through there,

the rain is just going to pour in, which it obviously has been doing.

You can see all the mould and mildew that has gathered on this base.

The thing is, for me, what person in their right mind is actually

going to place a conservatory on a surface like this?

It's so uneven, it's not finished, it's all over the place.

Looking in here, too, there's no cavity tray. And...

Well, what the heck? I just don't get it.

Talking of ballet,

a spot of rain would turn this conservatory into Swan Lake.

I've got to be honest with you - it's a bad, bad, bad build, this.

Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse,

check out those electrics.

They are shocking!

They've just taped off the cables.

It's just unbelievable, the way they've done it.

And I hope they were qualified to do that work.

And I'll tell you something else,

if the rest of this chaotic conservatory is anything to go by,

they are barely qualified to build a sand castle.

'I want to ask Barbara what her impressions were of these bungling builders.'

Did they look like they knew what they were doing?

Not particularly, no.

But, you see, somebody tells me they are a workman

and they work for these people, I accept it.

Of course. I understand that. You're not alone. You're not alone.

But you need to know, when these people are at your property...

-Remember, you don't know them from Adam.

-No.

This is what worries me about good people like yourself who are

so trusting, they are actually not just on the outside of the property,

there's every chance they are coming in and out of your property.

Take my tip...

If you're not careful, they could rob you blind, which,

in my opinion, is exactly what Barbara's builder did.

I was so annoyed, I contacted Trading Standards.

OK.

The gentleman from there came,

-and he also brought a building engineer with him.

-OK.

And he said, "Pfft, got to come down."

Wow! So, you're talking six, seven months on from paying £3,000.

What were you like then when you heard that? How bad was that?

It was dreadful. Dreadful. I was really upset.

I don't want to think about it.

This was something you wanted to remember your father by.

And they just ripped that to shreds.

Didn't care, did they?

They might not care, but we do. The good guys are coming to the rescue.

What would you like us to do for you?

I'd like it just to be put right, you know.

Just something you could enjoy, you could sit in and think,

-"Well, this is nice," you know?

-Yeah.

And then you've got your memories, haven't you?

I mean, I'll always have my memories, but...

It would be great to just sit there...

-And say, "We got there, Dad."

-Yes.

-They didn't get it after all.

Wouldn't it be great to be out there, going, "We got there, Dad"?

Yep, for Barbara's sake, and her dear dad,

we're going to put this right.

But before the good guys arrive, I want to hear

what independent building expert Tony Owen has to say.

Problems, as I see it, start from the base up. The base is all wrong.

It's not going to stop the water coming in.

There's no upstand wall, it's not sealed,

there's no guttering on there, so it increases the amount of water

that will come off the roof, putting more water inside the conservatory.

-It's fairly flimsy.

-You're not joking. It's awful, isn't it?

-The slab is wider than the conservatory.

-Yeah.

The water is going to go into that and just run back underneath.

-That's why the green staining is everywhere inside there.

-Yeah.

We've also got electrics in there that haven't been completed.

What sort of mark out of ten would you give this guy for the work you've seen so far?

Basically, because the base is all wrong, the whole thing is wrong.

So, to me, it's probably a big fat zero.

Yeah, a big fat zero. I concur.

By the way, I love a good detective story, and it wasn't the butler

what did this, it was a builder of the cowboy variety.

But this dastardly villain left a crucial clue behind.

Markings on the glass have helped me track down the local supplier,

'and their man, Lloyd Pugh,

'has agreed to come to the scene of the crime.'

Anybody can phone your company up, order certain sizes,

doors, windows, a conservatory if they wanted to,

and just place the order,

and you wouldn't know if these guys can do the job, to fit it well.

We wouldn't know if they were FENSA registered.

-They can come in with a window size, we just wouldn't know.

-Yeah.

And in terms of the Kitemark on there, just talk us through that.

Well, the Kitemark, obviously, when the glass gets tempered,

-there's a Kitemark put on it to state this is current regulations, which is British Standards.

-Yes.

Which you can see in the corners. So we complied with everything.

Unfortunately, as you can see...

-The guy who installed it didn't comply with ANYTHING.

-No.

Lloyd is as horrified at the misuse of his company's products as I am,

and he's agreed to help us fix this travesty.

But there's one thing Inspector Clive has to do,

and that's seal off the crime scene.

It's for Barbara's health and safety, first and foremost.

The floor is very uneven in there, so it's not safe. And also,

where the electrics are concerned, just hanging all over the place.

And this isn't secured well at all, to the wall or to the floor,

so I'm going to put up my Cowboy Trap tape, and I'm even worried that

that might cause a bit of a stir with the conservatory.

But I tell you what, the only people allowed past this warning tape are myself and the good guys.

And talking of which, it won't be long before they are here.

And it's not just Barbara who's excited about the imminent arrival.

Her friend Sharon is also thrilled on her behalf.

It was Sharon who called us in the first place.

A friend in need is a friend indeed.

Having this new conservatory will change her whole life.

It'll stop her worrying about money, how she is going to get it done.

'Her and her little dog will spent many a happy hour out there.'

And me!

Hello! Here's Barbara's knight in shining armour -

Steve "Conservatory King" Cottrell.

What he doesn't know about conservatories isn't worth knowing.

Within microseconds of arriving,

he's worked out how he is going to make Barbara's dream come true.

The plan, Clive, is literally to take the whole conservatory down.

Literally start again. Take the old base up. Well, what base is there.

-Yeah, I think that'll be easy!

-Yeah.

Dig new footings for the conservatory, damp course,

-DPC course, let's put a new slab down, concrete slab.

-OK.

Then we'll literally build a new conservatory,

put new openings into it, change the door design,

nice panels in the bottom,

-so it'll look totally different to what's there.

-So the only thing...

I mean, that's quite exciting for me, cos it's a whole new world.

-Yeah, exactly.

-Changed completely.

Having said that, I need to try and keep this a big secret from Barbara,

so I need it to be screened off,

certainly from where it goes into the lounge area,

so that she doesn't get to see it until the day I come back and go,

-"Barbara, check this out."

-Yeah, yeah.

Steve's team wastes no time in getting started.

First up, the easy job - taking this ramshackle disaster down.

Next, it's time to sort the base.

That slab was so sloppy.

This lean-to roof is destined for the dump,

and that's the best place for it.

Stage one complete - catastrophic conservatory cleared.

But can Steve's squad create the new conservatory of Barbara's dreams?

A fitting tribute to her much-loved, dearly departed dad.

Only time will tell.

I'm back in Cwmbran in the Welsh Valleys,

where 69-year-old Barbara Peacock's dream was to have a beautiful new conservatory,

but it was shattered by a complete bodge artist.

But luckily, our good guys came on board,

and I'm here to find out if they've saved to the day.

Before Barbara sees it for the first time, I want a sneaky peek.

You know what, if you're having a conservatory built,

this is the example. This is your template.

This is what it should be like. I'm just loving that.

I like the detail where they've put some frosted glass there

so that the neighbours can't have a nosey in.

Cos you're right next to the neighbour's fence there,

so you're right on the boundary.

But in terms of the way this looks... Of course, look,

you've got the sockets in place now. Properly put on.

Twin socket either side. It just looks so good.

Leaded finish in the glass openers, pitched roof rather than flat,

special glass to keep the temperature balanced all year round.

Come on!

The good guys clearly took pride in their work.

Look at the steps on the flashing.

Beautifully furnished, fantastic job, it really does look super.

She is going to absolutely love it.

And then, of course, the flooring.

We've got laminate flooring down.

What conservatory wouldn't have a floor like this?

I mean, it just looks so good. And it's level. It's nice and even, too.

The whole thing just screams class.

And I mean top-class, not bottom of the class like it was before.

Time to look outside.

The transformation is astonishing.

We've got decent guttering on now,

got the downspout running away, and look at this.

We've now got these stones here.

Remember before, you've got the overspill of the slab where

they just poured the slab and it had spilled out everywhere.

But if you look at that now, the finish, sandstone pebbles there, looks fantastic.

The man behind this triumph, Steve Cottrell,

has popped round for a chat with yours truly.

Barbara hasn't seen it yet,

and I know she is going to love it when we show her what you've done.

-How long did it take you to put together?

-With the weather...

-We've had a lot of rain since we started this job.

-No(!)

-Yeah.

So, I would say, all together, it's been about two weeks.

I tell you what, you boys...

You know, I haven't seen all the guys, but if I don't get to

see them later today, will you thank them on our behalf?

It's been a pleasure, Clive, yes.

You've done an absolutely top, top job, and I'm sure she'll love it.

-We hope so.

-Thank you, sir.

-Pleasure.

Before I bring Barbara out, I'd like a powwow about her cowboy builder.

I wanted to hear his side of the story about how this mess unfolded,

and he took some tracking down, I can tell you!

But we finally traced him,

and I can't wait to hear Barbara's response to his version of events.

He said he couldn't finish the job, because you refused him access.

-Is that true?

-That's a lie.

I refused them to do any more work

because they wanted to lay a floor on a soaking wet floor.

And I asked about the guttering, or was there anything else,

and I was just told point-blank that if I wanted anything else

-I'd have to pay for it.

-OK.

He says, if you had given him the opportunity, he'd have sorted it.

If he'd come to me and said, "I'll do what I can to put things right,"

then I'm sure we could have come to some agreement.

But I have not seen sight nor sound of him.

Right. He said the problem was he was in hospital with a heart problem

and you knew that.

Well, that's why I give him more time to put the conservatory right

in the first place.

OK. Have you ever heard of somebody called "Clive what's-his-face"?

Clive who?

Well, I think he's referring to me. I think he's referring to me.

He's also said that Clive what's-his-face

"absolutely has no idea what he's talking about."

Funny, I often hear that, and it's always from cowboy builders.

As far as building knowledge is concerned, I would be happy

for a shoot out at sunset with any of them, I can tell you that.

But somehow, I think that when it came down to it,

they would run for the hills.

Now the bit I've been waiting for -

Barbara is about to see her new conservatory for the first time.

Come on.

Now, we've got a bit of a step, so keep coming.

Right, there's your step, step out. That's it, lovely-jubbly!

OK, now, keep coming round. Trust in me. All right? Stand right there.

-OK. You ready?

-Mm-hm.

Open those lovely eyes.

SHE GASPS

Oh, my God! It's lovely.

-What a fantastic conservatory

-that is. It's lovely!

It's fantastic. It's really lovely.

-That's got to be beyond your wildest dreams now, hasn't it?

-It is, yes.

Can't believe it. Can't believe it.

-It makes a massive difference to your house, doesn't it?

-It does.

Now let's see what Barbara thinks when she takes a closer look inside.

-How beautiful is that?

-It's lovely, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-Now...

-It is beautiful.

-If you think as well that...

-It's big!

-It's massive!

-It is massive.

But you look at the floor, you've got your sockets on now,

it's all nicely painted.

Oh, it is lovely.

Honest to God, I never expected anything like this. Never.

-This roof here, it's quite a special glass.

-Is it?

They've coated it with self-cleaning as well,

so you won't have to get up there with your mop and bucket.

The other thing is, in wintertime, it keeps the warmth in,

and in summertime, it keeps it at a nice, even temperature.

It's absolutely beautiful.

I never expected anything like this.

It's got to be a ten out of ten, hasn't it?

-Oh, God, 11 out of ten.

-11 out of ten, even!

11 out of ten.

That's my kind of score!

'Before I go, I just want to show Barbara her new conservatory

'from the top of her garden.'

-Ta-dah!

-It's lovely, isn't it?

It's absolutely fabulous.

I can't believe it. I really can't believe it. It's beautiful.

And a final surprise for Barbara.

Sharon, her friend who called us in the first place,

is waiting in the wings, and she isn't the only one.

Come on, Sharon and the good guys, Come on! Come in.

Hey, Sharon!

-It's lovely, isn't it?

-Beautiful.

-No wonder nobody told me anything.

Well done, Sharon, for giving us the call. Well done, Barbara.

-It's fantastic. Enjoy that conservatory.

-Thank you, I will.

-I'll thoroughly enjoy it.

-Thanks very much.

-It's my pleasure.

-Thank you, Clive.

-See you soon. I love it when a plan comes together!

THEY LAUGH

-Are you pleased, Babs?

-I am. I never expected anything like that at all.

You know what?

It's at times like this that I absolutely love this gig.

Our guys have quite literally brought a ray of sunshine into Barbara's life.

Did you see her face then we showed her the brand-new conservatory?

Now she can put this sorry saga behind her.

And as for our good guys, I think that's another triumph.

Oh, yeah, and as for those cowboy builders out there,

remember one thing - we're on your trail!

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