Episode 17 Cowboy Trap

Cowboy builders cost British homeowners

a staggering £700 million every year.

This might be a very small house, but there's a lot wrong in it.

It's all been done by this man.

There's shoddy workmanship, excuses, porky pies, crushed dreams

and ruined lives.

I felt like it was almost personal for some reason. It felt personal.

My guys are the good guys

and they're going to turn these nightmare projects into dream homes.

Never experienced anything like it.

In all the years of doing this job, I've seen it all.

So stick around and take on board my top tips in the hope it'll

help prevent you from falling into the cowboy trap.

Today, Cowboy Trap is in Leighton Buzzard,

an historic market town which lies between Luton and Milton Keynes.

The Grand Union Canal flows through here. It's Britain's longest.

And for you train spotters out there,

the town boasts one of Britain's finest narrow gauge steam railways.

According to local legend,

Leighton Buzzard has more than its fair share of ghosts.

Apparently, it's got a phantom hitchhiker and two haunted pubs.

The Buckingham Arms, here, is said to be visited by a vexatious

spirit who slams all the doors and runs up and down stairs.

I've got a story of my own that's equally as chilling.

This involves a bogeyman of a different kind.

You've got it, it's our old foe - the cowboy builder.

His victim, Geraldine Rooney,

has been caught in the worst possible cowboy trap.

Her builder hasn't just shattered her dreams,

he's turned her house into a danger zone.

Geraldine's been forced to vacate the home she longed for

and stay with friends.

Geraldine, who now works as a school administrator,

originally studied law in London, but took the tough decision

to drop out of college because her father died of cancer.

His death had a profound effect on her.

It was kept from me the extent to which he was close to death.

It was only when it was imminent that I was told that he was dying.

It was probably felt that they wanted to protect me from telling me

the whole extent of it.

Geraldine struggled to get over her father's passing

and when she split from her long-term partner two years ago,

she decided to make some major changes in her life.

Number one on the agenda was getting out of London and returning to her roots.

Geraldine grew up around Leighton Buzzard,

a place that she once dismissed as boring before heading for

the bright lights of the city, leaving behind a lot of good friends.

An older, wiser Geraldine found the thought of returning home

equally as exciting, and a perfect way to begin her new life.

Geraldine started to house-hunt

and it wasn't long before she found somewhere with loads of potential.

It was bigger than the other properties.

It needed more work, but the garden was also bigger.

I felt it was a slightly nicer road, even though it is busy.

Geraldine bought the two-bed house in 2009, but it didn't take long

for her to realise it needed even more work than she'd anticipated.

The heating pretty much packed up after about two weeks of moving in.

The kitchen was a makeshift kitchen. It wasn't my dream kitchen.

So, once I received a pot of money to do the work,

my idea was to have the perfect kitchen for me.

But a new kitchen was only part of Geraldine's grand plan.

She wanted to get rid of a spiral staircase

and remove a wall from the lounge to free up some space.

She also needed a new boiler, plumbing

and electrics to bring the house up-to-date.

I recognised that this was a really big job

and that it needed to be done well by a competent builder.

A local builder was recommended by a previous customer.

Geraldine checked out his website and was really impressed.

But my answer to that is, "So what?"

Don't get me started on websites because anyone can

knock one up and for me, the internet isn't regulated enough.

What matters most is a builder's reputation.

You need three references and you need to go

and look at the like-for-like work. That way, you'll be safe.

In this case, Geraldine knew of one satisfied customer,

but didn't take it any further.

What a shame.

Take my advice.

You're hiring a builder not a website designer.

Geraldine's builder came round to quote and the initial price

he gave for the job was £9,500 for the new staircase and kitchen refit.

But there was a delay while Geraldine raised the funds.

By the time work was due to start, a new figure nearer £20,000 was

proposed because of increased material costs.

And additional works included a new staircase and creating loft space.

That figure also included the central heating and electrics,

which the builder said he would subcontract.

Geraldine agreed and work commenced, but soon into the build,

a problem emerged when raising the kitchen ceiling.

When he took away the existing ceiling, he found a beam that wasn't

secure and he advised me that he

would have to put an RSJ beneath what is the bathroom, really,

to support the upstairs because it was fairly dangerous.

With so much important structural work going on,

there was one vital element missing - Building Control.

These are guys who work at your local council who make sure

that building regulations are strictly adhered to.

If you're having any major alterations done to your property, you need them involved.

So, where were they on this project?

When I asked him

if we needed Building Control involved with the staircase,

he told me it's not a structural issue and we don't need Building Control involved.

Take my advice.

You should contact your local Building Control Office

before carrying out any building work to your property to ensure

you don't need a building application.

If the RSJs are coming out or a party wall is being worked on,

you will need to sort the paperwork, take my word for it!

But it wasn't only the Building Control issue that concerned Geraldine.

She soon started to realise the builder's work was really...

how can I put this? Shoddy!

I was particularly shocked by the stairs.

He told me he was going to install a bespoke staircase.

There would be some real wood spindles.

Instead, it's knocked up window boards.

Knocked up window boards? He's having a laugh.

When Geraldine inspected the kitchen,

there was a long list of problems.

Water leaks, initially, that was the first one.

Then we discovered gas leaks.

Our electrical report discovered that the underfloor heating

doesn't work and will never work.

The builder was also putting RSJs into the party walls in a way

which caused cracking in Geraldine's house and in her neighbour's too.

Geraldine realised the builder was cutting corners

left, right and centre.

I didn't trust that any money that I threw at him

would help the situation. I knew it was time for him to stop.

By this point, Geraldine had paid the builder 16 grand.

She made up an excuse about being short of money

and put the work on hold.

Then she got some other builders round and asked them

what it would cost to fix the bodged job.

They all were in the region of £25,000 to £35,000 to fix

everything that he's done.

It's very expensive to undo someone's work and then redo it.

And worse was to come.

Because of the cracks in the party wall,

Geraldine's neighbour contacted the local council.

Geraldine soon had Building Control on her case.

On their second visit,

they unearthed a whole host of problems -

the staircase breached regulations,

there was no party wall agreement in place with the neighbour and they

were also concerned that the whole building was structurally unsafe.

It's now two years on and Geraldine has had to pay £1,200 for

remedial work to try and fix some elements of the botched job.

She also spent £3,500 on reports and £6,000 on legal fees.

Not surprisingly, her money has now run out.

Geraldine's dream is in tatters.

Her home is in such a state, she's unable to move back in.

Just when you think Geraldine's nightmare couldn't get any worse,

she's now on the verge of being prosecuted by Building Control.

It's taken its toll on me, really.

As I am now, sometimes I feel like I can't cope.

Wow, this really is a cautionary tale and then some.

Remember, you as the homeowner are ultimately

responsible for making sure that building regulations are met.

If your builder says to you,

"You don't need building regs and/or planning permission",

do not take it on face value, check it out for yourself.

I have to say, I do feel sorry for Geraldine, though.

Let's find out what we can do to help her out of this nightmare.

-Hello, are you Geraldine?

-I am Geraldine.

-I'm Clive from Cowboy Trap, how are you?

-Nice to meet you.

-Thank you for coming.

-Pleasure.

It's under sad circumstances cos you've had cowboy builders

-in the property.

-I have, unfortunately.

-Do you mind if I come in and have a look around?

-Please do.

-No need to wipe your feet here.

-Yeah. Oh, I can see that.

While Geraldine puts the kettle on,

I'm checking out this cowboy catastrophe.

First up, the staircase to hell.

First of all, the actual stairs themselves aren't wide enough.

If you were the little old lady that lived in a shoe, fair enough,

but they are definitely not wide enough.

If you look at them, these are the treads here and they're the risers.

The treads look like they've been made out of window board.

Underneath, you've got MDF. You don't make stairs out of that.

It's got to be out of a pine structure.

Oh, come on! Look at this, madness.

You've got a rise here. The maximum you can have is 42 degrees.

That's way over 42 degrees.

That is absolutely rubbish and it gets worse. Look at that RSJ.

This has just been plasterboarded over.

For fire retardancy, it needs to be minimum double-boarded or you

use proper fire retardant plasterboard.

That isn't, so that job's not been done.

Certainly the way it's sitting at the moment,

and if I'm getting my bearings right, that's an entry way that side, so it's not a problem.

But where this RSJ's going in here, this is a party wall

so I'm hoping that they've not breached the Party Wall Act.

The Party Wall Act says

if you're doing work to your property on a wall shared

with a neighbour, you need to let them know and they must agree.

Geraldine's builder should have told her that.

Next, I'm going to take a look at the kitchen.

Clearly, some remedial work has been done in here by other

builders to try and fix things. But there's still loads to do.

Oh, straight away I've seen something that is absolutely something

I don't like. It's underfloor heating.

You might like the underfloor heating,

the electrical version,

but I guarantee you virtually every property I've been to bar one,

they've never worked when they've been installed.

Another steel.

OK, another steel that's been braced that's actually

gone into the party wall. That's another one into the party wall.

There are damp problems in the floor. I've seen enough.

No wonder it's all got too much for Geraldine that she doesn't want to live here.

Time for a heart-to-heart about her cowboy builder.

Did you speak to Building Control about building regs or did

he advise you you're going to need Building Control?

His website says that he always seeks Building Control consent

and involved Building Control at every stage where it's needed.

Ultimately, you as the homeowner, and this is important for anybody watching today,

are responsible for making sure that any work comes up to standard

and up to the building regulations requirement.

You have to make sure you contact them.

Unfortunately, Clive, I didn't know that.

-I'd never done work like this before.

-No, I understand that.

I never had need to even speak to a building controller before.

I didn't understand what their role was

and what my responsibilities were.

When Building Control came round and told you about all these things,

I would imagine they must have put you on a 28-day B Notice?

I don't know if it's called a B Notice,

-they threatened me with court action.

-It must have been frightening.

I've never experienced anything like it.

It's a cruel thing for somebody like that to do.

-You're now looking around your dream that he's taken...

-Yeah.

..and crushed in his hands and just left.

Yeah, you're looking at a constant reminder of what he's done to me.

I felt like it was personal, for some reason. It felt personal.

I'm not surprised Geraldine has taken it personally.

£19,200 for this mess. Luckily for her, we're calling in the good guys.

We're going to make sure, at the very least, all of the building

regulations that have been breached will now be restored and met.

-Excellent.

-And a few extra little bits here and there.

-So dry them tearsy-poos and we'll sort it for you.

-Thank you very much.

Fixing all this is going to be quite a challenge.

Before we steam ahead, I want to get a second

opinion about the task in hand from chartered surveyor Jack Bradley.

What are the things that really stick out for you?

The biggest item for me is the advice,

or lack of advice that the builder's given the owner here.

There's a new beam that's been put in above us

which goes in to the party wall.

That immediately, on both sides, brings in the Party Wall Act 1996.

That means they need to consult with the neighbours,

they need to make sure there's no damage caused.

It's simple, but the advice wasn't there.

After that, we've got the staircase behind us.

Building Control's already looked at this

and said it doesn't comply to current regulations.

It's too steep, it's not wide enough, the treads aren't right.

I've got concerns about how it's fixed to the building.

So, again, it just starts a whole myriad of questions

about the competency of this builder.

-Lots of questions, not enough answers.

-That's it.

Of course, we've got electrical problems, too.

Bearing all that in mind,

what sort of score out of ten would you give this guy for his work?

For his work, it's difficult because a lot of it has had to be

fixed already, but based on the advice, zero.

There's no rating there at all.

Zero out of ten, I agree with that.

The buck may stop with the owner, but you've got to have some

trust in your builder to give you sound advice.

Anyway, I know some builders we can trust.

The good guys are here, led by Dave Tofield.

His main challenge is going to be getting Building Control on board.

Just talk us through the plan that you've got for us in this property.

We have spoken to Building Control, they've identified the issues.

Two, mainly. One is the staircase which doesn't conform.

-Secondly is electrical work, which they need a certificate for.

-Yes.

The electrical work needs an electrician to do a visual check.

The staircase, we've done some checks on it, done some measurements.

-We can produce a staircase which will fit and conform.

-OK.

That's the first thing we're going to do.

The kitchen needs addressing as well.

There's a lot of defects in there.

There's a lovely new kitchen there which has been put together badly.

It needs taking out and readdressing.

So much needs doing, Geraldine is chipping in.

Dave's boys waste no time getting started.

First step - taking the kitchen out and identifying what is missing.

Then putting a new raised floor in to overcome the damp issues.

Next, plastering those walls

so they're ready for a full kitchen refit.

And installing a brand new bespoke staircase.

The boys are certainly getting busy.

But can they bring Geraldine's dream back to life? Only time will tell.

I'm back in Leighton Buzzard where a cowboy builder left Geraldine Rooney

facing the stuff of nightmares - a shoddy, bodged shambles of a build.

But worse, her house was left so unsafe that she

was on the verge of prosecution from local council Building Control.

Our good guys have now finished their work

and I'm here to find out if they've done the biz.

Before I talk it through with Geraldine, I can't resist

taking a sneaky peak.

These are the bits that I really love.

It's an amazing transformation.

The moment you walk in, the first thing that hits you -

fantastic staircase.

I knew when our good guys were here and we got the chippy in

and he was doing all the measuring up, I thought to myself,

"This guy's right." Beautiful, my favourite.

You've got the kite turn there going up.

Beautiful handrails, fantastic newel posts.

Bright and beautiful, just like yours truly. Yeah right(!)

Remember that dingy flooring before? Now check it out. Fantastic.

And our good guys have added some surprise extras too.

That was definitely not there before.

They've painted the doors on this unit.

The unit was there but that top's different, definitely.

So, again, just those little extra touches.

Very important, check this out.

Obviously they had to do invasive work here because this was something

building regs were concerned about, was where the steel was.

That's all been sorted now as well.

Obviously, now it's all fireproof

and meets all fire regs, plastered up, painted up - beautiful.

But something else caught my eye.

Here you have now got... This alcove was great anyway,

I really liked the alcove, but looking down there in what

they call the threshold, the thrall if you like, is nicely tiled,

nicely trimmed and finished off with the flooring.

Absolutely top dollar. Top, top dollar.

And our boys have played a blinder in the galley kitchen.

Look at this. I mean, check it out.

Because it's quite long, that's what gives it that galley feel.

You've got wonderful worktops.

They've made the most of the existing cabinets as well

and set them up really nicely.

Of course, we had the problems here

because all of the beams were exposed, but I'm loving the way

they've done this lovely little curve on the worktop that

just allows that bit more space. It does give a great feeling of width.

We had loads of problems with the floor

and now that's all beautifully tiled as well.

And the way they have laid these tiles, longways if you like,

it gives, again, that feeling of more width.

This is almost unrecognisable

compared to what it looked like before.

The good guys have cleverly hidden some ugly pipes too.

This is a nice, cheeky design. Look at that.

They've hidden all the pipes behind there.

That's quite nice, so you can get at them

cos the gas boiler is just above.

I love the way they have slotted that in.

You've got the gas boiler just above there,

it's all been nicely boxed in.

Loving the way that they have painted as well.

The decor is very, very important.

You can't have too strong a colour

when you're actually in a galley, so you need it to be nice

and light and airy, and again, it gives it that wonderful feel.

Great lighting, always loved the Belfast sink anyway.

This is really now a place for Geraldine to enjoy

not just in the main living room/lounge, but in this kitchen.

I'll tell you something else I've spotted. Look at this.

This has been formed and they've actually routed here to

create a drainer. So they've done that,

that doesn't come like that.

They've actually done that, they've created that. That's great.

Now, I've got all the certification as well, Building Control signoff.

The electrics have all been sorted and that electrical certificate

has actually gone off to Building Control,

so that will soon be here as well, a copy of that.

So everything meets regulations,

that's the most important thing, of course, but for Geraldine when she

sees this, I reckon it's going to blow her blooming socks off!

Before I do the grand tour with Geraldine, I'm going to chat

to her about her cowboy builder.

We have been in touch to find out his side of the story

and I can't wait to hear her responses to his version of events.

He admits there were problems but he feels that you didn't give him

the opportunity to come back and rectify.

When I first found the gas leaks and water leaks, well,

water leaks initially, I called him back and I said, "Look,

"you've left me with leaks." He wasn't concerned, Clive.

He pretended he didn't hear me. He stared at the ceiling.

So... I didn't repeat it actually, I waited for him to respond.

Eventually, he said, "Have you got a cloth?"

And he threw it into the water,

played about with it and went and the next day, it was again flooded,

the kitchen was flooded with these leaks.

So I knew from that that if I tried to discuss with him

issues that were of concern, that needed fixing,

I felt very unconfident that he would be able to do it.

He also says that he never did any work on the gas

-apart from a few pipes.

-Apart from a few pipes.

Was that the pipe that was leaking,

that was holding up all the kitchen units? That's the pipe he did do.

Well, I have to make it quite clear that he's working on gas full stop

and unless he is Gas Safe registered,

he is not allowed to do that.

He's been warned by Gas Safe.

They've sent him a letter warning him to not touch gas,

he is not qualified.

Now, on the Building Control subject, he is saying that he

denies they only got involved when the neighbour complained.

He says it was HIM. He got in touch with Building Control

and got them involved and he wanted them to check the beams.

He told me he didn't need Building Control involvement

because the work he was doing wasn't structural.

Well, whatever the whys and wherefores, thanks to us,

Geraldine has now escaped the cowboy trap.

It is time to talk her through the good guys'

transformation in all its glory.

You have been in and out,

you've seen all the things that have been going on but now I want to show

you the completed works, the whole, jolly lot that these guys have done.

The good guys have been in and they have waved their magic wand let me tell you.

-Oh, my God! Oh, my word! How wonderful!

-What a difference.

-Oh, my God.

-What a difference! I mean, it is amazing, eh?

It really is fantastic. It looks great.

-The thing is, now you've got a house that you can live in.

-Yes, exactly.

What jumps out at you first and foremost?

-What's the thing that jumps out?

-It's just all so beautiful.

-I just can't believe.... Look at the stairs.

-Exactly. Them stairs!

-Those stairs are amazing.

-They've been done by craftsmen.

-You can tell. Wow.

-There is no two ways about that.

I'm actually shaking.

Because at first we were a little bit

worried about the fact that the stairs were so close to the door.

But because they've been able to do that kite turn

-at the bottom there, it just looks fantastic now.

-Stunning.

-I can't believe it's my home.

-Now that top is actually...

-That's my old cupboard.

-That's your old cupboard painted.

-Painted?

-Yes.

But that top there is actually a little sneak peek into what

we are about to see.

They've actually used some of the extra material from out

of the kitchen to top that off, which I think looks amazing.

-Beautiful.

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

-That's what I want to know.

-I can have a normal life, maybe?

Yes, which everybody deserves.

-Yes, I've just forgotten what it feels like.

-A normal life.

-It's amazing how cowboy builders can affect us.

-Absolutely.

-Yes?

-Absolutely.

-It's great. Tears of joy this time.

-Yes, that's right.

I can't believe what a great job they've done.

Geraldine can now live in her own front room

and she can enjoy her kitchen.

Come and have a look.

-Check this bad boy out.

-Oh, look at that. It's amazing.

-Come in.

-Come in to your kitchen.

-Oh, my gosh.

-What do you think?

-Remember before, this was a right old mess, wasn't it?

-Yes.

Again, we've got problems with the beam,

we've got loads of problems with the worktops, a real mess on the floor.

-Yes, the floor as well.

-Nice new floor, beautifully tiled.

-I just feel like I can start my life again now.

-Is that what you think?

I do feel like that,

I feel like my life has been on hold for two years really

and now I can have people into my home,

and I can have a normal life and cook for people, entertain.

Life is not on hold any longer for Geraldine Rooney, let me tell you.

No, it most certainly isn't

and with that all-important Building Control sign off,

it is a great result for Geraldine.

Time to leave her to enjoy her new home.

Geraldine had been trying to hold this together for nearly two years

in the face of astronomical adversity, and who knows just

exactly what toll this whole sorry saga has taken on her.

But I know one thing,

I am well chuffed we have been able to get her back on track

and for me, as far as I am concerned, to just to see the look

on her face, that beautiful smile, she is happy to be back in her home.

And as for you cowboys out there, I've got a message for you.

I'm fed up of your cock and bull. We're coming to get you.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd