Episode 18 Cowboy Trap

Over the years, I've seen some real cowboy bodge jobs.

The stuff of nightmares that would keep anybody awake at night.

We felt stupid. We felt like we were worthless.

Today, I'm revisiting homeowners who fell into the cowboy trap

by bungling builders who left them well and truly in the lurch.

It's just a stress every single day.

I don't know how they can treat families like that.

I can't wait to see how their homes and their lives have moved on

since we got them back on track.

That is a great job. In fact that is tile-icious!

I tell you what, it's a great job!

It looks really good, doesn't it?

That fact is we've come through it a lot stronger, for the experience.

We've come through it and we're doing well.

And along the way, I'll be giving you some top hints and tips

in the hope it will prevent you from falling into the cowboy trap.

Today's Cowboy Trap is a stark reminder,

that botched building work won't just hit your pocket,

it can also seriously jeopardise

the two most important things in life - your health and happiness.

Both our couples failed to pick up on the telltale signs

that they were doing business with cowboy builders,

and both had to endure the heartbreaking impact

this would have on their mental and physical well-being.

Nobody believed me. I couldn't get the inspector to believe me,

I couldn't get my own wife to believe me,

I couldn't get the builders to respond.

I just felt like in a whirlpool.

Obviously, they can't say that it's related,

but Sophie's been born with serious heart problems.

We really do need to watch for germs.

Later, I'll be catching up with Tony

and Margaret Grimshaw from North Wales whose building hell

had devastating consequences that brought them to the brink of divorce.

Well, we've been married for 28 years,

and this is the first time we ever came near to splitting up.

-It caused enormous strain on us. Sorry.

-Sorry.

HE SOBS It caused enormous strain on us.

-C'mon.

-Sorry.

-Mate. Tony.

-It's true.

But first, I'm returning to the scene of a crime against building,

where shameful work to the drains,

left not just the foul stench of cowboy, but of sewage too.

I'm back in Wishaw, Lanarkshire,

to catch up with a lovely couple called the Higgins.

Lorry driver Kevin and wife Claire, who works for a building society,

had been living in their four-bedroomed detached house for five years.

But with a new baby on the way, they decided to extend their home.

We knew we could get two extra bedrooms,

and we thought it would be really good for Lucy to have a toy room.

And we had a tiny little kitchen before that,

so we wanted a big family kitchen.

Also, in these houses, there's only a downstairs bathroom,

so we thought it would be handy to have a toilet upstairs, as well.

They set their hearts on building a kitchen and bathroom extension,

which would almost double the size of their home.

With a job that colossal, you'd think the Higgins

would have gone to enormous lengths to check the credentials of their builder,

but no.

Me and Kevin were young. We were excited.

All we wanted was to improve our house.

So, although they did get several quotes, they made a classic error

and went straight for the cheapest builder,

who also just happened to be able to start straightaway.

But take a tip from me -

beware of any unusually low quote.

It's a sure sign that corners will be cut,

or the builder doesn't know what he's doing.

Which I'm afraid to say, Kevin and Claire failed to do.

The builder quoted £16,000 for the job,

which he said would take six weeks.

But when work started in July 2006, there were problems from day one.

Unfortunately, the first thing they'd done

was dig straight into a waterpipe, and burst it.

But at the time, you kind of take that as just a bit of bad luck.

The bad luck went on and on,

especially when it came to the plumbing.

And the plumber himself was... How shall I put it? A bit odd.

The first day I'd seen him, I wasn't too impressed.

He was travelling from Dundee, which is quite far from here.

He, for some reason, was banned from driving,

so he didn't have his own van.

You'd expect lots of tools, equipment.

But things went from bad to worse,

when the builders simply stopped turning up.

A nightmare for a busy mum with another baby on the way.

You have so much to do - you have work, and the kids,

and you're pregnant...

But the first thing you think of in the morning

is getting ahold of him, demanding is he coming today?

And often he wasn't. That promised six weeks, became two years.

Incredibly, despite all the delays, and even though they could

see things going wrong, Claire and Kevin stuck with their man.

You panic, because you think to tell him to go away now

and to try and get another builder in...

You know, you just persevere and persevere.

And when the cowboy finished the job, the cost had risen to £22,000.

But this luxury kitchen and bathroom extension

was more like a house of horrors.

Leaky plumbing, window frames unsealed,

poor finishing everywhere.

Even the steps to the new front door were too steep and narrow.

This cowboy's work stunk - I mean that literally!

Cowboy builders know no shame.

I have come across enough of them to know that for sure.

They'll take your money,

let you down and leave your house in a right old state.

Worse still, some of the mess they leave behind can be a danger to life and limb.

The downstairs kitchen all connected to the previous kitchen waste,

which was in the kids' toy room

and he's not sealed it,

so each time anything's used in this side of the extension,

there's just a horrific smell,

and it basically fills the downstairs level of the house.

An intolerable situation,

which the Higgins had been living with for an extraordinary two years!

We've paid a lot of money for a big life-changing thing

and really to be left with a big problem like that...

I don't know how you can treat families like that.

It was clear that the Higgins desperately needed our help,

and when I first visited their house back in 2008, I was horrified!

My first port of call was the kids' playroom.

Hello, Elmo!

Hello, er...Pooh.

This was the Higgins' kitchen.

It's now been converted into the children's playroom.

But look at this. We've got floorboards up, exposed pipework

and this is where a lot of the problems occurred,

because the pipe there is too small to cope with all the waterflow

it's having to take from the sink, the shower, the washing machine, the dishwasher,

AND it's going into an open and exposed sewerage.

It hasn't been capped off

and if you were in here now, you'd feel physically ill, I promise you.

The stink is awful!

Of course, this open drain, not only smelled,

it was a serious health risk too.

So take a tip from me.

If in doubt, ask your local council.

Back in Claire's kitchen, the air was fresher,

but the problems kept on coming.

I just know that these tiles were really expensive

and I am gutted that they just look terrible.

Do you know what the actual floor-base was?

-I think they put plywood underneath it.

-It's incredible,

because plywood is always going to move, you'll always get movement. So when you're walking across it,

even with the grout between the tiles, there'll be movement.

That'll start to break and eventually they'll just lift.

Yep, that's what's happened.

The preparation was poor.

-I mean, even to the finish there on the island.

-I hate it.

-Look at that finish. That's not pride in work.

-No.

No two ways about that.

The builder themselves would not have a job like that in their own property.

That's what I think.

There were jobs to do all over this house.

But that open drain was not only a health hazard,

it had serious implications for the family's well-being.

At the time it was getting done, I was pregnant with my little girl

and obviously standing at that sink all the time,

doing the dishes and the germs and everything...

Obviously we can't say that it's related but Sophie's been born

with serious heart problems and I've been advised by doctors that

there's no way germs have helped that, basically.

So that kind of upsets me, and the fact that, you know,

she's not well now, and we really DO need to watch for germs.

You know most of the home-owners I meet are at rock-bottom,

and that's because they're well and truly snared in the cowboy trap.

But with a little bit of...

Well, make that a LOT of help from our good-guy builders,

we hope to get their build on track and put smiles back on their faces,

which is what we did to the Higgins family.

First, we lifted those wonky floor tiles in the kitchen,

and replaced the flimsy plywood underneath.

Next, we replumbed the leaky loo and sealed that open drain shut.

We turned those stupid steps into a stairway from heaven,

and finally, we repaired the poorly finished exterior work with

smart new boards and facades.

By the time we were done, we had left the property safe and secure

for the people most at risk - the kids.

With things back on track, it was now over to Kevin and Claire

in the hope they'd finally do justice

to their dream of a perfect home sweet home.

Well, here we are back at the Higgins' household.

Let's find out how things have changed for them since we last saw them.

Now, I remember these steps.

We were out here about ten o'clock at night,

it was absolutely tipping down with rain.

We had to build this tarpaulin to protect us,

but at least it's still here and doing the job.

Hello, you lovely people.

It's good to see you again. How are you, Kevin? Claire?

First on the tour itinerary was the kids' playroom.

Before, this was a health hazard.

Now it's the room it always should have been.

Safe, secure and the perfect space

for Sophie and Lucy to kick back and have fun.

So what's changed? I can see that the floor's changed, et cetera.

But what else have you done in here?

Basically, the kids weren't able to use it before,

so now their friends are over all the time.

-It's been completely redecorated - new floor, new furniture.

-Yeah.

-All the toys back in.

-It's great.

Great to think it's still the play area.

These guys have grown, since the last time -

that's fairly obvious - into beautiful young ladies!

This must be the envy of their friends. It's got a telly and everything.

And it's a transformation that runs right through their home.

When you guys left, we could concentrate on doing everything else

rather than worrying about all the building work.

-So we redecorated, made a feature wall.

-Liking that!

It's really good. Did it give you that inspiration, do you think?

Once you got out of that hole?

Yeah, cos there was no point in doing the living room and stuff.

We knew we'd have to save up to cover everything that they had left.

So we weren't really doing much

but since you went away, we've done a lot.

They certainly have.

When we left, Claire and Kevin had everything to do

to achieve the plans they'd always had for this house.

Now it's genuinely thrilling to see how things always should have been.

And they've even had time to sort out the garden.

Now, without a doubt things have changed here.

What's different, Kevin?

-Well, we got the sleepers put in. Done that the other day.

-Who did?

-I done that myself.

-With your own fair hand?

-Yeah.

I tell you what - great job! It looks really good, doesn't it?

And, of course, the play area now,

the walled play area, who did you get to do the wall?

-My dad's a bricklayer so my dad done the wall for me.

-OK.

Fantastic little job.

And it keeps them nice and contained to play in that area.

It's wonderful to see the Higgins family so healthy and happy.

But before I go I want to make sure they've really managed

to put their nightmares behind them.

-Do you feel you've moved on now?

-Yep. Yep.

It's just it seemed like years at the time.

Now it seems like a while since you came and fixed it and went.

We've just enjoyed it ever since.

So, even though it was bad at the time,

we'd still say it's worth it to have the extension and things.

How sweet was that?

Certainly, since we got their build back on track,

they've moved forward and they're a very happy family indeed.

That's clear to see.

And it certainly makes my job so worthwhile.

Claire and Kevin learned the hard way

how it's not just your house that's at stake

when you let a cowboy builder into your life.

It's a lesson that could have prevented our next couple

from being taken to the brink of divorce.

I've returned to the valleys of North Wales,

an area so beautiful that tourism is now the main industry.

But I'm not here for a holiday,

although I certainly needed one after I first discovered what

a cowboy builder had done to Tony and Margaret Grimshaw.

The couple have been together for 35 years and, when Tony retired,

they set about fulfilling their long-cherished dream.

Margaret and Tony are one of life's creative couples,

who dreamed of converting the space over their garage

into a haven for their art,

where Tony could paint uninterrupted

and Margaret could soon join him when she retired.

The original dream was, we were going to have somewhere

to do our artwork, which is a retirement hobby for both of us.

Tony's already retired, and he's getting on very well with it.

And when I retire in a couple of years' time,

I want to be able to join him,

so we can have a joint venture together as a retirement hobby,

something we can do together.

Margaret and Tony realised this was a big job,

but they were ready to throw their life savings at it.

With planning permission granted by the council,

they set about finding a builder.

As you can see, Margaret and Tony live in a very rural area,

and they struggled to find a builder.

But they decided to take up

a recommendation from one of Margaret's work colleagues

and they were really impressed by their professionalism and their appearance.

But they didn't get any references and that is a classic mistake.

We were searching around, and Margaret said,

"My best friend at work has two builders which do a very good job,"

and that's how we basically found them, through my wife's best friend.

Seemed absolutely great guys.

And they promised us a contract, which we insisted on.

Everything seemed above board,

from what recommendations my wife got from her best friend,

it was, you know, all go, go, go.

The builder quoted £38,500 for carrying out the first fix.

That means laying the foundations, the blockwork,

installing the roof, skylights and the floor.

Work got under way in October 2007 and the Grimshaws were promised

it would be completed by Christmas. But things went rapidly downhill.

The biggest problem started with the construction of the roof.

None of the builders were here

when the people came to measure for the roof,

so we don't know what the instructions were.

They asked us what we wanted to do with the roof.

We didn't know - we're not builders.

And because the two builders weren't here to give instructions

about the roof, when the roof was finally delivered,

they realised it was much bigger than they intended.

And, from then on, I think that's when the relationship deteriorated.

Oh, dear, oh, dear. Not a good start.

And as the months went by, things went from bad to worse -

both the work and the relationship between builder and client.

Well, every day they came,

every day there was some sort of argument about it

and at one point, I asked Tony to leave,

and I would deal with these people.

The intolerable situation took its toll on the couple's health

and already-frail Tony ended up on medication for high blood pressure.

Having the builders in can be stressful at the best of times,

but take a tip from me.

If you have disagreements with your builder, try to stay calm.

If you lose your temper,

they can use it as an excuse not to deliver what they've promised.

Write down a list of the problems.

Go through it one by one and agree on action points to resolve them.

But the Grimshaws were still unhappy when work was supposedly finished.

They said to me, "There's nothing wrong with this building."

They stand by their work,

and what they had charged us for this for this house is nothing

to what they've built us for this property.

Despite being left with a complete mess on their hands,

the couple had shelled out the entire fee of almost £40,000.

And when I first met them back in 2010, I was shocked by what I found.

-Nice to meet you.

-And you.

What were the main construction problems

that you found in this property?

Some of the problems, for example, the state of the rendering

on the outside of the walls, I realised how bad that was.

You can see the blockwork through it.

And then, there were various things. The windows leaked.

They didn't leak when they were here,

but they looked a bit strange and crooked

and I thought, "That can't be right either."

And then we had somebody out from Velux

to confirm the windows were OK, which they did,

and I've realised since

it's the way the windows were fitted that was the problem,

not the windows themselves.

There was a list as long as your arm of bodges to this property.

So if ever there was a case to get an independent building expert

to cast his eye over the work, this was it.

If we look at the blockwork, straightaway,

the quality of it is pretty ropey.

If we have a look at the roof system, the carcass timbers,

they haven't been put in plumb, they're out of verticality.

Obviously, whoever's been on the saw has cut the timbers short.

What about the actual roof windows as well?

They are leaking.

There's draughts coming in, so they're not well installed.

What about the floor? You come up here.

I mean, I'm only seven stone, wet through, as you know...

I'm a lightweight as well!

But the thing's wobbling all over the place.

It's like a fairground ride.

Oh, it's a trampoline.

According to the original drawings produced by the architect,

this floor had a single span of beams from side to side.

Again, the builders appear to have freelanced the design a little bit

and have introduced a piece of steel, which

we don't know if there's any calculations for.

For stress, yes? Stress calculations, we don't know.

And loadings. The floor joists themselves

are half the original size

put down by the architect on their drawings.

With such a catalogue of disasters to put right,

the couple were unable to move on to the next stage of the build.

But the really horrifying thing I discovered on my visit

wasn't the shoddy work itself,

but the effect that it had on the Grimshaws.

This was one of the most distressing moments

in all my time on Cowboy Trap.

We've been married for 28 years

and this is the first time we ever came near to splitting up.

It caused enormous strain on us. I'm sorry, I'm sorry.

HE SOBS It caused enormous strain on us.

-Sorry!

-Tony...

-It's true!

It was true!

I forgot all about that. I didn't realise we got THAT near.

We were very near.

It got that bad. And this is the whole stress of it.

Tony, just take a drink and relax. Listen.

That is the sort of damage it can do

to two people who are amazingly close.

The stress of all of this.

So, always be on your guard, or it will wreck,

not only your building, it will wreck your lives.

High time, then, that we brought in the good guys.

You know, if there's one thing I love more than sorting out

a cowboy building job, it's helping a knockout couple

like Tony and Margaret get through some tough times.

But, boy, there was loads to do!

Taking the job from first fix to final fit

was a costly exercise for the couple,

with so many bodges to rectify.

To help get them back on their feet,

we helped complete the job with a top team of decorators,

to give their dream a wonderful, professional finish.

-OK, guys, look up and take a look around.

-Oh, my God!

That's unbelievable!

That is fantastic! Look at that!

God! Look at the louvres! I'm telling you, that is stunning.

I'm lost for words! Sorry, I'm lost for words!

I mean, you can't believe how they've squared those windows off.

-They open a doddle now, as well, Tony.

-Oh, the windows are straight!

Yeah, the windows are straight now!

-That is just...

-Look at the light. It looks fabulous!

It was wonderful seeing Tony and Margaret happy again.

And we left, knowing that we'd helped them

put the past behind them.

That bare shell of a building was now a dazzling canvas

for the Grimshaws to make their own.

I'm back in picturesque North Wales

to find out how Margaret and Tony have been keeping,

and how the progress on their art studio has been going, too.

And I'll bet you it's as pretty as a picture.

-Hello again there, Clive!

-I've told you...

# We'd meet again, didn't know where Didn't know when! #

-How are you?

-Please come in. Please come in, young man.

-Good to see you.

It's freezing out here, by the way!

Straightaway, I've got a top feeling about this one.

Tony's not so good on his pins these days,

so it's Margaret who gives me the tour

and, boy, have these two been busy!

CLIVE HUMS FANFARE

That, I have to say... Is this the tiling you've done?

I've done this tiling, yes. Tony showed me what to do

and he cut out various bits, but I laid these tiles.

Well, you've got to be proud of that, Mrs, haven't you?

That is a great job. In fact, that is tile-icious!

MARGARET GIGGLES

"Tile-icious"?! Ouch! I'm sorry about that one.

No apologies, though, for showing this lovely moment from our last visit again.

You surprise me, I surprise you.

You're surprising me?

CLIVE LAUGHS

That, mate, is just magnificent!

'I was really touched,

'but now, Tony's taking it a step further by immortalising

'the good guys, and giving them pride of place on the new wall.'

Of course, we've got the picture, here,

of the good guys that built this place and finished it off for us.

The good builders. Rock solid people they are.

You never forget what Cowboy Trap is all about. They brought us the good guys.

Well, we did lend a helping hand,

but I can't wait to congratulate the artist responsible for this,

for everything he and Margaret have achieved together since.

I tell you what, Tony, young man!

That's a great job.

And working as a team, the work that you've done,

you've got to be proud of.

I'm very proud. Very proud, cos she did it.

It's amazing, what she, what you can learn.

And we watch a lot of those, sort of, DIY programmes

and that's where we get our skills from. It's...

-And just sitting down and doing it together has been absolutely brilliant.

-It's a joint project.

Really, teamwork. Yes. That's what it's all about.

And Tony and Margaret's teamwork has clearly worked its magic.

There's evidence of it everywhere.

-You've laid the flooring?

-Yep.

Just looks incredible. Absolutely incredible.

And you've done that yourself?

Yeah, we had this flooring put in, because it's really good for artwork

because any splashes on there, it cleans up really well.

And the artistic flourishes keep on coming.

I'm loving the feature fireplace, as well, up here.

It feels really warm too, in here, doesn't it?

I also remembered that you wanted a Juliet balcony.

-You've actually got it.

-Yeah.

I'm loving the fact that you've developed it so well.

It really looks good now.

When I first arrived back in 2010, this was no more than a shell.

When we left, it only hinted at what it could become.

Now, well, it's fabulous.

The perfect space to seek inspiration and create.

Do you sometimes have to pinch yourself, to think, "Wow!"

I can't believe it's got to this stage. It's like another world.

Another world indeed.

Far, far away from the hell these two were trapped in

when the cowboys unleashed their chaos.

But before I go, I want to have a last chat

with Tony and Margaret

to see how things have moved on for them as a couple.

See, what I try and say to people is this

it's not about how they hit you so hard in the pocket,

it's also about how they hit you emotionally too.

And at times, in those dark days,

it was stressful for you as a couple, wasn't it?

It was stressful.

And, for me, it was a personal journey. Nobody believed me.

I couldn't get anybody... I couldn't get the inspector to believe me,

I couldn't get my own wife to believe me,

things were not happened and yet they were happening poorly outside.

I couldn't get the builders to respond.

And I just felt like in a whirlpool.

I think it's made us stronger as a couple.

It's... It is a very emotional time but, moving forward, it's just...

I think we've learned to stay together, unity is strength,

and that's exactly what's happened.

We stay together, we stay strong

and you do get people that... It just finishes them,

this sort of thing. Something can do that.

No, we stayed together, stayed strong,

stayed positive and kept at it.

And we're taking forward

the fact that there is life after cowboy builders.

Amen to that!

Seeing Tony and Margaret finally fulfil their dreams

is an inspiration.

It's taken more than two years,

but this lovely couple have finally escaped from the cowboy trap.

It's been great to catch up with Margaret and Tony once again,

and I'm delighted that they've used our help and advice

as a springboard to turn their retirement dream

into reality at last.

And do you know something? It makes my job so worthwhile.

And it just goes to show that there is a way out of the Cowboy Trap,

and remember, prevention is better than cure.

So please heed my advice and top tips,

and that way, you won't become the next victim.

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