0:00:08 > 0:00:12Demolishing your dreams while plundering your hard-earned cash,
0:00:12 > 0:00:16cowboy builders are alive and well, and operating in Britain.
0:00:16 > 0:00:21He seemed a nice fella, he seemed he'd do me a good job,
0:00:21 > 0:00:23but it didn't work out that way.
0:00:25 > 0:00:28We're travelling across Britain, hearing your stories
0:00:28 > 0:00:30of barbaric builder botches.
0:00:31 > 0:00:36It seemed to be cracking, and he said to me,
0:00:36 > 0:00:39"No, it'll be OK when I put some paint on it."
0:00:42 > 0:00:44But we've got the good guys in,
0:00:44 > 0:00:47to turn these homes from hell into dream dwellings.
0:00:47 > 0:00:50I never thought he'd do this to me.
0:00:50 > 0:00:53So, stick with me, cos these next 30 minutes
0:00:53 > 0:00:55could keep you out of the Cowboy Trap.
0:01:05 > 0:01:07Today, Cowboy Trap is in the West Midlands,
0:01:07 > 0:01:11in the town of Halesowen, about ten miles outside of Birmingham.
0:01:13 > 0:01:17The town centre, which was almost completely rebuilt in the 1930s,
0:01:17 > 0:01:20has a Norman church, a football ground,
0:01:20 > 0:01:23home of the mighty Halesowen Town,
0:01:23 > 0:01:25and a college of further education,
0:01:25 > 0:01:29where Frank Skinner used to teach, before he turned to comedy.
0:01:29 > 0:01:30Back in the 19th century,
0:01:30 > 0:01:35Halesowen's wealth was mainly due to this little fella, the nail.
0:01:35 > 0:01:38In fact, nail making was a cottage industry,
0:01:38 > 0:01:41and all the family would get involved.
0:01:41 > 0:01:45It was painful, long hours and with meagre pay.
0:01:45 > 0:01:50In fact, the final nail-making factory closed back in the 1990s.
0:01:50 > 0:01:52But we're here today
0:01:52 > 0:01:56to nail a particularly loathsome cowboy builder.
0:01:56 > 0:02:01A cowboy builder who caught unlucky Yvonne Thompson in his trap.
0:02:01 > 0:02:0560-year-old Yvonne has lived in Halesowen all her life.
0:02:05 > 0:02:10It's where, at the tender age of 15, she met her husband-to-be, Michael.
0:02:10 > 0:02:13They fell in love and married in 1971.
0:02:13 > 0:02:15It was a perfect wedding day.
0:02:16 > 0:02:22I felt so happy. I've never felt so happy in all my life.
0:02:22 > 0:02:24I loved my husband to bits.
0:02:24 > 0:02:27He was the only one for me.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30In 1982, Yvonne and Michael chanced upon
0:02:30 > 0:02:33this three-bedroom Victorian end-terraced house,
0:02:33 > 0:02:35which had recently come up for sale.
0:02:35 > 0:02:37For Yvonne, it was love at first sight.
0:02:37 > 0:02:42She was determined no-one else would beat them to it.
0:02:42 > 0:02:45I made sure that we got this house.
0:02:45 > 0:02:47I kept him up all night.
0:02:47 > 0:02:49I wouldn't let him go to sleep.
0:02:49 > 0:02:53And the next morning, we were outside,
0:02:53 > 0:02:56waiting for the estate agent to open,
0:02:56 > 0:02:59in case somebody else got there before us.
0:03:00 > 0:03:05Yvonne and Michael got their dream home. These were happy days.
0:03:05 > 0:03:08The pair filled the house with 1950s memorabilia,
0:03:08 > 0:03:10and Michael, who was a mechanic,
0:03:10 > 0:03:13used this spacious garage to run his business.
0:03:13 > 0:03:16He loved old cars.
0:03:16 > 0:03:20He'd see an old car for sale with something wrong with it,
0:03:20 > 0:03:22he'd buy it, do it up,
0:03:22 > 0:03:25but after it, he wouldn't want to part with it.
0:03:25 > 0:03:27He'd want to keep it.
0:03:27 > 0:03:30And as you can see, the cars are still here today.
0:03:30 > 0:03:34Sadly, five years ago, Michael lost his long battle with emphysema,
0:03:34 > 0:03:36and in the years following his death,
0:03:36 > 0:03:39Yvonne's health also deteriorated.
0:03:39 > 0:03:43She'd had to leave work doing her job looking after the elderly
0:03:43 > 0:03:46because she'd been diagnosed with arthritis to the spine.
0:03:46 > 0:03:48But in the years after Michael's death,
0:03:48 > 0:03:52she also suffered minor strokes, which left her disabled.
0:03:52 > 0:03:54Despite her deteriorating health
0:03:54 > 0:03:57and her beloved Michael's untimely death,
0:03:57 > 0:04:01Yvonne was determined to make the most out of life.
0:04:01 > 0:04:04She and Michael had built up a small nest egg,
0:04:04 > 0:04:08and Yvonne decided now was the time to spend it on renovating her home.
0:04:09 > 0:04:12She got an architect to draw up plans,
0:04:12 > 0:04:14taking into account wheelchair access,
0:04:14 > 0:04:17because she was becoming increasingly immobile.
0:04:17 > 0:04:19She got planning permission,
0:04:19 > 0:04:22and then set about getting quotes from local builders.
0:04:22 > 0:04:24But Yvonne made a fatal error.
0:04:24 > 0:04:27A builder she found through an ad in the local paper
0:04:27 > 0:04:31for a rendering job got wind of her extension plans.
0:04:31 > 0:04:35He said, regardless of what quotes she got, he would undercut them.
0:04:35 > 0:04:39Now, she was impressed with the work he'd done so far
0:04:39 > 0:04:43and decided to throw caution to the wind and gave him the work.
0:04:43 > 0:04:45After all, she trusted him,
0:04:45 > 0:04:47and she never even bothered taking up references.
0:04:47 > 0:04:49What a shame!
0:04:50 > 0:04:52Take my advice.
0:04:52 > 0:04:54Always get references from previous customers,
0:04:54 > 0:04:58and go in person to see examples of their previous work,
0:04:58 > 0:05:01similar to the job you need doing.
0:05:01 > 0:05:05If the builder can't divvy up any similar projects, run a mile.
0:05:07 > 0:05:10Yvonne's wish list included a kitchen extension,
0:05:10 > 0:05:12some plastering, some rewiring,
0:05:12 > 0:05:17a doorway widening for wheelchair access and new flooring.
0:05:17 > 0:05:20The figure Yvonne and the builder agreed for the project
0:05:20 > 0:05:24came to 16 and a half grand, and work soon got under way.
0:05:25 > 0:05:30But within hours, Yvonne started to fear she'd chosen a bad 'un.
0:05:31 > 0:05:37He came and asked me for £1,000, and I said to him,
0:05:37 > 0:05:42"I can't give you money up front. You've only done a day.
0:05:42 > 0:05:45"You've got to wait till you've done a bit more work,
0:05:45 > 0:05:48"and then I'll give you some money."
0:05:48 > 0:05:51This time, the builder took no for an answer,
0:05:51 > 0:05:53but not for long.
0:05:53 > 0:05:59After two or three days, when he'd been out, he asked me again,
0:05:59 > 0:06:02and I did give him £1,000.
0:06:02 > 0:06:06Yvonne soon twigged that this guy was in financial difficulty,
0:06:06 > 0:06:10but rather than running a mile, she actually took pity on him
0:06:10 > 0:06:14and decided to give him extra jobs just to keep him in work,
0:06:14 > 0:06:18fitting an upstairs toilet, paving outside, replacing a damaged fence
0:06:18 > 0:06:22and realigning some bad brickwork that was left by a previous builder.
0:06:22 > 0:06:24In fact, the list goes on.
0:06:25 > 0:06:29His regular demands for cash were bad enough, but before long,
0:06:29 > 0:06:33Yvonne started to think he wasn't actually a very good builder.
0:06:33 > 0:06:35The first thing she noticed
0:06:35 > 0:06:37was problems with the first thing he'd done.
0:06:37 > 0:06:40Just a few weeks after he'd rendered the front of her house,
0:06:40 > 0:06:42cracks had begun to show.
0:06:44 > 0:06:46I asked him what had gone wrong
0:06:46 > 0:06:50with the rendering on the front of the house.
0:06:50 > 0:06:55It seemed to be cracking, and he said to me,
0:06:55 > 0:06:59"No, it'll be OK when I put some paint on it."
0:06:59 > 0:07:04But when he put some paint on it, it was still the same.
0:07:04 > 0:07:06And it wasn't just the render that was a worry.
0:07:06 > 0:07:08Waste was being left in Yvonne's garden,
0:07:08 > 0:07:11because the builder didn't hire a skip.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14The floor tiles in the kitchen weren't in line,
0:07:14 > 0:07:17he didn't complete the gravel boarding he'd started,
0:07:17 > 0:07:20he didn't fix a leak in the upstairs toilet
0:07:20 > 0:07:23and despite Yvonne specifically asking for it,
0:07:23 > 0:07:26the back door wasn't wide enough for a wheelchair.
0:07:26 > 0:07:32He'd ended up putting a very narrow back door on it,
0:07:32 > 0:07:35and that back door isn't right. It's all buckled up.
0:07:37 > 0:07:41Once again, she give him the benefit of the doubt. And here's why.
0:07:41 > 0:07:44Yvonne felt that they'd kind of become friends.
0:07:44 > 0:07:47So much so, she loaned him her van for a month or so,
0:07:47 > 0:07:49because his had broken down,
0:07:49 > 0:07:52and it was really nice to have a man about the house once again.
0:07:52 > 0:07:54But, do you know what?
0:07:54 > 0:07:59This character was still on the job two years after it started!
0:07:59 > 0:08:01In addition to the original wish list,
0:08:01 > 0:08:05the builder had also installed a lintel over an upstairs window,
0:08:05 > 0:08:08replaced a flat roof with an apex roof
0:08:08 > 0:08:13and he'd done extra bits and bobs inside and outside the house.
0:08:13 > 0:08:15Oh, dear!
0:08:15 > 0:08:17Oh, dear, oh, dear!
0:08:19 > 0:08:21Take my advice.
0:08:21 > 0:08:24Beware of your builder extending the job, and his fee,
0:08:24 > 0:08:26beyond your original remit.
0:08:27 > 0:08:32Have a clear plan of action for your building project, and stick to it.
0:08:32 > 0:08:36Sure, there might be some minor adjustments here and there,
0:08:36 > 0:08:39but if your shopping list runs wild, so will your overdraft.
0:08:44 > 0:08:47Realising Yvonne's cash was running out,
0:08:47 > 0:08:50the builder started to turn up less and less.
0:08:50 > 0:08:53Then, one day, Yvonne got a shock.
0:08:53 > 0:08:59I came back with my son and he was loading all his tools in his van,
0:08:59 > 0:09:03and I said to my son, "He's going, he is."
0:09:04 > 0:09:07Yvonne realised she'd been stitched up like a kipper.
0:09:08 > 0:09:11I did think I could trust him.
0:09:11 > 0:09:14He was here a long time
0:09:14 > 0:09:20and it became like a friendship between me, him and my son.
0:09:20 > 0:09:23I never thought he'd do this to me.
0:09:25 > 0:09:26Not surprisingly,
0:09:26 > 0:09:30this construction catastrophe has left Yvonne heartbroken.
0:09:31 > 0:09:37It was a dream that I wanted completing, and I chose him...
0:09:37 > 0:09:42He seemed a nice fella, he seemed he'd do me a good job,
0:09:42 > 0:09:44but it didn't work out that way.
0:09:45 > 0:09:48You know, this sort of story really gets me mad.
0:09:48 > 0:09:50You've got a kind and trusting soul
0:09:50 > 0:09:52who's been taken for a ride by a builder
0:09:52 > 0:09:54who only sees her as a meal ticket.
0:09:54 > 0:09:57I'm also concerned about the scale of the project as well,
0:09:57 > 0:09:59and the mish-mash of jobs that's been going on,
0:09:59 > 0:10:02and I'm m also concerned at exactly what we can do to help.
0:10:02 > 0:10:04But I know one thing we can do,
0:10:04 > 0:10:07and that is to give Yvonne peace of mind.
0:10:14 > 0:10:16- Now, you must be the lovely Yvonne. - I am, yes.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19- Hello, I'm Clive from Cowboy Trap. You all right?- I'm all right.
0:10:19 > 0:10:23Now, I've got to say, this looks like the offending extension.
0:10:23 > 0:10:25- It is, that's right. - OK, well, I tell you what,
0:10:25 > 0:10:28do you mind if I go and have a little look around it?
0:10:28 > 0:10:31You go and rest your pins and I'll be in to have a chat with you.
0:10:31 > 0:10:34- OK, lovely. Thank you. - Thanks, Yvonne.- Thank you.
0:10:36 > 0:10:38Let's have a look.
0:10:38 > 0:10:41They say you should never judge a book by the cover,
0:10:41 > 0:10:46but I'm a firm believer that you CAN judge a builder by the building.
0:10:47 > 0:10:50Let's check the windows out first of all.
0:10:50 > 0:10:53OK, where they've masticked around the edge here, in the reveal,
0:10:53 > 0:10:54there's a gap in there,
0:10:54 > 0:10:57and that means you can get water ingress.
0:10:57 > 0:11:00Of course, you can get things like bugs as well going in,
0:11:00 > 0:11:03so, in general, it's not a brilliant finish.
0:11:03 > 0:11:05And something else that catches my eye is down here,
0:11:05 > 0:11:07where the bottle gully is.
0:11:07 > 0:11:11Now, where this downspout is coming from the extension,
0:11:11 > 0:11:13the part of the extension of the roof,
0:11:13 > 0:11:15it comes down into an elbow there...
0:11:17 > 0:11:21..and you'll notice that not only is it running flat,
0:11:21 > 0:11:23it's actually running back on itself.
0:11:23 > 0:11:26So, although you are going to get a good force of water,
0:11:26 > 0:11:28if you get any silt or leaves built up in there,
0:11:28 > 0:11:31it's going to block right on that corner.
0:11:34 > 0:11:37I did notice this as well on the way in. Look at this!
0:11:37 > 0:11:39I mean, any builder worth their salt
0:11:39 > 0:11:42is never going to leave a dingle there.
0:11:42 > 0:11:44Look at that, it's dangling.
0:11:44 > 0:11:46That is pretty awful!
0:11:46 > 0:11:49It's loose, it's not strapped to the wall like it should be,
0:11:49 > 0:11:51it could blow about in the wind,
0:11:51 > 0:11:54but worst of all, where that grey water's coming down,
0:11:54 > 0:11:57where the surface water is coming off the roof, look at this.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00It's going to nowhere but the path,
0:12:00 > 0:12:03and that's why it's causing all of this grief around here.
0:12:03 > 0:12:06You're getting all of that silt build up,
0:12:06 > 0:12:08and that can be quite slippy and dangerous, as well.
0:12:08 > 0:12:12Particularly think about that in winter time. That's pretty awful.
0:12:12 > 0:12:16And that's not the only thing. Check out the roof on the extension.
0:12:16 > 0:12:18Not good.
0:12:18 > 0:12:22Now, what's happened here with these clips on the tiles,
0:12:22 > 0:12:23they bond together...
0:12:23 > 0:12:26Now, here, they're not joined in at all,
0:12:26 > 0:12:28and there, you can see they're broken,
0:12:28 > 0:12:31they've got open gaps there of about so big,
0:12:31 > 0:12:36and all sorts of moisture, bugs, whatever, can get inside there.
0:12:36 > 0:12:39The guy who did this is clearly a drainage dunce.
0:12:41 > 0:12:43You've heard of a square peg in a round hole.
0:12:43 > 0:12:47Well, how about a square downspout into a round one?
0:12:47 > 0:12:51Look at that. I mean it, WHO in their right mind would do that?!
0:12:51 > 0:12:52That is, again, a poor fit.
0:12:52 > 0:12:54Where that's overlapping,
0:12:54 > 0:12:57that's going to send water flooding down this pathway.
0:12:57 > 0:12:59And the other intriguing thing is this.
0:12:59 > 0:13:01This is the render.
0:13:01 > 0:13:04Now, you've got all fractures all over this render,
0:13:04 > 0:13:07and I've got to be honest, it's not been put on right, and you tap it...
0:13:07 > 0:13:08HOLLOW ECHO
0:13:08 > 0:13:12Listen to that. That's hollow, and in the words of Michael Jackson,
0:13:12 > 0:13:15if you were to take a hammer to that, it'd be off the wall.
0:13:17 > 0:13:19And as the Bee Gees would say, this build is a...
0:13:19 > 0:13:21# Tragedy. #
0:13:21 > 0:13:24Inside, it goes from bad to worse.
0:13:27 > 0:13:30Straight away, tell-tale signs.
0:13:30 > 0:13:33As you look at the ceiling here, it's been boarded out,
0:13:33 > 0:13:34it's been skimmed, but look at this,
0:13:34 > 0:13:37it's already started to split apart
0:13:37 > 0:13:41under the weight of the moisture ingress that's got in.
0:13:41 > 0:13:45Am I surprised? No, I'm not, when you look at the state of the roof.
0:13:45 > 0:13:48And, in fact, there's blotches of it all around this ceiling.
0:13:49 > 0:13:54And it's not just blotches. This ceiling isn't flat.
0:13:54 > 0:13:58It has a belly in the middle. Now, who does that remind me of?!
0:13:58 > 0:14:00Anyway, I digress.
0:14:00 > 0:14:03And although there's nothing dangerous about this,
0:14:03 > 0:14:05check this out, the coving.
0:14:05 > 0:14:11We've got one, two, three, four, five, six cuts in that length,
0:14:11 > 0:14:13whereas there can only have needed to be one.
0:14:13 > 0:14:14So, you got one full-length
0:14:14 > 0:14:17and you've probably got a half or three-quarter length.
0:14:17 > 0:14:18That's all it needs.
0:14:18 > 0:14:21It looks like he's bought a load that have probably been damaged,
0:14:21 > 0:14:24got them cheap, but he's had to cut them all.
0:14:24 > 0:14:26That is a real botched job!
0:14:26 > 0:14:27Ah, check this out, as well.
0:14:27 > 0:14:31We've actually got... Here, we've got a loft hatch.
0:14:31 > 0:14:36Now, this hatch takes us up to what, I think, is still the flat roof.
0:14:36 > 0:14:39It's still there. if I just feel for the felt...
0:14:39 > 0:14:43Yeah, the felt's on there. Now, there's the problem straight away.
0:14:43 > 0:14:45Because they've left the flat roof on
0:14:45 > 0:14:48and then they've put the roof on top of that,
0:14:48 > 0:14:50you've got that moisture build-up
0:14:50 > 0:14:54where the heat from inside the house meets the cold from outside,
0:14:54 > 0:14:57moisture build-up, bad news.
0:14:59 > 0:15:04Time for me to sit down for a cowboy powwow with unlucky Yvonne.
0:15:04 > 0:15:08How are you feeling? How are you feeling personally?
0:15:08 > 0:15:11I feel stressed right out with it.
0:15:11 > 0:15:15I can't believe the poor workmanship he's left,
0:15:15 > 0:15:19and how he's left it, the mess he's left me in.
0:15:19 > 0:15:24Nothing's right with that kitchen. Everything I look at...
0:15:24 > 0:15:26But that roof, it's horrendous.
0:15:26 > 0:15:28It's a real emotional rollercoaster that you're on,
0:15:28 > 0:15:30that you can't put a price on,
0:15:30 > 0:15:34because there must have been times when you were going to bed at night
0:15:34 > 0:15:38and just thinking, "How am I ever going to get out of it?"
0:15:38 > 0:15:41Oh, it's worrying my life out.
0:15:41 > 0:15:43There's a lot of nights I haven't slept,
0:15:43 > 0:15:48and I didn't know which way to turn to get out of it, who to ask,
0:15:48 > 0:15:52you know...how to solve this problem.
0:15:52 > 0:15:56I couldn't leave it like that, but it's been left such a long time
0:15:56 > 0:16:00and it's a problem that won't go away.
0:16:00 > 0:16:03What he's done to you is bang out of order,
0:16:03 > 0:16:05and what he's left you with.
0:16:05 > 0:16:08But we're going to get the good guys in and put it right.
0:16:10 > 0:16:13I want to get Yvonne a sign-off certificate
0:16:13 > 0:16:16for the kitchen extension from local building control.
0:16:16 > 0:16:19Without it, she'll have all sorts of problems
0:16:19 > 0:16:22if she ever decides to sell up.
0:16:22 > 0:16:27But it's a big job, so I've called in independent surveyor Nigel Mason
0:16:27 > 0:16:30to give me a second opinion on the task in hand.
0:16:30 > 0:16:32Just talk us through what you've found.
0:16:32 > 0:16:35Yeah, obviously, there's an extension to a previous building
0:16:35 > 0:16:39- which has come out probably one-and-a-half metres.- Yeah.
0:16:39 > 0:16:42And to try and get the roofs to match, on a pitched roof,
0:16:42 > 0:16:45the design isn't particularly good, if I'm honest.
0:16:45 > 0:16:49It's a bit of a recipe for potential problems with roof details
0:16:49 > 0:16:53and flashings etc, and the quality of workmanship is also compounding
0:16:53 > 0:16:57the fact that clearly we've got problems with the roof leaking.
0:16:57 > 0:17:00I look at the original building that was here,
0:17:00 > 0:17:04the original extension, and it looks like a flat roof.
0:17:04 > 0:17:06Do you think they've actually built it on top of that?
0:17:06 > 0:17:09Yeah, you can actually see - there's a little loft hatch -
0:17:09 > 0:17:12and you can see through the roof space that the original flat roof
0:17:12 > 0:17:14deck is still in place.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17So they put the pitched roof on top of the flat roof.
0:17:17 > 0:17:19Very little insulation in there.
0:17:19 > 0:17:22And that's potentially going to cause condensation problems as well.
0:17:22 > 0:17:25Now, in terms of the inside, problems we've got in there?
0:17:25 > 0:17:27The quality of workmanship is quite poor.
0:17:27 > 0:17:31The WC pan isn't even fixed to the floor in the upstairs toilet.
0:17:31 > 0:17:34In terms of the work you've actually seen so far,
0:17:34 > 0:17:36what sort of mark would you give that out of ten, Nigel?
0:17:36 > 0:17:40- It's three out of ten for me, Clive. - A three out of ten it shall be.
0:17:40 > 0:17:43Your input is vital to us. Great to see you again.
0:17:43 > 0:17:46- Thanks very much.- I'll let you carry on. Thank you, Nigel.
0:17:47 > 0:17:50So, three out of ten. Hmm...
0:17:50 > 0:17:52Well, I don't mind telling you,
0:17:52 > 0:17:55I've developed a soft spot for poor Yvonne.
0:17:55 > 0:17:57Whether it's her tragic story,
0:17:57 > 0:18:00her fantastic Black Country accent,
0:18:00 > 0:18:03or just the terrible pickle she's in, I don't know.
0:18:03 > 0:18:08But what I do know is I'm determined to convert that three out of ten
0:18:08 > 0:18:10into a perfect ten.
0:18:10 > 0:18:12I've seen quite enough.
0:18:12 > 0:18:15Enough to know that I'm now declaring this a no-go zone.
0:18:15 > 0:18:20Only myself and the good guys are allowed across that line.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23Talking of which, I think they're here now.
0:18:23 > 0:18:28Yeah, here they are, my knights in shining armour, led by David Evans.
0:18:28 > 0:18:31They've got a lot on their plate here,
0:18:31 > 0:18:35so Yvonne is chipping in to get the work done.
0:18:35 > 0:18:39David's dynamic team wastes no time getting started.
0:18:39 > 0:18:41But before I leave them to it,
0:18:41 > 0:18:45I want a tete-a-tete with the main man himself.
0:18:45 > 0:18:48Just talk us through what your plan is.
0:18:48 > 0:18:52The initial plan is to get the property back into a standard
0:18:52 > 0:18:57that's acceptable to the tenant after many, many years of frustration.
0:18:57 > 0:19:02The second priority for us is to get the roof, get the leak stopped,
0:19:02 > 0:19:05and the main point, as far as the tenant should be concerned,
0:19:05 > 0:19:10is there's a number of problems that Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council
0:19:10 > 0:19:13require for this building to get a completion certificate on it.
0:19:13 > 0:19:15That's what we're looking for.
0:19:15 > 0:19:19- So, all of those jobs are going to be addressed?- Absolutely correct.
0:19:19 > 0:19:21I've already met the building control officer,
0:19:21 > 0:19:25he's given me his three main points, those will be addressed,
0:19:25 > 0:19:28and the completion certificate will be issued by Dudley Council.
0:19:28 > 0:19:32Well, the future is so bright, builder Dave's got to wear shades.
0:19:32 > 0:19:38But will he and his team be able to dazzle Yvonne with a
0:19:38 > 0:19:41blindingly brilliant transformation of her shoddy extension?
0:19:41 > 0:19:43Only time will tell.
0:19:47 > 0:19:51I'm back in Halesowen, where Yvonne Thompson's dream of having
0:19:51 > 0:19:55a nice big kitchen was dashed when she fell victim to a cowboy builder
0:19:55 > 0:19:56who was riding the gravy train.
0:19:58 > 0:20:02But luckily, Yvonne called us in, and I've come to find out
0:20:02 > 0:20:05if our good guys have saved the day.
0:20:05 > 0:20:08Before I talk it through with the lovely lady herself,
0:20:08 > 0:20:10I want a sneaky peek.
0:20:12 > 0:20:16Sun is out, sky is blue, not a cloud to spoil the view. Loving it!
0:20:16 > 0:20:18Oh, first thing, straightaway,
0:20:18 > 0:20:21outside these French doors, we've got a step.
0:20:21 > 0:20:23So now, you don't have to sort of fall down there.
0:20:23 > 0:20:25Next thing I see... Remember this?
0:20:25 > 0:20:28The downspout was just absolutely...
0:20:28 > 0:20:32All that rainwater was just washing down here, swilling down there,
0:20:32 > 0:20:35that's gone. So let's see where that's going to.
0:20:35 > 0:20:40Ha-ha! OK, so that's all now going into a nice, new bottle gully,
0:20:40 > 0:20:43and all the waste has been sorted out.
0:20:43 > 0:20:46(OK, lovely. Lovely-jubbly!)
0:20:46 > 0:20:49So far, so good.
0:20:49 > 0:20:51But what about the roof?
0:20:51 > 0:20:54The ridge tiles have all been bedded on nicely.
0:20:54 > 0:20:57The roof tiles have been changed. I was talking about those clips that were broken.
0:20:57 > 0:20:59They've obviously been replaced and new.
0:20:59 > 0:21:03We've actually got a dry valley now, as well, which is great.
0:21:03 > 0:21:06And then up to the parapet at the top there,
0:21:06 > 0:21:09I was saying that the lead upstand, the flashing, was not good.
0:21:09 > 0:21:14That's all very, very nice. I know it's only a roof, but you know what?
0:21:14 > 0:21:17I get carried away with them. I love roofs.
0:21:17 > 0:21:19Time to check out the inside,
0:21:19 > 0:21:22because that's where Yvonne wants to be cooking on gas.
0:21:22 > 0:21:25This kitchen is now hot to trot.
0:21:25 > 0:21:27HE LAUGHS
0:21:27 > 0:21:29It's amazing, really.
0:21:29 > 0:21:34Immediately, the first thing that hits me is the black-and-white contrasting paintwork.
0:21:34 > 0:21:38But the next thing that hits me is we've got low-voltage downlighters,
0:21:38 > 0:21:41we've got a flat ceiling. Remember, it had a belly in it.
0:21:41 > 0:21:45A bit like mine. Well, not quite as big, but it was still there.
0:21:45 > 0:21:48But, man, it looks so different.
0:21:48 > 0:21:52And it looks like they've opened the kitchen out, which is great,
0:21:52 > 0:21:54because Yvonne wanted more space.
0:21:54 > 0:21:59And I'm loving the detail on those doors.
0:21:59 > 0:22:01Really well painted, highly glossed doors,
0:22:01 > 0:22:04and the hinges, they're a really ornate sort of hinge.
0:22:04 > 0:22:06And I think it goes with...
0:22:06 > 0:22:09I've got this thing about... With Yvonne, she loves her rock and roll.
0:22:09 > 0:22:13And it's got that sort of '50s-diner feel about it.
0:22:13 > 0:22:16The loft hatch has moved now as well,
0:22:16 > 0:22:19so it was over there, difficult to access right by doors.
0:22:19 > 0:22:21Of course, here, far easier.
0:22:21 > 0:22:26The insulation has been done and the electrics, too.
0:22:26 > 0:22:28The sign-off certificate has been sorted,
0:22:28 > 0:22:33so if ever Yvonne does need to sell, that end of things is covered.
0:22:33 > 0:22:35Nice work, guys!
0:22:35 > 0:22:38It looks so different. Really does.
0:22:38 > 0:22:41I notice, as well, we've got a new fuse board.
0:22:41 > 0:22:43So, therefore, we're bang up-to-date.
0:22:43 > 0:22:4817th edition regs, so the electrics have obviously been sorted, too.
0:22:48 > 0:22:51It's just got a great feel about it. Hurrah!
0:22:53 > 0:22:57Well, this transformation has made my day, I can tell you!
0:22:57 > 0:23:01Now, before I talk it through with Yvonne, I want a word about
0:23:01 > 0:23:05the cowboy builder who took two years and 26 grand of her money
0:23:05 > 0:23:06but left her in such a mess.
0:23:08 > 0:23:11We've been in touch with him to hear his side of the story,
0:23:11 > 0:23:17and I want to find out what she has to say about his version of events.
0:23:17 > 0:23:20First of all, he says he admits that you gave him a lot of work
0:23:20 > 0:23:22and he really appreciated it.
0:23:22 > 0:23:26- So we started off on the right foot. - Yes.- How do you feel about that?
0:23:26 > 0:23:29That was correct. I did find him a lot of work.
0:23:29 > 0:23:32I knew he was in trouble,
0:23:32 > 0:23:36but I didn't think he was in that much trouble moneywise.
0:23:36 > 0:23:39Now, on the drains point,
0:23:39 > 0:23:44he said that as far as he was concerned, you've had someone in
0:23:44 > 0:23:49to do those drains, and it's made them, in his words, "twice as bad".
0:23:49 > 0:23:53Therefore, he's recognising they were bad in the first place.
0:23:53 > 0:23:55But he claims, because you've had other people in to do it,
0:23:55 > 0:23:57it's made it twice as bad.
0:23:57 > 0:23:59I don't agree with that.
0:23:59 > 0:24:01I had to do something with it,
0:24:01 > 0:24:07because he just left pipes coming out the walls of the kitchen
0:24:07 > 0:24:12to the other side of the garden, and I kept falling over these pipes.
0:24:12 > 0:24:17So, I had to call somebody in to do a temporary job -
0:24:17 > 0:24:19not a permanent job -
0:24:19 > 0:24:24just to settle the pipes down so I wouldn't keep falling over them.
0:24:24 > 0:24:29Now, he says, on a legal standpoint, that he's been declared bankrupt,
0:24:29 > 0:24:33and therefore he doesn't have to come back to do the work.
0:24:33 > 0:24:35But...
0:24:35 > 0:24:37he's also saying that he's not a cowboy.
0:24:37 > 0:24:42- But what do you think? Do you think he was a cowboy?- I do, yes.
0:24:42 > 0:24:47You know, how he left everything, and the jobs were unfinished
0:24:47 > 0:24:53and the amount of money he had to do the jobs. I mean, he had time.
0:24:53 > 0:24:56He had plenty of time to complete the work.
0:24:56 > 0:24:59It is possible the builder did such a shoddy job
0:24:59 > 0:25:02because he was going through a difficult time,
0:25:02 > 0:25:06but all the evidence points to cowboy behaviour. Yee-ha!
0:25:07 > 0:25:10Yeah, you guessed it, I'm feeling a bit giddy,
0:25:10 > 0:25:13because it's time for my favourite bit - the grand tour.
0:25:15 > 0:25:17Yvonne has seen the work going on around her,
0:25:17 > 0:25:21but she's about to see the finished result in all its glory.
0:25:23 > 0:25:25Come on, Yvonne, come and have a look at this.
0:25:25 > 0:25:30- Oh, wow!- Fantastic, isn't it? - I can't believe it!
0:25:30 > 0:25:33Really beautiful, isn't it? Now, you wanted a big kitchen, didn't you?
0:25:33 > 0:25:35This is everything I wanted.
0:25:35 > 0:25:37Everything all wrapped up in one.
0:25:37 > 0:25:39- It's immaculate. - It looks great, doesn't it?
0:25:39 > 0:25:42This is now a big dance floor. You can do a bit of jiving.
0:25:42 > 0:25:45- Oh, yeah, I'll have a rock and roll disco in here!- Hey, perfect!
0:25:45 > 0:25:48The lighting looks great...
0:25:48 > 0:25:51I'm loving the black and white. I was saying it's like rock and roll.
0:25:51 > 0:25:54- I do, I love the colour. - It's just superb.
0:25:54 > 0:25:58Just what I wanted, this is. I love it. I love it.
0:25:58 > 0:26:01- I love every bit.- Yeah. Now, there's one other interesting factor.
0:26:01 > 0:26:05Interesting to me, but important to you, and that's the electrics.
0:26:05 > 0:26:09- You've had a new fuse board installed up there.- Oh, lovely.
0:26:09 > 0:26:13And all the electrics have been sorted out for you as well, so they're nice and safe. Safety first.
0:26:13 > 0:26:15- That's nice to know.- Yeah?
0:26:15 > 0:26:19Nice to know? Yes, indeedy!
0:26:19 > 0:26:22And what's also nice to know is the kitchen is now safe from flooding,
0:26:22 > 0:26:26thanks to the good guys' work on the roof and drains.
0:26:26 > 0:26:28Can't wait to show Yvonne.
0:26:29 > 0:26:33Come outside. There's a lovely roof up there!
0:26:33 > 0:26:35Come and have a look!
0:26:35 > 0:26:39I know it's only a roof, but I get excited by it.
0:26:39 > 0:26:41- Do you remember the problems we had before?- I do, yeah.
0:26:41 > 0:26:44I mean, we'd got cracked tiles,
0:26:44 > 0:26:47a little deflection in the roof as well.
0:26:47 > 0:26:50- There was all sorts of problems with moisture getting in.- Yeah.
0:26:50 > 0:26:54They've replaced over 200 of those tiles up there,
0:26:54 > 0:26:59and they've reseated just about every other one. And, of course,
0:26:59 > 0:27:03the copers at the top there as well have been done, and where the
0:27:03 > 0:27:08lead flashing is as well, and the dry gully, that has been replaced.
0:27:08 > 0:27:13- It just looks fantastic now. - I couldn't agree more. It's perfect.
0:27:13 > 0:27:15Doesn't end there.
0:27:15 > 0:27:19I have some documentation right here that tells you, first of all,
0:27:19 > 0:27:23from Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council,
0:27:23 > 0:27:28that's a completion certificate for the building work that has gone on.
0:27:28 > 0:27:32So that means if ever you want to sell this house, legally, you can.
0:27:32 > 0:27:35So you've got your completion certificate, take that.
0:27:35 > 0:27:38I didn't think I'd ever have these certificates.
0:27:38 > 0:27:42You know, I didn't think the day would come when I would see them,
0:27:42 > 0:27:44when I'd actually hold them in my hand.
0:27:44 > 0:27:47I am really, really happy with what has been done.
0:27:49 > 0:27:55And quite right, too! Yvonne can now banish those cowboy blues for ever.
0:27:55 > 0:27:56Result!
0:27:59 > 0:28:02Well, thanks once again to the good guys,
0:28:02 > 0:28:04Yvonne's got the kitchen she always dreamed of.
0:28:04 > 0:28:06It's nice and big, she can cook a meal in there,
0:28:06 > 0:28:09but she can also do a little bit of twist and shout, too.
0:28:09 > 0:28:13But hopefully, she won't take any more jive from cowboy builders.
0:28:13 > 0:28:15Talking of which, I've got a message for 'em -
0:28:15 > 0:28:18it's high noon, and we're coming to get you!
0:28:43 > 0:28:46Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd