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Today, I'm in Telford on the trail of yet more cowboy builders | 0:00:07 | 0:00:11 | |
who have no regard for your property, your safety, or your circumstances. | 0:00:11 | 0:00:16 | |
And they'll stop at nothing to con you out of your cash. | 0:00:16 | 0:00:20 | |
We had the 5,000 and... | 0:00:20 | 0:00:23 | |
I had nothing to show for it, that was the trouble. | 0:00:23 | 0:00:27 | |
I'm going to give you loads of hints and tips | 0:00:27 | 0:00:29 | |
on how to stop these cowboy builders getting into your home. | 0:00:29 | 0:00:33 | |
Me and my wife investigated to see where this builder lived. | 0:00:33 | 0:00:36 | |
I found out where he was. We done some more digging. | 0:00:36 | 0:00:39 | |
Went to the Trading Standards, they said, "Not him again." | 0:00:39 | 0:00:43 | |
With the help of the good guys, | 0:00:43 | 0:00:45 | |
we'll put right the mess those cowboy builders leave behind. | 0:00:45 | 0:00:48 | |
We'll have to rip it up, start from scratch. | 0:00:48 | 0:00:51 | |
I don't want to put my work on top of that. | 0:00:51 | 0:00:54 | |
I think it's time we showed these bodging builders the door | 0:00:54 | 0:00:57 | |
and you how to avoid falling into the cowboy trap. | 0:00:57 | 0:01:00 | |
You know, I get loads of correspondence | 0:01:08 | 0:01:11 | |
telling me how cowboy builders ruined people's lives. | 0:01:11 | 0:01:15 | |
And this next story is a total rip-off. | 0:01:15 | 0:01:19 | |
74-year-old Donald Pearce and his younger brother William | 0:01:19 | 0:01:23 | |
live in the small village of Trench in Telford. | 0:01:23 | 0:01:26 | |
They've happily shared this small bungalow since 1966. | 0:01:27 | 0:01:31 | |
But now there's a problem. | 0:01:31 | 0:01:33 | |
Don has long had a passion for collecting scale-model vehicles. | 0:01:33 | 0:01:38 | |
He has 1,000 in his collection so far. | 0:01:38 | 0:01:41 | |
And, not surprisingly, he's running out of space to keep them. | 0:01:41 | 0:01:44 | |
That is my pride and joy that is. | 0:01:44 | 0:01:47 | |
Took a few years to collect them. | 0:01:47 | 0:01:49 | |
Took quite a bit of money to get them. | 0:01:49 | 0:01:54 | |
Donald's collection grew so large, | 0:01:54 | 0:01:56 | |
he could no longer squeeze it into his bungalow. | 0:01:56 | 0:01:59 | |
He decided to have an extension added to his ground-floor bedroom. | 0:01:59 | 0:02:03 | |
So he'd have more space to display his precious collectables. | 0:02:03 | 0:02:06 | |
He looked through the local paper and found a builder. | 0:02:06 | 0:02:10 | |
The builder came round and quoted £7,000 for the job. | 0:02:10 | 0:02:14 | |
Donald gave him the green light. Within a fortnight, the walls of the extension were up. | 0:02:14 | 0:02:18 | |
But the quality of the work was, well... How can I put this? | 0:02:18 | 0:02:23 | |
-Terrible. -You could see the walls wasn't level. | 0:02:23 | 0:02:26 | |
We went and leaned against it. | 0:02:26 | 0:02:28 | |
You could just feel it give. There were no wall ties or nothing at all in it. | 0:02:28 | 0:02:34 | |
When Donald complained to the builder that there were no wall ties, | 0:02:34 | 0:02:38 | |
the builder just upped and left, never to return. | 0:02:38 | 0:02:41 | |
The wobbly extension was dangerous. | 0:02:41 | 0:02:44 | |
So Don took the heart-breaking decision to knock it down. | 0:02:44 | 0:02:48 | |
I did it myself. | 0:02:48 | 0:02:51 | |
It took me, oh, about three parts of a day to knock it down. | 0:02:52 | 0:02:59 | |
I'm not surprised it didn't take long for Donald to demolish his fundamentally flawed extension. | 0:02:59 | 0:03:05 | |
Now, being a retiring type, Donald wasn't keen on reporting the builder to Trading Standards. | 0:03:07 | 0:03:13 | |
Luckily for him, he had helpful neighbours, Dave and Wendy Carpenter. | 0:03:13 | 0:03:18 | |
We went on holiday, come back. | 0:03:18 | 0:03:20 | |
And on said he's had the builders in and he hasn't seen them since. | 0:03:20 | 0:03:25 | |
So we come round. And I thought, "What a load of... | 0:03:25 | 0:03:28 | |
..dodgy building going on." | 0:03:28 | 0:03:31 | |
We made enquiries as to who the builder was and where he lived. | 0:03:31 | 0:03:35 | |
I wrote a letter, and it was delivered by hand, | 0:03:35 | 0:03:39 | |
asking him would he come and finish the job. | 0:03:39 | 0:03:43 | |
If not, could we have some money back that had been paid. | 0:03:43 | 0:03:48 | |
Um, I don't think he answered that letter. | 0:03:48 | 0:03:51 | |
I think he might've rang Don and said he would come back but he didn't. | 0:03:51 | 0:03:55 | |
Trading Standards reveal there are ten county court judgements against the builder. | 0:03:55 | 0:04:00 | |
This guy's such a cowboy, he should wear stirrups and a Stetson. | 0:04:00 | 0:04:06 | |
Fair Trading officer Kathryn Wood has come to assess the damage. | 0:04:06 | 0:04:10 | |
Looking around here today, I would say this is quite a bad case. | 0:04:12 | 0:04:16 | |
For the amount of money they have paid | 0:04:16 | 0:04:18 | |
and for the amount of work they've done, it's not very nice. | 0:04:18 | 0:04:23 | |
Kathryn's got some tips for anyone caught in the cowboy trap. | 0:04:23 | 0:04:27 | |
If you've got a problem with a cowboy builder, | 0:04:27 | 0:04:31 | |
then you need to first of all try and contact the builder themselves | 0:04:31 | 0:04:36 | |
to see if you can resolve it. | 0:04:36 | 0:04:38 | |
If that doesn't work, then contact the national helpline, which is Consumer Direct. | 0:04:38 | 0:04:43 | |
Consumer Direct send all their details of complaints out to the local Trading Standards. | 0:04:43 | 0:04:49 | |
And a local Trading Standards officer will monitor those calls. | 0:04:49 | 0:04:53 | |
They will make sure to see whether or not there have been a number of calls against a particular builder. | 0:04:53 | 0:04:59 | |
That will be investigated and appropriate action will be taken. | 0:04:59 | 0:05:03 | |
With ten county court judgements already against this cowboy, | 0:05:03 | 0:05:08 | |
it's unlikely Donald will ever get his five grand back. | 0:05:08 | 0:05:11 | |
Dave and Wendy have seen the impact all this had on their unlucky neighbour. | 0:05:11 | 0:05:17 | |
Donald is obviously very trusting. | 0:05:17 | 0:05:19 | |
Although he had an inkling things weren't quite right, | 0:05:19 | 0:05:23 | |
he probably thought, "Well, I'll give him a chance." | 0:05:23 | 0:05:26 | |
The builder's just took advantage of him. | 0:05:26 | 0:05:28 | |
This is a heart-breaking story | 0:05:29 | 0:05:31 | |
of two retired gents who were taken in by a cowboy builder. | 0:05:31 | 0:05:35 | |
Let's see if we can find out more and put things right for Don and William. | 0:05:35 | 0:05:40 | |
-Hello. -Good morning. -You must be Don. -Yes. | 0:05:45 | 0:05:48 | |
-How are you, Don? -All right, thanks. | 0:05:48 | 0:05:50 | |
-Can you show me where the problems are? -Round the back. | 0:05:50 | 0:05:53 | |
Round the back. While I look, you stick the kettle on and we'll have a cup of tea. | 0:05:53 | 0:05:57 | |
-All right. -All right? Cheers, Don. | 0:05:57 | 0:06:00 | |
This is an intriguing puzzle for Detective Clive to solve. | 0:06:00 | 0:06:05 | |
Here's the crime scene. A pile of rubble. | 0:06:05 | 0:06:08 | |
Hmm. Curiouser and curiouser. | 0:06:08 | 0:06:13 | |
Right. Got to get my head around this somehow. Um... | 0:06:13 | 0:06:16 | |
Can't quite get round why it's in this condition. | 0:06:16 | 0:06:19 | |
This almost certainly looks like these bricks have been laid | 0:06:19 | 0:06:23 | |
but have been knocked down. Whether that's the builder or homeowner, | 0:06:23 | 0:06:28 | |
I'll have to find out. This looks like it's the boundary. | 0:06:28 | 0:06:31 | |
It looks like they've exceeded the boundary, which they can't do. | 0:06:33 | 0:06:37 | |
If this was the damp course level, | 0:06:37 | 0:06:41 | |
it's not high enough. | 0:06:41 | 0:06:43 | |
You need at least six inches from your base to your damp course. | 0:06:43 | 0:06:47 | |
And that is too low. | 0:06:47 | 0:06:49 | |
Take my advice. | 0:06:49 | 0:06:51 | |
If you're having an extension built... | 0:06:51 | 0:06:53 | |
I can see the inner and outer leaf, the inner wall, | 0:07:09 | 0:07:12 | |
as you know by now, and the outer wall. | 0:07:12 | 0:07:15 | |
They need tying together to give them strength. | 0:07:15 | 0:07:17 | |
But I can't see any ties anywhere. | 0:07:17 | 0:07:19 | |
I'm going to guess there's no ties in this. | 0:07:19 | 0:07:22 | |
That means, the two walls would be independent that they'd built. | 0:07:22 | 0:07:26 | |
And obviously could fall down at any time. | 0:07:26 | 0:07:28 | |
And, except for a few mortar marks, | 0:07:28 | 0:07:31 | |
there is no evidence that it's been securely fixed to the exterior wall of the house. | 0:07:31 | 0:07:36 | |
And that's not all. Look at this. | 0:07:36 | 0:07:41 | |
This again, really, is bonkers. | 0:07:41 | 0:07:44 | |
The mortar is directly... That is fixed, that mortar. | 0:07:44 | 0:07:48 | |
They have laid bricks here. They've laid it over this waste pipe. | 0:07:48 | 0:07:52 | |
What were they going to do when it came to the rainwater pipe? I haven't got a clue. | 0:07:52 | 0:07:58 | |
So, what did the brothers get for their five grand? | 0:08:00 | 0:08:04 | |
Well, they got the beginning of an extension that wasn't even tied into the existing building. | 0:08:04 | 0:08:10 | |
They got two piers of brick, the internal leaf and external leaf, | 0:08:10 | 0:08:15 | |
that weren't actually tied together with ties. | 0:08:15 | 0:08:18 | |
They got a building that was going over a waste pipe. | 0:08:18 | 0:08:22 | |
Totally unbelievable. There's still mortar marking the spot right now. | 0:08:22 | 0:08:27 | |
The damp course, in the wrong place. | 0:08:27 | 0:08:30 | |
The actual concrete slab, no insulation or very little. | 0:08:30 | 0:08:34 | |
Or, at least, not the proper stuff that should be in there. | 0:08:34 | 0:08:38 | |
In total, what they got was... a wreck. | 0:08:38 | 0:08:42 | |
This is a mystery that would stump Agatha Christie's number-one sleuth, Hercule Poy-rot, | 0:08:42 | 0:08:49 | |
as we call him in Derby. | 0:08:49 | 0:08:51 | |
I've summoned chief witness Donald. | 0:08:51 | 0:08:53 | |
Oh, Clive, how does it look? | 0:08:55 | 0:08:57 | |
Well, it's looking... # Don don-don don don don-don don don! # | 0:08:57 | 0:09:02 | |
-Dangerous. -Dangerous. -Look out for that. | 0:09:02 | 0:09:04 | |
Inspection hole's been dug to check for footings there, of course. | 0:09:04 | 0:09:09 | |
But it is pretty dangerous around here, joking aside. | 0:09:09 | 0:09:13 | |
What I want to know is, what has actually gone on, Don? | 0:09:13 | 0:09:18 | |
Why is it all rubble? | 0:09:18 | 0:09:20 | |
He just dug the footings out and built it. | 0:09:20 | 0:09:22 | |
-I knocked it down. -You knocked it down? | 0:09:22 | 0:09:25 | |
I knocked it down. When I knocked it, you could feel it give. | 0:09:25 | 0:09:28 | |
-There was no strength with the ties? -There were no ties at all. | 0:09:28 | 0:09:32 | |
-No ties in the cavity? -No. | 0:09:32 | 0:09:34 | |
How was he bonding it to the property? To the existing property? | 0:09:34 | 0:09:37 | |
Just mortar, I suppose. | 0:09:37 | 0:09:40 | |
So, those mortar lines are just purely... | 0:09:40 | 0:09:43 | |
-Cement. -That's just purely mortar | 0:09:43 | 0:09:46 | |
he's hoping will bond to the existing building. | 0:09:46 | 0:09:49 | |
Wooh! | 0:09:51 | 0:09:52 | |
I can't believe what I'm hearing. | 0:09:53 | 0:09:55 | |
This 74-year-old pensioner | 0:09:55 | 0:09:57 | |
had to demolish his own extension because it moved when he touched it. | 0:09:57 | 0:10:03 | |
Without ties between the inner and outer walls, | 0:10:03 | 0:10:07 | |
or anything securing it to the house, it's a miracle this extension stayed up at all. | 0:10:07 | 0:10:13 | |
And what's going on with that rainwater pipe? | 0:10:13 | 0:10:18 | |
Right, this is where I'm sort of getting confused. | 0:10:19 | 0:10:22 | |
You've got a rainwater pipe here. He couldn't have built around the pipe. | 0:10:22 | 0:10:26 | |
-But he's built around the waste. -That's right. | 0:10:26 | 0:10:29 | |
I put all that round. I knocked the wall down to go into the drains. | 0:10:29 | 0:10:33 | |
He put the rainwater to go across the top of the wall, flat. | 0:10:33 | 0:10:37 | |
It was going on ours and out next door. | 0:10:37 | 0:10:41 | |
The other problem I've got, this is an original damp course? | 0:10:41 | 0:10:45 | |
-Yeah. -It's not high enough. | 0:10:45 | 0:10:47 | |
No. It's got to go level with that. | 0:10:47 | 0:10:49 | |
That's wrong. In real terms, | 0:10:49 | 0:10:51 | |
this is now just a bomb site. | 0:10:51 | 0:10:54 | |
In the meantime, how did you get on with that kettle? | 0:10:54 | 0:10:57 | |
-Oh, right. -Come on. Let's go an have a cuppa, son. | 0:10:57 | 0:11:00 | |
It's boiled dry. | 0:11:00 | 0:11:02 | |
After you. | 0:11:02 | 0:11:04 | |
Yep! The sooner I get away from this danger zone the better. | 0:11:04 | 0:11:10 | |
Time to question the chief witness about the prime suspect. | 0:11:10 | 0:11:13 | |
What was your first impression of him when he came through the door? | 0:11:14 | 0:11:18 | |
Well, the first time he come, he seemed all right. | 0:11:18 | 0:11:23 | |
And then he gave me the price. | 0:11:23 | 0:11:26 | |
I said, no, that was too dear. | 0:11:26 | 0:11:29 | |
I said I'd leave it and get another quote. | 0:11:29 | 0:11:33 | |
Then I saw it in the paper again. | 0:11:33 | 0:11:35 | |
-The same guy? -The same guy. | 0:11:35 | 0:11:38 | |
But he'd got a different advert. | 0:11:38 | 0:11:44 | |
Not a different company name, though? | 0:11:44 | 0:11:46 | |
No, he had a different company to what it was the first time. | 0:11:46 | 0:11:50 | |
Now, I have to say that if you found that this is the same number, | 0:11:50 | 0:11:55 | |
-the same telephone number, was it? -Yeah. | 0:11:55 | 0:11:58 | |
-But a different name all of a sudden. -That's right. | 0:11:58 | 0:12:01 | |
I've got to just say to everybody at home now that, | 0:12:01 | 0:12:07 | |
if that's occurring, and it's a different name, | 0:12:07 | 0:12:10 | |
be wary. | 0:12:10 | 0:12:12 | |
Take my advice. | 0:12:12 | 0:12:14 | |
If your builder is trading under different company names, | 0:12:14 | 0:12:17 | |
it's a sure-fire sign he's a cowboy. Yee-hah! | 0:12:17 | 0:12:21 | |
So, was it a shock to you when he came a second time? | 0:12:21 | 0:12:25 | |
It was a bit. I said to my brother, | 0:12:25 | 0:12:28 | |
"It's the same bloke who come the first time." | 0:12:28 | 0:12:31 | |
He'd have known. It was the same job. | 0:12:31 | 0:12:34 | |
-You were asking for the same job. -Yeah. | 0:12:34 | 0:12:36 | |
-He knew that, before he quoted, what was it? Ten grand? -Yeah. | 0:12:36 | 0:12:39 | |
-He knew that was too expensive. -Yeah. | 0:12:39 | 0:12:42 | |
-So now he's come in sharpening his pencil. -That's right. | 0:12:42 | 0:12:46 | |
Comes through the door, you say, "You're the guy from before. Why have you changed your company name?" | 0:12:46 | 0:12:52 | |
Well, he come down all smiles, put his hand out. | 0:12:52 | 0:12:55 | |
I asked him in. He sat there and he said, | 0:12:55 | 0:12:58 | |
"I'll give you a quote in two or three days." | 0:12:58 | 0:13:03 | |
The next morning, my brother said, "There's a letter in the box." | 0:13:03 | 0:13:08 | |
He'd gone home and quoted it and brought it back the same night. | 0:13:08 | 0:13:11 | |
The builder's new quote was £7,000. | 0:13:11 | 0:13:16 | |
Three grand less than before. | 0:13:16 | 0:13:18 | |
Sounding desperate to you? Sounds desperate to me. | 0:13:18 | 0:13:22 | |
Here's another tip. | 0:13:22 | 0:13:24 | |
Ask yourself why. | 0:13:32 | 0:13:34 | |
And alarm bells should have been ringing for Donald for another reason too. | 0:13:40 | 0:13:45 | |
How did he want paying? | 0:13:45 | 0:13:47 | |
I told him I'd pay him cash when he asked. | 0:13:47 | 0:13:50 | |
He said pay for when I did each job. | 0:13:50 | 0:13:55 | |
So at stages. Pay at stages. | 0:13:55 | 0:13:58 | |
-Yep. -So, did he ask for money up front? -Yes, he did. | 0:13:58 | 0:14:02 | |
One, he had different trading names. | 0:14:02 | 0:14:06 | |
Two, he was desperate for work. | 0:14:06 | 0:14:08 | |
And three, he wanted cash up front. | 0:14:08 | 0:14:11 | |
# Yep, he's once, twice, three times a cowboy | 0:14:11 | 0:14:18 | |
# And Don paid for materials too # | 0:14:18 | 0:14:23 | |
He's now using your blocks. | 0:14:23 | 0:14:26 | |
-He's using your damp course. -Yeah. | 0:14:26 | 0:14:29 | |
-Is he using your membrane as well? -Yeah. | 0:14:29 | 0:14:33 | |
-The damp-proof membrane? that's all yours? -Yeah, that was all mine. | 0:14:33 | 0:14:37 | |
Was that set out in the deal, that he would use your materials? | 0:14:37 | 0:14:41 | |
No. Like I told him he could use the blocks to get them out of my road. | 0:14:41 | 0:14:46 | |
You're saving him money. He should've said to you... | 0:14:46 | 0:14:49 | |
Or, you're shrewd enough, you should have said, "That'll bring my bill down." | 0:14:49 | 0:14:54 | |
Yeah, I ought to have done, yeah. | 0:14:54 | 0:14:56 | |
-You missed a trick, I'm surprised. -I weren't sharp enough. -You weren't! | 0:14:56 | 0:15:00 | |
-The critical thing we have to point out is that he has taken advantage. -That's right. | 0:15:00 | 0:15:07 | |
There's no doubt in my mind. | 0:15:07 | 0:15:09 | |
When was the first big alarm bell for you when he started to build? | 0:15:09 | 0:15:14 | |
When he started to go up and had no ties. He said, "I'm going home, | 0:15:14 | 0:15:18 | |
I'll bring some back with me." But he didn't do that. | 0:15:18 | 0:15:21 | |
Can't believe it. There's no way in this world, and you know this, | 0:15:21 | 0:15:25 | |
-that this guy should have been building without ties. -No. | 0:15:25 | 0:15:29 | |
But the good news for Donald, and his kid bro, | 0:15:29 | 0:15:33 | |
is we're in town. And I'm determined to get their dreams back on track. | 0:15:33 | 0:15:37 | |
What would really make you happy? What can we do for you? | 0:15:37 | 0:15:41 | |
Well, I would like it done. | 0:15:41 | 0:15:44 | |
That's what I'd like to happen. | 0:15:44 | 0:15:48 | |
And I'd like that to happen too. | 0:15:48 | 0:15:50 | |
Normally, I'd get an independent surveyor in to give the bodge builder a mark out of ten. | 0:15:50 | 0:15:56 | |
But it doesn't take Sherlock Holmes | 0:15:56 | 0:15:58 | |
to deduce that this pile of rubble would get a big fat zero. | 0:15:58 | 0:16:03 | |
But I'm still going to declare this a no-go zone and say it's time to bring on the good guys. | 0:16:03 | 0:16:09 | |
And here they jolly well are. | 0:16:10 | 0:16:12 | |
Steve Bebb and his sidekick Luke Burgess. | 0:16:12 | 0:16:16 | |
-Hey, Steve. Is one sheet of paper big enough? -Just about, just about. | 0:16:17 | 0:16:22 | |
There's a lot to be done here. Um, it is a total mess. | 0:16:22 | 0:16:26 | |
Just give us a general overall view of your opinion. | 0:16:26 | 0:16:28 | |
It's a bit shoddy. Not very good. | 0:16:28 | 0:16:31 | |
He obviously hasn't got a clue what he's doing. | 0:16:31 | 0:16:33 | |
But we're going to strip it all off, strip the base out, | 0:16:33 | 0:16:36 | |
brick it up and put a new solid roof on it, nice and flat. | 0:16:36 | 0:16:39 | |
One thing that has raised its head of late is the actual pad itself, the concrete. | 0:16:39 | 0:16:45 | |
We're not sure that the correct insulation has been put in place. | 0:16:45 | 0:16:48 | |
What's the remedial action if they put just ordinary insulation in? | 0:16:48 | 0:16:53 | |
We'll have to rip it up, start from scratch. | 0:16:53 | 0:16:57 | |
I don't want to put my work on top of that. | 0:16:57 | 0:16:59 | |
Rip it all off, proper insulation in the slab. Away we go. | 0:16:59 | 0:17:03 | |
Away we go, indeed. | 0:17:03 | 0:17:06 | |
Bebb and Burgess. Or B and B as I like to call them, | 0:17:06 | 0:17:10 | |
swing into action. | 0:17:10 | 0:17:12 | |
First, they need to # Rip it up and start again # | 0:17:12 | 0:17:17 | |
Then build the walls brick by brick. | 0:17:17 | 0:17:20 | |
These guys are certainly busy bees. | 0:17:21 | 0:17:23 | |
And Donald's no slouch either. He's grafting away in his own workshop, | 0:17:23 | 0:17:29 | |
creating a special cabinet for his lorries | 0:17:29 | 0:17:31 | |
to fit into his new extension as soon as it's ready. | 0:17:31 | 0:17:34 | |
But can the good guys build an extension | 0:17:34 | 0:17:37 | |
worthy of his crafted cabinet and its treasured contents? | 0:17:37 | 0:17:42 | |
Only time will tell. | 0:17:42 | 0:17:44 | |
Three weeks on, and I'm back in Trench near Telford to see how our good guys have done. | 0:17:49 | 0:17:55 | |
And I've got to say, I likes what I sees. | 0:17:55 | 0:17:58 | |
Donald now has an extension that's guaranteed to stay up. | 0:17:58 | 0:18:03 | |
The walls have been properly tied together. | 0:18:03 | 0:18:06 | |
There's a new timber-framed window and new fascias and guttering. | 0:18:06 | 0:18:10 | |
I'm chuffed with what these guys have done. | 0:18:12 | 0:18:14 | |
If you remember before, this was a pile of rubble. | 0:18:14 | 0:18:17 | |
Now it's just amazing. I'm sure Don's going to love it. | 0:18:17 | 0:18:20 | |
The other thing about good guys is these little extras that they do. | 0:18:20 | 0:18:24 | |
This wasn't on the remit, wasn't on the list. | 0:18:24 | 0:18:26 | |
They've built up this diving wall and put on coping stones at the top, | 0:18:26 | 0:18:31 | |
just to finish it off, just as a little extra touch. | 0:18:31 | 0:18:34 | |
You won't find cowboy builders doing that. | 0:18:34 | 0:18:37 | |
Donald had originally wanted a glass roof, which wouldn't have passed building regulations. | 0:18:39 | 0:18:45 | |
The good guys have installed an insulated flat roof instead. | 0:18:45 | 0:18:48 | |
Excellent. | 0:18:48 | 0:18:50 | |
Steve and Luke could return to the scene of their triumph for chinwag with yours truly. | 0:18:50 | 0:18:56 | |
-Steve, Luke, how are you? -Not bad. How are you. -I'm very well. | 0:18:56 | 0:19:00 | |
-Much better now. This seems totally different. -It looks the part. | 0:19:00 | 0:19:04 | |
What am I talking about? Seems totally different? It is totally different. | 0:19:04 | 0:19:08 | |
It's looking absolutely brilliant. | 0:19:08 | 0:19:11 | |
Loving it. Talk us through any problems you found | 0:19:11 | 0:19:14 | |
and how things have been going since I last saw you. | 0:19:14 | 0:19:18 | |
The only problem we had was in the ground, the footings. | 0:19:18 | 0:19:21 | |
We tested the front to see if the footings were good. They were. But on the inside they weren't. | 0:19:21 | 0:19:26 | |
It was a lot more work, set us back a few days. | 0:19:26 | 0:19:29 | |
This is the case, I say this time and again, with cowboy builders. | 0:19:29 | 0:19:33 | |
It's not what you can see, it's what you can't see. | 0:19:33 | 0:19:36 | |
From the front section they thought, "We'll fool them with having the right size footings." | 0:19:36 | 0:19:41 | |
-But, towards the back, nothing. -Nothing carrying a block at all. | 0:19:41 | 0:19:45 | |
We had to dig down again another two foot. | 0:19:45 | 0:19:48 | |
Concrete foundation. It was a headache. | 0:19:48 | 0:19:51 | |
Any other problems you found? Were you able to crack on? | 0:19:51 | 0:19:54 | |
Nothing. As soon as we solved the problem with the floor, everything flowed nicely. | 0:19:54 | 0:19:59 | |
And so we got the walls up. | 0:19:59 | 0:20:01 | |
The ceiling's different. The roof is obviously different to what the original plan was. | 0:20:01 | 0:20:06 | |
But the original plan wouldn't have passed building regs anyway. | 0:20:06 | 0:20:10 | |
-It's not allowed, no. -So now we've got a solid roof. | 0:20:10 | 0:20:13 | |
-It'll be toasty in here. -Nice floor, carpet down, radiator in. | 0:20:13 | 0:20:17 | |
And, to top it all, my building friends, | 0:20:17 | 0:20:22 | |
a bit of the old decorating thrown in as well. | 0:20:22 | 0:20:25 | |
We dropped it in to try and finish it off nicely. | 0:20:25 | 0:20:28 | |
Well, it matches. I don't know where you got the paper from. | 0:20:28 | 0:20:32 | |
Donald's had it a while. I think he's had it five years. | 0:20:32 | 0:20:34 | |
-Oh, OK, he saved a few rolls. -He was planning ahead. -He was. | 0:20:34 | 0:20:39 | |
I can safely say, I'm sure the boys are going to be well chuffed with what you've done. | 0:20:39 | 0:20:44 | |
I'm chuffed with it, that's for sure. | 0:20:44 | 0:20:47 | |
But the important people are Don and William. | 0:20:47 | 0:20:50 | |
-So, for now, boys. -Thank you. -Great to meet you. Fantastic job. | 0:20:50 | 0:20:54 | |
Hope to see you again some time soon. | 0:20:54 | 0:20:56 | |
Fantastic job, indeed. | 0:20:56 | 0:20:58 | |
Now, before I show it off to Donald and William, | 0:20:58 | 0:21:01 | |
there's a little bit of business to take care of. | 0:21:01 | 0:21:05 | |
I like to give our cowboys a chance to put across their point of view. | 0:21:05 | 0:21:10 | |
It's just the kind of guy I am. | 0:21:10 | 0:21:12 | |
I've tracked down a phone number for this so-called builder. | 0:21:12 | 0:21:15 | |
So we're going to give him a call. | 0:21:15 | 0:21:17 | |
If you had an opportunity to speak to him, | 0:21:17 | 0:21:21 | |
what would you like to say to him? | 0:21:21 | 0:21:23 | |
Why he didn't finish it. | 0:21:23 | 0:21:26 | |
-Why he took your money? Why he didn't finish it? -Yeah. | 0:21:26 | 0:21:30 | |
-What about his broken promises? -Yeah. | 0:21:30 | 0:21:34 | |
-I could say that as well. -Because he promised to keep coming back. | 0:21:34 | 0:21:39 | |
Yeah, but I never want to speak to him again, anyhow. | 0:21:39 | 0:21:43 | |
You never want to speak to him again, which actually answers my next question. | 0:21:43 | 0:21:47 | |
Which is, I was going to give you the opportunity to speak to him on the phone. | 0:21:47 | 0:21:52 | |
But if you don't want to take that opportunity, I certainly will. | 0:21:52 | 0:21:57 | |
-No, I don't want to speak to him. -OK. | 0:21:57 | 0:21:59 | |
-I don't want to see him here. -All right. Let's see how we go. | 0:21:59 | 0:22:03 | |
RINGING TONE | 0:22:03 | 0:22:06 | |
The answerphone should kick in. | 0:22:06 | 0:22:08 | |
TELEPHONE STATIC | 0:22:08 | 0:22:10 | |
"When you've left your message just hang up. Or for more options press one at any time." | 0:22:10 | 0:22:14 | |
ANSWERPHONE BEEPS | 0:22:14 | 0:22:16 | |
This is Clive here, the presenter of Cowboy Trap on BBC1. | 0:22:16 | 0:22:20 | |
I'm at the home of Donald and William Pearce | 0:22:20 | 0:22:24 | |
in Trench in Telford. Um... | 0:22:24 | 0:22:27 | |
There was a few questions that we've got for you that we'd like you to answer. | 0:22:27 | 0:22:32 | |
First of all, how could you leave two of the most fantastic people on the planet | 0:22:32 | 0:22:38 | |
in such a mess, take their money, and leave them with such a sub-standard building? | 0:22:38 | 0:22:43 | |
Um, it is a real disgrace. | 0:22:43 | 0:22:46 | |
Um, I've got to be honest, I don't know how you guys sleep at night, I really don't. | 0:22:46 | 0:22:51 | |
Um, but it's your right of reply to come back to us | 0:22:51 | 0:22:54 | |
and talk to about things like the footings not being big enough, | 0:22:54 | 0:22:57 | |
not being deep enough, not being wide enough. | 0:22:57 | 0:23:00 | |
Why you didn't, when you built the extension, or attempted to build the extension, | 0:23:00 | 0:23:05 | |
didn't tie it in to the existing building. It was a real danger. | 0:23:05 | 0:23:09 | |
I'm sorry, but if you're classing yourself as a builder, that's what concerns me. | 0:23:09 | 0:23:14 | |
I'd like you to get back in touch with our office as soon as possible | 0:23:14 | 0:23:19 | |
so you can answer the allegations that we've got. | 0:23:19 | 0:23:21 | |
They'll listen to that answerphone message but the chances of them doing anything | 0:23:23 | 0:23:29 | |
-are a lot slimmer than me. I have to tell you that. -Yeah. | 0:23:29 | 0:23:32 | |
What pleases me now is that we have had the good guys in | 0:23:32 | 0:23:37 | |
to do the work on your property. | 0:23:37 | 0:23:40 | |
Put a smile back on your face. That's the important thing. | 0:23:40 | 0:23:44 | |
Yep! My prediction was spot on. | 0:23:44 | 0:23:47 | |
Despite repeated calls to the builder, he hasn't responded to any of our questions. | 0:23:47 | 0:23:52 | |
I guess it ain't surprising. | 0:23:52 | 0:23:54 | |
If I'd built an extension which was barely attached to the house, | 0:23:54 | 0:23:59 | |
and so unstable it needed demolishing, I think I'd play hard to get. | 0:23:59 | 0:24:04 | |
This cowboy may have hoodwinked Donald and ridden off into the sunset, | 0:24:04 | 0:24:08 | |
but our good guys have stepped in and saved the day. | 0:24:08 | 0:24:11 | |
Donald and William have lived with the work as it's been going on. | 0:24:11 | 0:24:15 | |
But now they're going to see the finished results in all their glory. | 0:24:15 | 0:24:20 | |
Come on in, boys. | 0:24:21 | 0:24:23 | |
Come on. | 0:24:23 | 0:24:25 | |
Come and have a look. | 0:24:26 | 0:24:28 | |
That's smashing, isn't it? It looks great now. | 0:24:28 | 0:24:32 | |
Come in, Don. Come in, William. | 0:24:32 | 0:24:35 | |
It's nice now, isn't it? | 0:24:35 | 0:24:39 | |
-It's lovely. -It is and all. | 0:24:39 | 0:24:42 | |
-What do you think? You've now got... -What I wanted. -What you wanted. | 0:24:42 | 0:24:46 | |
-That's for keeps. -Yeah. | 0:24:46 | 0:24:49 | |
-Looking round, you've got new carpet down. -Yeah. | 0:24:49 | 0:24:52 | |
The boys have done a fantastic job. | 0:24:52 | 0:24:54 | |
Of course, as far as the ceiling's concerned, | 0:24:54 | 0:24:58 | |
that's now a flat roof that's gone on there. | 0:24:58 | 0:25:01 | |
-It is fantastic. -Are you loving it? Are you loving that? -Aye. | 0:25:01 | 0:25:05 | |
Now, what about your workmanship? | 0:25:05 | 0:25:07 | |
That's great now, isn't it? | 0:25:07 | 0:25:09 | |
LAUGHS | 0:25:09 | 0:25:11 | |
Remember, Donald's been handcrafting a cabinet for his lorry collection. | 0:25:11 | 0:25:16 | |
Without him knowing, the good guys have installed it in the new extension. | 0:25:16 | 0:25:20 | |
What a wonderful surprise. | 0:25:20 | 0:25:23 | |
-One set of craftspeople... -To another. -..to another. | 0:25:23 | 0:25:27 | |
-And that's what it's all about. -It is, yeah. | 0:25:27 | 0:25:30 | |
-How are you feeling? -All right now. | 0:25:30 | 0:25:31 | |
-Smashing. -Are you chuffed? -I am, yeah. | 0:25:31 | 0:25:35 | |
I could've done with that. | 0:25:35 | 0:25:39 | |
-No. -It tuned out all right. | 0:25:39 | 0:25:42 | |
-It turned out all right, William, you're not joking. -Yeah. | 0:25:42 | 0:25:46 | |
-It's turned out fantastic. -Yeah. -What's your plans for in here? | 0:25:46 | 0:25:50 | |
This is the space you wanted. The cabinet's up. | 0:25:50 | 0:25:55 | |
Do you reckon your first plan will be to stock it? | 0:25:55 | 0:25:58 | |
I shall just now, yeah. With a bit of luck, I will. | 0:25:58 | 0:26:02 | |
Stock it with all your wagons and everything else. | 0:26:02 | 0:26:05 | |
I'll get all that row as well. | 0:26:05 | 0:26:08 | |
Eventually, put stuff on this wall too. | 0:26:08 | 0:26:11 | |
-Do that from floor to ceiling. -I can get another bed in here now. | 0:26:11 | 0:26:15 | |
-Get another bed? What's he trying to say? -I don't know. | 0:26:15 | 0:26:18 | |
What's he trying to say? | 0:26:18 | 0:26:21 | |
-Happy? -Ooh, I am. | 0:26:21 | 0:26:23 | |
Boys, do you know what? It's been lovely to meet you. | 0:26:23 | 0:26:25 | |
I'm so pleased that you've got what you wanted. Well chuffed with that. | 0:26:25 | 0:26:30 | |
And, seriously, seriously, mate... | 0:26:30 | 0:26:33 | |
The whole point was, we're looking after you, yeah? | 0:26:35 | 0:26:39 | |
There's people out there to look after you. | 0:26:39 | 0:26:41 | |
And it proves that there are good guys out there. | 0:26:41 | 0:26:44 | |
We normally like to see a smile on your chops. | 0:26:44 | 0:26:48 | |
That's what we usually have, Don. | 0:26:48 | 0:26:50 | |
And I've got one more pleasant surprise for Donald and William. | 0:26:50 | 0:26:55 | |
Now this is your building control officer's sign off. | 0:26:55 | 0:26:59 | |
This is the certificate of completion | 0:26:59 | 0:27:01 | |
to say that now this building has passed building control inspection. | 0:27:01 | 0:27:05 | |
-That is important. That needs to be kept with the deeds of the property. -Oh, aye. | 0:27:05 | 0:27:10 | |
It really is such an important piece of paper. | 0:27:10 | 0:27:13 | |
-Yeah. -All right? OK, boys. | 0:27:13 | 0:27:15 | |
-Look after yourselves. -OK. Thanks, Clive. -No problem. | 0:27:15 | 0:27:18 | |
Oh, that's what it is. I'm writing to the council about this. | 0:27:18 | 0:27:23 | |
Certificate of completion. | 0:27:23 | 0:27:25 | |
If he's satisfied with it, so am I. | 0:27:25 | 0:27:29 | |
Donald wastes no time. | 0:27:38 | 0:27:42 | |
His beloved trucks and lorries finally emerge from their cold dark storage cupboards. | 0:27:42 | 0:27:46 | |
At long last, they can be put on display, pride of place in their new home. | 0:27:46 | 0:27:52 | |
Keep on truckin', Donald. | 0:27:52 | 0:27:54 | |
Couldn't wish for nothing better. | 0:27:55 | 0:27:57 | |
It's certainly a cause for celebration. | 0:27:58 | 0:28:01 | |
And loyal neighbours Dave and Wendy are here to join in the party. | 0:28:01 | 0:28:05 | |
You got that smile, see? | 0:28:05 | 0:28:09 | |
LAUGHTER | 0:28:09 | 0:28:11 | |
Fantastic. You've done a good job. | 0:28:11 | 0:28:14 | |
This is one happy and deserving customer. | 0:28:14 | 0:28:16 | |
I put together all the evidence that we gathered on Don's builder. | 0:28:16 | 0:28:21 | |
All cowboy builders out there beware. | 0:28:21 | 0:28:24 | |
Cowboy Trap are on your trail. | 0:28:24 | 0:28:26 | |
You can run, you certainly can't hide. | 0:28:26 | 0:28:28 | |
Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd | 0:28:48 | 0:28:50 |