0:00:02 > 0:00:04- When a crisis strikes your home... - ON PHONE: 'How can I help?
0:00:04 > 0:00:06'I've got a bit of an emergency...'
0:00:06 > 0:00:08..or you want major work done...
0:00:08 > 0:00:12- It was our dream. - It is a total mess.
0:00:12 > 0:00:14..you need one of the good guys.
0:00:14 > 0:00:16But you don't always get them.
0:00:16 > 0:00:18I've never seen anything like this.
0:00:18 > 0:00:20Potentially, I stand to lose the house.
0:00:20 > 0:00:22We'll hear the stories of devastation
0:00:22 > 0:00:25and despair left behind when building work doesn't go to plan.
0:00:25 > 0:00:27They didn't put the foundations all the way around,
0:00:27 > 0:00:30- so that the front bit didn't have any foundation...- What?!
0:00:30 > 0:00:33And we'll tell you how to avoid becoming a victim yourself.
0:00:33 > 0:00:36Did you have a comparison price?
0:00:36 > 0:00:39But most tradesmen are there to help.
0:00:39 > 0:00:42And we'll follow the response teams who are there for you
0:00:42 > 0:00:4324 hours a day...
0:00:43 > 0:00:46Eventually, the ceiling would have come down in the kitchen.
0:00:46 > 0:00:47..seven days a week.
0:00:47 > 0:00:51It ain't everyone's cup of tea, but most people are pleased to see you.
0:00:51 > 0:00:55From plumbers to roofers, electricians to locksmiths,
0:00:55 > 0:00:58we meet the men and women who help you out in your hour of need.
0:01:04 > 0:01:05Coming up -
0:01:05 > 0:01:07a pest controller is called out
0:01:07 > 0:01:11when something sinister is discovered in one family's drain.
0:01:11 > 0:01:16There's another dead rat in there. There's its eye. There's its feet...
0:01:17 > 0:01:21..we meet a plumber who certainly knows how to treat his customers...
0:01:21 > 0:01:24- Will you marry me?- Oh, thank you so much!
0:01:24 > 0:01:27..and a window fitter's lack of care
0:01:27 > 0:01:30leaves a woman's house on the brink of collapse.
0:01:30 > 0:01:32Have you no conscience?
0:01:32 > 0:01:35You took my money and you walked away,
0:01:35 > 0:01:38knowing that you'd left my house insecure.
0:01:44 > 0:01:47Not every tradesman you invite into your home will be a safe
0:01:47 > 0:01:51pair of hands. Some are so slippery, it's hard to catch them out...
0:01:51 > 0:01:53until it's too late.
0:01:55 > 0:01:59In London's Lewisham, Jill Harding has lived in her
0:01:59 > 0:02:02four-bedroom Edwardian semi since 1990.
0:02:04 > 0:02:07The front of my house had windows which were made of oak
0:02:07 > 0:02:09and over 100 years old.
0:02:09 > 0:02:15So much of the oak was rotten that they couldn't be saved.
0:02:15 > 0:02:19I wanted to find someone who could make replacement windows that
0:02:19 > 0:02:23would exactly mirror the style of the original ones.
0:02:24 > 0:02:26Not wanting to take a chance with a stranger,
0:02:26 > 0:02:31Jill chose a fitter who'd already done work for her family.
0:02:31 > 0:02:36I'd seen this window fitter fit windows to my daughter's house,
0:02:36 > 0:02:38with the builder,
0:02:38 > 0:02:42and they were really lovely windows and I thought perhaps
0:02:42 > 0:02:45he could make some nice ones for me.
0:02:45 > 0:02:49Armed with a personal recommendation,
0:02:49 > 0:02:54Jill felt safe to book in for her shiny new UPVC windows to be fitted.
0:02:54 > 0:02:58But what happened was a total disaster.
0:02:59 > 0:03:05There were huge cracks, initially, upstairs and down, and outside.
0:03:05 > 0:03:07Clearly, everything had dropped.
0:03:07 > 0:03:12Windowsills were out of alignment, curtains weren't hanging straight,
0:03:12 > 0:03:16brickwork was cracked, pieces were missing.
0:03:16 > 0:03:19Every month, there's more cracking, new cracking,
0:03:19 > 0:03:22and now the corner of the bedroom floor is dropping
0:03:22 > 0:03:25and I can't open some of the windows
0:03:25 > 0:03:29because the structure of the windows themselves is distorted.
0:03:29 > 0:03:31And so the catches don't work.
0:03:31 > 0:03:35So it's actually become really a bit frightening.
0:03:36 > 0:03:40And what's also terrifying is the cost involved.
0:03:40 > 0:03:44Jill paid £6,500 to have her windows fitted,
0:03:44 > 0:03:46but that's not the half of it.
0:03:46 > 0:03:50A year on, she's going to have to pay out a lot more to replace
0:03:50 > 0:03:54the windows AND to put right all the structural damage to her home.
0:03:54 > 0:03:57Actually, it makes me really angry.
0:03:57 > 0:04:02He's damaged my house and I'm going to have to pay a huge
0:04:02 > 0:04:06amount of money to have the front of the house repaired.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09Well, it all sounds like an absolute nightmare,
0:04:09 > 0:04:12so I've come to south London to get the full picture
0:04:12 > 0:04:14and judge for myself.
0:04:14 > 0:04:16DOORBELL RINGS
0:04:20 > 0:04:23- Hello, Tommy.- Hello. How are you?
0:04:25 > 0:04:29So, tell me, what exactly did you want in the first place?
0:04:29 > 0:04:33- The original windows were oak, 100-year-old oak.- Wow.
0:04:33 > 0:04:38Rotten, I'd had bits replaced, bits filled with wood-hardener,
0:04:38 > 0:04:40more bits replaced.
0:04:40 > 0:04:44In the end, the rot was so deep, they weren't going to last any longer.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47Right. Did you do your research, then,
0:04:47 > 0:04:49on the availability of various types of window?
0:04:49 > 0:04:52Because you obviously wanted to match the detail of the original.
0:04:52 > 0:04:57Yes. I went through a builder who I've used before, who I trusted...
0:04:57 > 0:05:02- Mmm.- ..who has a window fitter who's worked with him a lot.
0:05:02 > 0:05:06Right, so your first link to the contractor,
0:05:06 > 0:05:09- the window contractor, was through your regular builder?- Yes.
0:05:09 > 0:05:13- Right, and you've used this builder for a long time?- Yes, many years.
0:05:13 > 0:05:16- And your very happy with it? - Well, I had been. Yes.
0:05:16 > 0:05:22And I'd seen the window fitter put windows in in conjunction with
0:05:22 > 0:05:25- this builder in my daughter's house.- Right.
0:05:25 > 0:05:28And they worked really well and they looked really nice,
0:05:28 > 0:05:33he'd made them in Victorian style, so I thought he knows what he's doing.
0:05:33 > 0:05:35Yeah, well, that's ticking the right boxes,
0:05:35 > 0:05:38because the first thing you should do is always go on
0:05:38 > 0:05:41recommendation rather than random selection.
0:05:41 > 0:05:44So you must be extremely disappointed.
0:05:44 > 0:05:46If you got a good contractor,
0:05:46 > 0:05:50normally that responsibility then is,
0:05:50 > 0:05:53you know, part of their work and their responsibility.
0:05:53 > 0:05:54- Well, I would hope so.- Yeah.
0:05:54 > 0:05:57I've got some photographs of the fitting going on
0:05:57 > 0:05:59- if you'd like to see them?- Oh, yes!
0:05:59 > 0:06:01I mean, photographic evidence is always useful.
0:06:01 > 0:06:06I took some at the time, mainly because it was such a
0:06:06 > 0:06:09strange thing to be happening, it helped calm my nerves.
0:06:09 > 0:06:11That's the only reason I took them.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14He fitted the top window, didn't finish off round it,
0:06:14 > 0:06:17and then disappeared on holiday for a week.
0:06:17 > 0:06:20I did sleep in that room, because it had the new windows,
0:06:20 > 0:06:23and I could actually hear cracking noises.
0:06:23 > 0:06:26When he came back and I told him about the cracking noises,
0:06:26 > 0:06:30he just laughed. He said, "Oh, you're imagining it, it's just the wind."
0:06:30 > 0:06:33With plastic, when you use plastic in windows,
0:06:33 > 0:06:36because it's not as strong as any of the other materials,
0:06:36 > 0:06:39it is subject to movement.
0:06:39 > 0:06:41So, if the sun is shining and it gets hot and cold,
0:06:41 > 0:06:46you will get that plastic moving and contracting and expanding.
0:06:46 > 0:06:50You probably heard the actual plastic construction moving
0:06:50 > 0:06:52- and making the cracking noises. - Well...
0:06:52 > 0:06:56It's worth remembering that plastic or UPVC windows
0:06:56 > 0:06:58are softer than timber ones.
0:06:58 > 0:07:01They usually won't be strong enough to hold up decades-old brick,
0:07:01 > 0:07:05lath and plaster on their own and need metal reinforcement,
0:07:05 > 0:07:07especially on bay windows.
0:07:09 > 0:07:12And that's what made Jill really worry.
0:07:12 > 0:07:15When her fitter came to do the main front window,
0:07:15 > 0:07:19he didn't seem to have enough Acrow props for support!
0:07:19 > 0:07:22He only brought two props with him.
0:07:22 > 0:07:27There were no Acrow props in the corners and this corner fell.
0:07:27 > 0:07:31- There was a big crack in the bedroom, up here.- Oh, goodness.
0:07:31 > 0:07:33There was a big crack in the windowsill here,
0:07:33 > 0:07:36the centre section of the bay actually dropped,
0:07:36 > 0:07:38so that the windowsills aren't level.
0:07:38 > 0:07:43And when he put the new window in, it continued to drop, so that the
0:07:43 > 0:07:49new window frame itself has distorted such that I can't open that window.
0:07:49 > 0:07:52If I do, I have two pay someone to come
0:07:52 > 0:07:55and adjust all the locks to shut it again.
0:07:55 > 0:07:56SHE LAUGHS
0:07:56 > 0:07:58- So that's not satisfactory, obviously.- No.
0:07:58 > 0:08:01Well, normally, the joists go from front to back.
0:08:01 > 0:08:05And what they do is support this in here.
0:08:05 > 0:08:08So you can put Acrow to sort of support the main part,
0:08:08 > 0:08:11but if they haven't used the strong boys on the sides,
0:08:11 > 0:08:15then of course they're subject to dropping and that's what's happened.
0:08:15 > 0:08:18So when you brought this up, did he say that he
0:08:18 > 0:08:20would come and resolve it?
0:08:20 > 0:08:24I said, "I'm really worried about this," and he said,
0:08:24 > 0:08:27"It's all right now, it won't drop any more."
0:08:27 > 0:08:31No, that's not true, because he'd never addressed the original problem.
0:08:31 > 0:08:33I can show you where it is still dropping.
0:08:36 > 0:08:40Let me show you what I've been living with for 12 months.
0:08:40 > 0:08:43Now, where it's really apparent, if you pull that back...
0:08:43 > 0:08:46Now, we look at the angle of this...
0:08:46 > 0:08:48So this window is in square.
0:08:48 > 0:08:50Now you've got the top from that window,
0:08:50 > 0:08:52that's about two inches, 50mm.
0:08:52 > 0:08:55And down this end, it's about 10, 12mm.
0:08:55 > 0:08:58So over the width of that window,
0:08:58 > 0:09:03you're talking about a difference of 30, 35mm, tipping this way.
0:09:03 > 0:09:06- Yes, dropped.- So it's not rocket science to be able
0:09:06 > 0:09:09to work out what's happened here.
0:09:09 > 0:09:10Yes. If you see...
0:09:10 > 0:09:16These cracks here were much, much smaller a few weeks ago.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19- So this is still on the move? - It's still on the move.
0:09:19 > 0:09:24With every week that goes by, those cracks get slightly bigger.
0:09:26 > 0:09:29Later in the show, the experts take a look at Jill's windows,
0:09:29 > 0:09:32and it's not good news.
0:09:32 > 0:09:36It's become a major reconstruction effort.
0:09:36 > 0:09:38Wonderful(!)
0:09:43 > 0:09:46It's nearly the end of the working day,
0:09:46 > 0:09:50but in Enfield, pest controller and drain specialist Ken Cattanach has
0:09:50 > 0:09:52been called out by a home owner
0:09:52 > 0:09:54who's worried about a terrible smell.
0:09:54 > 0:09:58I received a call this morning. People believe they've got
0:09:58 > 0:10:01rats in the house, they can smell them. I'm to investigate
0:10:01 > 0:10:05whether or not they're coming up through the drains into the house.
0:10:05 > 0:10:08There's an estimated 60 million rats in the UK.
0:10:08 > 0:10:10That's one for every single person.
0:10:10 > 0:10:14And taking prompt action at the first sign of them is key.
0:10:14 > 0:10:17Rats carry a huge list of diseases, including
0:10:17 > 0:10:21E.coli, salmonella and tuberculosis.
0:10:21 > 0:10:24But it's the potentially fatal Weil's disease
0:10:24 > 0:10:26that most people worry about.
0:10:28 > 0:10:32Mark Cody and his wife are only too aware of the dangers.
0:10:32 > 0:10:34They flushed two dead rats out of their drainpipes
0:10:34 > 0:10:38a couple of years ago and with two young children in the house,
0:10:38 > 0:10:41the thought of a rogue rat running around has been giving them
0:10:41 > 0:10:44nightmares, especially when its smell is strongest
0:10:44 > 0:10:46in seven-year-old Mac's bedroom.
0:10:46 > 0:10:50The smell is actually really strong where I'm standing now.
0:10:50 > 0:10:52I noticed it a few days ago.
0:10:52 > 0:10:56There's a gap under the door frame here,
0:10:56 > 0:10:59and actually kind of put my nose to it and smelt it
0:10:59 > 0:11:01and it's a pretty unpleasant.
0:11:01 > 0:11:04And you can smell it actually under the step, as well,
0:11:04 > 0:11:06and normally there's an air gap under there.
0:11:06 > 0:11:09This whole area here
0:11:09 > 0:11:12was where the smell was the strongest.
0:11:12 > 0:11:14Mark's most worried about Weil's disease.
0:11:14 > 0:11:18It's carried in rats' urine and in its weaker form,
0:11:18 > 0:11:21symptoms include flu-like aches and fevers.
0:11:21 > 0:11:25But serious cases can lead onto jaundice and organ failure.
0:11:26 > 0:11:29Because Mark hasn't actually seen the rat,
0:11:29 > 0:11:32he doesn't know where to start and needs expert help.
0:11:32 > 0:11:35- Hello, Mark.- Hey, hello.- Ken. Ken from Drain Catt.
0:11:35 > 0:11:37Thanks for coming round.
0:11:37 > 0:11:41- Can you show me the problem, walk and talk me through it?- Yeah, sure.
0:11:41 > 0:11:43- We've got a funny smell in the house...- Yeah?
0:11:43 > 0:11:46..and we're not quite sure where it's coming from.
0:11:46 > 0:11:47We think it could be the drains.
0:11:47 > 0:11:49We were thinking maybe you could have a look
0:11:49 > 0:11:51and find out where it might be?
0:11:51 > 0:11:53- Certainly. Have you had any extensions built recently?- Ah, yes.
0:11:53 > 0:11:56- That's the extension?- We've had the garage converted, yeah.
0:11:56 > 0:11:58Your smells you're getting upstairs though?
0:11:58 > 0:12:01We can smell it really strong in one of the bedrooms.
0:12:01 > 0:12:03It's seems to be coming through the cavity, maybe.
0:12:03 > 0:12:05The smell's at its strongest at the front of the house
0:12:05 > 0:12:07in Mac's bedroom.
0:12:07 > 0:12:09It's above a toilet that the family built
0:12:09 > 0:12:11when they converted their garage.
0:12:11 > 0:12:13It's a new floor, but there's a hole at the back.
0:12:13 > 0:12:14If you can see, behind the toilet.
0:12:14 > 0:12:16Oh, yes.
0:12:16 > 0:12:19- We have had a problem here before with rats.- Right.
0:12:19 > 0:12:22And a couple of years ago, we had the same smell.
0:12:22 > 0:12:27And I got my jet wash and I put it up the pipes there
0:12:27 > 0:12:29and two rats, dead rats, came out.
0:12:29 > 0:12:32- Which pipe? From the main manhole? - Yeah, from the manhole.
0:12:32 > 0:12:35Well, let's go and lift the manhole and take a look.
0:12:35 > 0:12:39I did that a couple of days ago and it seemed fairly clean, but...
0:12:39 > 0:12:41Um... Thinking cap on.
0:12:46 > 0:12:50You've got the... The rats came out of the rainwater drain.
0:12:50 > 0:12:54Could be, possibly, that that just continues and...goes empty.
0:12:54 > 0:12:56We need to lift these.
0:12:56 > 0:13:00It's all a bit of a mystery. But Ken's used to playing detective.
0:13:00 > 0:13:02As a pest controller, he has to try
0:13:02 > 0:13:05to get into the animal's mind-set to work out where the rats
0:13:05 > 0:13:09would try to enter the drains and, ultimately, the house.
0:13:09 > 0:13:11There's always a possibility that
0:13:11 > 0:13:14this carries on underneath the garage,
0:13:14 > 0:13:16if it's a floating raft floor,
0:13:16 > 0:13:18and isn't capped.
0:13:18 > 0:13:22Or the existing drain that it was connected to,
0:13:22 > 0:13:25they've broken the connection and that just leaves an open path and
0:13:25 > 0:13:29you might just as well have a welcome mat for the rats at the end of it.
0:13:29 > 0:13:32But we won't know that till we look.
0:13:32 > 0:13:36But it's no good just looking with a naked eye,
0:13:36 > 0:13:37especially in this light.
0:13:37 > 0:13:41Ken has a specialist camera on a wire to see down into the drain.
0:13:44 > 0:13:45Let's get that in here...
0:13:45 > 0:13:49And Ken's camera soon spots what's causing the terrible smell.
0:13:51 > 0:13:55- There's another dead rat in there. - Ooh! Is it a rat?- See it?
0:13:55 > 0:13:57- There's its...feet.- Oh, Christ. Yeah.
0:13:58 > 0:14:03At the bottom of the screen there, there's its eye, there's its feet.
0:14:05 > 0:14:07Ken's found the evidence he needed
0:14:07 > 0:14:10and thinks he knows why the rats are getting in.
0:14:10 > 0:14:13Especially when people have extensions,
0:14:13 > 0:14:17they change all the drainage to outside the new extension,
0:14:17 > 0:14:20don't cap off the drains underneath which they've built over,
0:14:20 > 0:14:24and then the rats just come along, smell fresh air, up they come
0:14:24 > 0:14:27and then they've got the whole house to themselves.
0:14:27 > 0:14:30So if you're planning any work on YOUR home, take note.
0:14:30 > 0:14:34With new extensions or buildings where drains are newly configured,
0:14:34 > 0:14:37you need to pay attention to old drains and pipes.
0:14:37 > 0:14:41Ask your builder or plumber to cap them off, seal them,
0:14:41 > 0:14:45so that rats and any other unwanted visitors aren't invited in.
0:14:45 > 0:14:49This is nine times out of ten the answer.
0:14:49 > 0:14:52The pipe just comes up and has never been capped off.
0:14:52 > 0:14:55Even if you never come face to face with a rat,
0:14:55 > 0:14:58like Mark, you'll know if you have them.
0:14:58 > 0:15:01A dead rat smell is something you do not want to smell.
0:15:01 > 0:15:03It is an awful smell.
0:15:03 > 0:15:07Rats, I've found, tend to keep their toilets in a specific area,
0:15:07 > 0:15:11not as haphazard as mice. And of course,
0:15:11 > 0:15:15if you get a concentration of urine which isn't been washed away,
0:15:15 > 0:15:18or anything, of course that's going to give you smells as well.
0:15:18 > 0:15:20So this smell that's in the house now,
0:15:20 > 0:15:23would that be from that dead rat or some live ones?
0:15:23 > 0:15:25- More likely from the dead rat.- OK.
0:15:25 > 0:15:28Ken's going to get a colleague in to remove the dead rat
0:15:28 > 0:15:30and cap Mark's old drain.
0:15:30 > 0:15:34Hopefully, the rats will be sent packing once and for all.
0:15:34 > 0:15:37We know rats can climb, so what we want to clearly avoid
0:15:37 > 0:15:39is them getting into the house any further.
0:15:39 > 0:15:42So hopefully by capping this off, that'll stop them
0:15:42 > 0:15:45getting into the house, we can get back to our life again.
0:15:47 > 0:15:49Right, then, I'll say cheerio, and so my partner will
0:15:49 > 0:15:52take a look at things and give you a price for sealing it off
0:15:52 > 0:15:55and hopefully, that'll be the end of the story.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58- I look forward to it. Thanks, Ken. - Cheers, all the best to you. - Thank you.- Bye.
0:15:58 > 0:16:02Capping off your drains with sand and cement or a specialist lining
0:16:02 > 0:16:05will cost you somewhere between £70 and £350 per drain
0:16:05 > 0:16:09and should prevent any more unwelcome visitors to your home.
0:16:18 > 0:16:22Back in Lewisham, structural engineer Howard Ruse has been
0:16:22 > 0:16:26called in to check the extent of the damage at Jill Harding's house.
0:16:26 > 0:16:31She had new UPVC bay windows put in to the tune of £6,500.
0:16:31 > 0:16:36But without enough support in place, her brickwork's collapsing.
0:16:37 > 0:16:38- Hello.- Hello.
0:16:38 > 0:16:42There's about a tonne of brickwork above this ground-floor window,
0:16:42 > 0:16:46so plastic on its own is not sufficient to carry the load.
0:16:46 > 0:16:49So what we're trying to do today is to open up
0:16:49 > 0:16:53and see exactly what's inside the plastic mullion on the corners,
0:16:53 > 0:16:56if it's anything of a structural nature, which is
0:16:56 > 0:16:58holding the bay above.
0:16:58 > 0:17:02I suspect there isn't because, otherwise, it wouldn't be moving.
0:17:02 > 0:17:06We do need to open it up in order to determine what's there.
0:17:07 > 0:17:11All replacement double-glazed windows since 2002
0:17:11 > 0:17:13should meet building regulation requirements.
0:17:13 > 0:17:17Not just energy efficiency ones, but structural ones as well.
0:17:17 > 0:17:21In England and Wales, FENSA is the scheme the government
0:17:21 > 0:17:24has backed, and it sets the standard for the industry.
0:17:24 > 0:17:27You can find certified members on their website who will only fit
0:17:27 > 0:17:30windows which won't structurally damage your property.
0:17:31 > 0:17:35As painful as it is, Jill has to stand and watch as her costly
0:17:35 > 0:17:39windows are ripped apart by Howard and new builder Peter Lochran.
0:17:43 > 0:17:45And finally, they get to the truth.
0:17:45 > 0:17:51There's a steel post inside, it looks to be a hollow section,
0:17:51 > 0:17:53but there's no spreader plate,
0:17:53 > 0:17:56there'd need to be a plate on top in order to spread the load over
0:17:56 > 0:18:00a wide area into the timber plate, which is immediately above.
0:18:00 > 0:18:03So what's happening is that the timber is just
0:18:03 > 0:18:07cutting down into the post, the metal post under the load above,
0:18:07 > 0:18:12which is why you're getting these continuing, ongoing movements.
0:18:12 > 0:18:17So, although there's some steel inside the UPVC frames, at the
0:18:17 > 0:18:21corners of the windows, there's no metal on the top to spread the load.
0:18:21 > 0:18:24And to make matters worse, there's no steel at all
0:18:24 > 0:18:27in the mullions or vertical struts, so the whole thing
0:18:27 > 0:18:31is only held up by small pieces of metal on each of the four corners.
0:18:32 > 0:18:36For the bottom section of the window, the story's even worse.
0:18:36 > 0:18:42There's actually...air directly beneath this steel post.
0:18:44 > 0:18:51But towards the inside face of it, there is a piece of soft wood,
0:18:51 > 0:18:56there's about half a tonne coming down through this post here.
0:18:56 > 0:19:00And it's totally inadequate to carry that load,
0:19:00 > 0:19:04- which is why we're getting ongoing compression.- Yes.
0:19:04 > 0:19:07Well, it's fatal, as far as the window is concerned,
0:19:07 > 0:19:10because we may indeed have to take the brickwork down
0:19:10 > 0:19:13and rebuild it once the bay window's sort of...
0:19:13 > 0:19:15That would then mean the whole bay coming out,
0:19:15 > 0:19:18possibly supporting the roof...
0:19:18 > 0:19:21- So just the flat roof supported, and everything else...- Yes.
0:19:21 > 0:19:25- ..apart from the bottom brickwork taken away?- Yes.
0:19:25 > 0:19:30So a replacement of a bay window for, you know,
0:19:30 > 0:19:34a relatively small sum of money, would develop into
0:19:34 > 0:19:38many thousands of pounds in order to put it right.
0:19:40 > 0:19:42Wonderful(!)
0:19:43 > 0:19:45It's an alarming thought.
0:19:45 > 0:19:48And the cost could be in the region of £10,000 to £20,000
0:19:48 > 0:19:52and that's on top of the £6,325 Jill's already paid.
0:19:54 > 0:19:58She did write to the window fitter with a formal complaint,
0:19:58 > 0:20:02but he said the company was dissolved in April 2014,
0:20:02 > 0:20:06so he wasn't able to come back to inspect the work.
0:20:06 > 0:20:10It makes me very angry that someone could do such a bad job
0:20:10 > 0:20:13and it must have KNOWINGLY been a bad job,
0:20:13 > 0:20:17he must have KNOWN he wasn't putting the right supports in place.
0:20:17 > 0:20:21And now I'm going to have to spend all this money
0:20:21 > 0:20:23and I've no recourse against him.
0:20:23 > 0:20:27He's just taken my money and walked away laughing,
0:20:27 > 0:20:29as he was laughing at the damage,
0:20:29 > 0:20:33and left me to pay a huge amount of money.
0:20:33 > 0:20:36If only Jill had known at the beginning what she does now,
0:20:36 > 0:20:39the story may have had a very different ending.
0:20:39 > 0:20:42For a start, she'd have chosen a FENSA-backed company
0:20:42 > 0:20:45and one that strictly sticks to all the building regulations
0:20:45 > 0:20:47about safeguarding the structure of a house
0:20:47 > 0:20:49when you put new windows in.
0:20:49 > 0:20:54I'd say to anyone else, do a lot of research, find someone
0:20:54 > 0:20:58who's got the right certification and the right qualifications.
0:20:58 > 0:21:02I feel so stupid. I feel like I've made a mistake.
0:21:04 > 0:21:06Well, I'm afraid this is another classic case of
0:21:06 > 0:21:09things happening beyond your control.
0:21:09 > 0:21:12Even though Jill trusted these so-called professionals,
0:21:12 > 0:21:16she still got caught out and she's having to pay a very heavy price.
0:21:18 > 0:21:22I feel really sorry for Jill. She's been left in a terrible situation.
0:21:22 > 0:21:26So we've put her claims to the man who fitted her windows.
0:21:26 > 0:21:29Find out later what he has to say for himself.
0:21:37 > 0:21:41In London, plumber Matt Goodrich has been called out
0:21:41 > 0:21:42to a woman in distress.
0:21:45 > 0:21:48An elderly lady, she rung up saying that she's got, like,
0:21:48 > 0:21:50a blockage.
0:21:50 > 0:21:53A bit panicky, so we don't exactly know what it is, I don't know
0:21:53 > 0:21:56if there's a bit more to it, but she's a bit panicky down the phone.
0:21:56 > 0:21:59The girl obviously couldn't understand what she was saying.
0:21:59 > 0:22:02So we're going out, rushed out there, emergency call-out...
0:22:02 > 0:22:05to resolve it, basically.
0:22:06 > 0:22:10Matt's been a plumber for 11 years now and experience
0:22:10 > 0:22:13has taught him to come prepared for most types of home emergency.
0:22:15 > 0:22:17- Hello, from MJC Plumbing. - Oh, lovely.
0:22:17 > 0:22:19Come about a blocked drain, is that right?
0:22:19 > 0:22:22No, I got myself in a bit of a state explaining to the young lady.
0:22:22 > 0:22:25- Yeah, she said she didn't understand completely.- No, well...
0:22:25 > 0:22:28Do you want me to take my shoes off? Nah, OK.
0:22:28 > 0:22:30Sorry, what's your name?
0:22:30 > 0:22:33- Linda.- Linda, I'm Matt. Nice to meet you.- And you.- Right.
0:22:33 > 0:22:37- Right, where are we? - In the bathroom.- Up top, yeah?
0:22:37 > 0:22:40And as homeowner Linda takes Matt through the problem,
0:22:40 > 0:22:42a familiar scene is being set.
0:22:42 > 0:22:45- What it is, I got out of the shower this morning...- Yeah?
0:22:45 > 0:22:49- ..and I always put my rings on the side...- Had a go yourself?
0:22:49 > 0:22:53- And I normally always pull the... - Yeah.
0:22:53 > 0:22:55But for some reason, it wasn't there,
0:22:55 > 0:22:58- and it's my engagement ring. I wouldn't be worried if it was...- OK.
0:22:58 > 0:23:02- And I've been trying to get it out... - No luck?- No.
0:23:02 > 0:23:04- And I got myself in such a state.- OK.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07- Is it all right if I just take all this stuff out?- Yes.
0:23:07 > 0:23:09For the first time in nearly 50 years,
0:23:09 > 0:23:12Linda's precious diamond engagement ring
0:23:12 > 0:23:16has fallen down the plughole in the sink and she can see no sign of it.
0:23:16 > 0:23:20Ooh, I get engaged in 19...67?
0:23:23 > 0:23:25It's a crisis for Linda.
0:23:25 > 0:23:28But Matt's seen it all before and he's doing a great job
0:23:28 > 0:23:29calming her down.
0:23:29 > 0:23:32- When did it happen, earlier? - Yeah, about...
0:23:32 > 0:23:34About 8.30 this morning, maybe.
0:23:34 > 0:23:36THEY CHUCKLE
0:23:36 > 0:23:39- I bet your husband weren't happy, was he?- No, not really.
0:23:39 > 0:23:41MATT LAUGHS
0:23:41 > 0:23:43- He wondered why I was up here so long.- Yeah!
0:23:43 > 0:23:46With 11 years plumbing experience under his belt,
0:23:46 > 0:23:49Matt knows exactly what to do.
0:23:49 > 0:23:53Under every sink there is a U-bend, designed that way
0:23:53 > 0:23:57so that anything that does fall down the trap will stay there
0:23:57 > 0:23:59and not go straight into your outlet pipe.
0:24:02 > 0:24:04Matt carefully unscrews the pipe work
0:24:04 > 0:24:06but will the U-bend have done its job?
0:24:06 > 0:24:09So I'm hoping it's not gone any further...
0:24:11 > 0:24:13With any luck...
0:24:15 > 0:24:16WATER POURS
0:24:16 > 0:24:18A-ha!
0:24:19 > 0:24:21- Linda!- Yeah?
0:24:22 > 0:24:25- Will you marry me? - Oh, thank you so much!
0:24:25 > 0:24:27THEY LAUGH
0:24:27 > 0:24:30I've had that for 50 years. Thanks ever so much.
0:24:30 > 0:24:33- No problem.- Thank you.
0:24:33 > 0:24:35And Linda's relief is plain to see.
0:24:35 > 0:24:37I'm pleased I've got it back.
0:24:39 > 0:24:41Yeah, I've had a long while!
0:24:41 > 0:24:45And I would have hated to have lost it, absolutely hated to.
0:24:45 > 0:24:47I'd have been heartbroken, to be honest.
0:24:47 > 0:24:50And I always leave them on the same spot,
0:24:50 > 0:24:53and I went to put them back on and this one just...went.
0:24:53 > 0:24:57I've normally got the plug in, but I didn't, for some reason, this morning.
0:24:57 > 0:25:00To make sure it never happens again,
0:25:00 > 0:25:03Matt explains how a new type of plug is a lot safer.
0:25:03 > 0:25:05What I'm going to...
0:25:05 > 0:25:08- What I'm offering to quickly offer you, Linda...- Yeah?
0:25:08 > 0:25:12Obviously, you see you've got a bit a bit of a hole in here, yeah.
0:25:12 > 0:25:15It's more than likely it's going to happen again.
0:25:15 > 0:25:19Do you want me to change it, so you haven't got to worry about...
0:25:19 > 0:25:23- Oh, yeah...- Yeah?- Will it still work the same?- Not with that, no.- No?- No.
0:25:23 > 0:25:26- It'll be one where you push it. - Oh, that's... Yeah, if you could do that.
0:25:26 > 0:25:30Yeah, I'll just take this bar out... because...
0:25:30 > 0:25:31If that comes out again, it's going
0:25:31 > 0:25:35to happen again. With this, it can't happen. It's open, shut.
0:25:35 > 0:25:40Simple as that. And you got your little grille to catch anything.
0:25:40 > 0:25:43And with a final squeeze of sealant, it's job done.
0:25:43 > 0:25:47And the memory of the promise Linda made to her husband
0:25:47 > 0:25:51half a century ago is safely in place on her finger once more.
0:25:51 > 0:25:53- You need to give it a couple of hours.- Yeah.
0:25:53 > 0:25:57- That's shut, that's open. - Oh, brilliant.- Simple as that.
0:25:57 > 0:25:59- Shut. Open.- Oh, lovely. Thank you.
0:25:59 > 0:26:02And you got that little grille, it happens again, got no worries,
0:26:02 > 0:26:03it'll just be sitting there for you.
0:26:03 > 0:26:05Oh, it won't happen again, I'll make sure it doesn't.
0:26:05 > 0:26:08THEY LAUGH Oh, my God!
0:26:09 > 0:26:14The type of plug Matt fitted costs about £15, and to unscrew
0:26:14 > 0:26:18a U-bend will take less than an hour's callout fee.
0:26:18 > 0:26:20So if you have a quick job like this,
0:26:20 > 0:26:23it shouldn't cost you more than about £100 in total.
0:26:23 > 0:26:25- All right, no problem!- Thanks ever so much.- No problem!
0:26:25 > 0:26:27It was only the hour, so...
0:26:27 > 0:26:30And to protect your jewellery, check if you can cover it
0:26:30 > 0:26:33under your home contents insurance.
0:26:33 > 0:26:36If your policy does cover it, take pictures of your jewellery
0:26:36 > 0:26:38and get things valued.
0:26:38 > 0:26:41If the worst does happen and you're not as lucky as Linda,
0:26:41 > 0:26:44you can at least make a claim.
0:26:44 > 0:26:49You see, you see that one, that was quite a satisfying job.
0:26:49 > 0:26:51That's the type of job we like.
0:26:51 > 0:26:54She lost her engagement ring, as far as she was concerned,
0:26:54 > 0:26:56it's gone, she thinks that's down the old...
0:26:56 > 0:26:57gone, down the waste pipe,
0:26:57 > 0:27:00but I know it's only going to be sitting in that little trap,
0:27:00 > 0:27:01but she don't know that.
0:27:01 > 0:27:04She's panicking, she think she's lost it after all these years.
0:27:04 > 0:27:06But it's a nice, easy job, it's satisfying,
0:27:06 > 0:27:08things like that, it is a nice little job, so, yeah.
0:27:08 > 0:27:10And we go from this on to the next one!
0:27:18 > 0:27:21We've had a reply from Jill Harding's window fitter.
0:27:21 > 0:27:23He says he had no idea there was a problem
0:27:23 > 0:27:26until 13 months after he'd finished, and that there was a
0:27:26 > 0:27:31substantial crack in the upstairs bedroom before he began the work.
0:27:31 > 0:27:34Jill told us a small crack was rectified pre-work,
0:27:34 > 0:27:38but this large crack has appeared since the windows were fitted.
0:27:38 > 0:27:40Her window fitter also told us that
0:27:40 > 0:27:43although his company has now dissolved,
0:27:43 > 0:27:46he has offered his labour to rectify the issues,
0:27:46 > 0:27:49but Jill, quite understandably, has decided to go to someone else...
0:27:49 > 0:27:51when she can afford it.
0:27:53 > 0:27:56And in Enfield, a dead rat was removed from Mark's pipe
0:27:56 > 0:28:00which was then capped. They've had no more problems since.