The Big Build - Halifax DIY SOS

This week the Big Build comes to you from God's own country.

Isn't Yorkshire beautiful? What a place to live and for us to work!

We're in Halifax to help a family whose life was shattered

when their healthy baby boy was left brain-damaged.

I suppose from that point our life changed...forever.

My brother can't help it. I love my brother the way he is.

They're now struggling to look after him in a home that's not fit for their needs

and they may be forced apart. If Joshua isn't here, then he's not part of the family, is he?

We just want Joshua with us.

'So we're going to work to keep this family together. It's another unique build.'

Everything you say makes sense! You'll completely lose your fan base.

'It will push us to the limit.'

I am really, really wet. Soaked right through.

I'll give you my happy face. That's his happy face!

What else can go wrong today? Why let a door not being there stop you?

To get this done in nine days, we have a mountain to climb. Bill?

I'm climbing a mountain. Don't be ridiculous. Stand up.

So we're here in Halifax's Piece Hall, where trades have come together for over 200 years

to exchange ideas and basically help each other out. We're here, but where are all those trades?

Here they are! But what can they do?

OWT! Which, in Yorkshire lingo, means anything at all!

So it's looking good for DIY SOS: The Big Build!

Meet the Hopkins family.

Electrician Michael, Michelle, who works for a homeless charity, 12-year-old Dani

and Joshua, who's eight.

Just days after his first birthday, the whole family were hit with a sickness bug,

with a devastating effect on Josh.

The doctor took one look at him and said there's something neurological wrong.

And then 24 hours later they came back with that he was brain-damaged. The virus had attacked his brain.

Joshua had suffered acute striatal necrosis, a form of brain damage causing a sudden death of nerves.

Over the space of a week while we were in hospital,

he went from the perfectly healthy little boy that he was to...

Coming out with a feeding tube, not being able to walk, crawl, sit up.

Immediately after they told us, it was, "What did we do wrong?

"Should we have got him to hospital quicker?" They always reassured us that nothing could have been done,

but I felt like I'd let him down. I felt like I hadn't protected him.

Any parent would ask the same questions, but there really was nothing that could be done.

Joshua was left paralysed and totally dependent, but his home is making him an outcast.

Joshua's bedroom is upstairs. It's a tiny little box room.

This is the only other room. He can't even access the makeshift dining room because of the steps,

so this is the only room that he really sees, isn't it? Mm.

His mum and dad have no choice but to carry him around the house.

He's very heavy. Physically carrying him, even for me, is quite a task.

And lifting an eight-year-old is getting beyond mum Michelle.

She's suffered from curvature of the spine and since her teens has had a steel rod in her back.

The whole family has to help take care of Josh.

I help him brush his teeth and clean his face.

And I sit with him when he's not that stressed, but he strains himself so he's like a plank of wood.

It's really hard for us to hold him.

'She does get upset and as she's got older she can understand more and more with the operations.'

She's very protective of her brother.

My brother can't help it. And...I love my brother the way he is.

He wakes up at two in the morning, you bring him downstairs and he gives you a smile.

He comes out of, say, a nine-hour operation and he's back up on the bed and has a smile and a giggle.

It makes a massive difference. Because he can't speak to us, his smile is everything.

Joshua gets day care, but he needs round-the-clock attention.

Carers would need specialist facilities this house can't provide. There isn't the space.

This family could be torn apart.

'Long-term, if the house doesn't get adapted, we can't keep him here.'

At some point, he's going to be an adult. He'll be physically too big for one of us to deal with,

so we may have to have people in, but he'll be at home, part of the family.

With me, Michelle and Danielle.

What's wrong with this house?

You can see you're very houseproud, it's beautifully decorated. There's a lot right with it. Yeah.

So what's wrong? We need extra space for Joshua, but not just for now. For the future, really.

He's going to get bigger. We can't have carers in the home.

We've had seven years of bad things happening.

The last two years, he's had six operations. It's really hard on Dani. Danielle gets buffeted about

between her auntie or your dad... Or friends. Yeah.

'She can just get a message from the receptionist at school saying Joshua is in hospital,

'so-and-so is picking you up.'

So if the house gets sorted out, it's not only Josh that benefits.

Oh, no. Danielle will massively benefit. As it is at the moment,

Danielle's room is next to Josh's.

And Josh wakes up if he hears a pin drop, so we're constantly telling her to be quiet,

she can't have friends over.

At what point does residential care for Josh become something... It doesn't.

Not for us. No, because he's our son at the end of the day.

If Joshua goes into residential care, the family breaks up.

'And that's what we're here to prevent.

'With half of Halifax's tradesmen poised like coiled springs for this Big Build.'

So in ten days' time, come back and see how we get on. I was told the weather is like this every day!

It's always nice up here!

Bill, lead them on. I'll make sure they go, yeah?

Bye. Cheers! Keep going, Bill! Yeah.

They don't know where they're going. But you see them all the way.

We're hitting the ground running because to make the whole house accessible will take extra space.

We need a bit more house!

This is our extension. Flat-packed and ready to be taken off the lorry.

This is the crux of the whole job. It will make the house a third bigger.

You might want to pan to all the guys getting the kitchen out.

Our removals friends are packing everything up. Morning. All right? Yeah, fine!

Outside, that's Brian up there. He's brought a team to knock down this conservatory.

The energy here is incredible.

It's great to be involved. The family deserve a helping hand.

We want to keep these walls as tidy as we can, but, saying that, Billy hasn't been here yet.

Good point. But to make the house wheelchair-friendly, some walls have to go.

It's a challenge, but Gabrielle Blackman has got the solution.

Any design has to be practical or there's just no point.

I want them to continue with normal family life, while keeping an eye on Josh.

Upstairs Josh will, in a way, have his own apartment.

His lift will go up into his bedroom. He'll have a proper bathroom. We've got a lovely bath.

Just because somebody has a disabled child, it doesn't mean their tastes suddenly change.

They won't suddenly love primary colours and vinyl flooring.

We're going to try to keep what Michelle and Michael dreamed of.

So here's the plan.

We're transforming the ground floor by knocking out a wall which connects to a timberframe extension,

creating a huge kitchen/diner. But it's all on the same level for wheelchair access.

Upstairs, a lift will bring Josh straight into his bedroom

that leads into a specially-equipped en suite.

We're also moving walls to build Dani a new big bedroom, make a proper family bathroom

and create a comfortable new room for Michael and Michelle.

All this in just nine days.

It's nice. You're pushing yourself to the limits of what you can achieve so it's good fun. What's the reward?

The reward's that you've done it. You see a family go back in.

I stay away from the finishes because it's weepy time. A big fella like yourself?

'Ah, he's a big softie. Not unlike our own gentle giant.'

You're very light of touch for a big man. Oh, yes. Oh, yes.

Light of touch... I am for a fella of the larger persuasion.

I just changed my diet and I lost a stone and a half in two months.

Did you? I was getting huge. You was, to be fair. I was chubbing up something rotten.

I'd get up in the morning. I don't sleep with any clothes on. I'm not... No, I'm not. Naked.

As God intended. As God intended. You get up in the morning and look at yourself in the mirror

and think, "Oh, really?" Most important thing is that they shoot you in a flattering way.

The cameraman said he won't take any shots of me that are going to accentuate my problem.

Hey!

'Yes, I think we've seen enough.'

Tim's turned up. He's giving us all our skips. Nice. All our building materials, brickwork,

blockwork, hardcore, insulation. Why have you decided to join in so much? We work in the town.

It's a local community so we're going to give back to it.

It's a lot of money's worth. Times are tight, economic crisis...

When you hear a good cause like this, it's worth doing.

'I'm not trying to talk him out of it! If a job's worth doing, it's worth doing properly.

'So why's Billy here?' We've got two teams here today.

One team on the floor and one team upstairs. Everything's dead, we've killed everything.

We'll completely rewire it. We'll run new tails through and take everything from the board.

Understand that? Brilliant. That was genuinely insightful, informative...

It had a beginning, middle and end. And as a safety factor you can cut all the cables.

Genius. Can I just say something? Can you? It's likely you can!

We've had one conversation. Look at all the workforce behind you.

They're amazed I've put a sentence together. We're amazed you dressed yourself!

Where's the hammer?! 'I love it when the trades chip in!

'At the back of the house, we're working against the clock to get the foundation piles in

'that will anchor our extension. There's an air of tension out front.'

What was all that about? He's just being very rude.

Would you like us to take his pocket money away? Anything to stop him being so cheeky.

Do you know what she just asked me? To stop irritating her. No.

The extension's gone half a day behind, we've got to get the roof on and take the wall out there

and get two lengths of steel in tomorrow morning. "Mark, Mark..." "What is it, Gabrielle?"

It IS important. "What about the cat flap?"

It's really important. They've got four cats.

'For once I'm with Mark, I think.

'Have you ever wondered who the silent minority are? I can introduce you to them.'

We are the silent minority who keep the job ticking on.

Plasterboarded, skimmed, all the patches picked up.

So tomorrow the decorators will have two rooms to crack on with. We're not looking for glory. A little bit.

'It's no mean feat to rewire the whole house, but Michael is an electrician

'and his workmates are in.'

Is Michael gutted he can't be here? He'll be itching.

He'd want to do this. Is he on the phone asking what's going on? I've had texts, but not replied.

'Leaving the enthusiastic workforce to forge ahead, I've ducked out to see Michael and find out

'how the whole family have been coping with Josh's condition.'

We know there's no miracle cure, but it would be nice to know what caused it

and what the future may hold for Joshua. At the moment, it's ifs, buts and maybes.

The doctors don't know. They don't know what could happen in the future. It is difficult.

It's not just Joshua. It's Danielle.

I just wonder when you go to bed at night and lay down to sleep,

what things commonly run through your mind?

I think what could have been. I think how our family could be if Joshua had never got ill.

I think, you know, as daft as it is...

I'd love to have seen Joshua and his big sister tearing chunks out of each other

because they were arguing. Or Danielle screaming and shouting because he'd been in her bedroom.

It would just be nice to have known what could have been.

Do you think people value normality enough? No, I don't think people sometimes realise.

From seeing it from my point of view now,

I listen to some people and think, "Your kids are keeping you up,

"but you've not quite got it that bad."

I mean, it's hard with Joshua. I'd give my right arm for Joshua to have a miracle cure,

but I wouldn't change him for the world. What do you make of the 40, 50, 60 tradesmen...?

I just think it's brilliant. I really do.

We're in a recession, work's hard, work's slowed down for us.

I know of lots of companies in this area that have gone under.

For any of them to give their time is just fantastic.

Genuinely, I don't know how I'm going to thank everybody.

I'd like to give what the trades and yourselves have given us,

I'd like to be part of that for somebody else.

'Back on-site, it may only be Day One, but we're already falling behind.'

If that platform that they're building there doesn't get built,

we can't build an extension on it. If that wall isn't down, we can't put the steel in.

And the second storey of this extension can't be done.

If it's not done tomorrow morning, we lose the crane and the job.

Every day there's a deadline that has to be hit.

We're asking a lot of these builders on the first day.

'There's a growing sense of urgency around getting the preparations finished. Can we do it in time?

'I'm relieved to say that a late finish means we've got the makings of a brand-new extension.'

See this? A padstone. I told you if we didn't get those in we couldn't put the steel in today.

There they are each side. Beautiful. Openings can be beautiful.

'It's like a scene from The Full Monty - with more clothes!

'Billy's wiring often leaves him in the dark, but he does seem to have the measure of presenting.'

Just take a deep breath and don't get frustrated when you speak. That's a bit like...

He can't get a sentence out now. It's transferring to you, Nick. Oh, my God!

OMG! My ability to, um...to, um...

Oh, no! Yeah.

I used to have such a huge, er... wide, um...

a wide, um...

Oh, no. Types of words.

Vocabulary? Thanks, Bill. And now...

suddenly he's the one with the huge, wide, um... Vocabulary? Yeah!

What's going on?

'There is something wrong with me! I'm off to see a doctor.

'I'm off to meet consultant paediatrician Dr Sal Uka,

'who cares for Josh and has seen the challenges the family face.'

Parents watching this would be terrified at the idea you can have a perfectly normal child

and suddenly through a virus they become severely disabled.

But this is fairly rare? Yeah. Exceptionally rare.

To people, it will be terrifying to think that your child could one day be so well

and full of life, running around and enjoying life as each of them should be,

to then actually having something so devastating.

If you have a child with the disabilities that Josh has,

looking after him is no picnic.

A lot of credit to Michael and Michelle. It has been tough. And I've seen it with them.

'But it always amazes me how resilient people can be and you do what you need to do.'

Whilst I know Mike and Michelle well, it's for the wrong reasons.

Joshua's needs have been really difficult and I've had to see him in hospital and in clinic.

But realistically speaking, from my point of view what we've been working towards is

how the people that care for Joshua actually can do so more so at home, so he doesn't come into hospital.

And if this conversion work that you and your team have done

can go a little bit further so that he can enjoy what we'd consider a more normal home life, excellent.

'Yes, it will and it will help this family stay together.

'But it's only Day Two and the pressure is relentless. We've only got this crane for a day

'and it's got a heck of a lot to do. It's our challenge to get the whole timberframe built before nightfall.'

Hello, Sarah. So you do all these timberframe extension whatsits.

Yes. Do you work with Nigel? With Wayne and Darren. Darren's your husband. Is he?

He is. You don't get sick of the sight of each other? No.

That's him. He's like a Northern Tom Cruise.

Do you not get sick of each other? Never, mate. Why not? Just look at her, mate. Beautiful.

Awww. Oh, that's embarrassing!

That's nice, that is.

'Ah, he loves her and everything.

'Our own labour of love is taking shape slowly and surely, but Gabby's got other things on her mind.'

That looks like a lady that's spent her budget. She's scribbling, going back on pages,

then she's having a little pause and looking worried. She worries a lot anyway. She does.

Can I show you my favourite bit of what you've done?

Whilst you were waiting, you plastered the wall just in case. By the time the door lining goes in,

yeah...? Yeah. And the architrave, it'll all be tidy.

So why let a little issue like a door not being there stop you plastering?

Forward and upwards, I say!

'Chris - don't you just love him? With a long day's graft, nothing gets Jules moving faster

'than the promise of something soft and whipped.'

Can you take that to Wayne?

Take it to Wayne. To the man still working.

- Back of the queue now! - Thank you very much.

There we go. Take that away. Thank you very much.

Nothing left. Nothing left?! I served so many.

I was there and you asked me to take one to Wayne! Yeah.

Then I'd to go to the back of the queue and they've run out!

I could do a tiny one. Just see what you can squeeze out. A tiny one?! See what you can...

I wanted a big double one. Well, think of your health. It's not really a good idea, is it?

He was playing with you!

Thank you very much, young man!

Look at that!

Happy now? 'Look at his happy little face!

'If only everything was so simple.'

Money Out. What did I say? He looked at you on the grass and said, "She's gone over on the budget."

I said to Nick... You know what's really embarrassing?

This is the first time they've let me be in charge of my own budget. How's it gone? Not well.

I always say, "I can do my own budget! How hard can it be?"

'Want to see inside the mind of a designer?' No, don't... "Construction wood - ?230.

"Construction steel - ?320.

"Cushions - ?840." Fair.

As an accounting technique, putting smiley faces and sad faces doesn't really justify it.

That's disappointed face. I can see. It's got tears. It's what I'll get at the office.

Time for a DIY SOS sandwich hug.

Oh, God. That's really traumatising! Stop, stop, stop!

Oh...!

Better? That, weirdly, has made me feel better, but slightly disturbed at the same time. I've gone red.

That was a penknife in my pocket. Oh, good. Sorry about that.

'If anyone knows just how much this work will change the family's lives, it's Michelle's parents.

'Mum Rosemary wrote in for our help.'

You're responsible for all this.

The thing was, he would have had to have gone into care if nothing could have been done in the house.

That was the driving force behind me sort of applying.

They can't get any help for him here to give him respite at home.

They won't do that unless the facilities are there. It's Catch-22.

You have to get this done before you can get a respite in the home

because of Health and Safety. They have to have a hoist and means of getting him upstairs.

It must be more and more of a problem for Michelle, trying to lift and carry him.

She's got two metal rods down her back and shouldn't be lifting a complete dead weight.

How's she going to react? I don't know. She does put a very brave face on it.

It's... She looks almost hard when you talk to her.

I don't mean that disrespectfully. She's built this wall, hasn't she? Yes, she has. You have to.

It's the only way you survive. When you see your son fighting for breath and there's nothing you can do,

when he's had pneumonia, and in two months' time he's having another operation,

then two months later another one, you've got to harden or you'd fall apart. I can see that.

'Michelle fully understands how much she's changed.'

So much has happened in seven years. Our life was turned upside down.

I've just... I've learned to put a front up

and just deal with things and not think too much into them. And just...just do it.

'I hide my feelings in front of people, even my close family.

'But if I didn't, I think I'd be an absolute wreck by now.'

What's the toughest part about it?

It's tough when Josh is ill.

And just... everything he's been through.

It's hard to see him suffer the way he has done.

And being a parent, you're meant to protect your kids and there's nothing we can do.

You blame yourself. You blame yourself? Yeah.

Because, you know, you're a parent. You're meant to stop your children getting ill, to make them better.

I don't think this was in your control, was it? No, but in the time when it happened,

it was such a whirlwind that we did blame ourselves. I don't think the anger will ever go away,

but to help me cope and to deal with it on a daily basis,

I...not block it out, but I choose not to think about it.

'Our build is clearly vital for the family,

'but as we near the end of Day Two, the extension is on borrowed time.'

Can we have the crane tomorrow or not? No, you can't. It's booked out to another site.

So it has to be done tonight? Yes. It's 4.30 now. It'll be midnight.

Are the guys going to work through? Wayne, it's going to be a late one, isn't it? Very late.

It's very nearly the longest day of the year, so they'll have light longer than any other day.

Watching the match in the pub? Shall we?

'Ah, if only! We've got just one goal in sight.

'Thanks to these great trades, we are going to do it. We had to.'

# Summertime... #

'Yesterday's efforts may have paid off, but this is a disaster.

'Our new extension's done, but not watertight. This is no ordinary downpour.'

'Seven flood warnings remain in place after parts of Yorkshire...

'From the air...

'With more rain forecast, everyone is praying there won't be a repeat of the flash flooding.'

'At this rate, we should be building an ark, not a flippin' house!

'It has to ease up, doesn't it?'

At five o'clock, 100% torrential rain. Is it getting heavier?

At 2200 hours, when we'll be going home, torrential rain.

It's freezing cold, raining.

Rain, rain, rain, gentle rain.

Normally, if it stayed like this, you wouldn't bother. You'd just wrap up and go home.

This has obviously got to be done, so we've obviously got to work at it.

'I forecast a low front, very much like Julian, brightening up when tea arrives,

'but we could do without added complications.'

We've got to get all these down. Why?! They're the wrong height.

The wrong height? There's got to be 250 clearance. We've only got 180.

'Gabby's not being picky. The clearance is essential to fit a hoist between bedroom and bathroom.'

These studs, because they're floating, have no integral strength.

So Darren's had these metal plates made up here. You think, "Not a big problem." Just drop the wall.

But you've got to take the metal plates out, drop them, refix them,

take the plasterboard off to get them,

hold all the plasterers up.

Gentlemen, sorry about this.

I'll do my happy face. Go on. That's his happy face.

What else can go wrong today?

Well, you could be trying to landscape the garden.

We'll start by taking that banking out, so we can reduce the level,

so we can get better access for the wheelchair.

I'm so sorry it's today and we've had this blissful weather. It's been fabulous.

Do you know what I mostly like about plastering?

It's indoors. Look at them poor sausages.

Landscape gardeners?

No, plastering for me.

It's not just the gardeners. Spare a thought for the guys battling to seal the extension.

This is causing us no end of problems.

These guys here, all the stonework...

all the slips that they're doing,

this cement board it's on is getting wet and they can't glue the stone to the wet board.

They'll cut those sections out and make new boards that go together like that.

It'll be tight. If it carries on raining, then we'll be really tight.

We'll get our bit done and if we can hold the rain off for Monday,

get the pointers in, it'll be there or thereabouts.

It's OK. It's wet still.

But, you know, I might grow!

LAUGHTER

It drips off your coat and straight on to your waistband,

so I can feel it actually... seeping down around my genitalia at the moment.

Is that a PC way of putting it?

'I'm not really sure how to put it. It's certainly not an image I want to linger on if that's all right.'

Keep batting.

There's no point in wearing clothes because we're just ending up getting completely soaked. It is summer!

'That's a proper Irish body, isn't it? Look at it!' Look at that!

'He's completely lost it.

'In two days we've had a month of rain, but it hasn't dampened our spirits

'because we've set our sights on sorting out this house

'for Josh, his mum and dad and his sister Dani.'

It's a bit hard because my mum sometimes gets a bit worn out

because she's getting up at early hours in the morning

and having to get him dressed, then she's also got to work, so she gets a bit tired.

But I think they both cope really well and they look after Josh very well.

Sometimes you don't realise, but everything you do and say, it's, "We can't because of Joshua,"

or, "In a minute because I've got to do this for Joshua." Her whole life is dominated by Joshua.

But she loves him to bits. He beams off his big sister. He really does.

He loves his big sister. She's very good for him.

'Billy's taken a break to meet up with Dani and best mate Lauren in a milk bar.

'Well, we thought it would take him back to his youth.'

What do you want to do in life? You're 12 now.

I want to be a support assistant for people with special needs.

Is this because of Josh or do you feel like you'd like to do that?

It's sort of because of Josh and things, but I just enjoy doing it, really.

I like having cuddles with Josh when he's a bit stressed

and I sit him on my lap and do nursery rhymes with him.

Sometimes if they're running late, I help him get changed and things.

You know we're here for nine days to change your house.

How do you think that will benefit everybody?

We can take him upstairs easier and my mum's back won't be getting any worse.

And I think Josh will have a better time.

Let's be a bit selfish here. What would YOU like? Go on, be selfish.

It would be nice to have a bigger room

because when I have sleepovers,

we've got to be really quiet because my brother wakes up in the night.

If we do a bigger room for Danielle and everything, it would benefit you as well.

If she snores, you won't be able to hear it, will you? No.

'Aw, nice chat, Bill.

'Just four days left and still a long way to go.

'Despite a thorough drenching, everyone's come back for more. At least the rain's stopped.'

What's that on your face? It's not called a smile, is it?

You've got to be joking after yesterday! Yesterday was the hardest day's graft for a long time.

The boys all did really well. We took that gable off. I didn't think we'd get that far.

'But on a job like this, the devil's in the detail.'

Great news. I've got a cat flap.

Oh, wicked!

Brilliant. And look how many... We've got a cat flap!

We've got a cat flap. A cat flap? Yeah, we've got one.

Steve, we've got a cat flap!

'Alert NATO!'

Blimey, big moles up here in Yorkshire!

Today, we're here to fit the kitchen in and we're just helping out with the external work over here.

It's a little bit delayed. We thought we'd pitch in and help out over here.

That'll teach him to turn up early!

'Those plasterers wanted a little glory. Well, here it is.

'Thanks to them, the room is ready for the new kitchen to be fitted.'

Well done, boys. They've worked through their lunch and haven't had a cup of tea. Are you happy? You're in.

Brilliant. Thank you. You've made our life a lot easier.

'Magnificent, isn't it?'

I've never seen a building so busy with so many people trying to do so many things at once.

'Not everyone is covering themselves in glory.' The kitchen fitters have got their markings wrong.

These dodgy sparkies! Can't see the gap, can you(?)

Mad!

'Getting paint on the walls is always a good sign. It means we're nearing the end of a job.

'If only we could read Gabby's mind.'

So what's the big debate about? This is the colour for the dining room they chose.

That's the colour for the kitchen. That is a debate, innit? Yeah.

Isn't that going to look a bit weird, having that block of colour...

If you've got an off-white wall and you've got one strip... It's the prism, isn't it?

Prism? The prism of light. Prism of light!

What's a prism of light?

I don't know. I heard it once. I thought it sounded good. LAUGHTER

He said, "Your paint's splashing. It doesn't look right."

"It's the prism of light." I thought I'd use it again. Fair play.

'Yeah, fair play. Must try that one on Gabby. Maybe later.

'She's gone to meet Sarah, a friend of Michelle's with her own challenges.'

How did you meet Michelle? How have you guys become so close?

I have a little girl who has cerebral palsy.

The way we met is there's a group of mums that became friends.

They're all mums with children with special needs. We ended up socialising together.

I don't know how she puts on a brave face. I couldn't cope with the things Michelle copes with.

My little girl can't walk, but she can tell me what she wants, she can tell me when she's tired or hungry.

Joshua can't do that. He can't tell her what he wants.

I just think to have that all day every day, it's hard for anybody.

She might be breaking her heart inside, but you just can't see that.

I just think that takes... It's a lot of admiration for her.

I couldn't do it and I know I couldn't.

'This kind of support helps them get through the tough times

'and the friends catch up each week while the children are in the safe hands of carers.

'Always up for a cuppa, Jules and Chris pop in to meet them.'

Even though it's an hour and a half, I bet it makes a massive difference.

They're with all their friends. Some they've been with since they were six months old. It's great.

We're all in the same situation one way or another. No apologies needed. That's it.

We borrow things and nappies and... You know?

It's almost your own little internal support network. Yeah, it's total support.

You know, you don't even think about what we have together as parents. Right.

Yeah, it's quite special, really.

It's only parents with disabled children that...

We just bounce off each other. We understand each other, don't we?

'Back on site, it's an understanding that is also shared by one of our decorators.'

My daughter had an accident eight year ago.

She was perfectly able-bodied, but now she's in a wheelchair needing a lot of help and care.

She can't do anything for herself, so we've had to go through it all.

Just to have 'em in the house, it's, you know...

It breaks your heart. Sorry. I know what it feels like, so... Yeah, just to have 'em at home.

In these situations, sometimes you lose faith in people that are around,

then something like this happens and they all come from everywhere. It's unbelievable.

'Just two days to go. Better make sure our Gabby's happy. No time to change things now.'

Are you happy about the decision we made in here? That's brilliant. Yeah? Jules has done a fabulous job.

They carried the white into this section. Good design decision.

So that's a good design decision. Yeah. I've got another one for you. What's that?

You are joking?

We sorted it for you, babe.

There we go. Oh, my word! That is the worst thing I've ever seen.

What are we going to do? What do you mean? We've done it.

No, but really, what are we going to do?

I don't think you actually get it. Really, we've done it. That's it.

'What's her problem? Cats can climb.'

Yeah, she loves it, lads!

It's just the worst thing I've ever seen.

Mark!

SHE LAUGHS

'Didn't her mum warn her about putting her hands in areas like that?' Ow!

I'm here. Right here. Who's that?

Oh, my God, it's Chris!

I can't let go. I feel like I'm holding you from falling off a cliff.

Please, Chris, I'll make you TWO cups of tea. I can't.

'I promise he will let her go. The garden path has arrived.

'Well, the concrete for it has and it's all hands to the pump.'

See this little, short person behind me? Can you fill his right up?

'Everybody who has helped us out on this deserves a medal. There are extraordinary people here.'

Somebody told me you've been ill. Yes, I got diagnosed with leukaemia... I'm still ill now.

I got diagnosed with leukaemia when I were 14, I think... 15, actually. 15. In March.

There were some points where it were horrible cos it were like life and death.

My family have always been there for me and helped me get through it.

So I've never really been down. I've always put 100% in everything.

Hey... Eh?

Go on then. Get back to work! All right. LAUGHTER

'What a top lad! His family must be so proud of him.

'The last day is Gabby's day when everything comes together and the cushions come out. In theory!'

Is upstairs ready to go pretty much?

We're still fitting the hoist in Joshua's room, so I can't get in there.

We've still got some electrics to finish in Danielle's room, so I can't get in there.

In the master bedroom, we've got the carpet and wardrobes going down.

Have we got enough cushions though?

I'm not sure. We might need just an extra two. Really?

'She really does love her cushions.'

Steve...? We've just got to get the lift up out the way, so the guys can get the flooring down. Yeah.

But we should be all up and running by tonight? Yeah. Brilliant. Thank you very much.

I can do all that. On day one, you said, "We were collared up at the top of the road.

"We thought we'd give you a hand." It's day nine.

We're still here for the little lad cos we've got children.

After day one we said we'd come back for day two, then three, four...

Then it was eight and nine and here we are hanging pictures.

'Do you know what? Without chaps and chapesses like these, how else would we finish our big build in the time?

'When we arrived, we found a much loved home

'and a family struggling to look after their severely disabled son.

'Without having the space or facilities they desperately needed,

'it was becoming impossible to care for Joshua at home.'

Joshua's health has deteriorated. He chokes, he's got a suction machine, a nebuliser.

He's developed epilepsy, so he needs to be upstairs near us.

'With mum Michelle suffering from a serious back condition,

'lifting and carrying her growing son was putting her health at risk.

'Without their house being adapted, the family faced a future where they may be forced to part.'

If he's not here, he's not part of the family.

We just want Joshua with us. With me, Michelle and Danielle.

'So what did we and builders from the local community do?

'Well, we made space. We took a modest semi

'and built a generous two-storey extension to house everything the family needs to care for Josh.

'The kitchen/diner was a no-go area for Joshua's wheelchair.

'It's now an open-plan space all on one level, so Josh can be part of everyday family life,

'the kind of life we all take for granted.

'We re-designed the lounge, so everyone can relax together.

'This house has been opened up for Josh to join in.

'Michael and Michelle won't have to carry Josh any more.

'We fitted a lift and hoist system that will take the strain,

'meaning the family can get help at home at last.

'Josh's bedroom was a cramped room taken up by a hospital bed.

'We've made a space where Josh can safely and easily be moved around.

'Even into his bathroom...

'..where a raised changing area and bath will save Michelle's back from extra strain.

'For Danielle, we've created a room fit for a teenager,

'so she can have her own friends to stay whenever she wants.

'Michael and Michelle's cluttered bedroom has gone.

'It's now a calm space to relax in.

'And the family bathroom that they all struggle to use has been given a modern, bright facelift.

'But we didn't stop there.

'Outside, we've built a deck and path

'which will make the whole garden accessible to Josh for the first time.

'All up, this is a proper family home

'and should see them right into the future.'

Right, we've had to take your house apart and do a lot with it, so this is going to be a bit of a shock,

but we hope you like it. Open your eyes.

SHE GASPS Oh, my God!

It's just... I didn't expect this.

I really, really didn't expect this.

It's completely different.

Oh, do you... Oh!

Wow! No, I didn't expect this at all.

It's just completely...

The key thing is the floor is the same throughout the ground floor. This used to be your dining room.

Right. Oh, my... Wow!

We thought we'd expand the kitchen whilst we're at it. Yeah?

Have a wander round. It's your kitchen.

Oh, I've got a dishwasher! I've never had a dishwasher before.

Organised. Storage space. Storage space. Loads of storage space over there and over here too.

There's a cat flap. One of the most important things(!)

And you'll have noticed now also your new dining room.

Wow! I just didn't...

Oh, my word! As dreams, I didn't expect this. Josh can just be everywhere.

Well, he can sit in with me, can't he? Yeah.

He can be in with us all the time now.

There's no reason why he can't be in the kitchen or the dining room.

I'm being nosey now. Just press it.

Wow! It's fantastic, isn't it?

I completely forgot about the lift. It was only because I went round the corner. I completely forgot.

The most important thing and I just forgot! But that's the great thing.

The house has to be functional for Josh and for you to move him around,

but we didn't want it to feel like a house that felt like it had been built around just the functionality.

The key being that you can access all the way round, so if the family are round the table,

it is the easiest thing in the world to wheel Josh up to be part of your mealtime.

I can't believe like ten days ago...

Yeah, that's it. I never imagined that it would look anything like this.

We can just bring him in with us. He can be in with us all the time. It's fantastic, lovely.

It's not our house!

Oh, wow!

If you opened that door and walked out, you'd be walking on to the roof of your garage? Yeah, falling out.

Well, take a little stroll down and open it and see what's there.

Oh!

This is our little boy's room.

He's got his own little bedroom. Look at the lights on the ceiling!

SOBBING He's got his own little bedroom. Are you all right? It's all for him.

He's finally got a proper bedroom.

It's a proper bedroom with a proper area.

You can get an extra bed in if anyone needs to sleep in with him.

Look up at the stars! There you go. He'll love that at night. That's going to be ideal.

It's about being relaxed.

It's brilliant. Then how do you get him everywhere else?

Well, this is where this whole winch system comes in,

so you can bring it all the way to the lift if you need to.

Once you get him, you can bring him up to here and across to the bed.

When you need to take him out of the bed, you can pick him up.

You might like to come through this way to see the other part of this.

Look at that.

Yeah, his own bathroom, so with the winch you can take him across to the bath.

You'll notice a couple of things about the bath. It's set higher

which makes it easier for you to look after him.

I just didn't imagine the space being anything like this.

It just feels massive.

It's going to make life just so much easier. It's a proper little boy's bedroom.

He's an eight-year-old boy who's never had this.

He just had a tiny little room with a big hospital-looking bed in there and that was it.

Now he's got a proper bedroom. He's got a proper little boy's bedroom, a normal bedroom, hasn't he? Yeah.

For once, I'm actually speechless.

Yeah.

Shall we see what we've done for Danielle?

Oh!

Oh, my God! This used to be our bedroom.

This is amazing. Oh, my God, she's going to love this!

Oh, and the most important pictures of Harry! Oh, yeah, yeah.

This is brilliant. It's got a proper desk as well. There's everything she wanted. That's fantastic.

Do you think she'll be pleased with this? We always have to put Josh first and she goes along with it.

You know, she accepts it.

Everything was always about Joshua. Anything we did was about making life easier for Joshua.

Now it's been done for her.

If that's Josh's bathroom, you need to see...

Let's do your bathroom on the way to your bedroom. How's that?

We didn't imagine... We thought the bathroom would just be the same.

Oh, we've got a bath! And a proper shower.

We've got a bath again. I know. We haven't had a bath for years. No.

We heard that. Yeah!

I love this - sparkly. I love this.

Bit of glamour. The tiling's brilliant. I like sparkle.

Right, bedroom then. Come on.

Oh, wow!

Look at this.

This feels so much bigger.

A proper grown-up bed, look. Yeah.

Does this mean I get...

I imagine the way this will work is... My stuff in here?

No, you won't get that because that's the hanging area.

You won't get that because... That's my shoes. That's shoes. And handbags.

And then, um...

Yeah, you can have that bit. Just that bottom bit. Yeah. Not the top bit.

That's way more than I had before!

We just didn't expect this. We didn't expect all these rooms to be done. No.

When we arrived here, it felt like the house that you loved was kind of fighting you... Yeah.

What we've done with the house is just changed it around,

so it's now working with you in everything that you do.

It will do and not just for now. It's everything we need for the future.

We've left out one room which is the living room.

Shall we have a look at that, then chat about the house in general? Yeah.

Wow!

I've got a corner sofa. I've always wanted a corner sofa.

Go and have a seat in it. We've even got a little table, look.

Being all gangster, yeah, yeah.

So it kind of doesn't feel like your house any more? No, no.

It's like being in a show home.

I love the curtains. I think Joshua will struggle more.

He'll come in and it'll be very different. It's back to front, this room. But once he's used to it...

I'm speechless. It's just amazing.

It's like a brand-new house.

Once we put our hands up on your behalf to ask for help,

your whole community turned out. Yeah, yeah. It's just...

It's just... It amazes me.

They don't know us. They've done this and they've given up their time.

They've done all this and they don't know us. It's so much to take in.

I'm speechless.

This is way over and above what we ever thought could be done.

We never imagined anything like this.

Oh, God! I can't wait to move back in.

Do you want to come and see your bedroom? Yeah.

Oh!

I love it.

It's really nice and it's massive.

I know you really wanted pictures of Billy up on the walls,

but we couldn't get any, so we found these blokes. I'm not quite sure who they are. Who is he?

Harry Styles. That would be the person written over your T-shirt.

Yeah. You're the future Mrs Harry Styles, are you?

Have a little sit on the bed. Go on, try it out.

It's really comfy.

It was very important to us that we actually sorted out a really nice bedroom for you.

You have to put up with a lot and you do it so well.

You're so amazing and you put up with so much,

we just wanted to make it special for you.

I love you.

Oh, wow! Remember we promised you that nowhere would be a Josh-free zone? Yeah.

That included the garden. Despite the torrential rain over the last few days,

some local landscapers, gardeners and garden designers and people were out here in that terrible weather,

creating this garden and laying this path.

Essentially, you've got full access all the way round. He's never been in his chair out into the garden.

Look at that, all nice and level.

Does that mean I'll have to learn what's a weed and what's a flower now? Look at that, eh?

Where are we going?

Look, look!

- Josh, look! - He's got his own bath!

Are we going to have some bubble baths?

Are we going to have some jacuzzi bubble baths in here?

Shall we have some jacuzzi bubble baths?

Do you think we can both fit in there, Josh?

Do you? Eh? Do you think we can both have a bubble bath?

It's a lot to take in, isn't it, mister? You'll get used to it. It's good though, eh?

Isn't it good? Eh?

Yeah...

Are we ready, family?

Look at all these people.

This is the family you've been working for all week. This is your client.

And not everybody who's worked on it can be here. No.

It gives you an idea of the number of people who have worked on it this week. Anything you'd like to say?

Just a massive thank you. Thank you. We can't possibly thank all of you enough.

You know, we're just so grateful you gave up your time to do this for us

and for Joshua and D and...

You know, Joshua's got a proper little bedroom now. An apartment.

A boy's bedroom. Yeah, an apartment now.

Are you laughing? Are you laughing?

Is that for you, mister?

I can't thank you enough. You don't know what this means to us.

It's been a lot of downs, to be honest. We've not had too many ups.

I think this will change our lives for the better now, for good. You know, it's...

We've got a house that we don't have to worry about for the future now.

Joshua can grow up here and there's never going to be any issues.

We don't ever have to worry about leaving or him leaving us. It's brilliant.

It's fantastic. I don't know how you've done it. I really don't.

We did the kitchen. It's brilliant. I haven't seen it yet. Have you not?

Thank you so much. It's just amazing.

We put the cladding on top. Right, yeah. The brick cladding.

This street has been fantastic.

We had all our apprentices come and work here all week. We've had people here every day.

Angela is the quickest assembler of special needs equipment I've ever seen. We were so stumped by it.

Michael said an interesting thing to me this week. "We undervalue normal."

Normal is sitting in front of the telly saying, "We always do this."

Normality is the kids fighting and running round the house, causing problems.

Normality is something that a family does together all the time.

It's something that this family couldn't do because Josh was excluded from so much of the house.

And the way these people have worked on this house has meant they've given him that back.

They've given him a little bit of normality. It's really important.

Maybe you know someone who needs your help.

Sadly, in April this year, Joshua lost a long battle with pneumonia

and passed away peacefully at home surrounded by his family.

The family want to say a massive, heartfelt thank you to all the trades, individuals and companies

that helped transform their home.

It meant the last few precious months were spent with Joshua at home where he felt safe and happy

and that made a huge difference.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd