The Big Build - Warrington DIY SOS

It's just really shocking how it could happen to someone,

just...click of your fingers and everything just changes in one go.

We're here to help a man struck down by a devastating stroke.

It's very, very hard, yeah.

You don't appreciate what you've got till it's gone.

It just upsets me, seeing my dad helpless

and then seeing my mum get upset and sometimes, it just gets to you

and...oh, I'm so sorry.

It's hard, isn't it? It is hard.

Once again, we're going to need the whole community to come

together for a fellow tradesman.

He's kind of one of us, you get to change life for him,

his wife and the two girls, so are we all up for this?

THEY CHEER

We have all your favourite members of the team,

and Charlie Luxton the environmental designer,

but where are we going to find people to do this in just nine days?

Maybe we should shout, "Help!"

ALL: Help!

Yes, this is DIY SOS: The Big Build!

This 1930s three-bed semi in Warrington, Cheshire,

is home to electrician Dave, his wife Anna

and their two daughters, 22-year-old Emma and Amy, who's 19.

They've lived here since the girls were born and both Dave

and Anna worked hard to make a loving family home.

You look after your family, you're providing for them,

you've got a home for them to stay -

you've got to try your hardest, you can't give up.

A healthy, fit man with no history of illness,

when Dave woke up one morning complaining of a headache,

Anna had no reason to suspect it was anything sinister.

Next minute, I got this phone call saying he'd just

collapsed at work, so it was a real shock.

At just 47, Dave suffered a massive stroke and was rushed to hospital.

To relieve the pressure on his brain,

Dave underwent emergency surgery,

where doctors removed a third of his skull.

Luckily, he woke up, and then it was a matter of whether we could

communicate with him, and the first thing he did was we made him

put his thumb up

and that was he did, he put his thumb up, yeah.

But the road to recovery has been a long one.

It's like being in a shell - you know what's happening,

but you can't do anything about it.

I mean, I've got some movement in my leg and I'm made up for that

and my arm, but with my thoughts and that,

it's like...you can't seem to get out

what you want to say, it's very frustrating.

It's just really shocking how it could happen to someone,

just...like, at the click of your fingers, someone can just

suffer that, sort of, massive impact on their life

and everything just changes in one go.

After five months in hospital, Dave is now back at home.

For the past year, he's been confined

to the family's old dining room

where a hospital bed has been shoehorned in.

It's here he eats, sleeps and washes,

and is now a virtual prisoner in his own home.

He can't even get around his garden, that was once his passion.

The world Anna knew has now been completely shattered -

she's been forced to give up work as Dave needs round-the-clock care.

Right, just put your feet on the floor.

She's pretty much his carer 24/7, like, she's such a loving and caring

person and the way she's dealt with everything that's gone on

and how she's looked after my dad, it's just unbelievable.

I do think that there's not a lot of people

that could do as much as she does.

She puts such a brave face on and I just think she's amazing.

It's very, very hard, yeah.

But it's not Dave's fault and I don't want him

ever to feel as though he's a burden, if you know what I mean, he's not.

It's clear the family have rallied round to do the best

they can for Dave, but now the simplest of everyday tasks

have become a gruelling ordeal.

The family's only bathroom is upstairs,

so with Anna's help, Dave has to resort to using

a commode in the kitchen, which is far from ideal.

I would say that would be the part for me, that, the toilet

because it's...

The word you use is the right word, dignity, it's...

To ask you...like...

..Anna to do that sort of thing don't come natural to me,

I don't think it should happen, and I do feel...not ashamed

but just to take that burden away from her would be fantastic.

It's a tragic situation that has affected the whole family.

Emma and Amy have seen their world turned upside down

and are doing everything they can to support their mum and dad.

I don 't want to put myself before my dad

because my dad is very important to me,

and, erm, sorry...

I just think that they deserve something back for a change

and I try my hardest to help them out with that.

Sorry.

If that means me putting my life on hold for a little while, I don't mind.

For such a loving family struck down in a moment of tragedy,

it's simply not right for them to face a future living like this.

It's a situation we just couldn't ignore,

which is why we're here to help.

So what's the main overarching theme, then,

in what we try and do with the house?

Well, for me, it's for getting a bedroom for Dave and a bathroom

so we can have the kitchen back and we can eat as a family.

We sit in there, and Mum sits in there with my dad, cos there's no space,

cos obviously it's, like, the bed and then, like, a chair,

so unless we're all sat around the bed...

It is a bit of a squeeze, so, it would be nice

just to have that extra space so we could spend time as a family

again and not have to be as separated.

So, as a couple,

what do you miss most that the house is stopping you doing?

Dave sleeps downstairs and I sleep upstairs.

You miss cuddling up to him? Yeah, I miss cuddles, yeah.

So we want to try and get that back together.

SHE LAUGHS

Yeah.

Look at his face, "Yeah"!

HE LAUGHS

All right, we'll do our best, again...

All right, smashing - let's get you under way, then, shall we?

Right, we've had a fantastic turn-out this morning,

there must be 40 builders here already,

but make no mistake - even with all this manpower,

the pressure is on to get the job done,

because, as usual, we've only got nine days.

Here we go, so we thought we'd bring the family over to say hello.

How you doing, mate? Not so bad.

All right, how are you?

Are you an electrician as well?

Yeah, yeah.

So you're going to be pointing the finger at everything that we do.

Just get me over there if you want my help.

You've got a good one here with Ray, he's a good electrician.

Lovely! Nice to know there's at least one on-site.

THEY LAUGH

Right, we'd better get you off or we can't start work.

Lovely to see you all. Thanks very much.

The lad you met there, Dave, was a sparkie,

working as an electrician, so he's kind of one of us.

You get to change life for him, his wife and the two girls,

so are we all up for this?

THEY CHEER

Lovely, thank you ever so much, thank you, guys.

It's a real squeeze just to get everyone in through the front door.

A bit claustrophobic.

We've got to make this small house bigger for the family

and this means extending out at the rear.

To keep the build on-track,

we've had to get these foundations in beforehand.

Basically, Colin turned up and did all the groundwork for us.

Ah, lovely, thank you very much. And the drainage.

Got all this sorted for the timber frame.

Very good of you to come in and do this for us, we've got

half a chance now, haven't we? Top man.

We've only been here five minutes

and we've already knocked seven bells out of the place.

At this stage, you can really start to see

the huge task we've set ourselves.

It's going to be a massive challenge to get the house working better for the family,

and that's down to our designer, Charlie Luxton.

Handsome, isn't he?

Charlie's background is in architecture and it will

take all his expertise to get the house working better for Dave's

medical needs, whilst retaining the feel of a loving family home

for Anna and the girls.

But that's why he's here - to get the balance right.

So what's your plan? Basically, the issue is at the moment...

Well, up until now, Dave has been, as you know, having to live

in the sitting room and kitchen area,

that's where he's spending all his time.

And the truth is we haven't got the room to put a lift in

so he's got to stay down here, hasn't he? Yes.

We've got to make this like a proper living area.

The big issue is it's not a big house -

wheelchair access has been a real problem,

so we're having to knock a lot of stuff out just to get a wheelchair around.

We're ripping out the old kitchen

and building a new timber frame extension to the rear

to create a kitchen-dining area that the whole family can use.

This extension will also house the downstairs bedroom and wet room

Dave so desperately needs.

The whole ground floor is going to be levelled

and the doorways widened so Dave has access throughout.

Upstairs, we're completely re-doing Emma and Amy's rooms

and the third bedroom is going to become a space where mum, Anna,

can retreat to.

Along with all this, we're renovating the family bathroom.

At the front, we're building in a new, level driveway

so Dave will have access in and out of the house in his chair - crucial.

That just leaves the rear. We're creating a fully accessible

space as Dave loves gardening and it's Charlie's aim to get him

back out there, which will help maximise his recovery.

Because he's very much based at the house

and getting out is very difficult for him,

what we want to try and do is give him a destination within the home,

so we're getting rid of this garage here

which has sort of seen better days.

That's his man cave. Yeah, but we're replacing the man cave, you see.

We're building him a new man cave down the back garden

that's properly insulated, double-glazed windows,

so he can come down from the house, across this kind of yard,

which is going to be a Japanese-inspired yard,

to...man cave here with greenhouse, and then raised beds down one side.

Then his Acer collection running down this side here,

so he can really experience his plants.

Nice. Chelsea next year?

I don't think so, unless someone invites me.

Well, who knows?

HE LAUGHS

Available for Chelsea and pantomime, I should imagine,

still even at this late date.

With Dave's old man cave off to the skip,

there's no turning back now,

but the rear of the house is almost as rickety as Dave's shed.

This wooden lintel is nowhere near strong enough to hold

the weight of the new extension.

We need to replace it with a steel one,

and there's no room for error.

And let's be honest, Mark can't measure for toffee.

No, no, no, let somebody else measure it.

No, Nick, I can do it. Let somebody else measure it.

No, I can do it. Why are you called "Hundred Millar"?

Would you mind going and measuring this?

Because he's always 100 mil out.

Don't touch that tape! Rip it off him. I can do it!

No, rip it off him.

'Measure once, cut twice - that's Mark's motto.

'Now, people say talking isn't crucial.'

Rotate that side in, that side out slightly and go out towards you.

'See? Crucial - made it work.'

Went like clockwork that, poetry in motion.

When it comes to smashing things up,

there's no better man for the job than Jules.

Just don't let him near your garden -

not so much as green fingers as red mist.

Rather than hand dig them all,

why don't we just cut them all off at the bottom

and then rip all the roots out with the machine?

Did you ask Charlie?

Too late now, ain't it?

Charlie, the front garden - sorry to interrupt.

Can we rip all those shrubs out at the front?

Can I come and have a look? Why?

Well, in case we save some. Let's go, let's go, let's go.

You've got a real sensitive touch

with the living...with living things, haven't you, Jules?

Well, this is the best way to do it, prune them, and then, erm...

Regrowth, they'll regenerate...in the skip.

I think calling that "pruning"

is incredibly loose use of the word "prune".

I think the word "massacre" might be...

No, "prune" as in "it will shrivel up".

It will shrivel up pretty small... And die. Yeah!

LAUGHTER

Hey, look! Dead!

In Jules's defence, we do need this area

for access to the front of the house.

He's not just devastating wildlife.

The shrubs in the front garden are not the only thing heading for the skip -

the plaster downstairs is as dead as Jules' veg patch.

Chris will be busy, then.

It's tired, right? It's given up.

The sparkies have put the cables in,

the plumbers have been, so they've cut little holes in,

and normally, you can get away with patching it.

But with this age of house,

you're better off taking it back to the beginning and starting again.

And upstairs is no better - it's like a bag of old biscuits.

I think all the plaster's gone in all the rooms.

All the plaster's gone in all the rooms?

We weren't supposed to be doing upstairs that much.

Says who? Well, that was the plan. Whose plan? THE plan.

You'd think a programme like this would be planned months in advance

and that there'd be incredibly intelligent people

at the BBC doing it. This is it!

No, no! It's not even this good! It's Mark.

Yeah, that's it!

Let's pray for no more surprises,

and we've got someone who's turned up this week

to give us a hand with that.

So, I've often thought it might be a good idea

to have somebody in touch with God on our jobs.

I believe so, I've seen your work!

Nice to see a man of the cloth. Yeah, yeah, happy to help.

It's just what I used to do in a previous life, so...

You were a builder first?

Fitter-welder I started off as at a company in Stockport,

which is where I come from.

What do you make of this? Church is all about community,

and bringing the community together

and working with the people in the community.

That's what we get on these sites - community coming together.

It's fantastic to see a community coming together to support someone -

having heard about Dave's story, what he's gone through

and it relates to a friend of mine who had a stroke at 40,

it really resonates.

It's nice that we can help his guy

and it's good to see the community get together.

Yeah. Really good community.

What will you be throwing you hand into doing?

I'll just labour and whatever you want me to do, I'll do it.

I'm not bad at making tea. Really? Yeah, yeah.

All right, well, that will put Billy out of the job

cos that's all he's allowed to do on-site these days.

It's not just spiritual support we're relying on today.

Thankfully, the new steel has arrived to replace the old wooden lintel

so we can start to put some much-needed strength

back into the rear of the house,

and get the extension up and attached.

Not too far out, are we?

No, it's all right, that.

It's gone in like a hand in a glove,

which is always a surprise when Mark's been the one measuring it.

It's been a full-on first day -

just look at the expression on their faces.

But also, look at what we've achieved already.

It's late, but nonetheless, people are still working,

all the electricians working in there.

An opening's been made at this end,

the steel's gone in up here, loads of plumbing's gone in.

Over this side, we've taken the chimney out,

which has made loads of room, and if you follow me,

we have another opening, two more steels,

and out here, an extension already.

Isn't it amazing what people can do

when they all get together and help each other? Lovely.

What we've done today is nothing short of a miracle.

I've heard it said, "He works in mysterious ways" -

Billy, that is.

Has it been good working with a man of the cloth?

You've got to apologise every time you swear - not that I swear,

but some people swear, and they've had to keep apologising.

I think he's takes it very well overall. Not a problem. It's OK.

Let's face it, when He made the world in seven days,

He must have sworn a few times when He was putting the world together?

He must have hit a few snags along the way? Got a few sizes wrong?

"That pine tree I put on the side of that mountain is far too big.

"I can't see over that roof window."

There's a lot of building in the Bible, isn't there?

Jesus was a carpenter. No, he weren't! Yeah, he was!

He went around the country in his sandals and his robes.

He was Joseph's apprentice.

Yes. No!

Yeah, he was! He was!

If you can get hold a Jesus cabinet, it's worth a fortune now, honestly!

LAUGHTER

Yeah, but not many around, though!

ALL LAUGH

Morning, day two.

There's certainly no going back now,

we've pretty much taken the whole house back to bricks and mortar.

I haven't really had a look around upstairs,

but we're cleaning all the various rooms up

and we weren't supposed to be touching them,

but as you can see from this room in here,

plainly, there has been a lot more going on up here than we thought.

As Chris said, it's kind of doubled the amount of plastering

that we were going to do.

That's the nature of the job, though.

We'll just have to get plasterers in, and more plaster

and more plasterboard and go for it.

I'm usually a glass-half-full sort of bloke,

but looking around, there's far more work than we thought.

It's bad news and there's plenty more to go around this morning.

We have an issue already.

You know your garden room,

your insulated man cave that you were going to build? Yeah.

Not happening. Why?

Cos the guy that was going to build it has pulled out. Really?

I'm not even winding you up.

We've just had a message through that he's not turning up.

He was going to come and build that and he's not going to do it now.

You're not winding me up? That's what's happened.

You're very suspicious of me!

But the truth of the matter is it is bad news for you

and bad news for the build, because it is an important part of the build

that he has that sort of man space to operate in.

But at the moment, it's looking like it's not going to happen.

It's a blow.

We all know how vital these features are going to be for Dave.

No-one more so than his best mate, Garry,

who's helping us out this week with the electrics.

The long and short of it is

you've known Dave for a long time, haven't you?

I have. I've known him since '92.

I first knew him working alongside him as an electrician.

We got to become good friends, really decent lad.

I was majorly shocked when I got the phone call

to say he'd dropped down in work,

and the first thing I did was went over to Anna to Arrowe Park

to see her at the hospital

and the biggest shock, as you can imagine.

How have they managed as a family, do you think?

I think that Anna's done marvellous,

the girls, being involved the way they are and everything else.

I'm just glad that he's going to get what he deserves.

For you, as his mate, to see all these people turn up

and get stuck into the house.

It is dramatically going to turn his life around,

so I can't wait to see his face.

Aw... I can't wait to see his face.

You know, the fact that Dave was an electrician has really hit home

for everybody on-site and they're all there to give a fellow tradesman

the helping hand he desperately needs -

which is lucky, as Dave's all-important man cave

in the garden fell through earlier.

Maybe the team who put up our timber frame could step in

and do us one last favour.

PHONE RINGS

John, we've got a problem, I hope you might be able to help us.

We were having a garden room built at the back of the house,

and the gentlemen who was doing it

has to pull out off the job because his wife's taken really ill.

And we're wondering if there was any chance

you could make a frame up for it?

Basically, could you make us another tiny timber-frame house for the back garden?

You are a gentleman. Thank you very much indeed.

Briefly, what we're talking about - 8-9 metres...

It's been cut... What's happened, Charlie?

It was somebody else with a similar name!

Oh, John!

LAUGHTER

It's all on. It's all all right, don't worry, mate.

The guy's back on. It was someone with the same name

that pulled out of the job.

Flipping 'eck.

You know, with so many trades turning up on these jobs,

I'm amazed things like that don't happen more often.

But it is a relief as the man cave

is going to give Dave a chance to claw back

some of the independence he's lost.

For a man as active as Dave, who was so passionate about gardening,

and loved to go out dancing with Anna,

it must be all the harder to come to terms with his situation.

I'm not sure how you begin to get your head around it,

but I do know he takes great solace with his weekly meetings

at a local support group who have helped him to try and find a way

of dealing with life since the stroke.

Being that man who provided and looked after the family,

it must be that much harder then to come to terms

with the situation you're in now?

I've come to terms with the stroke.

I'm just glad I had the chance to have some life,

if you know what I mean, because last year,

there was a possibility I might not be here,

and if you've got that situation there

where you're going to completely miss everything,

to what you are now, with maybe a few disabilities,

I'd take that every time.

I've got to think to myself, "I've had a stroke."

It is...how can I say?

It's a massive thing in my life,

but I've got to push on.

I know you're a man who takes a great deal of pride

in his independence.

How tough is it that Anna has had to become your carer?

I think she's been brilliant.

I feel, sometimes, I wish I could do more for her

because she deserves it, she works so hard, and, um...

Hell of a girl you've got there.

I have. I've got the best, and that's the truth, that.

I've got the best.

I mean, next year, 25 years' marriage.

Who could ask for more?

For a fantastic woman,

you know, a good friend,

good family friend to the kids,

always done provide for them and all that,

you can't ask for more.

I know you know some of your mates are working on the site

but it's full of people who don't know the family.

What are you hoping to see when you come back?

Do you know, not meaning anything, don't take this the wrong way,

I'm not bothered about seeing anything, really.

It's...as long as things are all right for Anna,

they'll be fine for me.

Cos at the end of the day, I know you're saying it's all about me,

but it's all about me wife, and if that can help her

to keep us going, and our relationship,

that would be great, that would be fantastic.

I know Dave struggles with the fact

Anna has had to become his full-time carer.

Through it all, I think this is the hardest thing he's had to accept.

That's why we're working into the night -

to give Dave, Anna and the girls

a house that is going to work far better for them

in all the hard years ahead.

What a perfect end to the day.

Floor going in, plasterers all gathered in the front room

discussing what point of action they're going to do tomorrow.

Over ten tonnes of concrete is going into the new kitchen and bedroom

to create a level floor area throughout the downstairs.

You know, every aspect of the build is designed to relieve

some of the pressures the whole family are under every day,

a situation Dave's friend

and fellow electrician, Ray, knows only too well.

What do you think he'll make of this?

He'll be made up, cos he can get access

to all the parts of his house now,

into the garden and into this room, as well.

99% of the people that's on this build

don't know David, Anna and the girls.

It will hopefully get them back up and running, quick as possible.

When he knows that people from out of town who don't know him

have spent two weeks on the build helping out,

he will get a bit emotional, I think.

Inspiring, isn't it?

That's it. It's in the bag, isn't it?

Floor's in and levelled out. Isn't it mad?

Tomorrow, we're boarding and skimming all this area,

and then, the following day,

there'll be a kitchen exactly where I'm standing.

Proper job. Proper job.

We're at the halfway point now,

the whole house is being boarded from top to bottom

so we can start to get some plaster on the walls.

And in the garden, the team have started on Dave's awesome man cave.

Now, Charlie tells me he's never designed a garden before,

and although it doesn't look much yet,

if Charlie pulls this off, it really could propel his career

to the stratospheric heights of Titchmarsh and Beardshaw.

Dare to dream, Charlie! Dare to dream.

Do you know what I want in life?

I want a giant pair of scissors and I want to open a supermarket.

Do you really? Yeah, have you ever opened a supermarket?

No-one's ever asked me. I'd quite like to open a...

Not sure there's so much supermarket opening going on, these days. Seems a shame, though.

Let's see if we can find a pair of giant scissors and a ribbon to cut,

you could open this garden before we show it off.

I'd love to - anything with a giant scissors and ribbons,

I'd be happy. Made up.

BOTH LAUGH

Anything to make you happy, Charlie.

Outside, Billy's involved in a meeting of minds.

CHILD: Thank you for your help, Billy.

Oh, thank you very much.

Oh, were these made at the weekend? Yes. Ta, princess. Thank you, kids.

Right, guys, what have we got to say to all of the builders?

Why have you come down? Thank you.

Thank you very much. Pardon? Thank you!

Sorry? THANK YOU!

Oh, thank you! Who's got a skateboard? Not me.

I got on my grandson's a skateboard the other day,

and I come down the path,

and I hit some steps and I fell into a load of rubble.

When I went to the doctor's,

I told him it hurt when I touch there, it hurt when I touch there,

and it hurt when I touch there.

Do you know what he said?

I broke me finger.

LAUGHTER

Tough crowd, Billy. Tough crowd.

Inside, Chris has got some crowd control issues of his own.

You know where all the kit is? Where all the gear is? Yeah.

Excellent Nice one, cheers.

There's eight plasterers upstairs.

Chris and his team are getting some plaster on the walls

to transform this building site into a home, which is good to see.

We've got to hit these key stages to keep the build on target,

otherwise, everything simply unravels.

Working under such tight timescale

is certainly not good for our blood pressure.

Jane from the Stroke Association is here to give us the once over.

You've got the best blood pressure out of all of them. Yes!

Isn't that just cos he is low? No, it's nothing to do with that.

He's smaller so he wouldn't have as much pressure, would he?

You've come to do some blood pressure tests on us

to make sure that we're all healthy,

but it was you that wrote in to get us to come to do this.

When David got discharged after having a devastating stroke,

I came to do home visits to his house.

David was sleeping in a hospital bed

with a hoist there, with a commode there, you know.

If Anna was doing cooking and he needed to use the commode...

It's just his dignity, it's his self-esteem. It was everything.

I've been working for the Stroke Association for ten years,

and I've noticed people are getting younger and younger,

and it's happening younger and younger and devastating.

Because, as I say, with David, he had a great life.

He was working, Anna was working,

had a lovely life with their two daughters -

danced, he was an excellent dancer.

Then, all of a sudden, in the blink of an eye, it's all changed.

What's becoming clear is just how much disability

affects the whole family.

Anna has taken on so much to become Dave's full-time carer

and I know how much Emma and Amy worry about their mum, too.

Talking to your mum, probably the most difficult thing

was going from wife and mum to a carer for your dad.

I think it is hard for her to deal with sometimes, like,

cos you've got to think - every morning,

she's up early and she goes downstairs and she sees to my dad

and she with trying to move me dad about and stuff.

It affects her health and she gets tired out and things like that.

She's still taking care of me and Amy

cos she doesn't want us to feel like anything's different...

Like she's not there for us any more.

We're always saying to her, "We'll stay in with Dad",

cos we're the only other help there that can let her go out

and have some time with her friends.

She doesn't do that very often, does she? No.

She doesn't like putting on us, but we don't mind,

but she says, "Oh, no! You're only young".

She's just being a mum, isn't she?

Your mum tries very hard to protect you.

She tries not to show us,

but she does have her down days, doesn't she?

She doesn't know who else to speak to, sometimes,

but we don't mind that, because we're here for her.

Is that the hardest thing, seeing your mum cry? Yeah.

Sorry...

It just upsets me, seeing my dad helpless,

and then seeing my mum get upset.

Sometimes, it just gets to you and..

Oh, I'm so sorry. It's all right,

There's nothing to be sorry about.

It's a tough thing, it's a lot for you to take on

at the ages that you are, to deal with these things,

and at the same time,

I know that your mum's trying so hard to protect you.

She's incredibly strong, isn't she? She is amazing, to be honest.

I don't know how she does it.

The trouble is, if she doesn't get some time off,

it's going to wear her out, isn't it? It would be nice

if you and your mum could get a day out or something.

And that's the thing I miss most, spending time with Mum.

BOTH SOB

Obviously, I'm glad to be healthy and well,

but we're really close -

close to Dad, but really, really close to Mum

and it's just changed, you know what I mean?

It's hard, isn't it? It is hard.

If we can get the house sorted out

and it's a good space for him to move around

and somebody can come and sit with him,

I think she might be able to do that, you know?

If I have one hope, it's for every element of this build

to enable Dave to do more for himself,

to take away some of the enormous pressure

Anna clearly puts herself under.

I'm starting to see just how vital

features like the new garden room will become.

Very lovely, it's like a proper man cave, ain't it? Yeah, yeah.

So, are we fully insulated? Yeah, this part is fully insulated

and you've got a double-glazed door leading into that bit there,

which is going to be a greenhouse, going to put shelving in for him.

We've got French doors coming tomorrow and we'll ramp it up,

low threshold, so he'll be able to get in and out, no problem. Lovely.

The sheer amount of detail going into every aspect of the build

is a real credit to the Warrington trades -

every one of them intent on giving one of their own, and his family,

a chance for a better future.

So, why did you decide to come and join in and help out?

Me? Yeah. Um, well...

I've always wanted to do something.

My son, he passed away, like, five years ago...

Oh, I'm sorry. Cancer and that, yeah.

And when I come in here and I seen the wheelchair and the hospital bed,

it really, you know, brought home.

Cos my son became paralysed a few months before he passed away,

and we had him at home in a hospital bed, you know?

And we were waiting for an extension to be done,

but, sadly, you know, the plans got passed after he passed away.

So, when I came here to meet everybody a few weeks ago,

that's what made me want to give something back, you know?

And how are you finding it? Are you finding being involved with this

and joining in is like giving you something back?

Course it is, yeah. Very much so.

Cos lots of people, lots of family and friends helped me and my family

when we were in need of help, so...

I'd like to do something for somebody else that's in need, you know?

Fantastic, thank you very much, mate. Appreciate you coming on.

Everyone on this build has their reasons for helping,

but hearing Mick's story is truly humbling.

Morning. Just a couple of days to go now

and the deliveries keep on coming in.

These bricks have just turned up,

so we can start to lay the front driveway.

They assure me they can do it in record time,

but it's not the only record we're breaking today.

Never has a room been skimmed so fast!

These guys rocked up two days ago,

they've plastered the house top to bottom.

They're stood around. "Is there anything else we can do?"

I said, "Yeah, there's a shed to do."

And they wouldn't split up,

so I said, "We'll all have it, then",

Look, they've got that on in about three minutes.

I truly have never seen Chris so proud!

The plasterers of Warrington have played a blinder this week,

and we've had so many in,

they've been almost tripping over each other.

And talking of treading on toes...

Dave and Anna were keen ballroom dancers.

You ever done any dancing? Terrible. I'm a really bad dancer.

But you're quite light on your feet for a big fella. I am,

but I haven't got no rhythm.

I've got medals for ballroom dancing.

I used to do... NICK LAUGHS

What? You haven't! I have!

What, just like you had it for horse riding?

Just like you did for boxing? Just like you did for cake-making?

Billy, the Belle of the Ball, they called me.

You look into their eyes and guide them around the floor.

You're too short. You'd be looking into their chest.

Better, even better!

ALL LAUGH

Sorry, Your Grace. Sorry. Sorry, yeah...

Dave and Anna are getting back together with their ballroom friends

later this afternoon - I wondered whether you three...

I'm thinking Strictly, do you know what I mean?

It might be worth finding out whether you've still got it.

You don't lose it. Whether you might have it? I've never had it.

And whether, well...whether you've ever had it. Well, yeah.

I'm up for that.

Well, it certainly sounds like Billy knows his way

around a dance floor. We'll see.

With the whole house plastered,

we can now start to see how the new layout

is going to work for the family.

The kitchen-diner is looking the business now

and the tiling is coming along in the new wet room.

And just look at this!

Much to my amazement, Charlie's garden is really taking shape!

I'm a bit nervous, cos it seems to be going all right.

You're doing very well.

People said you couldn't pull it off, but I thought...

In fact, I said you couldn't pull it off, it wasn't "people".

I was led to believe he was a garden designer,

a professional garden designer, and he's not. I'm not.

I never said I was a garden designer,

I don't know where you got that from, I do buildings.

We thought we'd give him a go at garden designing -

what do you think? He's done a very good job.

There you go. Hey, there you go! Thank you.

I've put me card in for the next job

if you get any in Cheshire-Merseyside area.

You'd do it again? I would, I'd love to.

Why? Cos you know you're not making any money here.

No, I know I'm not making anything,

but it's nice to give something to the community

and it's nice to get involved.

I love it, I really do love it. It's great.

It never fails to amaze me, people's generosity.

And now, it's the big boys' chance

to see whether they've got what it takes

in the world of ballroom dance,

so I've sent them along to Anna and Dave's old dance class.

Well, who steers? You do. I do.

Julian, she's not a tractor!

Well, Jules has certainly got poise.

Ooh, with that sway, Chris would be better at sea, I think.

ALL LAUGH

Jules isn't the only one who should be wearing the steel toecaps.

APPLAUSE

Well, those two certainly ain't got it. We've got one last hope.

Let's see if the Belle of the Ball can live up to all the hype.

WALTZ PLAYS

Holy mackerel! He can actually dance!

Check out the moves.

That's a first! Billy can actually do something he says he can!

ALL APPLAUD

He's doing his own thing.

The man always leads!

MUSIC ENDS, CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Strictly, we await your call!

It's the final day and it seems like

the whole of Warrington has turned up to help.

The problem is getting everything in and out of the house.

It's causing a nightmare for the lads laying the driveway.

You've got me worried, mate. Have I?

You have got me worried. You don't have to be worried.

No? You don't think I should be worried? It does you no good.

I know it does me no good, but 4 o'clock,

do you think we'll be out of here by then?

You told me 8 o'clock. I didn't tell you 8 o'clock!

You did! I didn't tell you 8 o'clock, I told you 4 o'clock!

I want you out by 4 o'clock, and that's it, OK?

What time are you going to be out at? OK, I'm dying!

There's no point in shouting. Maybe you've just got to tickle people.

Call that man management?

Despite the chaos, you can start to see the house coming together now

and it's a credit to the Warrington trades.

Up here is buzzing.

Do you remember when you here

and there was loads of plasterers up here in every room?

Well, it's exactly the same, but they're a bit cleaner.

There's painters everywhere.

Painters in here, we've got painters in here,

we've got plumbers down there, look!

There's another one.

You're not coming out until it's finished!

Over the last nine days,

no corner of this house has been left untouched,

as it's got to work not just for Dave,

but the girls and Anna, too.

Over the course of the week, I've started to realise

just how much Anna has taken on, caring for Dave,

and it's been worrying me,

cos I honestly think she'll burn out if she's not careful.

What would people not understand about how life changes?

They just don't. I didn't understand how much is involved

when somebody takes poorly, and how much it affects your life

and how much it...affects everybody's life,

and Dave's and the girls' and how much you have to do.

Everything's completely opposite to how it used to be,

I just try and keep things going.

I'm hoping that he'll get better,

you've just got to keep hoping, but it is very, very hard.

I just don't tell anybody. Nobody?

Well, now and then, when I'm upset, I speak to my friends,

but I don't let Dave know,

cos I don't want him to feel like he's a burden.

Because he's been struck with disability,

it doesn't mean that you have to close your life down as much as his

and you don't have to match his disability by creating your own.

And he obviously loves you a lot. No, I know...

And if he loves you a lot, then he wouldn't want that either.

Just sometimes feel guilty, that's all.

About what? Feel guilty about what? Cos you can go and he can't? Yeah.

What is it you miss the most?

SHE GULPS

SHE SIGHS

Just the normality.

You don't appreciate what you've got until it's gone, that's all.

That's the only way I can explain it. You just don't...

You just take things for granted - everyone does, I did, everyone does.

And then, when it's turned upside down, you're like, "Oh, my God!"

Mm...but we'll be fine.

You have to find some room for a life of your own, as well.

I know we can't turn the clock back for Anna,

but we can give her a home which will give Dave more independence.

In doing this, I'm hoping Anna can find a way of living her own life,

with the girls, without the feelings of guilt she's tormented with.

There's one last feature being fitted

which will make a massive difference.

We always make a big deal when these toilets go in,

because they are a big deal for the people involved.

And for Dave, in particular, his thing was having that dignity,

and Anna having to be a carer for him,

and it makes a big change in their relationship

that she's having to do all this kind of thing for him now.

Having the freedom to actually come in and use the loo himself -

this will wash him and dry him, as well -

is a huge deal. So, erm...

One thing this toilet is not is bog-standard -

it does everything.

It cleans and dries, and so on, and so forth,

so it's an amazing thing to go in.

We're sprinting to the finish now.

Everything's really starting to come together.

This wood-burning stove is going in

to make the living room nice and toasty

and Charlie's adding some finishing touches to Dave's man cave.

Earlier on in the week, you said to me you had a dream.

It was almost like that very famous speech by Martin Luther King.

His dream was to unite black and white,

yours was to open a supermarket at some stage. Yeah.

Well, we thought we might be able to get this dream to come true.

You wanted a big pair of scissors and a tape.

Gentlemen, would you like to step across?

So, what are we opening?

Your garden.

Now, all you need now is a big pair of scissors,

I just happen to have on me - big pair of scissors.

This means a lot, guys. I'm tearing up here.

Thank you, guys. You're welcome. Thank you, team.

We couldn't have done it without you. You've been amazing.

I now declare this garden...

SNIP! ..open!

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Come in!

We arrived here in Warrington to find a family

trying to make the best of a tragic situation.

At just 47, Dave's massive stroke had left him living in one room

with devoted wife, Anna, becoming his full-time carer.

It isn't right for this once hard-working family

to live like this.

It's just really shocking how it could happen to someone,

just, like, at the click of your fingers,

someone can just suffer with that, sort of, massive impact

on their life and everything just changes in one go.

There's just no way we could ever have attempted

this amount of work alone

and it's only due to the monumental effort of the local trades

that we've done it.

In just over a week, we've turned this once dysfunctional house

into the home that will now work far better for the family.

With Dave trapped downstairs, we've pushed out to the rear

to give him the living space he so desperately needs.

The old dining room where Dave was forced to live,

has been opened up to create this beautiful kitchen-diner

which is now a space in which the whole family can get together.

The Shaker-style galley kitchen

combines simple, elegant lines with a lowered work surface

to make cooking as easy for possible for Dave to join in.

This custom-made shelving unit with built-in seating area

is now the room's magnificent centrepiece.

The new extension has allowed us

to create a master bedroom suite for Dave and Anna,

giving them a chance to sleep in the same bed together

for the first time since the stroke.

The bed is fully adjustable for Dave and we've put in these double doors

for Dave to look out over his garden.

Above all else, the aim of this build

was to solve the problem of Dave

having to wash and use a commode in the kitchen.

To do this, we've created a wet room with a disability access shower

and the specialist toilet, which now means

he doesn't need help from Anna to use the loo.

The old lounge has been transformed into a relaxing space

with a cool retro feel where the family can come and relax.

We've widened the doorway,

so Dave now has easy access from the kitchen.

The super-efficient wood burning stove and improved house insulation

will give the family added warmth through the winter months.

Emma's room has a classical, yet relaxed, feel,

which is very much in keeping with the period of the house,

whilst Amy's room is finished in soft green tones,

offset with simple, but timeless, bedroom furniture.

Charlie told me to say that.

And the third bedroom has been designed as a place for Anna

to come to relax when she needs a moment on her own.

The old family bathroom has now been completely refurbished

with these cool subway tiles.

Dave was cut off from his old garden

which has now been completely re-designed,

and I must say, Charlie's done a brilliant job.

The new space is totally wheelchair-friendly,

so he can move around independently.

We've put in this raised bed to grow veg,

and it's finished off with the stunning cedar-clad room

with greenhouse area for Dave to potter to his heart's content.

The real challenge of this build was to give the family

a home in which he has more independence,

which, in turn, will take the pressure off his wife -

somewhere which will allow Dave to face the future with dignity,

and give Anna the space she so desperately needs.

OK, so, if you're ready. Yeah.

One, two, three! Look up!

Oh, my God...

God...

It's unusual for us to show you the outside of a house first,

but the important thing is about access,

so we wanted to make sure that you could drive in,

that you could get out,

and as you can see, the ground very gently leads up to the front door.

It's a new front door which is wider than it was,

so you don't have the problems getting in and out.

It's just unbelievable, it's very nice. It's brilliant, yeah.

Shall we go and have a look? Oh, my God, it's just so easy.

God...

It really, really is beautiful. Oh, my God.

From the moment you come in through the front door and off the pathway,

everything is level throughout.

That first day, I was wrestling you around the corner.

I struggled getting him through the doors. I had to lift the wheelchair

and it hurt me back and that, but, yeah, it's a...

It's part of the reason you ended up in one room,

because you just couldn't move. I couldn't do it, yeah.

Oh, it's lovely. Thanks very much.

So, shall we go in and see the front room, first of all? Yeah.

Oh, God. Yeah. Here we go.

There we go. In you come.

I don't believe it!

Oh, it's just...my God! Dave!

You like it? Yeah, I love it, I love it!

It's just so different, it's unbelievable.

HE SIGHS

Brilliant. Dave, look! How did you know I wanted one of them?

You got your fire. I have. You didn't even know, did you?

That's beautiful, that, just in the right place and all.

Have we done all right with the room?

Oh, it's beautiful, thank you. Really is.

I couldn't ask for anything more, it's fantastic.

We've got another room to show you,

so we'll turn you around in here

and then get you out through that door.

DAVE LAUGHS

Oh, my God...

It's fantastic. Can't believe it.

Beautiful, ain't it? It is. It's lovely, it really is.

OK, let's move on down through your kitchen space here.

I just can't believe I can get you about so easy!

If you just push on a little bit further,

you can tuck underneath there.

Oh, yeah, you can do some cooking! Oh, yeah!

You'll be able to do chopping, get involved with the cooking.

Cos you like doing that, don't you?

You can prep stuff and have somebody else chef,

so you're involved with it.

You've got two doors in front of you

and the door to your right is where I think we should go next.

What do you reckon is through there? Um, bedroom.

Yeah. Ready to see this? Yeah. Right, let's go.

Gosh. Is this my bedroom?

I don't believe it!

Oh, it's beautiful.

It really is.

It really is. You're not in the kitchen any more. No.

You're not in the kitchen no more.

It's really, really nice.

Thank you, it's beautiful. It just doesn't seem real. It just...

I knew you was good, but I didn't know you was this good.

I really didn't.

It's all the builders and suppliers around here that are this good.

There's enough room for you to get the chair around the side there,

this side of the bed is a hospital bed,

this side, a standard bed.

You want it to be effective,

it's got to work for you with a disability.

But you don't want it to look like a hospital bed

and you don't want it to look like a hospital room, or a disability room.

It doesn't look like that. There is nothing about this...

No, it doesn't look like it at all. It's beautiful.

I can't wait until my first night's sleep in there, you know?

I really can't. So, we need one more thing. What are we missing?

Bathroom. Yes.

Toilet. OK, let's go and have a look.

God...

Oh, you've got a toilet, Dave.

More than a toilet, if you don't mind me saying so.

This is the all-singing, all-dancing look-after-yourself toilet.

Once that you're on it, you can be left alone.

So I don't have to ask for my wife to come and...? Fantastic!

Honestly...

HE SNIFFLES

It's brilliant, that.

That is fantastic.

As a man, you don't want your wife to do any of that, you really don't.

It's just not right. So what you've done is fantastic.

This room seems to have hit you more than any of the others, really.

Yeah, because I was doing things that I shouldn't be doing,

if you know what I mean - I appreciate everything,

but this, this was hard...

I know it sounds really awful, but it was really hard.

To go from husband and wife to carer is the toughest thing...

And not get it back, that's the thing,

you can't pull it back.

I think, with what you've done here, you've pulled it back for us

to give us another chance.

Not "another chance", but just to live life a bit better now.

That's what I mean, if that makes sense? Yeah.

And I think that's what you've done, and I can't thank you enough.

Plainly, we've made access all areas downstairs really easy for you.

But we can't access you upstairs

and we've done a bit for the rooms upstairs for the girls as well.

So I want to show the girls but not on their own,

And we talked about getting Mum and daughters together.

So, I wondered if I borrowed Anna? Yeah, sure.

But I don't want to leave you downstairs. No, I'll be fine here.

I'm not leaving you on your own,

so we thought we'd get some company for you. In you come, lads.

I don't know if you know these two at all, but, um...

Absolutely fantastic. How you doing?

Can't thank you enough, Garry. Don't worry, mate.

HE SOBS

Shall we leave him with Garry and Ray? They can catch up,

and we'll go and get the girls and see what they think.

What do you think, mate? It's fantastic!

There's a bit of a change here,

cos we've changed the rooms around a little bit.

But also, I know you're going to need, occasionally,

to not be downstairs and have a space away, so what we've done

is we've made the room in front of you an extra room,

either as a guest room

or a room that you can stay in, sometimes, if you need to. OK.

So, we're going in through that door next.

Oh, that's really nice.

God...

It is relaxing in here, isn't it?

So, it's a little room, it was always going to be a little room,

but it's a...if you want an escape, room.

It's lovely, isn't it, Mum? Yeah.

I like the colours. Don't! You'll set me off, stop it!

Thank you. No, it's fine.

No, it's just, for understanding, really.

You know, cos it's very hard when you're not involved in it all,

and I try to put a brave face on all the time...

Well, we've talked about that.

We've talked about you feeling guilty when you go out and enjoy yourself,

and you've got to stop, because you should go out

and everybody thinks that.

The girls think that. It was a lot of what we were talking about?

We've told him how we try and tell you,

but you just don't listen, so maybe you'll listen to Nick.

ALL LAUGH

Oh, my God...

It's really lovely.

Sorry!

It's really, really lovely.

Oh, it's really nice! Beautiful, isn't it? Yeah.

Everyone's gone the extra mile

to make sure that every part of it is finished off beautifully.

A lot of that is due to the fact that there's guys that know your dad

and know what a great guy he is and wanted to do this for him,

and for the family, too.

And a lot of other people who know you as a family,

and you're well-loved as a family, it's a great community around here.

It's overwhelming, really. Yeah.

Come on, let's get you downstairs to your dad, then.

I don't believe it, it's fantastic.

Wow. I wasn't expecting this.

Oh, Dave, and your bedroom.

I know. Cos you've always said you wanted a view from your room.

It's fantastic.

Oh, you can grow your own things. Oh, yeah.

Oh, that's lovely.

Like a summer house, I think. Yeah.

It's kind of more than a summer house.

It's insulated, it has electricity in here, there's an area to work,

there's a TV, so you can be out here, if you want.

That's fantastic, that.

It's a potting shed on the end that you can grow things.

You've got some herbs at the moment.

This is fantastic - you should take it up.

Is that right? It's not me.

Let's go and meet some of the people who put the work in

and see if you can say a few words to them? I can, yes.

Come on, then, let's go.

APPLAUSE

Thank you.

Cracking job.

What I'd like to say is, it's...

With me stroke, it's been hard for me,

but I've got to say, what you've done for us in this house

over these nine days, is fantastic.

Each one of you, I want to shake you by the hand

cos you've done a fantastic job - I'm proud to know you as my workmen.

Any time you want to knock on the door

for a cup of tea, just knock on.

I think there's about 200 of them! LAUGHTER

Have you got enough mugs?

It's fantastic, and again,

I can't put it into words what you've done for us.

I'd also like to mention whilst I'm here to all the...

All the people who looked after me over the last 18 months,

cos I can tell you, if it wasn't for them, I might not be here now,

because it was that close.

And, um...

I really can't thank you enough.

But I say, to all you workers here,

you all deserve a ten.

And I mean that from the bottom of my heart, you all need ten.

APPLAUSE

Thank you.

Come and say hello.

CHATTER

When a family member comes down with an illness this serious,

it puts unimaginable pressure on the family unit.

And it seems unfair to me that those people who are trying

to battle their illness are also becoming isolated and imprisoned

in their own homes for want of better facilities.

As a nation, we should be able to do something about that

so that they can concentrate on getting well.

These people thought it was unfair for Dave and his family to have

to deal with all that, so they came and did something about it.

Maybe you know somebody who needs your help.

Thanks for doing the electrics.

ALL LAUGH

It's amazing, yeah.

..can get about downstairs.

I did the driveway for you. Did you?

You're welcome.

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