The Big Build - Epsom DIY SOS

Ben and Sam Laws are a couple who have dedicated their working lives

to others, without asking for anything back.

I really like helping people, I really get a buzz out of it

and I really don't like it when people help me - I'm terrible.

At work, they're paramedics, out saving lives,

but at home the caring doesn't stop.

No-one ever thinks they're going to end up with a disabled child,

it's just not what you think,

and then you've just got to deal with that.

For years they've battled on without complaint to provide a loving home

for their children, but in a house totally unsuitable for their needs.

With everything that they've faced, you know,

they can't let Ewan and Olivia see...see their troubles,

see their struggles, and it's always tears behind closed doors.

I think sometimes it's easier to pretend there's not a problem,

or that you are coping and that this is just the way life is.

Well, life shouldn't be like that for ANY family.

And with a bit of help from the trades...

-Are you happy?

-I'm very happy, mate.

..we're going to build them a house fit for a family of heroes.

They're local paramedics, I'm pretty sure they've probably helped me out

at some point, peeling me off the street somewhere,

so I thought, yeah, you know, it would be good to help out.

DIY... SOS.

C'mon, boys.

We have just nine days to pull off this important build.

What we need is an army of helpers,

good-looking ones, like these people here.

-Aren't you all gorgeous?

-ALL:

-Yes!

This is DIY SOS: The Big Build!

Ben and Sam Laws both work as paramedics

for the London Ambulance Service.

It's kind of a privilege to be in people's lives and...

there's this kind of acceptance that they just trust you implicitly.

You obviously call 999 because you're at your wits' end

with something, and being able to turn it around for somebody

is so amazing.

It's long hours and it can be quite draining emotionally,

but it is very rewarding.

As everyday heroes,

the couple are used to dealing with life-changing events

on a daily basis.

On the front line, we see everything,

so from delivering babies to traumatic event - a car crash

or someone falling from a height - to, er, to sick children.

It makes you more grounded as a person,

how you deal with things that affect you.

Ben and Sam met at work and married in 2007,

and with baby daughter Olivia in tow,

family life was bundling along nicely.

So nicely, in fact, that soon they were expecting a second child.

Yes, little Olivia was going to have a little brother,

but when he was born,

it became apparent things were not as they should be.

So Ewan was born at 31 weeks,

and at three weeks old

they did a brain scan and found the damaged brain matter.

They said to us, "Ewan's got a catastrophic brain injury.

"He's going to be disabled for the rest of his life.

"Your marriage will probably break down and...

"and it's going to be the hardest thing you've ever done."

Ewan was diagnosed with quadriplegic cerebral palsy,

which drastically limits all his movements, speech and development.

I remember just feeling like I was going to fall off the chair.

I just couldn't take it all in,

and then when I went over to his cot I didn't know whether to pick him up

and hug him or...just walk away - I just didn't know what to feel.

As a parent, you just want to hug your kids and protect them,

and we couldn't. And even doing what we do at work,

it wasn't any easier...

I think it was worse in a way, wasn't it?

I think we just realised early on what it was...

what was ahead of us.

Even though they understood the challenges ahead,

problems started just weeks after Ewan came home.

He was having apnoea, so he kept stopping breathing at home

and the retrieval team came,

took him up to St Thomas' Hospital in London.

As Ewan's condition got worse, he was put on life support,

and Ben and Sam faced the hardest decision they've ever had to take.

They told us there that his injury was so severe

that we should consider literally turning the switch off

and saying goodbye, and, um, that's what we were going to have to do.

And they did one last brain scan

and it wasn't quite what they thought it was going to be

and they told us he might have some cognitive function,

so they couldn't ethically turn the machine off.

I couldn't work out how to feel, I didn't...

let alone how to kind of manage my feelings. It was, it was hard.

Ewan survived his brush with death

and today he's a bright and happy six-year-old.

-Ready?

-Yes.

-High fives.

He loves watching sport on the telly.

Who is playing?

England versus Wales. Who do you want to win?

-England.

-Oh, OK.

And he regularly joins Dad, who takes part in triathlons

and Ironman challenges to raise money to help Ewan.

Go on, Dad!

But Ewan's life expectancy is reduced

and he faces a lifetime of doctors' appointments.

'I think we worked out that, since he was born,'

he's had 363 days' worth of appointments in six years.

And, of course, all this rubs off on big sister Olivia.

I feel rotten for Olivia sometimes.

It's nobody's fault, really,

it's just the way that it is, it's just really hard

when you've got to do so much for Ewan to spend the time with her.

Is it nice, Ewan?

Yeah.

She's always known him to be disabled

and he can't run around, he can't sit up on his own,

he can't crawl, he can't hold anything,

so to her it's almost normal.

Family life has become a team effort,

but made so much harder by living in a place

that falls woefully short of fulfilling their needs.

I can't wait to see the rugby.

It isn't conducive to having a child who can't walk -

he's got no mobility at all.

Ewan likes to spend a lot of time in that front room.

Every time I leave the room, he starts shouting at me.

-Mummy!

-He just wants me to be there with him.

He really makes me feel imprisoned, it's horrible.

Because he can't do anything on his own,

he needs that kind of constant reassurance that we're there,

and visually he hasn't got that, because of the walls.

It's not just the house,

the good-sized garden COULD be an escape,

but with no wheelchair access,

this outdoor space may as well not be here for Ewan.

We should be out here more, you always feel better, don't you,

when you go out?

Just experience...the outdoors and the elements and nature.

Ready? Let's go upstairs.

Night.

Now, any parent will tell you bedtime can be hard work.

With Ewan, it's a herculean effort.

I think we're getting to that point with Ewan where he's too heavy,

it's not going to be possible to just keep lugging him

around all the time.

And to reassure him at night, Ewan sleeps in with Sam or Ben.

What do we do when we go to bed?

Mummy gets in with you.

'So Ewan sleeps in the double bed and one of us sleeps in with him.'

And what have you done today? Where have you been?

And the other one sleeps in the single bed on their own.

The last time we did share a bed was probably six years ago.

That's not right, is it?

Along with the demands of juggling night shifts

and full-time care of a severely disabled little boy,

they barely function on a few hours' sleep a night.

I don't think people truly understand, when you...

If you say to a friend that you've had a bad day...

A bad day to one of my friends who don't have a child with special needs

isn't a bad day in my book - that's a day

I can only dream of. And having a bad day here with Ewan is bad.

I just... There has to be more to life than what we have now.

So what is it you need this house to do

that it's not doing at the moment?

Make Ewan a downstairs bedroom to help them,

so that Mum and Dad don't have to keep carrying him upstairs.

OK, all right, that's fairly important. Anything else?

It is a house and not a home for us.

I wanted to find out a little bit more about you

because you like your sport. Have you been watching the Olympics?

-Yes.

-Yeah? Who is your favourite athlete?

Um...

-The German...

-Any of the family German?

-No.

-No?

In the Olympics, he just started going, "C'mon, Germany!"

He was going, "England, England!"

And then he suddenly went, "Germany! Germany!" all the way through it.

Somebody told me that you want to be an architect? Is that right?

-What sort of things do you want to design then?

-Disabled houses.

Oh, do you? That would be quite handy.

Olivia very kindly wants to design a house for us all to live in,

especially for Ewan, which is so sweet.

So you're both paramedics - as people who cope

and deal with things every day, how do you feel about the fact

that, um, that people have sort of put you forward for this...?

I should imagine it doesn't come easy to you?

I think people who are helpers, though,

aren't generally very good at accepting it themselves, are they?

Well, they better start getting used to the idea

because, outside, a small army has started to form.

We might need a few more yet, though.

Let's get them outside and meet who is here.

No matter how many there are,

we have a job to do. We need to get the family away.

Here we go! And some of the builders

-who've turned up to help.

-Hi, guys.

-Hi!

Morning, everybody. I can see happy, smiley faces - most of them!

Most of them!

So this is the family. They're a bit weirded-out because

they're paramedics so they spend most of their lives scraping

the likes of you and me off the street and putting us back together,

and are finding it a bit weird that people are helping them this time.

-That's true to say, isn't it?

-Very strange, yeah.

So, listen, we'll get you off so we can get started.

-Cool.

-And start making a mess of your house, if that's all right.

-See you, guys!

-Bye, Ewan.

'So, as the family get set for nine days away,

'we get set for battle with one totally inadequate house.'

We're still going to need a big army, though -

hence the totally vacant expression.

Well, it's a bit of a disaster, isn't it?

-We've got to...

-This is a disaster.

It's the first time we've been caught like this, isn't it?

First time in the history of doing the Big Build that I can remember

that we've had some 19 people turn up on the first day -

we normally expect somewhere between 65 and 85 people on the first day.

We've got to reconfigure the whole house, we've got the garden to do,

we've got to put a new driveway in.

-There's no way we can complete this job in 8 days with 19 people.

-No.

He always makes me feel better,

but this is DIY SOS, and in trades we trust.

In the next hour or so, they come in.

So we've got these electricians...

We've got a few boys going to come over and give you a hand

-with some plastering and other bits you need.

-Thank you very much.

The main objective today is we've got to remove all

the walls on the ground floor of the property, so we have to hit it hard.

Thank you very much for joining us and, um, so glad to see you.

I'd like to kiss yous all but...

Fancy a kiss, boys?

-All right to go in?

-Go for it.

-Obviously not.

That's what happens on these jobs all the time - you think,

"It's not happening, we haven't got the people here,"

they start coming in, they start coming in,

and we're going to build a house!

It may have been a false start,

but, inside, the old walls are coming down

and, outside, a load of new walls have arrived

for a timber-frame extension.

It's funny how you can get a building delivered

on a back of a lorry, innit?

It's like sort of giant Jenga with a building.

So who's gaffer on the timber frame?

-I am.

-You are. Where's piece number one?

Piece number one, erm, don't know yet.

-At the bottom.

-Probably, I don't know!

That's a bit worrying, isn't it? If they can sort it out,

this pre-made timber frame could help us make up a bit of lost time.

And Jules is trying his best too, bless him.

All right there? You're looking a little bit puffed.

Not the man I used to be.

-Who is?

-I've not thought about... I'm waiting to meet him.

Yeah. There's boys behind you stood waiting to take over in a shift,

don't take it all on yourself.

Here you go, look.

-Medic!

-I'm going to take him...

See, there was a day when he'd do that all on his own,

stand there all day - not any more.

Old and knackered, see? If he was a farm animal we'd be putting him down

about now, put him out of his misery.

So why are we taking out all these walls?

The one with the answers, we hope, will be nature boy himself,

the aptly named herald of hope, health and harmony - Oliver Heath.

And knowing Oliver he'll probably have some long-winded

kind of theme up his sleeve.

We're thinking circadian rhythms, nature...nature...nature...

De-stress to create happier, healthier spaces to live in.

'Brace yourselves.' What about nature, Oliver?

Well, that's the thing, how do you get a sense of nature

into the house? And Sam said that's really, really important to her,

and she's described this house as a virtual prison for her.

I think what we need to do is bring the outside in.

No! I hate that expression so much because actually...

What do you mean? You used it on the last job, you said to me!

No, no, no, YOU used that expression.

No, no, in the description I told you we were going to use biophilia,

and you said, "Bringing the outside in,"

and it's not that - it's a whole lot more than that.

So what you're going to do is get some reclaimed timber

-and make a wall of it?

-That's exactly what we're going to do.

And then here in the middle, as a real centre point for this room

and the other one, is an open fireplace

that connects the two spaces.

-Like a pub.

-A bit like a pub,

or like a room with a fireplace that's open on both sides.

Just a room, and not necessarily just a pub.

But that's where you see them, innit, when you walk round

and on one side there's a chimney with an open side

on both sides, it's a pub.

You see them in nicely designed Scandinavian homes quite a lot.

Yeah, that too, but mostly in the pub.

Maybe it's a bit like a pub, OK.

'So what will Oliver's Nordic-style house with a pub fireplace

'look like?'

Well, removing most of the downstairs walls will leave

an open-plan kitchen/diner

and a living area around a double-sided fireplace,

providing better access, sightlines and light,

and banish any sense of imprisonment.

Replacing the garage with a downstairs bedroom

and wet room for Ewan, he'll be able to sleep without Mum or Dad

for the first time in six years.

Upstairs Ben and Sam will be reunited

with their own brand-new bedroom,

and the old boxroom will become a valuable quiet study.

And the well-deserving Olivia will get a bedroom

fit for an aspiring young architect.

Outside is equally important for the family,

where Oliver has designed a whole new living space.

Under a covered deck will be

an outdoor kitchen with a sink and cooking area.

A ramp for Ewan will lead down to a flat play area

with level access to the lawn, and the old shed will be moved across

and remodelled to create a garden room, where the kids can hang out.

All we have to do is shift it.

What's your current plan for lifting this and moving it over there?

We get loads of guys to pick it up and just move it.

-LAUGHTER

-What did you just say?!

-Get loads of guys to lift it, carry it over...?!

-Come here, come here.

Actually, we've got a plan, haven't we, what did you say?

Hold on, hold on, I just mentioned something a minute ago.

No, you mentioned a really good plan - a lift.

I'd like you to get down that side of the shed,

show us how you get down that side of the shed to lift it.

We're going to jack it up,

put, like, rollers underneath it and push it.

Like Stonehenge.

-Have you never been to Stonehenge?

-Like Stonehenge?

-Yeah, that was all moved on rollers, wasn't it?

-Apparently!

-I wasn't here, mate.

-Ask Billy -

he was around at that stage, he'll know.

MUSIC: O Fortuna from Carmina Burana

Yes, we're going with big music, which means it's a big job.

Up a bit more, bit more.

Really helping, really helping(!)

I don't think it's enough people.

Even with the know-how of the ancient Britons,

this shed ain't going to budge without a bit more muscle power,

and here it comes.

Look at the enthusiastic expressions.

Let's do it. Right, where do you want us?

-One, two, three!

-All hands on deck.

Whoa!

And, of course, a bit of Irish wisdom never goes amiss.

Hang on, just to make it much easier for you,

let's make it a bit lighter.

If you take that off...

You've got to think about these things.

One, two, three!

MUSIC CRESCENDOS

APPLAUSE

-Look at the smile on your face.

-It's good to see that, isn't it?

They would never have managed that on their own, would they?

No, no, no, it was a good job you were there.

Got to crack on again. Inside, there's more general destruction

to make way for the new wiring and plumbing.

And the extension for Ewan's new room is all laid out.

I was very worried this morning,

but it's really taking shape now. They're not shy, are they?

They're going to have this up to the roof tonight.

With the giant Jenga all sorted, putting it up is child's play.

In barely an afternoon, Ewan will have his own space.

To help him cope with his disability,

Sam and the family take Ewan to intensive physiotherapy near Oxford.

Just getting him here is a mission in itself.

'It's an absolute nightmare getting to Footsteps every day,

'and it's for three weeks, so it's 15 trips in a row,

'backwards and forwards to get here, but it's well worth it.'

It's a mother's love that puts Ewan through his paces,

but as a medic and a mother, Sam sees the benefits more than anyone.

Ready to go. Can we do some bounces?

I'm ready for everything.

OK! Fantastic.

I come here because it offers us

such an opportunity to improve Ewan's outcome

and, um, some of the stuff that they do here is really unique

so the Spider puts him

in positions that he couldn't get in at home or with his other physios.

OK, have you got enough energy to do a few more?

It is such hard work for him coming here,

-but he gets so much out of it.

-Very good.

Mummy will be so proud.

Mummy will be so proud, yes.

Treatment like this will help make Ewan's future so much brighter.

Ewan, here is your certificate to say well done, super-superstar,

you've been brilliant. You've worked so well, we're very proud of you.

That's a lovely certificate, isn't it?

Are you going to shake Fiona's hand?

Well done, I'm so proud.

I think it's extraordinary as a parent to see what Ewan goes through

to improve his mobility - in fact,

what the whole family goes through to improve his mobility.

So we should give him the space he needs to move about in.

That's why everyone's working so hard.

That's why there's plumbers, electricians, plasterers

and landscapers - even firemen turning up to help.

-Is that what you do for a living?

-Yeah, I'm on annual leave this week.

Mate, you spend your whole life being a hero,

-walking into the flames. Are you on a desk job, is it?

-No, no!

THEY LAUGH

-Is that right? You're a fireman, and you'll do your week off here?

-Yeah.

-Why would you want to do that?

-It's just, um, that's what I do -

that's what I get a kick out of doing is helping people out.

Much like...cos they're paramedics, aren't they?

They're local paramedics.

I'm pretty sure they've probably helped me out at some point

peeling me off the street somewhere,

so I thought, yeah, you know, it would be good to help out, so, yeah.

-Obviously the lunch is very good as well so that always helps.

-Yeah.

A different view there - you're doing this to help out

because they're paramedics, local people giving something back

to the community. He's interested in the lunch.

Asking the trades to help this family of heroes was never

going to be a tough sell, even though Sam and Ben

are the kind of people who would never ask for help themselves.

So, what did you make of the family when you met them

just at the start of the job?

Genuinely, they looked embarrassed

for letting...giving us the keys to the house.

That's how I looked at them. I thought they looked

-really uncomfortable.

-Well, let's face it, ambulance drivers

and paramedics do a great job, but it's not as if they do it

for the money - they're not really well paid, it's a vocation.

And they were never going to be able to get this done for Ewan

on their own, so why shouldn't they...?

Especially those kind of people who do so much for the community.

Well, unfortunately, Nick, there's two types of people in life -

there's givers and there's takers,

and this couple here have got themselves behind a wall

where they think, "Well, we can't possibly ask for help."

-"Because we'll manage."

-"Because we'll get by

-"cos that's what we do."

-That's not right, though, is it?

It's not right, no.

Struggling on in silence is no way for a family to live.

With the right changes, though, just maybe this house can be

turned into a home in which they can all thrive.

Well, it has been a very successful day, I think. We've completely

changed the downstairs of this house. This wall has come out,

we've made a flipping great hole here which we're going to fill

with concrete so that we can put a box-beam effect in here.

You might like to go the other side of the fireplace,

which you couldn't do earlier, and join me in the backroom,

where we have taken out yet another wall

and the ceiling's down everywhere, of course,

electrics and plumbing starting to go in.

Come and look at the extension, cos that's really substantial,

and you've got like an atrium, a wet room and bedroom

all in here eventually - you can see it's starting to take shape.

All we've got to do tomorrow is put a roof on and we're done.

Not bad for the first day, don't you think?

It might well be on its way, but we are only on day two,

so we can't stand around resting on our laurels -

that way you get crumpled laurels.

We've clearly not managed to put any of the trades off,

and with the heavy stuff out of the way, it's sparks to their marks.

In this house more than any other, Billy, lighting is really important,

and I'll tell you why.

Because they're shift workers, they have these really irregular hours

and their circadian rhythms get out of sync.

Now, circadian rhythms, have you heard of this term?

-Cavian rhythms?

-Not cavian - circadian.

-Circadian.

-Circadian rhythms are...

-Are you listening?

-It's the impact of light

and dark on our mental, physical and behaviour over 24 hours.

Now, you know when you go...

I'm got to lean against this in case this lasts a long time.

-No, you know when you travel and you get jet-lagged...

-Yeah, oh, yeah.

That's a kind of symptom of your body clock going out of sync.

The system that we've got, it's a remote-controlled lighting system,

and I know it's complicated.

-I'm Jurassic Spark, you're a young spark.

-That's it.

What do you think about being in this house with the way

-the family are?

-I'm all for it, to be honest.

You can do it from the comfort of your own bed or sofa,

turn the light on and off, dimming - that's important, dimming.

I think that seems to be two versus one.

No, no, no, you've got it all wrong...

You've just got to move with the times, I think.

No, no, Oliver, you've got it all wrong...

You think I'm automatically against it, I'm not!

I'm asking about the maintaining. I'm asking,

when we've gone and done our pretty colours and our pretty lighting

and we're not there to support them, because they're not electricians.

But I know that what you do, Billy, is really important.

He's a rat, ain't he?! What can you say

when he butters up to you like that?!

I'm just saying that what you're doing here is much

more important than just a complicated lighting system.

I'm not talking about the complicated lighting system

because you can throw anything at my sparks and myself

and we can do it, we can do it.

I think it's a great idea to have the dimming lights and stuff.

No, it will work for them.

Mentally and physically it will make them feel better.

That was two minds not quite meeting - well, one-and-a-half.

Building a bespoke home fit for Ewan is something big sister Olivia

has always wanted to do.

Only eight, she's already said she wants to be an architect.

If you had that house,

would you take the walls out? What would you do?

I would take that wall,

that wall...

-..and that wall.

-You'd take those three walls out?

Yeah, like, when you go to cook tea, Ewan panics that you've gone.

Because he can't see them.

Yeah, Ewan thinks that cos he can't see you,

he thinks you've left him in the house, so he starts screaming

and then he screams so much, he slips and falls off the sofa.

Oh, does he, he gets that upset, does he?

Do you get sad about the fact that, you know,

Mum and Dad have to concentrate so much on Ewan all the time?

-I mean, I guess you understand why, but...

-Yeah, sometimes,

sometimes they get a bit cross

because Ewan starts crying and blame it on me and I get sent

to my bedroom, and then I get a bit irritated because he gets all

the attention and then sometimes I start winding him up by accident.

-So when you wind him up, it's by accident...

-Yeah.

-..but when he winds you up it's on purpose?

-Yeah.

I thought I got the hang of that.

I think things will get a bit easier once the house is sorted out.

It's weird to have people from the TV to do your house.

I mean, it's not something normal.

Do our friends think it's a bit weird?

Yeah, I went to my friends yesterday and they said

it's like intruders coming to your house and start knocking it down.

Yeah, but good intruders.

It's like the fairy tales when they say the fairies came overnight

and change things around or made a set of shoes

or did things like that? It's like that, they're building fairies.

MUSIC: Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy from The Nutcracker

I'm not lying about those building fairies.

They're busy fitting the steelwork that will hold up the ceilings.

And to help rid Sam of her feelings of imprisonment,

they've brought a huge roof light for the extension.

-Go on, mate!

-Right.

In one.

Well done.

But, with all this exertion one of the fairies has hurt himself,

or do they all walk like that?

It's quite strange. It's like deep muscular thing.

What happens I'm walking along and me leg just gives way...

-Gives way under you?

-Yeah.

Even to a point where the roofer's picked up on it

and he's offered to rub a gel into his inner thigh.

He's worried about my limp

so he's going to rub cream into my inner thigh.

You think we're messing around, don't you? Seriously, we had this

conversation with the roofer where he's offered to rub gel and I said

"Would you have been so assertive if it was an elbow or his shoulder?"

and he went, "Nah, he can do that himself",

but his inner thigh, he's quite prepared to rub it in.

MUSIC: Bump N' Grind by R Kelly

It's always so impressive

that the trades are willing to go that extra mile.

Down a little bit.

It's like a horrific fascination.

You know, like when you drive past a car crash or something

and you can't help but look.

-You've done that before, haven't you, big boy?

-I have, yeah.

What exactly is wrong with him, then?

He's got a bad leg definitely. Definitely got a bad leg.

Oh, me helmet's just fell off.

Oh, Jesus, I didn't touch that. I went nowhere near it, guv'nor.

Hats off to Dave, literally,

but there's precious little time for R&R.

We're only just into this build.

Inside, the plasterers are boarding out and Billy

and his boys are trying to get to grips with the lighting system.

What we're doing here is,

the way this thing is working you can get cables trapped,

but if we're behind the boys and they put up the boards up

and we drill our holes, bring our cables down,

we can all sleep tonight.

The boys are lovely, they're happy with me following them

-round with a drill and it's all worked out, innit, lads?

-Yeah.

Hopefully, the hi-tech lighting will help

to make Ben and Sam's hectic lives a bit easier.

As paramedics, they're used to staring adversity in the face,

but nothing could prepare them for the prospect

of having to turn off their own son's life-support six years ago.

Yeah, that was tough. That was the point at which I realised

it was all pretty serious and they tell you that you have to do it.

You have to say goodbye, in case...

Yeah, so all our families came up, my mum, my dad, my sister,

my brother, Sam's family all went up and said goodbye.

What did you say to him?

I didn't, I didn't think I needed to say anything.

I just wanted to...

be there and, it's kind of letting him go,

that's what you didn't want to do.

Where do you go from one minute he's there

and the next minute he's not and I didn't want that to happen.

So, is that why you manage everyday afterwards

because every day away from that point is...

Is better than it was.

It can never be that bad.

It's bad sometimes

and sometimes you really do kind of question

is it going to get any better.

Given all the things that you're dealing with,

you do appear to be very relaxed.

Are you putting a brave face on seething emotions?

Probably.

I think there's that element of not wanting to be known

as the person who can't cope at home,

the person who finds things difficult.

And it's just this balancing act

and Sam seems to do that better than anyone that I know.

To be fair, she's helped me through it just by the way she's been.

So when you get to the point where you think,

"Oh, I can't deal with this any more," she just carries on.

She's an extraordinary woman.

Yeah...very strong.

Do you not miss her?

You haven't been together properly since Ewan came along.

You don't get a chance to sleep together,

one of you is always with Ewan, it's just...

Yeah, different bedrooms and...

That man and wife thing has sort of gone away a bit, hasn't it?

It's become normal though which is wrong. It shouldn't be that way.

So there's a balance to be struck, something's gotta give

and it won't be anything for the kids - it can't be.

Ben and Sam have always put the children

above their own relationship.

Maybe we can give them the chance

to be a bit more of a normal couple again.

-Look at that, what do you think?

-It's very nice actually.

So which floor are you putting this on?

-No this is going on the wall.

-Oh, this is the wall stuff.

This is the wall in the dining room and then we've got a TV cabinet.

And then in the bedroom I'm going to do

this wonderful little romantic canopy over their bed.

You see, I think this is interesting,

when designers say, "I'm going to do this wonderful thing."

And chefs do this, "I'm going to make this wonderful..."

I'll be the judge of that.

You can't say I'm going to do something wonderful.

Surely it's up to you and me to decide at the end of the programme

-if it's wonderful.

-That's where science steps in, Nick.

You can scientifically prove it's wonderful?

That people actually sleep better with natural materials in rooms.

So you are saying you don't need us to decide

whether it's wonderful or not,

it will be wonderful whether we like it or not.

I'm not concerned if you think it's wonderful,

what I'm most concerned about, I'm sorry, Nick...

Probably a healthy way to go about being a designer on this programme.

What I'm most concerned about is that for Sam, Ben and Olivia

and Ewan we've got a wonderful house that makes them feel good,

makes them feel calm, relaxed, helps them sleep well

and is good for their health.

This is actually research by doctors

and researchers in Denmark who have been studying hospitals.

Well, that's very laudable, very laudable,

leaves me almost with nowhere to go in terms of taking the mickey

because it appears that you're being empathetic and caring, medically...

-Sensitive.

-Sensitive.

With a proven record based on research.

Which leaves me almost nowhere to go.

-Well, shall I get on with it?

-Yeah, I'm going to step away.

Maybe there is some truth

in the health-enhancing qualities of these natural materials.

Unfortunately, that's not going to make Oliver's plans

any easier to achieve, especially with no tilers on-site

We've got a bit of a challenge for you,

now that you've plumbed the house for us.

Would you be interested in tiling this chimneybreast?

-I've seen those tiles.

-Have you seen them?

Those horrible slate effect...

Yeah, the ones that are all over the place and stuff.

This is going to be the main feature in the house

and you're going to do it.

We'll have a look at it.

We'll take that as a yes, cos he didn't say no.

Everyone's mucking in, but then none of us would be here at all

if it wasn't for Jess Smith,

Sam's best friend, who could see them struggling.

There is always people worse off than you,

but that's their mentality, that's how they see it.

But that's why we help people like that because they just don't

feel they deserve it and are slightly embarrassed by it.

Yeah, and that's why I contacted you.

All through Ewan's life they were told he wouldn't survive,

turn off the machine and he carried on breathing.

He will never talk, he will never walk, he will never sit,

he will never function as he will be in a vegetative state

and every little milestone that he's made, he's proved everybody wrong.

He's almost at his maximum now. You know,

he's not going to get significantly better.

Both of them have got so used to just keeping a stiff upper lip,

very British, very... just getting on with it.

-Determined.

-Yeah, just determined,

and with everything that they've faced,

you know, they can't let Olivia and Ewan see their trouble,

see their struggles and so it's always tears behind closed doors.

Do you know I think some of that steely determination

has rubbed off on the volunteers?

As we said, no tilers on site so it's a plumber

and a couple of builders who are doing the job.

I was quite happily painting the shed at the bottom, walked through

and got a tile put in my hand so...

What can you do? I'll be here until the top.

Not ideal really, but they're quite happy to get stuck-in

and give it a go.

Taking on these jobs in just nine days

is all a matter of man-management,

communication, and everyone speaking exactly the same language.

What are we doing with the water coming off this roof?

You can probably run down to that culvert down there.

Well, if we bring it down in the corner that will drain over

here and let it go straight...

And this is the accent that built half of London.

-Keep it in line.

-Keep it in line.

Keep it in line with the front of the house

and run it all the way across, we can dig...

-I love this.

-That's fine, yeah.

Just get all the hardcore you need.

-What are you doing paving, block paving?

-Yeah.

We're pouring the hardcore in today and get it compacted.

They are fantastic.

Luckily, these boys can lay down a driveway

as quickly as they can talk.

He's like a croupier of block paving.

He makes them look like firing out a pack of cards.

It's unbelievable, isn't it?

And out the back, it's all hands on deck too.

And the next one.

Come on, stick it on.

I've never seen decking go down this quick in my life.

It's fantastic, between the decking in the back

and the block work in the front, you'd be forgiven for thinking

we might just finish in nine days.

Working in harmony and having a good laugh. Thank you, gentlemen.

Bloody superstars you are, superstars.

Terry's still going.

But then it's easy to work hard

when you know the family you're working for

do so much to help others.

So I think what you do for a living is extraordinary in itself.

I go to work and make TV programmes.

People go to work and make cars, people go to work and sell insurance

you go to work to scrape people off the streets, is that not terrifying?

Yeah, sometimes you've just got people's lives in your hands,

literally, and whatever you do it's...

That's their future, you're going to make or break it.

It's something you just come to deal with and it's never as stressful

as being at home with two kids. I can deal with people,

the most cantankerous people for hours on end

and it's never as hard as dealing with Ewan

with one of his little temper tantrums that goes on for hours.

He needs a lot of reassurance.

A lot of kids with special needs do. They just can't accept things and...

Hence him having to see you and you having to be in the kitchen

and see him and all those things, it's...

Yeah, so if he's having one of those days

and he needs his reassurance, he just wants you there all the time.

If there are people out there now who have just had a child

and are dealing with these issues

at this point, what would you say to them,

what's the first process?

I think the first part is the grieving process.

No-one ever thinks they're going to end up with a disabled child.

It's just not what you think, I don't know...

And then you've just got to deal with that

and you do a lot of crying and...

Not always in public, a lot of it is just sort of crying all on your own.

I remember the consultant saying to me

you will reach a point of acceptance

and I remember real tears running down my face and that and going,

"I'll never accept this."

I was really like, "I'm going to physio this child out of it."

You're never going to physio a child out of quadriplegic cerebral palsy,

but I just couldn't accept it at that point.

I think it would be fair to say

that you're not somebody who likes to be helped?

Actually, of all the people that we've ever gone to help,

you're the person most conflicted about us coming to help.

Really? Ever, ever?

Yeah, I think so, probably.

I really like helping people, I really get a buzz out of it

and I really don't like it when people help me. I'm terrible at it.

I did actually cry

when I found out that you guys were coming, it was just such a relief.

You know, home should be a place to unwind.

Not the stress-filled prison that it has become for Sam.

But with new bedrooms to look forward to,

at least the kids should be well catered for.

Olivia is getting a room to suit her highest architectural aspirations

and in Ewan's room Oliver is in playful mood

and commissioned a special print based on the Olympics.

I liked it because I knew what it was, I got it right.

The Olympic rings and we had a great Olympics, didn't we?

Two years ago, fabulous Olympics.

And it turns out that Billy has a bit of form for the Olympics.

Listen, in my day, when I was a cyclist for Whelan Wheelers

it was a choice between me

and Brendan McKeown to represent Great Britain

at the Rome Olympics... in Tokyo.

The Rome Olympics in Tokyo?

I remember them both. And who got chosen?

-Brendan.

-Did he?

Yeah, and he won a bronze medal.

See, I was going to go

and meet the family this afternoon up at the velodrome.

I thought you might like to go along and meet instead.

-You could demonstrate you know...

-My skills.

-Yeah.

When I started riding, drop handlebars come in.

-Yes.

-And, instead of having a little gear stick like that,

you had a special gears that went five gears in a big hub like that.

That's right and like you had one big wheel at the front

-and one little wheel at the back, didn't you?

-That was my grandad.

Was it? While Billy gets kitted up,

Oliver has got his work cut-out with the tiling.

The chimneybreast is all done,

but there's more fiddly tiles in Ewan's wet room and now the kitchen.

OK, so basically these tiles can go in all sorts of directions,

so they can go a bit like that

so you have a bit of a starburst, or like that.

I think it's one of the problems on this job

is that we seem to have a lot of tiling now.

We've got chippies, we've got plumbers...

Why have we got a lot of tiling, Oliver?

Because normally, we have loads of tilers just

sitting around going, "What shall I do?"

and we get them all on the plasterwork.

-I guess it's the design, is it?

-Yeah, yeah, that's right.

That's why we've got a lot of tiling.

Yeah, well, we've got that fireplace wall which is... What do you think?

Oh, it's fantastic and whoever did it did an absolutely smashing job.

We've got tiles on the kitchen.

Oi, oi, oi! Don't be dissing the bloody trades.

"It's because we haven't got enough tilers."

-It's you've designed too much tiling.

-My design.

-Yeah.

Yeah, but normally, we have a tiler in here.

-How many tilers have we got?

-None.

-But, c'mon, one...

-We've got none. No, we've got none.

We surely need at least one.

-No, he's not a...

-But you've got every bloody room with tiles in it.

Look at that there,

look, now that's not just a simple everyday bit of tiling, is it?

-No, exactly.

-Right, that took three blokes two days.

That's fantastic.

Yeah, so don't be dissing the trades. It's the amount of tiling.

And this isn't your Joe standard splash back, is it to be fair?

Am I the Joe standard designer?

-Plainly, you're not.

-Thank... Thankfully.

But don't dis the trades and we're going to get over this all right,

so you just get your head around the design

and leave the tiling to the tilers.

-No, no, I'm not dissing anybody.

-You were.

If they're not here, I'm not dissing them.

-Can I get on with it now?

-I think you better.

Chris was quite emotional there, wasn't he?

Avoiding the heat in the kitchen,

we're taking the chance to give the family a day out.

Ben is a keen triathlete. He's even been known to team up with Ewan,

but with Billy's cycling pedigree, Herne Hill Velodrome

seemed the obvious place to put them head-to-head.

We've got our very own champion to take you on.

Look at that fine figure of a man.

Most people have got a six pack. I've got a keg.

It's a few years since I've done this, sausage,

-but are you ready to eat dirt?

-Yeah, I'm ready.

Come on then, Ben. Bill and Ben, you're a weed!

Here we go, are you ready?

Is that kid clear over there?

He's gone, he's gone.

Oh, he's caught him already.

No, I didn't know we was racing.

MUSIC: I'm An Easy Rider by Johnny Cash

Yeah, it's a bit like the tortoise and the hare really.

No prizes for guessing which is which.

Go one more lap and see if you can lap him.

After Easy Rider, here's our queasy rider.

We thought a two lap race would be enough for Billy.

On reflection, maybe we should have stuck to just the one.

Where is he then?

He finished, went home and had a cup of tea.

He said he'd see you after he's had a shower.

Bill, you all right? What you need is a paramedic.

-You haven't lost it, have you?

-Did you notice?

Yeah, you just left it in the car. I saw it on the front seat.

Did you notice the skill when I was on the inside I took the...

I was slightly worried by the technique,

where instead of your knees going forward your knees appeared

to be going out the side like that which was an interesting...

Things have changed since I did it. It's more aerodynamic now.

Here he comes. Listen, we better give him a big cheer

when he comes in because he won by, he won by three laps,

so given it was only a two lap race it was quite...

Yes, it was a walkover or a ride over maybe.

Back on site the race is still on to get the house finished.

The end of the tiling is almost in sight.

So all of the builders have jumped on the tiling and Julian is pulling

his weight and doing the grouting, grabbing the glory, aren't you?

-Yeah.

-Oliver's reclaimed timber walls are going up

and the decorators are storming on.

You sit at home and you think they're never going to do

it in nine days and you moan at the television

if they're going to do it, and now I'm going to be proved wrong.

The lads have taken Oliver's reclaimed timber idea a step further

and crafted an outdoor kitchen from a load of old scaffold planks.

This goes to show the fantastic creativity,

not just dedication, of the people we've got working here.

Look at this. This is actually a thing of beauty.

Of course, it's about so much more than looking good.

It's about providing all the practical needs

for a family who've struggled.

As the last minutes of the final day tick away,

our willing army of trades make the big push.

I just heard about the little disabled boy

and thought I'd come over here and do some work for charity

for a change instead of taking everyone's money.

Are you off to Ascot?

-Hat, does it suit me?

-Yeah.

-Nice, innit? Green's my colour, innit?

-It is.

Suits his complexion.

The place is unrecognisable

as the home that was working against the family

and holding Ewan's progress back.

So how do you think you're going to feel at the end

when the family get this back?

It's going to be emotional for most of the guys,

because they've put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into this.

And when they see the reaction of the family,

I think it's going to be...quite emotional to be honest.

Nine days ago, we met two paramedics

who had spent their working lives helping others.

It's long hours and it can be quite draining emotionally.

But when Ewan, their second child,

was born with cerebral palsy, their home lives were turned upside-down.

They said to us Ewan's got a catastrophic brain injury.

He's going to be disabled for the rest of his life.

Your marriage will probably break down

and it's going to be the hardest thing you've ever done.

You do a lot of sort of crying, not always in public.

A lot of it is just sort of crying on your own.

Though they've made the best of things,

life has been a constant struggle

in a house totally inappropriate for a child with a disability.

He needs that constant reassurance that we're there,

and visually he hasn't got that because of the walls.

-Every time I leave the room he starts shouting at me.

-Mummy!

He just wants me to be there with him.

He really makes me feel imprisoned. It's horrible.

But as people who help others every day,

they've been strangely reluctant to accept help themselves.

I think sometimes it's easier to pretend there's not a problem

or that you are coping and this is just the way life is.

Well, not any more.

To return the favour they give to others every day,

we've made a few changes.

Downstairs we removed the walls to make an open-plan space

where the family can see each other and feel secure.

Filled with life-enhancing natural materials

around a beautiful slate fireplace,

it's where Ewan can develop to his full potential.

Replacing the garage we built a modern extension

with a bedroom for Ewan inspired by his love for sport,

and with a wet room,

Mum and Dad will no longer have to carry him upstairs.

After six years sharing their bed with Ewan,

we can now reunite Ben and Sam in their own room

with its reclaimed timber bed and floor-to-ceiling wardrobes.

Beautiful, isn't it?

And Olivia's room has become an architect-inspired bedroom

for a girl who has sacrificed so much for her little brother.

In the garden, we've created a space that is accessible,

functional and fun with a covered deck to use in all weathers.

An outdoor kitchen will allow them to cook and eat here,

and with access via a ramp for Ewan,

they'll be able to hang out and play.

So, after a life helping others,

now it's time to be on the receiving end.

This is a big moment after all this time of making do

and getting on with it yourselves to see what everyone's managed

to achieve for you, so, if you're ready,

we need you to open your eyes.

Wow.

Wow.

Amazing.

-Oh, I love it.

-I'm shaking.

We can cook and see him.

Wow.

Are you sure this is our house? You've not...

Yes, this used to be the little square room where your kitchen was

and this used to be your little square room

where your dining room was.

If we move through then you'll see that it's very open-plan,

we've taken the walls out just as we were told to by your daughter

to create all this extra space and also give Ewan the room to manoeuvre

around in the space so he can be part of the family the whole time.

It's perfect.

This is your tablet.

And if we go on here and we look at the lights

and you fade all the lights up, fade all the lights down.

-Wow.

-And in fact you can control all of the lights

throughout the building from your tablet.

The only difficulty is it also means that if Ewan hacks into it,

he can be in his room

and turn all the lights down for you and do a disco in here for you.

Oh, my God, look at the wallpaper.

You are very clever.

Now, you mentioned the wallpaper straight away.

There's an artist called Rachel Whiteread,

she came up with design for the Olympics

and has personally given her permission

for us to put it up because we told them

that Ewan was really interested in the Paralympics and stuff.

Oh, do you know the Paralympics was such a change in our lives.

It was such an amazing event and it came just at the right time,

just at the time he was just really struggling and it just showed you

what disabled people can accomplish. It was amazing.

Oh, that's lovely, thank you.

It obviously means a lot this.

It's life-changing, it's massive. Do you want a tissue?

Thank you.

-Wow.

-Wait until he sees it. He's going to love it, isn't he?

-His first bedroom at six.

-Yeah.

-Oh, wow.

-Wow.

It's so big, isn't it?

-It's just amazing, and you can get his chair under here?

-Yes.

Wash his hands, he loves washing his hands, turning the taps on and off.

He will sit there for hours now and do that.

He's going to get water everywhere.

He's never going to come out, that's the problem.

It's just nice that he's got his own space and at last.

Also, for us very important

that Olivia had something a little special too.

Oh, wow.

And if you look at the wall there's all the buildings

cos she wants to be an architect,

and the design of the bed has been bespoke made for her.

That is so different, isn't it?

She deserved this as much as anyone. She puts up with an awful lot.

She's been a little rock, hasn't she?

She keeps us grounded sometimes, and when it's tough, she just...

..makes everything all right.

With the kids sorted, what about something for the parents

who haven't shared a bed for six years?

Step in. In you go.

Wow.

-That's amazing.

-Cool, isn't it?

-Is it all right?

-Yeah a proper grown-up...

-An adult room.

Let's make a sign for the door, "No kids!"

And, of course, the difficulty has always been that one of you has

had to be with Ewan at all times, so what we've done instead is

if we go onto your tablet press this button here.

Wow.

And as you can see there,

there's a really clear picture of Ewan's bed,

but it means that you have it constantly here,

you prop it up in here and...

-I would worry otherwise.

-Yeah.

Can you see that life should get easier in a lot of different ways

because of the way the house has been re-designed?

It's like a new life, isn't it? It's just going to change so much.

-As much as that, as much as a different as that?

-Yeah.

To be fair it has been a hell of a hill to climb.

We were talking and you were saying that

there was a point that you were actually told that you had to go up

and say goodbye to him in hospital

because the machine was going to be switched off. It's just...

If that was the low point, maybe this is the change-over point.

Yeah, this is definitely a turning point. It's lovely.

-You are allowed to hug by the way.

-But I never see her.

Well, this might be the moment when everyone's so emotional.

If you don't, I'm going to.

Well, that's Mum and Dad happy.

Now it's time for Ewan to see his very first bedroom.

Whose room is this?

Me.

-Do you like it?

-Yeah.

Can you see your bed?

Wait, where's the other gone?

Ewan, how much do you like it? What number would you give it?

Eight or nine.

Right, we've got something else to show you though.

Go and have a look at your new bathroom. This is just for you.

Look at that! Is it good?

And judging by Ewan's reaction, the wet room scores even more.

Well, about time we showed you what we've done for you, I suppose.

Obviously, we've mainly being doing the house

with the living room and dining room.

We haven't had much time to do extra stuff upstairs, but...

Do you want to come and see the house? Yeah? Come with me.

This is your room.

-What do you think?

-It's cool.

You just spend so much of your time

looking after Ewan and everybody else,

it's important that you have your own space, isn't it?

I genuinely, I don't think I've ever seen you this quiet.

-It's because it's so amazing.

-Is it really?

I don't know what to say.

-Ah.

-And what do you think of the whole house,

the whole house for the family?

It's just the best house.

Of course, none of them have a clue what we've done outside.

Wow!

Wow.

Everyone's gone quiet again.

Wow, that's amazing.

Nice and gentle.

This is awesome.

Let's play ball.

-Do you want to play basketball?

-Yes.

-What's this?

-It's an outdoor kitchen,

so you've got hot and cold running water, sink and a cooker.

I can clean my bikes here, can't I?

Would you clean your bike on the inside kitchen?

Yes, he would.

-Here they come.

-Show the basketball.

He wants you to show you the basketball.

-Show me the basketball.

-Go and have a wander through the garden.

I'll go down the steps.

Ready.

-Did it go in?

-Yes.

I think it's safe to say the garden's a success, don't you?

How on earth did they move that?

-How?

-Yeah.

Yeah, yeah, you don't want to know.

Oh, my goodness, Olivia.

Better than the old den?

-Yeah.

-Brilliant, innit?

It's a family home now,

as opposed to just being a place where you come home

and sleep and get up.

And for the kids, as well, just so much better.

Life going to be easier now?

Yeah, a lot and happier.

This one here?

-I just feel less stressed already.

-Really?

Yeah. I just feel less like it's a drag to come home.

It's not the kids, it's just the environment,

it wasn't conducive to... Everything was difficult from day-in-day-out

it's that kind of constant grind that I feel is gone.

You do what you do to help people

and this is what builders and suppliers do.

Do you want to meet some of the people that did it?

We should really, shouldn't we?

APPLAUSE

Wow, there's so many of you.

I just think,

all you guys have given up all your time for free for us

and it just seems a bit, it's quite overwhelming to be honest.

We're quite humbled so we can't thank you enough.

It's incredible. Thank you.

Nick kept saying to us you don't look like you want our help

and there's so much pride in sort of doing everything yourself

and surviving but I think that's what we have been doing.

We've been surviving really and just getting through,

but now this beautiful place

is really going to make such a difference to our lives

and I think it's going to make so much progress now in his new place.

It will be our sanctuary, thank you so much.

You should applaud yourselves.

You've done an amazing thing this week

and we're very proud of you, thank you very much.

How are you?

You all right? You've got an army of helpers here, all this lot.

You know, I was thinking you wouldn't be much good as a paramedic

if you were an overly emotional type,

if you burst into tears every time you saw something upsetting.

They have to deal with the most difficult circumstances

and so as a result...

..they find it difficult

to accept that people would want to come forward and help them.

We rely on paramedics. Some people can be paramedics,

some people can make a lot of money and give it to charity

and some people can build.

What these builders have done is come and changed life around

for young Ewan, future-proofed the house for the family.

The next few years are looking a lot brighter

because of the efforts that they've made.

Maybe you know somebody who could use your help -

whatever help that is.

There are so many people, aren't there?

-What to you think of your shed?

-Really nice.

Thank you so much.

-Hello, darling. How are you?

-Do you like it?

Did an awful lot of tiling.

Paul's been here right from the start.

I like the basketball net best.