The Big Build - Holmfirth DIY SOS

I think life experiences perhaps make you

a stronger person, don't they?

As a dad, Richard, he was absolutely amazing. Supportive, loving, loyal.

We have to get that daddy back, we have to get that husband back.

We're here to help ex-copper Richard,

who's battling to rebuild his life...

He's so incredibly strong-willed.

He's got something in him that is going to make him succeed.

..to bring a family divided by a devastating event back together.

Richard is excluded from many things that me and the boys do.

We're building a home so THEY can build their future.

If we make this happen, the kids will have a chance

to get their father back and give him the best opportunity

to fight back and spend time with them.

Is that a good enough reason?

ALL: Yes!

As usual, we have just nine days to do the build,

and all the usual suspects are here.

And this week, we have a man who is quite literally outstanding

in his field. The wonderful Charlie Luxton. There he goes.

But how are we going to pull it off?

Luckily, we've found a huge army. Are you up for it?

-ALL:

-Yes!

Please!

-Very polite, aren't they?

-They are.

This is DIY SOS: The Big Build!

CHEERING

LAUGHTER

Whooo!

Holmfirth, in the beautiful Yorkshire Dales.

It's gorgeous, isn't it? Home to the Ford family.

It's where police officers Jude and Richard

settled to bring up their three young boys -

Harry, Oscar and little Archie - in this modern family home.

The couple met in the force just over a decade ago

when Jude arrived as a rookie officer.

When I first met him at Huddersfield Police Station, Richard told me,

"I just want to warn you, just watch out for those male officers.

"Because you might get quite a bit of attention when you join."

And then lo and behold,

it ended up being Richard that I had to watch out for.

Good work, Richard.

They soon realised they'd found their soul mates.

Marriage and kids followed, and family life seemed complete.

They had a very active family life.

Richard ran marathons and coached the boys' football team.

Until one terrible day in 2012.

I had put my running things on, ready to think,

"I'll go for a run today, try and get a little bit of training in."

And then Harry, who at the time was seven years old, said,

"Mummy, Daddy's calling your name."

And when I went upstairs, he was on the bathroom floor.

No-one could have imagined that at 41, Richard was suffering a stroke.

It was so severe that Jude was told to expect the worst.

I think the question that I asked all the time was,

"What do I tell the boys?

"What do I tell the boys?"

And I think I probably left hospital after about 24 hours

and came home to them.

And had to say to them, you know, "Daddy's poorly."

And I can remember Harry saying, "Is he going to die?",

and saying, "I just don't know.

"But if he does, we'll be OK."

Defying all the odds, Richard survived,

but was left fighting for his life.

He'd been left with locked-in syndrome,

paralysed and with only minimal eye movement. Nine months in hospital

passed as Richard started to recover and learnt to communicate again.

He was just so incredibly strong-willed, and I think

that is something that has helped him on his journey since his stroke.

Helped him run all those marathons, but I think it helps him

through those incredibly dark days, and still some dark days now.

OK, one more and then we'll go back.

Well done.

Now, two years on, Richard's rehab is continuing at home.

Watching their dad's battle for recovery has had

a huge impact on the boys.

They are all amazing, resilient children.

I think they have adapted really well.

But it has taken its toll.

It's been really hard.

Everyday family life has all but disappeared,

and the home they once loved has now become a prison.

Mealtimes are spent alone as he can't get into the kitchen,

and he's unable to get in and out of the house without some help.

On top of that, with no washing or toilet facilities,

he relies on a stream of carers for his most basic needs.

Right, Richard, steady does it.

And who wouldn't want to be?

Isolated from the rest of the family, this once proud, independent man

has become an outsider in his own home.

I think we have reached, haven't we, breaking point? For our family.

And I think it'll be utterly and totally amazing,

and I just think it will mean that, as a family,

that we can get back on track,

we can concentrate on those three lovely boys and get on with life.

Because life is for living and you only get one shot, don't you?

And I think Richard's stroke has given us

that massive wake-up call that that is the case.

My father had a stroke, and after the stroke he found

his emotions...

..going up and going down, going up and going down.

Do you find this too? And is that tough?

Very tough? Yeah, I can see that.

To what extent are you able to operate as a couple?

Not just somebody who is working through a disability.

None?

I think that's gone completely, hasn't it?

Sort of put your children to bed and then the carers come in,

and they're here for an hour.

And then it's time for lights out, isn't it?

So I think that is one thing that we need to work on, isn't it?

This will probably upset Richard, but it's an honest feeling,

that Richard is excluded from many things

that me and the boys do. Either inside or outside the home.

Just because of the practicalities of it.

OK, and that's what you need us to do?

-You need us to...

-Bring us together.

-Get the family back together.

-Yeah, definitely.

-Jude, I don't know if you noticed,

but whilst I was chatting to you, I accidentally leant on

the "forward" button and almost shot him across the room.

RICHARD AND JUDE LAUGH

But he wasn't so unwell enough that he couldn't reach forward

and just switch it off!

To make sure I didn't do it again.

Sorry about that(!) Right, let's get the builders in, yeah?

Braving snow and sub-zero temperatures

is a terrific turnout of Yorkshire's best.

APPLAUSE

What's happened here is that the father has become

separated from his kids.

If we make this house the right way round, he won't have to

sit on his own whilst the kids sit with their mum to have dinner.

They can spend time together. We can actually help that happen.

And the kids will have a chance to get their father back and give him

the best opportunity to fight back and spend time with them.

-Is that a good enough reason? ALL:

-Yeah.

-Good.

'It's a different kind of build this week,

'because the upstairs is already in good nick.'

So we're leaving it alone

and putting all our efforts into the ground floor.

So, without further ado, let's do some egg-breaking.

Outside, the groundwork boys have already given us a head start

by getting the foundations in for an extension,

but in their haste, they've left the digger behind.

We've got to get a floor in here by lunchtime,

then the timber frame guys are going to come along,

and we're going to have a timber frame extension up here.

Before that, we've got to batten between all the joists

-and get it insulated.

-Well, you can see why,

when you look at the underground being that cold, there's ice on it.

But when the building is up,

you won't actually have any snow in here.

'He's like an annoying little brother. I know, because I was one.

'We're like one big, happy, dysfunctional family.'

Since we started this 15 years ago,

11 children born to our families in the time we've been doing this.

And I worked it out the other day,

we've worked with 12,000 builders around the country.

Yeah, and how many babies would that be?

Yeah, how many babies have THEY made in that amount of time?

Probably, after doing a Big Build, they're too knackered!

Yep, he's right, it's only day one.

We've got a mountain to climb

and our designer Charlie Luxton is already cracking the whip.

Mark, what about the front porch foundation?

Yes, we'll have to have a chat about that.

-What're you doing with the porch?

-I want to take it off and build one.

-Why?

-You've seen the plan, you knew this was coming.

-I know, I know.

The other thing I've just realised is the new rear access...

-What's that?

-The new rear access...

Sorry, it's cold.

-Freezing out there, isn't it?

-Yeah, we'll lock that.

Look, he's tripping over themselves to share his ideas.

Call that man management, Mark?

Still, someone's got to listen to him. And it turns out it's me.

Charlie Luxton, environmental planet saver.

-Nice to have you back.

-It's very nice to be here.

-Really?

Yeah, but it's a funny one, this, because the house is in

really good condition, but it just doesn't work for them.

What's your master plan, open it all out?

To create different areas, so we're extending out the back,

we're putting a new, dedicated side access for the carers,

we really put a lot of thought into the kitchen,

so that he can start preparing his own food during the day.

Because at the moment, during the day,

-he's often just trapped in a room.

-And his capabilities are increasing.

He's made amazing progress, so who knows where he could go.

Who knows indeed, it's all about

creating a home where Richard can develop his independence

and a space that brings the whole family together again.

By building a timber frame extension on the back of the house,

we're adding essential space for a bedroom for Richard

and a new playroom for the boys just next door.

The ground floor will be remodelled, and by moving walls, we can add

a specially-equipped wet room and a huge open-plan kitchen/dining area

where all the family can be together. The old kitchen will become

a new grown-ups lounge, giving Jude and Richard somewhere

they can enjoy quality time together.

AND we're finally unlocking the outdoors by creating a garden

where Richard can be with his children.

I feel really strongly about this one, I think we can do something

that makes his quality of life so much better,

and their family work. And we'll make it warmer.

Are we going to have to have the insulation talk?

Yes, probably. No, we're not...

'Thought as much. Moving on as quickly as possible.'

If we're going to break down the barriers that are dividing Richard

from the rest of the family, then perfectly good walls have got to go.

All this has come out. So it's going to be a fair bit of mess.

There's not going to be anything left, is there?

It's enough to leave your ears ringing.

HIGH-PITCHED RINGING

Is that annoying noise in my head, Mark,

or can anyone else hear something?

What is that?

-What's that, Charles?

-It's gas!

MARK LAUGHS THEN SCREAMS

It's a carbon monoxide alarm.

RINGING STOPS

-Fixed it!

-Is it OK to come back?

I can't believe it's carbon monoxide.

-I did secretly pop one out.

-Did you?!

I didn't realise it was going to set an alarm off.

-Thought nobody was going to notice.

-Well, that did!

You really can't take him anywhere, can you?!

Still, you could say we're cooking on gas.

Isn't it amazing what 50 blokes can do in just a couple of hours?

As you can see, it's a little bit busy in here at the moment.

It's become a forest of acrow props holding up the upstairs of the house.

Because we're starting to take these walls...

Well, I say, "Starting to take", they've gone.

Turn away for two minutes and a wall is gone,

which is quite impressive.

I knew we wouldn't get far into the build before Charlie

got his eco bit in.

And with Richard at home all day,

going to town with the insulation will save on their energy bills,

but can there be such a thing as too much insulation?

I think so.

This is more than most people do,

can't we just be pleased that we've got some insulation in there at all?

No. Look, I know this seems dull, but you're losing a surprising...

No, this is the stuff I live for(!)

You lose a surprising amount of heat through the floor,

especially on a...

What percentage can you lose through the floor, Charlie?

About 20% on an average house.

The timber frame people turn up at lunchtime,

we're not holding them up,

they've got a day to do it. We've done this for you,

and then you've turned up here and you're trying to get more.

We know you're like, trying to get a little bit more.

Don't start that carry-on.

-Sometimes, you have to let some of the planet go.

-It's hard.

Enough talking, come on, time for action.

Obviously not watched the programme if he thinks that's enough talking.

LAUGHTER

Anyone would think we're full of hot air. Ah, wait a minute.

Seriously though, he's got a point.

The timber frame has just rolled up, and it's all hands to the pump

to get this monster unloaded and put together.

Time is of the essence,

so it's important I spend time talking to someone I think, yeah.

-So who's in charge?

-Guilty.

-Just you two, is it?

-Yes.

-I'm Nick.

Nice to meet you. Lee.

-Nice to meet you, Nick, I'm Alan.

-Anybody else in your team?

-Mike, contracts manager.

-Penfold!

LAUGHTER

Keep 'em coming.

Yeah, look at that, they're off.

It is like a well-oiled machine.

From 15 flatpack panels to one extension.

-MARK:

-Are you going to have it finished tonight,

-roof on and everything?

-Depends how much tea we get, doesn't it?

True enough, I'll go and make some tea for you.

LAUGHING: 'As if he makes tea!'

-What are your impressions so far?

-Goldfish.

'Impressive, I think you'll agree.

'He's available for weddings, funerals, bar mitzvahs, you know.

'And we've made jaw-dropping progress today.'

Amazing when you think that just seven hours ago, this was

a perfectly reasonable kitchen in a perfectly reasonable house.

Now the entire thing is held up on acrow props.

Everything has been stripped out, and the walls, and the ceilings,

and all the electric has gone in, and all the plumbing,

and if you go through to the other part here,

we've stripped this down too,

we've prepped this wall ready to put a door through,

this is turning into a bathroom, probably my favourite bit though,

is if you go through, we HAVE an extension,

and it's even got a roof on.

Now THAT'S Yorkshire building.

Morning! Morning, morning.

It's still thermals underneath weather,

and by the look of things up here, there's no sign of a big thaw.

Although the thermals do make me a bit "thore".

Everyone's come up - "It's cold, Billy",

you're northerners, you know what I mean? You don't get cold.

Us Southerners do.

-Mark.

-Yes?

-Weren't we supposed to be doing stonework by now?

We are supposed to be doing stonework,

but we haven't got the stone. Bricklayers were supposed to

start this morning, but the stone hasn't arrived.

-Why hasn't it arrived?

-If you have a look around,

we've got a drop of snow.

They're having problems getting the trucks through.

If that gets delayed, then we can't get the scaffold down.

Can't get the scaffold down, we can't start the garden.

That's a worry, isn't it?

'We can't let a bit of snow get in the way of progress.'

The roof lights are a little bit delayed.

How much will that hold you up?

I know t'measurements, I'll just pretend they're in and work.

-I'll work round invisible skylights.

-Is that all right?

-It's fine.

-Oh, I love you.

-You too.

There's nothing seems to faze this lot, and at last, the steels have

made it, so we've got something to hold the ceilings up.

In fact, the top of the house, the whole of the top of the house.

Yesterday, these people were living in here.

Have a little spin round now, look.

It is proper broken, isn't it?

We've broke it and now we've got to fix it.

And our priority is to get those two steels in place.

We're going to need all the manpower we can muster,

and someone doing the talking.

Come on, come on, up, up, up.

All right, everyone doing the talking.

See, talk and teamwork is what makes the dream work.

Whoa, lovely!

Well done, boys.

The trick to running it smooth is not having Knowlesy

get involved in it whatsoever.

-He overcomplicates making a cup of tea, doesn't he?

-Yeah.

That's two teas and three coffees... No, two coffees and three teas.

I've got to get this right.

You see, all we give these guys is

tea, coffee and a bite to eat. We don't pay them.

It's shocking, isn't it, how life can suddenly turn around on you?

Yeah. His son and my son both are exactly the same age.

They both play junior football locally.

-So you've met him before he...? Really?

-Yeah.

-Makes you think, don't it?

-Yeah, yeah.

-What about yourself?

To see him going from what he was - active, hard-working,

being with his family, to being confined to a chair

and not being able to communicate with them, I don't think unless

you've lived that you'll ever be able to communicate

and relate to it.

-Have you got kids yourself?

-I haven't, not at the moment.

Hopefully this year, next year we will.

-Still practising?

-Still practising.

-How's it going?

-Doing all right!

Laughs aside, I think everyone has been

affected by Richard's story, and are pulling out

all the stops to build a home where they can be a regular family again.

That's all anybody wants - just to be a regular family, surely.

When Richard lost his ability to be a hands-on dad,

it started to affect his relationship with the boys.

So they try their best to keep that bond alive with days out together,

and one of their regular fixtures is watching local team

Huddersfield Town.

I meet them at the training ground,

where some very well-paid childminders

have agreed to look after the lads.

Do you want to go over there? Come on, then. Do you want to go as well?

It also gives me a chance to chat to Richard,

with a bit of help from his tablet.

LAUGHING: Yeah.

Yeah, "They're meeting their heroes, but also have some time off school,

"and I reckon it's about even on what they're enjoying the most."

NICK LAUGHS

PLAYERS CHEER

It seems to me that one of the toughest things that you're having

to deal with is how your relationship with the boys is affected.

"My role as a husband

"and father is changing to someone who relies on others.

"I want to be independent

"and contribute to our lifestyle as much as possible.

"It would allow me to progress."

If we open up the house,

do you think it will help with your rehabilitation?

Definitely?

"The limitations of my kitchen mean that I can't help with any

"fatherly duties such as washing clothes or making food and drinks.

"I've also had to manage without washing or toilet facilities

"and my bedroom is in my dining room.

LAUGHING: "This is not good when we have people round for a meal."

I can see... I can see how that could be a problem, absolutely.

What about your wife? Tough on her?

"Jude is a rock. Somehow holding our family unit together.

"I would welcome the opportunity to challenge myself with any

"adaptations that can be made on the home and spend some time baking

"and being creative with the bop."

-I'm guessing that's "boys."

-Mmm.

Well, to be honest, in all those questions,

you've only made one spelling mistake.

"Don't you realise it's cold out here?" Yes, I think...

Yes, I think we'd better get you back in.

'He's quite a man, Richard, isn't he?

'But his sons seem to be enjoying themselves, too.'

Back at the house,

we're turning the tiny back yard into a place that everyone can enjoy.

Making it wheelchair-accessible will mark a milestone for Richard.

He'll be able to get into the garden with the boys for the first time

since his stroke.

Our problem is, that's our finished floor level,

and we've got a massive drop across the site, and we need to get

a disabled access ramp from here

down to the new height of the garden.

I was then thinking we could just dress the front of that with

a little dry-stone stub wall,

but I want to keep a little space for the kids to play in.

I know it seems crazy, that is wide enough for the kids to play goals.

-Can you do that?

-Yes.

-Yeah.

And are you going to build in tweed? That's my next question.

I want tweed if we're doing this proper.

They're a stylish bunch round here, and what's more,

they always deliver the goods.

And this is it, this is what we've been waiting for.

Ten pallets of stone to build the extension.

Late in the day, we've lost today,

so fingers crossed tomorrow the weather is going to be decent,

because basically, you can't lay brickwork below three degrees.

It'll set, but it'll just crack.

I need to get that wall up and finished in three days.

-Yeah, we'll get it done.

-Fantastic.

-If you keep feeding us.

LAUGHTER

I hope it's not a big wall. Hang on - is he taller than someone?

Morning. It's actually a lovely sunshine-y day.

Cold, as you can see if you look out into the fields behind.

And I've arrived just in time for a bacon sandwich. Perfect.

What have you got for breakfast?

Bacon, sausage and a bit of black pudding. A bottle of Irn-Bru.

Is that you on the healthy diet at the moment?

Are you training for a marathon?

Yeah, you know... Body of Baywatch, face of Crimewatch.

Yes!

'Other sweet fizzy drinks are available.

'It's thankfully too cold for beachwear,

'but you've got to look after them, especially the brickies,'

who've drawn the short straw.

The roofers are still on the scaffolding,

and with the sub-zero temperatures,

we've got the heaters on full blast.

'Don't tell Charlie. So it's like a sauna down here. '

-Are you comfortable in there?

-We're sweating. Sweating buckets.

'Despite all that, brickie Mark is back for more.

'He helped us out on a Big Build a couple of years ago, you know.'

Somebody told me that you broke your neck.

I did, about six months after we'd filmed that.

Really? You all right now?

Yeah, I'm back at full health, but at the point

when I did it, it was touch and go, I could have been paralysed myself.

-Wow.

-So it wer' a bit of an eye-opener.

So you've got a better idea than most of what it's like.

It can change in an instant, like that.

That's, again, why I'm here today,

because I'm aware that that can happen.

Friends helped out, but people who we didn't really know just

came out of the woodwork and rallied round and helped out.

So you're here to hand it on a little bit?

Yeah, just keep that karma going, as it were.

Just try and do summat good once a year.

That's what's great about these Big Builds,

it's all about pulling together and sharing the love.

And occasionally a massage.

-When you send me texts...

-Yeah?

-..you send me an X on the end.

-Yeah.

-"Yeah, I'll see you at the weekend, X."

-"Love you loads", two kisses.

-But you wouldn't kiss me in real life.

Don't you think we should have a different letter that we could

put on the end, a more butch...?

-No, nothing wrong with a kiss.

-Isn't there?

-Nothing wrong at all.

-Why?

-He says, "Why?" You see? Why a kiss?

He says Q, I'm a little bit worried about that.

If we went round the site here, who would give you a kiss?

Chris would, he would, Martin would.

-You... What?

-I'd give him a kiss. He's a nice lad.

-See?

-You've got some kind of animal magnetism going on.

'It seeps out sometimes, to be honest.'

'Yeah, OK, fair enough.

'I was just enjoying a nice warm feeling, but it's probably just

'from Charlie's insulation, which is

'going in the huge space under the floor.'

The gentleman here are going to be going down the stairs.

They'll probably moan and whinge about it,

but there's loads of room down there.

Gentlemen going in? Dive, dive, dive!

Good luck. Obviously you don't want anybody too big down there.

-Good luck, mate.

-See you on the other side.

See you on the other side. I only want small people down there.

-Good luck, see you on the other side.

-I can't get my shoulders in!

I'm going to go and have a cup of tea.

I thought you were supposed to be overseeing things, Mark!

Well, we nearly have a roof on the extension.

The imaginary skylights are now a reality.

Very beautiful roof, isn't it? Look at that lovely slate.

The boys still working on putting

the tiles in at the end, here. How we doing, gents?

-All right?

-You winning?

-We're winning, yeah.

We're going for it, be done in a day.

-Is that right?

-Yeah, we'll be finished in about 55 minutes.

-Really?

-Want to start the clock?

NICK LAUGHS

'Do you know, everybody we ask says they can do whatever

'we want as soon as possible. It's brilliant.'

As Richard continues to make progress,

they're hoping to add a four-legged friend to the family.

At Dogs for the Disabled, they train assistance dogs to help

people like Richard perform basic everyday tasks.

They'll pick things up they've dropped, help them

turn lights on... Anything you struggle with...

Could they do my internet banking?

Cos I can't get my head round that at all.

-They could, but we don't trust them with the passwords.

-Is that right?

'The benefits go far beyond helping out around the house.

'A dog like Gerry would give Richard some company during the day

'and help with his physical recovery.'

Jetta's near the end of her 20 months training,

but can she help Billy with something he struggles with?

Getting up in the morning.

-Thank you very much.

-Good girl, good girl.

-Good morning, Jetta.

-In

this final stage,

it's all about matching her with somebody,

and then putting all the specialist training in

so that every dog we supply is unique to the person that has them.

Thank you.

Particularly with Richard, there are some great opportunities

to work with using voice more, and making sounds.

Physiotherapy, so using arms to throw balls,

and getting out and about is a really good thing as well.

Jetta, fetch.

There's a rigorous selection

and approval process for getting one of these dogs,

and the family are waiting to see if they've made it on the list.

I think it could give you extra confidence

when you're going out on your own.

Independence.

And I think as a family,

it's something you could do with the boys, take care of the dog.

You know, go on some lovely walks together, couldn't we?

I can see how that would make a massive difference

in people's lives, amazing.

Jetta, fetch. Oh, ho-ho-ho, well done.

I lost them.

Aren't you the best? Yeah.

You deserve two treats now.

He deserves a day off after taking Bill's underpants out of the washing.

We're making great strides back on the build,

and the open-plan layout is the start of the new kitchen/dining area.

And at the back, we're unlocking the garden for Richard by adding

an access ramp that's clad with local dry-stone walling.

It's beautiful. We've got the stone. Here it comes.

All eight tons of it.

Charlie's going to be busy with his garden design.

But not before we've shifted the elephant in the room -

a 1.5 ton digger.

This hasn't moved

in the last...

six days, seven days?

We lost the key.

-Who lost the key?

-Pfft. Somebody.

CHARLIE LAUGHS

-Did YOU lose the key, Mark?

-I didn't actually lose the key.

What I did, at the start of the job, I sent everybody in,

sent 50 blokes in to pull the house apart, do it as quickly as possible.

And the key was on the windowsill.

they took the windowsills, the kitchen

-and everything out and dumped it.

-So somebody threw the key in a skip?

I think that's generally what happened, yeah.

And we're getting a new key?

Getting a new key sent up by a courier from London.

And it can definitely get out? Because it looks quite wide.

-It's 800...

-Don't worry, Chazzers, it'll go!

CHARLIE LAUGHS

How wide is it?

About 790.

Concerned? You should be, Mark.

Whilst there are egress issues at the back,

the access issues at the front are all under control.

We're widening the door

so Richard can get in and out of the house on his own.

That's the thing about doors - they work in both directions.

-What you making?

-A porch. For the front door, at the side.

-And what are we doing over the top of it, do we know?

-A pitched roof.

-Slating, I think.

-So it should be good.

-Did Julian collect on that kiss you promised him?

-No, not yet.

We'll wait when it's a bit more private!

LAUGHING: There's a buzz about the place,

and that's nothing to do with Billy's wiring.

We're putting in a hi-tech electrical system that means

Richard's going to be able to control the heating,

lighting and even the front door using his tablet.

Richard can come up in his wheelchair,

and with his remote control, press for the sockets to come on.

It gives him more freedom, gives him his own independence.

No-one wanted to mention he had a duck on his head.

All this is to help Richard help himself in getting one step closer

to being a hands-on dad once again.

Billy has popped over to see Richard and middle son Oscar to see what

he makes of it all.

You know we've come to do the house for Dad and make it more

comfortable and everything, what are you looking forward to in the house?

I'm looking forward to... Because Dad said he'll get us an Xbox.

-Oh, an Xbox?

-And then we might get a dog, as well.

But if we get the dog, we won't sell the cat.

-And what about your dad?

-His own private bathroom.

Do you think that will be more comfortable for Dad?

It will be better for him to have a wee.

RICHARD LAUGHS

Because he has wees in his bedroom at the moment.

What would you like in the garden?

I want, like, a ramp instead of steps.

I'd like a little ramp

so Dad can go down,

and then maybe in the middle, some grass,

so Dad can move easily around.

Well, that's fairly straightforward, isn't it?

They want to be together, essentially.

And changes are afoot.

The big thaw has started and essential supplies are at last

getting through, care of the local WI.

-We're not just about cakes any more.

-No, absolutely.

We can't do all the woodwork

and stuff like that, we'll make the cakes.

Because everybody in the area has been so fantastic about

baking cakes, it's made our builders feel genuinely loved.

And they've done their level best to eat as many as they can.

I've eaten me licence fee in cake.

-Mary Berry's got nothing on you ladies.

-Oh, that's nice, innit?

-He's not talking about the age, is he?

-I hope not!

It seems all that sugar's done the trick.

Chris and his boys are on the last straight - Richard's bedroom.

-Christopher?

-Hello.

How're you going to dry it out with the temperature and weather...?

Hot air. That's where you come into your own.

You can help us out there, Mr Knowles.

You all right, enjoying yourself over there?

You're like a massive dehumidifier, aren't you?

'What're you trying to say?! You'd be lost without me!'

Crikey, that digger's still there.

We've passed the halfway mark, it all seems to be going to plan,

which is always worrying, but there is a small issue

of eight tons of stone to move.

Time to break out the big guns.

-That's what we brought Alison for.

-You're having a laugh!

That's my job. They're the skilled ones, I'm the labourer.

-You're going to move all this?

-Yes.

Come on, we don't have time to talk.

LAUGHTER

You tell him, Alison! Time is of the essence,

and isn't it about time we got that digger out of the back garden?

How are you going to get it up? And you've got to go up that step.

Mate, I haven't done ten years in the circus, not learned nothing.

-Ten years in the circus?

-Billy Smart's.

-Have you?

-Oh, yeah.

-What was your speciality in the circus?

-Tightrope walking.

-Was it?

Yeah. That's where I get the balance from

to be able to drive that out through there.

-It's all about balance.

-Is it?

-Oh, yeah.

They're just fantastic liars, the bunch of them.

LAUGHTER

I'm full of admiration for them.

I've got that much faith in him, I'll bet you £10.

-Oh-ho.

-That he can drive it down there.

-Without scraping the wall or the digger?

-Without damaging anything.

MUSIC: Stuck in the Middle With You by Stealer's Wheel

'Now, this is going to be interesting.'

-MARK:

-Go on, Mr P.

Ooh-hoo-hoo!

Catching the fence, mate.

That is SO tight.

CHARLIE LAUGHS

-Hey, Charlie, have you got your tenner ready?

-Not over yet.

# Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right, here I am

# Stuck in the middle with you... #

Left a bit, left a bit, got to go up over here.

That's it - yeah!

'He said he would do it, and he did.'

He should be back for the next show.

Give him a honk if you see him on the slow lane on the M1.

NICK CHUCKLES AND JULIAN HONKS DIGGER HORN

These remarkable local trades are pulling together to support this

local family, building a home,

a beautiful home that will mark a new chapter in their lives.

Up until now, Jude has fought to hold the family together on her own,

with her oldest friend Jane supporting her from the sidelines.

One of the difficulties is that she hasn't got family around to help out.

-That's right.

-Which is kind of what you've done.

Yeah, but I know she'd do it for me.

And that's what we are, we're true friends,

and I think ultimately, um...

You know, I'd do anything for her.

Having gone through what they've gone through as a family,

I do think that lots of other people just would not have been able

to cope with something like that.

And I'm not saying Judith does, but she has to.

And she knows that, at the end of the day,

she wants the best for Richard and her three boys.

They are her priority.

She is really, truly one of the kindest people I know, and...

I think she's one of life's givers, and anything that anybody can

do to help her, that's so important, really.

-This means a lot to you, doesn't it?

-It does, it does.

Yeah.

Just two days to go.

The plaster is dry and an army of

very smart-looking decorators are poised to push things along.

It's all yours. Sand and paint and make that place

look really beautiful.

Right, let's hit it! Go!

Local artists are bringing

a Yorkshire Dales landscape mural inside,

and the floor is wheelchair useably flat, from front path,

throughout the house, to the back balcony.

This is his private space, is it?

So he's got access off the back here for carers,

so they can come straight in.

So the family has got its own space, he's got his own proper wet room.

Which is nice, because it means he can be prepped in the morning

to join the family, and the kids don't have to watch all that stuff

going on whilst they're having their breakfast.

Privacy, isn't it?

Just giving that separation is going to have

a real impact on the quality of their lives.

'It's well thought through, isn't it? When you think about it.

'And in the main family area, we're fitting a kitchen that's both

'easy to access and look after.'

I'm always being told off for not using a bread board when I come in.

-You don't use a breadboard?

-I get told off, cos I scratch the surface.

-Get a breadboard.

It's just one of those things you do. You cut bread on the work surface cos you don't use a breadboard

-and you drink milk out the bottle, out the fridge.

-You can't drink milk out the fridge from the bottle.

My mum'd go mental if she saw you doing that. She really would.

'And rumour has it you don't want to mess with Charlie's mum!'

Outside, the landscaping's done.

Who'd have thought that eight tonnes of old stone could look so good? It's magnificent.

-Beautiful, isn't it?

-Glad you like it.

Oh, cos we had the old stone wall in the back here, so it would have

been wrong somehow to have put brick or block or anything else in there.

-Enjoyed it?

-Yeah, loved doing it. Absolutely loved it.

So I'm so pleased with the way it's turned out in such a short time.

Fantastic effort.

'These guys are taking a great deal of pride in their work.'

No corners are being cut, because they know who they're working for.

You know, when Richard's life took a sudden and unpredictable turn,

Jude's role was forced to change.

For the past two years,

she's not only had to become the sole breadwinner, but juggled

work and being a carer, and a mum,

putting her under immense stain.

Tell us about Richard before the stroke.

Cos obviously we don't see him now, so what was he like before?

Oh, as a dad, he was absolutely amazing.

Amazing. Yeah.

There wasn't one bit of fatherhood that he got wrong.

He was perfect.

-And a husband?

-Yeah. Really good. Supportive, loving, loyal.

-What do you miss most?

-Oh, I miss so much.

So much.

Um...

I suppose that intimacy that I think is lacking now.

You know, I've become sort of more of a carer

than I have a wife, sometimes.

And I miss him doing things with the boys.

Doing family things that normal families do.

Even just kicking a football around and...

You know, they both rely on me to do that now.

And that seems sort of the wrong way round, really.

-And he misses that too?

-Oh, massively.

Massively. I think it cripples him sometimes.

Given that his stroke was a brain stem stroke

and a very serious one at that, wasn't there a point where you

didn't know whether he was in there or not when you asked him a question?

Oh, I did all sorts when he was in intensive course

and I can remember asking him questions, just saying,

"Just squeeze my hand if there's anything,

"if you can hear me, just squeeze my hand."

And he'd flex his arms, he'd flex his hands,

and the hospital staff would say, "No, it's just an involuntary movement",

and I said, "But he can hear me. He can hear me. He is in there."

If I'd not had that belief from that very first moment,

then I might well have given up

and then who knows where we'd be now.

With all the things you have to face up for,

what is the toughest part of life for you?

I think I'm just on autopilot.

No, I'm just on autopilot all the time.

If I stopped to think how bad things are,

I might never get myself back from that place.

I mean, you know, if I crumble,

everything else gives way as well, doesn't it?

After all the struggles that you've had to take on yourself, how does it feel to know there are

60, 70 builders turning up every day to fight this with you?

It will be so good for our family.

So good for our boys, for Richard - suddenly, it will kick-start him

and I think it will give him that will to do more things for himself.

So ultimately, that will help with his rehab.

It will help him progress.

I think if you've been a marathon runner and you've hit that wall

and run beyond that wall,

then maybe he's got something in him, hasn't he,

that's going to make him succeed.

And then, that's then got to benefit our family, hasn't it?

Cos that's how it works.

What an extraordinary strong and powerful woman she is.

Back on site, we're heading towards our finishing line.

Our final goal outside is to lay a wheelchair-friendly lawn,

so Richard can play with his boys.

And this one should be pitch perfect.

Nick, do you just want to point out it's upside down?

Point out it's upside down!

THEY LAUGH

You could have tarmacked here if that was the finish we were going to end up with!

'He always likes to be one step ahead, doesn't he?'

Ask him anything you like. Ask him anything.

Seven. I answered before the question.

And he was about to ask - how many dwarfs were there with Snow White?

-He can do that every time. I'm thinking of a question now.

-Purple.

-What shirts do we wear on DIY SOS? That's incredible.

-72.

Six nines. I was gonna do a mathematical one.

-Every time.

-I'm speechless.

-Six twelves. Yeah, but his maths isn't that good.

-Yeah, I'm not...

My English is a lot better than maths.

You know, we are on the home straight.

We've almost got a kitchen - and a dining room for that matter -

although they're putting wardrobes over a map, which is odd, see?

All we need is a handmade table.

It's beautiful, guys. Absolutely stunning.

Would you like a man hug, or... Or just a thank you?

-Which one?

-A man hug would be good.

-A man hug?

-I'm not going for a man hug.

-Thanks.

It means a lot to us.

'Yes, always a popular choice. All right, ease up! That's enough! That's enough!'

And Charlie's piece de resistance

is a huge custom-built kitchen island

that's designed with Richard's wheelchair in mind.

Aren't you worried that being so big, it's going to take up

so much of the space that he won't be able to get in there

-and be able to cook and stuff?

-Well, a) that's so he can get under there.

-Oh, I see. This is his work space, so he can come up with the wheelchair here.

-Yeah.

Even that's quite tight with the wheelchair,

so you put on wheels, so that when he's left in the house alone,

you know, the family can move out of the way, so he's got loads of

space during the day and then it can go back for when they want to cook.

Clever, innit?

-It's a thing of beauty.

-It is a thing of beauty.

Come and look at the tops. Look at this!

-Look at the grain! And what sort of wood is this?

-It's European oak.

-Not cheap, is it, European oak?

-Very expensive.

-And you've done this out of the goodness of your heart?

-Yes, yes.

Why would you do that, given how much work's gone into it

and how much you've had to give up in terms of earnings

and buying such expensive oak to do it?

When I got sent the details, I thought, yeah, I'd love to do it.

You know, a couple of weeks out of my life. It's nothing, really.

Isn't that properly lovely? What have YOU done?

THEY LAUGH

'I'm joking, Charlie!

'You know, each build, we work with amazing people,'

make genuine friends, see genuine compassion.

And honest-to-goodness hard work.

These boys have done Yorkshire proud and now, they're done.

We arrived in Holmfirth to help a family whose lives were turned

upside down when dad Richard suffered a huge stroke.

Against the odds, he survived and began making an amazing recovery.

But their dream home was driving them apart.

Richard was isolated from the rest of the family, confined to the lounge

and sleeping in the old dining room with no washing or toilet facilities.

And we wanted to make that happen.

They were desperate to get their family life back,

so when we put a shout out, over 70 trades came over hill

and dale to help bring the family back together.

So, what has been achieved?

We've taken a sparse lounge

and created a beautiful open-plan living space

that's wheelchair friendly and geared up to help Richard become more independent.

The new kitchen has a stunning handmade island,

the right height for a wheelchair and it's fitted with sockets

and lighting that Richard can control using his tablet.

We added a dining table that everyone can reach and there's even

a custom-built work station where the boys can do their homework.

By adding an extension at the back,

we've created space for two brand-new rooms.

The boys lost a room to play in when Richard needed a bedroom

downstairs, but now they have their own space to chill out and relax.

In turn, Richard now has his own bedroom,

leading into a specially equipped wet room that will give him

the privacy he so desperately needs.

Where there was a kitchen, there's now a gorgeous grown-up lounge,

where Jude and Richard can spend time together.

And finally, we've created a low-maintenance garden that

Richard can at last get into with his sons,

complete with an artificial lawn, where the boys can play football.

All in all, this big build should give Richard the tools he needs

to move forward and allow the Fords to be a family together once more.

Well, obviously, we needed to change the house around to give you

the maximum opportunity to use it as a normal family home where

everybody can be together, so... Open your eyes!

Oh, my goodness!

Oh, my goodness. I can't believe it!

It doesn't look like our house!

This is absolutely amazing.

My gosh!

It's absolutely amazing.

I can't believe it.

Wow!

There's lots to talk about in here.

We'll start with the island in the middle,

because we wanted to give you maximum work space, where you and

the boys can make cakes and do stuff together, which is great.

The other clever thing about this is that if Richard's here on his own, the whole thing...

-Oh! It's just mind-blowing.

-It just rolls out of the way.

So then, Richard, you have the full space to use for physio,

but also to get access in here.

-It's just absolutely mind-blowing.

-Pretty cool, huh?

Oh, it's just...out of this world.

The whole house has now been made user-friendly for you.

Automated on your tablet now will be intercom to the front door

so you can talk to anybody who comes to the front door.

Controlling the lights, the TV,

controlling the sockets on the walls in here.

Kettle, coffee machine, toaster.

Oh, wow. Wow!

So you can make yourself a cup of coffee, make yourself a cup of tea,

make yourself a piece of toast

and controlling the central heating system

but there's more than that as well, because the other thing you

needed to do...to be able to have access.

So, you can actually open the doors.

Oh...

That's going to make such a massive difference.

But it means basically that you can get in

-and out of the house on your own whilst you're at work.

-Yeah.

And for me to feel as though you're not sat in all day

when I'm out at work.

Just feels they've gone above and beyond anything

I could have imagined.

So, move through into your dining area.

Dining table that you can all sit around

so that you can actually be at the table with your family

and just have meals in the way that you should do.

It's...it's just so, so perfect.

In fact, if there was a word that described something that was

more than perfect, it'd be that.

Storage.

Obviously storage is important

but we also thought it might be more fun to actually make it

blackboard so the kids can draw on it

and you could have a list of jobs that you want Richard to do during the day.

Yeah, absolutely, yeah.

He can cover them up.

LAUGHTER

I can see how that's going to work(!)

Do you want to move on?

Come through.

What we've done at the end here is made this area into a playroom

so the kids have actually got a space all of their own.

It's lovely. It's lovely.

It's also a space you can join in and you can sit in amongst them here

whilst they're playing and there's a little telly for them just here.

They'll love it.

They'll absolutely love this little chill out area just for them,

won't they? They'll just, they'll just be so made up.

-Ready to see the rest?

-Yeah, definitely.

LAUGH OF DISBELIEF

This is so beautiful. It's so perfect.

It all seemed really bare and cold and this is just so lovely.

The other thing that you needed was a room for you and bathroom facilities.

THEY SOB

It's just a big deal, isn't it?

I suppose for Richard it's...erm... and for me,

I suppose, it's a

big enough bed for us both to get into, for a start, and it

feels like, you know, it feels like our room really and it's Richard's

room, but it feels like somewhere that I could spend time with him.

And I think what we had before was a hospital bed and that was just

so clinical, but this is just more.

It's, it's...it's absolutely stunning, but it's normal, isn't it?

It's not a standard double bed,

it's medical this side, not medical that side, so basically, it's,

you know, it's the best of both worlds.

It's better than you ever imagined? Well, I'm very pleased - that's what all the builders want to hear.

If you open that door...

That's it, stay where you are.

Oh!

So, access for the carers is important.

Yeah, massively.

With this, with the carers coming in through the side door,

prepping you in here, so that you can go out and join the family

and when you need to do something, you can come in on your own

and the carers can come in from the outside. Is that what you needed?

Definitely.

The one other thing you needed was...bathroom facilities.

RICHARD LAUGHS

You can roll under the shower here, wet room shower and, you know,

the stronger you get, the more independent...the more you'll

be able to use this and when you need to,

you can get yourself in here.

It's kind of cool, isn't it?

Like a dream home.

Isn't it?

I don't know where to look.

What I love about this house now is that you can be together with

-the boys and do normal things all the time.

-We can.

You can be part of the family and not separated any more.

This is like the first day...

now, of the rest of our lives, isn't it? Together. Yeah?

And I just think as a couple, like, we didn't matter any more

because we just had to get on with things.

Weren't we?

Just trying to hold the family together.

-Have we given you the tools to do that now?

-Well, yeah. Yeah.

RICHARD SOBS

Pull yourself together, son!

What's everyone in the police force going to say?

-What will all those people he's convicted at court be saying...?

-SHE MOUTHS

Is he sticking two fingers up?

HE LAUGHS

Is that for me?

Two fingers to me?

LAUGHTER

That's hilarious.

I think you're the first person I've ever revealed a house to who's given me the two fingers!

That's funny.

-What do you think the kids will make of it?

-I don't know.

-Shall we go get them in?

-Yeah, definitely.

Do you want a playroom? If you go the other end...

Can we look in the back garden?

Go on, you want to go and see the garden?

You wanted to make sure that we could get Richard outside,

down into the garden. Just go down the slope to the end,

-you get a much better view from down there.

-Oh, it's beautiful.

Isn't it a nice space? Someone's so skilled to have created that.

-What you reckon then, lads? Do you like the house?

-Yeah.

Oh, it's gorgeous. Beautiful.

We're just totally blown away by what everyone's done for us.

-It's unbelievable.

-The people we've worked with have been amazing.

-Ready to come and meet some of them?

-Yeah, definitely.

APPLAUSE

So, all these are all the people that worked on your house.

-It's a lot, isn't it? Do you like it?

-Yeah.

-Marks out of 10?

-10.

-10.

-10?

Want to get back inside and play, carry on playing? Yes?

-And then we'll come and join you in a minute. On you go.

-Come on, then.

So, obviously, quite a big change.

Perhaps you can tell them why it was so important

and what sort of change they've made.

I think as a family, sort of, we were fractured,

we were broken and life was getting really on top of us.

SHE SOBS

I think Richard's relationship with me

and with the boys was, you know,

in a bad... In a bad way.

I think we felt as though it was beyond repair, really,

and I felt sometimes as though we existed as...

me and the boys as one unit and Richard as a separate unit because

the house just simply didn't work for us and, you know, last night,

friends and Richard and I said it was like Christmas Eve when we were kids.

Just seeing what you guys have achieved in nine days is

absolutely astounding.

From the deepest bottom of our hearts,

a million thank yous to all of you.

You will never, you will never know what a difference you've now made to our lives.

You've rebuilt our family by what you've done in there.

Thank you.

APPLAUSE

Plainly, Richard has difficulty with speaking

and Jude didn't even know this, but he's actually written something.

Which... I'm going to try and read.

"I can never really express how grateful to you all I truly am.

"And I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for giving up your precious time

"and make our house a home again for me and my family.

"It's only now that I can see some light at the end of the tunnel."

Come on, mate!

APPLAUSE

"It's only now that I can see some light at the end of the tunnel.

"These changes you have made will make a life-changing difference

"to us by making me more independent

"and helping make my life as normal as possible in my own home.

"There is no doubt that this will make a tremendous difference to our lives.

"With your help, I would just like to thank Judith for all her help.

"And always believing during the last long 30 months."

I believe that their family can be a whole family again

and you've gone a long way to doing that for them.

There's this last bit as well that, I promise Jude that

I will put right any damage that I cause with my wheelchair.

LAUGHTER

APPLAUSE

Ready to go and meet them?

All right, sausage.

Love you lots, love you lots.

-I'm Peter.

-We've been doing the plumbing for you,

hopefully you'll have some nice hot water all the time now.

You're an inspiration to me. Stick at it, you'll get there.

We started out by telling you how Richard was a marathon runner

and we've discovered during the week that he's stubborn.

Now, stubbornness can be a good thing, cos it can make you determined

to finish a marathon. It can give you the belief.

Belief was the word that Jude used.

Come on, Richard, you can believe, you can get better. And he did.

But, unfortunately, because the house was bearing down on him,

he became separated from his children and that belief started to wane.

Like a marathon runner getting to the end of a marathon, maybe half a mile short

then a whole bunch of strangers pick him up and carry him over the line.

These strangers, that's what they've done.

Carried the family over the line, reignited that belief.

Who knows what they can achieve now?

Maybe you know somebody who needs your help.

-Hiya.

-Are you all right, love?

LAUGHTER

I did all your porching work there.