The Big Build - Cheltenham DIY SOS

So many young boys growing up are constantly on the go.

I was always wanting to do stuff,

pretty much, like, from birth, really.

My mum told me, when I was three months old, I started swimming.

Then, when I was about four, I started tag rugby.

And probably about age nine, I went into athletics.

Commitment-wise, I would say from day one when he played sport,

"If I'm going to play sport, I'm going to do it the best I can."

But no-one knows what fate has in store for them.

I had three strokes in the space of five months.

He wasn't speaking.

He wasn't swallowing.

He wasn't sitting up on his own.

That initial time,

you're wondering quite what you're going to be left of him.

When adversity strikes, the real challenge is how to move on.

Tough for even the strongest families.

It upsets me, because I feel like we've failed him,

because we should be able to provide for our own son.

But these battles don't need to be fought alone.

The cream of Cheltenham's trades are stepping up to help this young man

gain his independence with a brand-new home.

They'll be working around the clock

on one of our most ambitious builds to date.

This is the busiest I've ever known DIY SOS Big Build.

That house could quite easily fall down.

When do they tear the roof off?

I thought we were only supposed to be patching in the roof.

At some stage, mate,

we've got to stop taking things out and start putting things in.

'Let's just hope we haven't bitten off more than we can chew.'

-I didn't expect it to be like this.

-You deserve this.

And everybody working on it's been really chuffed to build it for you.

All the usual suspects are here,

including the designer this week, Shaun Clarkson.

But, as usual, we only have nine days to get the job done

and where are we going to find...?

Mate, I'm going to have to stop you there.

You always say that.

You know there's going to be a massive group of people

-stood over there.

-Let's get to them then.

This is DIY SOS: The Big Build!

THEY CHEER AND APPLAUD

So, I'm going to write, "My name is Scott Jones and I'm 17."

Some of my writing, I write right to left, so it's backwards.

At the age of 11, this remarkable young lad suffered a series

of strokes that took a severe toll on his mind and his body.

That's Scott's writing, reflected in the mirror so you can read it.

So, they think this occurred due to when my brain was trying to repair

itself, which is common with brain injuries in children.

Scott lives in Swindon Village, Cheltenham, with mum Liz

and dad Gary, a factory worker, who have been together for 37 years.

We met at school and we've been together ever since,

since 1978, December.

Got married in July '84.

After 14 years, the couple finally had Scott in 1998.

Scott enjoyed an active and sporty life, but when he was ten,

he started to suffer unusual symptoms.

We spent the summer down in Cornwall with my family.

In and out of the water the whole time.

And he started to get this discharge in his ear,

and I thought it was swimmer's ear.

So, we went to the doctors.

He just looked at it and said, "Yeah, I know what that is."

And it was a cholesteatoma.

A cholesteatoma is an abnormal growth inside the ear.

Left untreated, it can continue to grow and damage the brain.

Extracting the tumour normally consists of two operations.

One to take it out, then the other one, up to a year later,

to repair any potential damage.

And it was the second one which he wasn't right afterwards.

-He just didn't come round as much as I'd expected him to, did he?

-No.

It took a couple of days. He wasn't himself.

And we took him home.

And that day he went to school, and then he just said he felt

a pop in his ear and woke up with his head on the desk

and that's all we knew, wasn't it?

And at this point, I was having a stroke, and I didn't know.

We just couldn't find any reason for one, you know,

they couldn't find a bleed.

And so it was, sort of, one of those things where "We'll treat him,

"but we don't know exactly what we're treating," I suppose.

Over the next five months,

Scott had two more strokes that severely affected his mobility.

That initial time,

you're wondering quite what you're going to be left of him.

But Scott fought back to remain active,

competing in the shot put at both able-bodied and disabled events,

then narrowly missing out on selection for the 2012 Paralympics.

However, seizures caused his condition to worsen,

and in autumn 2013, paralysed from the chest down,

Scott became a full-time wheelchair user.

These enormous setbacks haven't stopped Scott.

His love of sport is undimmed.

These are both gold medals that I won

at my first international outside of the UK.

Gold in the C2 shot put F32

and gold in the C2 shot put F32, 52 and 54.

He topped this by winning gold at the disabled World Championships

in 2013, setting a world record in the process.

When he stood up on that rostrum in Lyon, that was it.

That was it for me.

But an injury to his throwing arm ended his shot put career.

Undeterred, Scott took up rowing instead

and has since made the GB development squad.

ROWING MACHINE CHAINS MOVE

He's fought every step of the way,

but he's fighting a losing battle at home,

which was built in the 1960s without disabled use in mind.

So, as well as the narrow doors that he can barely fit through,

there's a cramped kitchen that he can only use with his parents there,

which is a massive blow for a lad that loves to cook on his own.

I really want to cook, but I'm not allowed to,

due to the oven's up here and the hobs are up here.

I can't see them in the chair.

And if he wants a shower, well, that involves a trip to the gym

or the hospital, because the only one in the house is upstairs.

There's a toilet in the corner of a cramped utility room

on the ground floor,

but it's difficult to get to.

'I don't really want to be crawling round,

'especially when I've got friends round.

'You want to be able to be independent. Everyone does.

'But at the same time, I can't be my own person'

due to the house isn't adapted.

It's a claustrophobic existence for Scott throughout the house.

The garden's a no-go area.

He's got a lovely summerhouse that he had

where his friends used to meet.

He can't get down there.

Sometimes you see him wistfully looking down there, thinking,

-"Oh..."

-"I could escape down there."

-Yeah.

There used to be his little place just to go and play.

'He is a brave young man who just wants some freedom,

'which this house won't allow.

'I think this champion deserves a break, don't you?'

If I read through all this,

it's actually about you having independence, isn't it?

Cos you're at the stage where you want to be doing stuff for yourself,

and you don't want your mum and dad...

I've only got about six months till I'm 18,

so I'd rather have it to get myself sorted for independence.

I don't really want parents around me all the time

when I'm trying to do stuff.

-Although you do love them a lot.

-Oh, I love them and all that.

-Of course, yeah, yeah.

But sometimes I want my own space to be able to do my own thing.

Yeah, and I think that's not unusual for an 18-year-old,

-and I think every 18-year-old feels that way.

-Yeah.

You're not a lad that has let the stuff get in your way.

And you're busy having a go and fighting against everything,

and so these guys are going to come in and try sort something out

for you, mate, and give you what you need.

This is getting to you a bit, isn't it?

Thank you.

Tradesmen from Cheltenham and its surrounds

have answered our call for help.

And what a turnout.

They all have one goal in mind - to make this house work.

APPLAUSE

OK, so this is the family we're working for today.

We always like you to get an opportunity to meet the client.

What he wants is independence,

and he's fought so hard to be an athlete

and he never shies away, it's fair to say,

from any of the training or any of the difficulties

or the physical pain of what you're doing,

-but you're finding this quite difficult to do by comparison, aren't you?

-Yeah.

To come out and say hello to people.

Thank you.

HE SOBS

We'd just like to say thank you to everyone for turning up for Scott.

It is overwhelming and I can see why.

He is ten days away from a bit of independence.

Right, let's get you underway, then.

-See you later, mate.

-Thank you.

APPLAUSE

'Right, with the family on their way, it's time to get cracking.

'We have the standard nine days to complete what looks on paper

'like a rather ambitious build.

'So, as always, we'll have our work cut out.'

I want everything from the back here from that staircase all taken out,

all those walls down.

Yeah.

As you can see, our scaffold's up and some kindly gents have

already laid the foundations for our timber frame extension

so we don't have to stand around waiting for the concrete to dry.

Speaking of which...

..here is our side extension.

It's early, which is great news, as we've got lots to do.

The plan is to start this build from scratch,

and the only way to get to scratch is to smash everything up.

MUSIC: Out Of The Black by Royal Blood

HAMMERS THUD AND SMASH

'I'm not going to pretend we don't love this bit.

'What better way of a load of blokes bonding first thing in the morning?'

People say that there aren't artisans around any more.

'But as random bits of house flood out and get piled higgledy-piggledy

'in the skip, it starts to make my blood boil.'

These skips aren't airtight.

Knowlesy's going to be, "Oh, my God."

We'll step away.

A skip is a very expensive piece of kit.

And unless you pack them so that you can get them airtight,

you're wasting half your skip.

TWEETING NOTIFICATION

So, I get people tweeting me from all over the country now,

sending me pictures of their skips that are airtight.

There you go. You see, now look at the space all of a sudden.

Look at this.

'The house is cleared in no time,

'which I like to think owes a little to my skipology.

'But we've done such a great job of dismantling it,

'I'm trying to work out how it's still standing.

'Let me explain.'

So, here's our problem,

that that's our original house,

and we've taken all the internal walls out that hold it apart.

And what happens is, the danger is that it'll do that.

That house could quite easily fall down.

And these people just give us their door keys and head off and say,

"Yeah, thanks very much for sorting the house out."

'Yeah, we know what were doing, don't we?

'The short-term solution to keeping it up are acrow props,

'but the long-term one is rebuilding it, and for that we need a plan.

'Designer!

'This week we have a brand-new victim, er, designer.

'More like a fashion victim, really.'

-What colour socks have you got on?

-What colour socks have you got on?

-Orange, of course.

-Orange?

-Orange.

-Orange.

Don't ask him about his underpants.

'Shaun Clarkson has an international reputation for avant-garde design,

'working with both commercial and residential properties.

'That's very fancy, isn't it?

'Who knows what this orange opulentist is going to come up with

'when he's let loose on a three-bed in Swindon Village?'

-Hello, Shaun.

-Hello, nice to meet you.

-Yeah.

-Welcome to the show.

-Thank you very much.

I've had a word with the boys already on this particular outfit.

-And what do they say?

-They think you got dressed in the dark.

-Yes, I still think I'm 23.

-THEY LAUGH

-Is that what the 23-year-olds are wearing at the moment?

-I think so, yes.

Wait till the colours go on the wall.

The outfit reflects the colours.

Well, we did say at least one thing, one of my big bugbears

is that designers are constantly putting grey on the walls.

-I presume we're not having any grey on the walls?

-No.

I've got a bit of an issue about grey as well, actually.

I think it's overused. It's a great foil for other colours.

SHAUN LAUGHS

Already I like this man.

'And I like the look of the plan, as well.

'The ground floor as we currently know it will no longer exist.

'Only the living room stays put.

'The old dining room makes way for a modified kitchen,

'with lower worktops and appliances

'that Scott, who loves to cook, can reach.

'The biggest change is the stairs,

'which will now face the front of the house.

'There's lots more space downstairs, and with widened doorways,

'Scott will have the freedom to move around.

'All this extra space is because of our side extension,

'which will house a storage room for Scott's chairs

'and, most importantly, a new bedroom,

'with ensuite wet room so he'll no longer need to shower

'at the hospital or gym.

'Upstairs, the new stairs will give us a bigger landing

'and enough space to build a sewing room for Liz

'And the bedroom, spare room and master bedroom

'will all be brand spanking new.'

From a design point of view,

there needs to be a story throughout the house that all fits together.

'OK, so the jury may be out on his dress sense,

'but I like his perspective.

'Bringing Shaun's vision to life out back is a garden designer

'who may have overlooked something.'

-I notice there's a digger.

-There is a digger, yeah.

We've got some clearing to do. We're taking all the turf off.

But once we've built our extension...

Yeah, it's all going to have to stay in there,

so we're going to have to...

-Make a feature of the digger. Nice.

-No, no.

THEY LAUGH

-Not of the digger.

-Looks good(!)

Hopefully we'll get the digger back out.

-All right, well, I'd better think about that.

-OK.

'With the house now deemed stable, Billy's electricians are in.

'But the man himself is sporting an injury.'

I call it white finger.

When you've done all your tendons through the years of chiselling

and this vibration and it's just damaged that.

'Use your left hand for a while. I find that often helps.

'I think we're going to regret letting Julian loose

'on that digger in the garden.'

Dust?

So, basically, considering we're not doing much of the garden,

-they're doing quite a lot.

-Yeah.

From here, there's nothing left of the garden.

'The problem is you put Julian in one of those machines

'and he gets digger-happy.'

Rhubarb!

Oh!

Sugar! Plenty of sugar!

I'll tell you what, we'll keep that.

Pick it all, we'll have a rhubarb crumble tonight.

'Isn't it poisonous raw? I'm sure it is.'

-You have devastated our garden.

-I haven't, he has.

She told me to do it. I'm scared of her.

-AMERICAN ACCENT:

-She's small, but she's wild.

Small but wild!

Well, all I can say is good luck, I hope you get finished on time.

'Ignore him, honestly. Gardens take time to come together.

'Besides, you have a good-looking plan.

'There'll be a brand-new patio that's flush with the inside

'so Scott can get out there.

'We're laying new turf, with new flowers around the borders

'for Scott's mum Liz, who's a keen gardener.

'The summer house stays for its sentimental value.

'Winding down throughout is a resin bound gravel path,

'which will let Scott into the garden

'for the first time in five years.

'The path leads down to a brand-new workout room for Scott,

'so no more twice-daily trips to the gym with Mum.

'It's brilliant.

'Four hours in and the framework for the side extension

'is up in record time.

'What they really need is for me to get in there and slow them down.'

You've kind of almost built it already.

-You've got the two ends on.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-It's all right?

-Yeah, it's going well.

-Where do you want to be by the end of today?

-Finished.

-Truro's a long way to drive back.

-You're not from Truro.

-You're Cornish boys?

-Yeah.

-Cornish boys.

Very welcome - and join us.

That's a long way to come.

How come you've come out all the way up here to do this, then?

We're a small family business down in Cornwall, we got the call,

so we decided we'd come up and...

-You fancied having a go?

-Yeah.

-Is it what you expected to be?

-Yeah. It's good. I like it.

-It's fun.

'Amazing.

'That's a 400-mile round trip to install an extension

'for nothing other than the benefit to Scott.

'So, whilst they get on with it,

'Scott's about to put in a shift of his own down at the gym.

'Yes, his strict training regime has to continue

'regardless of what's going on at the house.'

We're off to the University Of Gloucestershire.

I'm going to head on to the gym,

so it's going to be indoor rowing today.

I started rowing in November for recreational fun

and then I went to the British Indoor Championships

and came second in the arms-only class.

Then after that, I started to take it a lot more seriously.

At the moment, because he's not at college, I'm taking him every day.

This will be the first of two trips here today,

and they are essential to maintain Scott's progress.

He throws himself into everything.

I think if he sets his mind to it, he's got a goal, he will go for it.

And we've seen that in his athletics.

And we're now seeing it in his rowing.

It's nice to see the way that he is improving,

and he's enjoying it, as well.

'If I hadn't had sport, then I wouldn't be where I am now.

'And the reason I carry on is I want a Paralympic gold medal.

'There's no doubts about that.

'If I won a Paralympic gold, I'd want a second one'

to prove I've done it,

and I'd want a third one and it just carries on going.

What an amazing lad.

Things are looking sturdier on-site,

which is more than I can say for our Jurassic spark.

-That can hurt cos of pressure there.

-But here?

-Yes! There.

-How old are you now?

-I'm going on a bit. Yeah.

There comes a time, Bill, where you've just got to accept

-that, you know...

-What's up with you?

The world's caught up with you a little bit, that's all.

-It's, you know...

-Put me and you together.

-You when we first started 16 years ago.

-Yeah?

And put me now, I am the only one that hasn't aged.

There's more changing Jules, Chris and yourself...

I'll tell you what, here's a picture of Jules when we started.

'And here he is now.'

So, that's not a great deal of difference, is it?

Here's a picture of Christopher.

'And Chris today?'

-Flipping hell, what happened to him?

-I know!

That is frightening, isn't it?

And here's a picture of me.

'In my mum's fleece.

'And now?

'Uh-oh.'

-Actually, I've aged bad as well, haven't I?

-No, I can't say you have.

Here's a picture of Bill when we first started.

And Billy today...

He's tampered with the pictures.

To be honest, there's not a great deal of change.

-There ain't.

-HE MOUTHS

-What?

-Nothing, nothing, nothing.

-No?

As the day draws to a close,

electrical and plumbing works are underway, almost all the new windows

are in upstairs, and the side extension is up, believe it or not.

But it's now trapping several tonnes of rubbish

in the back garden. Oh, and Julian...and his digger.

Other than that, it's been a great day.

Well, this is our extension. Big, isn't it?

Behind this wall is another room,

which we can't get to until we knock a door in to.

Let me show you what's going on inside.

Well, not going on, going out. Everything in the entire house.

Look at the downstairs. Everything's gone other than the chimney breast.

If you come round this way,

there is a hole here where the stairs used to be.

We decided to take those out.

I'd like to show you upstairs, but we can't, cos we can't get up there.

We have to put in a new staircase, which we're going to do tomorrow.

People don't think about doing this kind of thing because it costs...

Well, actually, only £200 for a new set of stairs. Why wouldn't you?

-What are you doing?

-We haven't quite finished.

We've got to put a set of stairs in, cos if we don't have them

in tonight no-one is going upstairs tomorrow to do any work.

That's a very good point. We'll see you tomorrow.

Sometimes you just have to take steps.

NICK CHUCKLES

The next morning, I meet up with Gary in the village hall,

where he and Liz had their wedding reception over 30 years ago.

Since then, the couple have been through thick and thin together.

You don't have to answer this, just from a father's point of view,

how have you dealt with all of this,

because it's not the way you expect the world to go for your boy, is it?

No. Em...

Sometimes you think, "Why me?"

Other times you think,

"Well, if it's me, someone else doesn't have to go through it."

But it's slightly different when it's your son. He has had dark days.

-Yeah.

-I suppose we all do, don't we?

Dealing with Scott's injuries have been a massive challenge,

but before he was even born, Liz was diagnosed with leukaemia.

She'd gone in for a laparoscopy just to see why we couldn't conceive.

She had a phone call within hours saying,

"You've got an appointment at the Cheltenham Cobalt Unit."

She's thinking, "You've got the wrong person."

-That's well-known around here as a cancer unit, is it?

-Yeah.

-OK.

Erm...

She just called in there and was diagnosed with a form of leukaemia.

At one stage, she was given three weeks to live,

or take a new drug.

So she said, "There isn't a choice.

"I'll take the drug which is untested."

Of all the guinea pigs, she's the only one still alive.

Is that right? She's the only one that pulled through?

Out of ten, she's the only one.

How much of a...?

You said that Liz had an enormous determination to fight

through her leukaemia before Scott came along.

Has she shown that same strength and resolve all the time

while looking after Scott as well?

The majority, yes.

But we all have good days and bad days.

She is a strong person. She is determined, just like he is.

I think that's where he gets it from.

More than me.

My glass is half empty.

Hers is half full.

Well, Gary, let's see if we can help, in some small way,

to fill that glass up.

Back at the house...

..the steels have arrived, but although I'm not around

to lend my usual assistance, they go in quickly and with relative ease.

-Do you know why that went quite well?

-Knowlesy weren't here, was he?

That's why it went well.

I do have feelings, you know.

The sparks are now flying unhindered,

and our new extension is getting bricked up.

Pressure is on, big fella. That door is coming tomorrow.

Yep, I'm there, I promise.

Yes, the little fella is right, it's already starting to feel like

no matter how fast we work, the jobs keep piling up.

We've still got all the plumbing and electrics

to go into the floor down here.

We've got the steels to build up over there.

Now we've got a porch to build as well.

We're actually behind where we normally are.

If you think we've got problems inside, outside there's ten tonnes

of rubbish and two tonnes of digger trapped in the garden.

But a low rumble in the distance heralds the arrival

of what could be a giant solution.

Is it a truck? Is it a train?

No, it's a crane, and we love 'em.

It's like International Rescue.

HE SINGS THUNDERBIRDS THEME

I've got a very rubbery face, haven't I?

In no time at all,

this king of on-site machinery has made light work of our rubbish bags,

with each one weighing in at just under a tonne.

That's no mean feat. Just look at it go!

Look at him up there, living every man's dream.

What did you want to be when you grew up?

A crane driver.

There you have it! He wanted to be a crane driver. Of course he did.

Julian doesn't seem to be having as much fun.

I'm guessing that's because he knows his digger

is next to go over the top. All two tonnes of it.

MUSIC: Without You by Harry Nilsson

Hold it there, hold it there.

They're taking my machine, I've got loads left to do.

That's why that type of machinery has been invented -

to take the hard work out of it.

She's going. She's off.

# I can't live

# If living is without you

# I can't live

-# I can't give any more... #

-That's him sulking now

for the rest of the time.

# I can't live... #

CHEERING

Well, he's on the shovel from here on in.

-Fancy a cup of tea in the meantime?

-Yeah, let's have one.

Now the garden's clear, landscaping can resume.

Back inside, Shaun wants to outline his vision for the kitchen.

Currently, the kitchen is sitting where we're standing.

One of the things that Scott said was that he couldn't cook,

so we've got a split-level kitchen -

one with a sink with a gap underneath and a hot plate

and an oven at his level.

Also, we've got an ordinary oven at eye level

and a hob for his mum to cook as well,

so the two of them can cook together or he can be independent.

Right. There's a couple of things you missed out on the kitchen.

-What's that?

-Water and electric.

Yes, we've moved it quite dramatically.

There's no drains in the house here.

-No.

-So we've had to lift the floor. Look, he's digging this out.

Well, I really hope it's going to be worth it.

Of course it'll be worth it.

See, that's why we all love designers as builders.

Good job everyone here sees the bigger picture.

We're going to watch him go in there, it's going to be great.

So rewarding to see something...

We're going to get something for what we're putting in.

As well as rowing for his country,

Scott plays wheelchair rugby league for Swindon St George.

He's invited Billy and Julian along for a training session.

This should be funny.

All right, Scott?

Scott, you all right?

-So this is it?

-Yeah, this is it.

We're playing wheelchair rugby league today.

For a couple of year I was told I would never play rugby again.

I didn't know the sport until last year.

I might be in wheels, but it's not much different.

I tell you what? You're a terrific kid. You're a terrific kid.

No, what you've been through and you still come out smiling,

it's brilliant. Love you lots, son.

Don't big him up too much, he might...

I might disappoint you, mate.

See what sort of strength he's got.

I'm not sure they know what they've let themselves in for here.

This game is played at a fierce tempo and involves...Some big hits.

Where's the exit?

It's not for the faint-hearted.

Be gentle with them, they haven't finished building the house yet.

This is nervous.

Don't worry, Billy, your dodgy hand will be OK.

It's your knees, hips and ankles you've got to worry about.

Go on, son.

MUSIC: 20th Century Boy by T. Rex

# 20th century toy

# I wanna be your boy

# 20th century toy

# I wanna be your boy

# 20th century toy

# I wanna be your boy... #

WHISTLE BLOWS

Try.

CHEERING

Jonny Wilkinson, eat your heart out, son.

Love you, son.

Cheers, mate.

That was good.

Today we've got a special DIY SOS Player Of The Match.

Billy, come here so we can give you this trophy, mate.

Come and share it. Six months apiece.

I thought it was amazing. Physically, it's very hard.

My hips, my back... They just get in there and... They're brilliant.

Yeah, very good.

For me, personally, wheelchair rugby league helps with,

one, physical and, two, psychological.

You might lose, but you're still playing. That's all that matters.

One, two, three...

ALL: St George!

NICK: The next day, walls seem to have appeared overnight,

but it's not the building fairies - there's a simpler explanation.

It's all about preparation and setting things up ready to go.

This morning, we were in first thing, muck was on - bang!

Straight on the wall, no messing around.

We could tell you were proper tradesmen.

The two hats, the swimming trunks, the knee brace, the socks...

That's a torn meniscus.

-Is it?

-Yeah.

-From building work?

-Servicing. That's why...

-Servicing what?

-Boilers.

-OK.

Mystery solved, thank goodness, but soon another one looms -

the digger we lifted out the garden yesterday has somehow reappeared.

What's going on?!

What the...? What-what? What... What?!

Where did...? How?

All I can say is, when I walked in this morning, it was already here.

Julian, you can't get the thing...out!

But it wasn't finished with.

-He's up to something.

-Oh, no, he's definitely done something.

-I've got lots of digging to do.

-Yeah, I bet you have.

-Carry on.

Julian!

I mean, great builder, but he's no magician.

How did the digger get back into the garden?

Well, he's on the shovel from here on in.

-Fancy a cup of tea in the meantime?

-Love one. Let's have one.

Did the cameraman keep filming? He did. What's he up to?

-Hello, mate.

-Hello, mate. Are you all right?

You know you just lifted that digger out,

you couldn't just pop it back in again, could you?

-Hmm... Not really.

-Do you like cakes?

-How about if I was to bribe you with that bad boy?

-That would do nicely.

-Lovely. Thank you.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you.

# Dig, dig, dig, dig, digging

# Dig a little trench with me

# Dig, dig, dig, dig, digging

# I can go back digging with you. #

He's not right, is he, really?

The final mystery du jour is we're three days in,

and by now the house should be teeming with plasterers,

but there don't seem to be any in sight.

How many plasterers have you got on today?

I've got loads, but nothing's ready to be plastered.

-Can we not plasterboard upstairs yet?

-No.

-The electricians still in there?

-About an hour. About an hour away.

It's going to be a big plasterboarding party, isn't it?

-It's hundreds of metres, actually, isn't it?

-Yeah. Yeah.

Behind on day three is not a good place to be.

Mind you, it's better than being behind on day nine.

-There, come on, now.

-I'm good to go, I'm good to go.

Sometimes when we're up against it,

it's nice to be reminded how we got here in the first place.

Rhys is Scott's best mate,

and his younger sister Morgan nominated him for DIY SOS.

Seeing what he's like in his home, it wasn't right.

We just didn't feel that it was right for him,

cos his parents can't be around to help him forever.

At some point, he needs to be able to do stuff for his own,

even if that is just making his lunch,

which he can't do at the moment,

cos he can't get his chair around the kitchen properly.

He doesn't want people to feel sorry for him.

He hates that, he absolutely hates it.

He doesn't like if...

If he's in his chair, he doesn't like it if you bend down to him.

So what we do is if he's sitting on the floor and we're in the kitchen,

we just sit on the floor with him.

If you look up the road now,

there's 80 people working on the house,

cos you guys wrote in to get the help that you needed,

so how are you feeling now it's happening?

-Overwhelmed.

-It's just amazing.

Years, he's wanted an independence.

Finally being able to have it, I reckon it'll be amazing for him.

But I do think he will be a little bit overwhelmed.

Back at the house, upstairs,

Chris is a changed man and his plasterers are working up a sweat.

-Feel the heat?

-Yeah, body heat.

We've seen big trowels in our time, but that one...

-I'm not boasting, but I have got a six-foot one. You've not.

-I have.

-I've never seen you use it.

-Well, I wouldn't on this, would I?

-Why not?

I don't want to damage it.

Unbelievable.

The feel-good factor continues when I catch up with Pete,

a family friend, downstairs.

My kids went to the same school as Scott did.

We knew him before he was poorly,

before the family had all their troubles, basically.

Very, very lovely family.

If this was going on across the road,

-they'd be the first people to help.

-Would they?

They would. Scott is such an inspiration.

But Gary and Liz seem amazing people, as well.

They're just head down, got on, supported Scott and just graft.

They're so busy dealing with the day-to-day, bless them, you know...

That's what parents do, I suppose, but in this instance,

they just keep doing it and more.

I don't know how this family have kept so calm and just carried on.

My hunch is it has a lot to do with Liz's determination,

in spite of her own suffering.

Before Scott even came along, you were very seriously ill.

I mean, I was very poorly. But I was still determined to hang on to life.

I never once was going to give up. I think that's just me.

I'm just like that.

After that as well, when Scott was six months old,

I had problems with my jaw, they found a lump in my jaw.

-That was cancerous in the jaw, as well, was it?

-Yeah.

I had 24 operations over a seven-year period,

so I now have chronic pain, so if I eat anything,

the pain is just... Well, excruciating.

It goes right down my back and right down to the spine and into the...

But how do you deal with that

on top of everything else that you've got going on?

I just do.

It's just our way, I suppose.

The other thing that's most impressive,

and everyone finds really impressive about Scott,

-is his absolute determination.

-Hmm.

-There must have been dark times.

-There have been.

There's been anger, as well,

-but you've got to let them get it out, haven't you?

-Hmm.

Sometimes it's been turned on us, as well, more so me, I think,

because I'm the one that's always there.

Which has been the toughest thing to deal with - your leukaemia

-and then cancer of the jaw or... Scott.

-..the damage to Scott?

Definitely Scott, because as a mum,

you want to take it on yourself, don't you?

If I could have been in his place, I would have done.

We were watching the athletics and he forgot that he couldn't walk.

He just tried to stand up and just went splat to the floor.

That's heartbreaking, isn't it?

How can you forget?

You know, he was in the moment, I suppose, and he...

Does that upset you, to think he has to deal with that every day?

Yeah, yeah.

Yeah.

He's very, very...Determined that you guys should get some space

and get to do the things you want to do.

-But he never says that.

-Families don't, do they?

No. No, I don't suppose you talk about that sort of thing, do you?

-Do you have any hobbies?

-I love dress-making, sewing, anything.

-Do you?

-Yeah.

-I'm not sure there's enough room

in the place with all the things that we're doing.

As long as I've got a dining room table,

-I can put my sewing machine on.

-Put it on that. That's a thought.

Right.

We need to do the best for this family,

and it's nice to know that we've got something up our sleeves

for Liz, as well.

When I get back to the house, it feels like things are coming on.

At least we're actually getting to the stage

where we're starting to put stuff back in rather than take stuff out.

What are you looking at? When did they take the roof off?

I thought we were only supposed to be patching in the roof!

They've taken the whole flipping thing off.

At some stage, mate, we've got to stop taking things out and off...

-I know.

-..and start putting things in, because...

These people are brilliant,

they just really want to give them a perfect house.

The tiles have passed their sell-by date, really,

so we put on a new breathable membrane

and we're going to put on some new tiles.

Effectively, you've got a brand-new roof on a brand-new build, really.

OK, fair enough, it's just another example of our builders going

the extra mile, or ten miles - but we are up against it.

Every aspect of this job seems to be soaking up valuable time -

for instance, getting rid of this summer house

would have made our lives easier, because it's in the way.

But it has sentimental value, so we've kept it.

That means moving it...four times.

Come on, let's grab hold of it and lift it.

Moving a shed once is a pain, even with this many men.

To you. To me.

Although this lot do make it look easy.

This is great, cos you can just paint these in,

and then, if they feel like moving it again,

they can just move it around the garden.

With just four days left now to complete the build,

our kitchen has finally arrived.

There are a few base units in,

but there's a lot to do in very little time.

We've just got to stretch the hours in the day to get it done,

that's all.

Everyone's happy to do that.

I know people think we make this up, but, really, we are up against it

and we've hit a snag in Scott's wet room.

With a shower where you have the gully in the floor,

it needs to be set so the water will go into the drain

rather than go out the door,

so there has to be a slight fall

and you need to have a tray where it will do it for you,

so basically that was our afterthought.

So we'll have to dig out two inches of concrete

then re-concrete back to the right height for one to fit in.

Two words - time consuming.

Things have moved on in the kitchen, but as it's being custom-built,

there's plenty of detail to finalise.

Right, so we've got that one there.

You've got a two ring hob on that side.

'So why are we hand-building the kitchen

'and doing all these fiddly bits?

'Because we're building it specifically to meet Scott's needs.'

Basically, this house is being built from scratch,

because we completely gutted it.

We put a new extension on, we rewired it,

we've replumbed it, we've put a central heating system into it.

We've got to do the garden, we've got to do the driveway,

we've got to walk out the door and give this back

so that it works for Scott.

It's a massive ask.

'It's a massive ask, but we never throw in the towel.

'Well, we have a good example in Scott, don't we? He never does.

'The way that he's overcome so many obstacles

'to pursue his sporting dreams is an inspiration to us all.

'I caught up with him down at the gym to find out

'how he stays so positive.'

So, now, how hard are you training to try and make the Rio Olympics?

Tokyo and 2020's the main goal for us,

because I'll be 22 and I'll be fully developed,

because my muscles aren't fully developed yet.

So you're currently committing yourself to just over

five and a half years of training twice a day?

Yeah, six days a week.

-That's a lot of training, mate.

-Yeah.

Do you ever think you've been dealt a rough hand in life?

I know I have had problems in the past,

but you can't really change them.

Because if you carry on and you grieve,

it's going to be with you for life.

Whereas, if you just let it go, it's gone.

And do you think you've actually managed to do that, let it go?

I'm trying to, yeah. In the mornings, I try and stand up,

sometimes I fall on the floor.

Because in my dreams, I'm walking, I'm running around.

Next thing you know, I'm trying to get out of bed

and I'll face-plant the floor.

Wow.

So your brain is playing tricks on you,

trying to stop you...

It's almost fighting you getting used to it.

It's quite common with a lot of the athletes.

As well as the difficulties you're facing on a day-to-day basis,

it's kind of been tough on your mum, too.

Yeah, physically, because she's about 5'8, I'm 6'5,

so there's a big height difference, and she's probably about 58 kilos.

I'm at least 85, so she has to help me

with lifting quite a lot at the moment.

And she's got quite a lot of pain anyway.

What is it that really frustrates you at the moment?

Little things, like everyday life.

You're like, "Oh, I can do that, I can do that"

then I'm there, like, "Actually, I can't."

I love cooking, yet I'm not allowed to because I can't feel my legs,

and if I pour stuff on my legs, I won't know.

Not being in a chair is extremely hard to explain.

Independence is something that you had beforehand,

you try and get it back again. It's not easy to explain at all.

And what's the little shed at the bottom of the garden?

It used to be where I used to go before my injury,

my own little haven.

So that shed's fairly important?

Yeah.

I don't know whether we can find one the same

now that we've put it in a skip.

'At the house, we're throwing everything -

'and I mean everything and the bathroom sink at it -

'trying to get on track.'

It's getting crazy.

This is the busiest I've ever known a DIY SOS Big Build

at this stage of the build.

Everyone walking down there, look, floor layers...

Trying to put a membrane down. It's just absolutely crazy.

It's been hard work. There's tilers, there's painters,

electricians, there's plumbers.

Everyone is working around each other

and, you know, we're all doing it at the same time.

'There's still a mountain to climb in the garden,

'but we're making steady progress.'

The patio's down here, the path's in.

They've laid all the steps round here.

It's absolutely beautiful. And they've carried the path

all the way up through the garden and then it's like - bingo!

'And, ladies and gentlemen, the piece de resistance...

'somewhere for Scott to train. There's a way to go,

'but when the gym equipment's in, it all starts to take shape.'

Obviously, it's been really hard for us to design this,

because, obviously, we're trying to look at it from his point of view.

So we think we've done a good job.

LAUGHTER

You don't get many of them after a grandson.

'Look at them! All trying to get in on the act.

'There are still units to install, paths to lay

'and cables to box, but Shaun, our designer,

'is totally oblivious.'

Great, that's lovely. The colours come out really nicely.

'Colours?'

Yeah, sorry, slight change of plan.

I think we should continue the line over the architrave...

-OK, all right.

-..of the colour. So with the light colour that half.

All right, I'll sort it next.

-Thank you.

-No problem.

-Sorry about changing things at the last minute.

'And so you should be! We're under the most pressure

'we've ever been under on a build,

'and the new boy's worried about painting in half a door.

'Although, to be fair, that sort of attention to detail

'does make this one stand out a bit.'

-A lot of electronics in here...

-Yes.

-..connected to...

Well, can be connected to his smartphone or tablet.

Yeah, it's all connected through a lighting system, via Raco units,

which are controlled by his iPad or iPhone.

Depends on what mood he's in, he can change it up or down,

or alter it himself.

-Yeah.

-It's all clever stuff.

-Yeah.

'Only viewers under the age of 35 understood that.

'Path servicing is not quite as technical

'but essential for providing Scott's step-free access

'from the kerb right to his front door.'

Why are we wallpapering the ceiling?

Because I think if you sit on the sofa and you're lying back,

you've got something nice to look at.

Is there any of this job where you thought,

"That probably is going to take a long time

-"and be quite difficult, I need to compromise here"?

-No.

'That's designers for you.

'Thanks to Shaun, there's plenty of last-minute dressing to do.

'So it looks like this one's going right down to the wire.

'Nine days ago, Scott Jones was barely getting by

'in this house.'

You want to be able to be independent

and actually be in control of your own life.

I get quite frustrated and sometimes upset about it,

because I want to be my own person but at the same time,

I can't be my own person due to house isn't adapted.

'A world-class athlete who couldn't shower in his own home.

'His parents were at their wits' end.'

It upsets me because I feel like we failed him

because we should be able to provide for our own son.

'But this house just wasn't built to accommodate someone

'with a serious disability.

'The doorways were too narrow for a wheelchair.

'Everything was the wrong height in the kitchen for a young man

'who loves to cook.

'The upstairs bathroom and garden were inaccessible

'and a lack of space throughout the house meant Scott

'was often confined to his makeshift bedroom.

'With nothing adapted to his needs, Scott was almost totally dependent

'on his parents.

'Which is where the local community stepped in with a bit

'of brute force and TLC.

'They've put in an epic shift to turn things around.'

Yeah, it makes you feel good that you're doing it.

Scott's a good lad, so it's nice to give a bit back

and help out where you can.

'The team have transformed a cramped downstairs living area

'into a modern, open-plan living space

'that's fully wheelchair accessible.

'The kitchen has moved to the back of the house

'and contains an island that's modified for Scott.

'With low, accessible worktops,

'he can get under and prepare his own meals,

'gaining some of the independence he desperately craves.

'With widened doors down here, Scott now has the freedom to roam.

'He no longer needs to be confined to his bedroom -

'but it's a far better place to be now.

'We've created a refuge

'where an athlete can get in the right headspace for competing.

'Patio doors provide direct access to the garden,

'which has previously been out of bounds for Scott.

'Next to his bedroom is a new wet room.

'Scott now no longer needs to leave home

'to take a shower.

'Flipping the direction of the stairs

'has delivered more space upstairs.

'All the rooms are new. Also, Mum and Dad's bedroom

'is soundproofed so Gary can get some uninterrupted kip

'during the day when he's been working nights.

'We've also created a sewing room for Liz

'to enjoy some of that downtime, as Scott needs to rely on her less.

'It's her little treat.

'There's been a complete garden makeover,

'and this all-weather path makes it fully accessible to Scott

'for the first time in years. So he can get down to his new gym,

'where he can train as many times as he wants a day,

'without Liz having to ferry him around.

'It's wonderful, and it's time to show the family their new home.

'Now, this is going to be a lot for Scott to take in.

'Since his injuries,

'he sometimes struggles with absorbing information immediately.

'But I'm pretty sure that once it all sinks in

'that he'll love what we've done.'

Right, that's the last bump you're going to have.

So have a look up.

Oh.

This is your new front door.

What do you reckon?

-It's wide enough.

-Yes.

Hob.

I can reach it.

To the left, oven door.

Pull it down. Slide it in.

Also, what's the other big problem if you cook, what's the danger?

Legs.

-Because, if you...

-Oh, thank you!

If you put stuff that's boiling on your legs, you don't notice.

So you could do yourself damage.

You want to try on your new apron?

Over your legs, that bit round your head.

Just want to demonstrate this for a minute.

Tuck it in. Go on.

Now, when you cook,

even if you spill something on you, no damage.

-Heat resistant.

-Thank you.

-You're a proper chef, mate, in your own kitchen.

-I can cook, yeah!

That was kind of a big deal, wasn't it?

Yeah, it is.

Fridge.

Yes, cos you're cooking chilli con carne tonight, for your family.

Yeah, I am, yeah.

It's a bit surreal at the moment,

because when I left this house, I could barely get in.

And now I can get in the house,

I can get through the doors,

and I can actually, properly, now, I can cook,

and I actually get to show my parents that I can do something.

-Will you have your mates over?

-Yeah, I can.

You can cook for them.

You can all eat at the table.

And then, you can show them your new room.

Yeah.

Thank you.

-I don't have to worry about getting stuck in the door.

-No.

Or destroying it.

Mate, there isn't a place in the house

you need to worry about getting stuck any more.

-The whole house is yours again.

-Thank you.

From the front kerb of the road, to the bottom of the garden,

-you can get everywhere.

-Thank you.

-You all right?

-Yeah.

(Yeah, I'm fine.)

Let me show you some cool stuff. Your... Your tablet, whatever,

we've linked it up to your lighting system,

so you can actually turn the lighting off on here,

so if I press off...

Everything goes down and disappears.

If you want to go back on...

And then...

you go into relax mode.

-It's a lot to take in, isn't it?

-Yeah, it is.

And I know that I'm supposed to be giving you time

to assimilate this quietly.

Yeah.

How cool is that?

It's brilliant!

I can move it up and down as well.

Yeah.

There's also a remote control you can see on the wall there.

It connects to the remote control over here,

so you're coming in in the morning, press the button,

it flashes red until it hits the temperature that you've preset.

It flashes, it tells you when it's up to speed, and you come in.

-Is it all right?

-Yes, it's all right.

It's all change upstairs, as well,

with a few additions requested by Scott for Gary and Liz.

Oh.

Wow.

That's fantastic.

That's lovely.

That's fantastic.

You'll notice that it's very quiet,

because not only have you got new windows and doors

throughout the whole house,

we've also soundproofed the entire room, because you work shifts.

-That's amazing.

-That...

-That'll be so much better.

-That's really thoughtful.

-Thank you.

-Silence is golden.

-Yeah.

-Oh, it is when you work nights.

LAUGHTER

Now, in amongst talking to you about what Scott needed,

what you might not have known is we were also talking to Scott

about what you guys needed.

So, there's one door left,

and we'd kind of like you to just pop into that door,

through that door, and see what's left. It's not massive, but it's...

something Scott asked for specifically for you.

SHE GASPS

Thank you.

Oh...

It's got all my bits and pieces in, as well.

Thank you very much.

-He's not a bad boy, is he?

-He's not a bad boy at all, is he?!

-Oh...

SHE SNIFFS

Thank you for my sewing room.

It's lovely. Are you all right?

Thank you very much.

-It's all right.

-Very thoughtful.

-And my soundproofing!

-Oh, yeah, God!

-Oops.

-You all right?

-Yeah, I'm good.

-Are you sure?

-Yeah.

-You've had too many hills to climb up...

-Yeah.

-..haven't you, really? As a family.

-Yeah, the highs have been high,

-but then the lows have been really low, haven't they, Scott?

-Yeah.

-They're going to get better, aren't they?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

Especially in there.

-Amazing.

-Yeah.

It is a lot to take in, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-A lot.

The way we've completely transformed the inside of this house

is going to provide Gary, Liz and Scott

with a brand-new lease of life.

What we've done in the back garden...

will help them even more.

SHE GASPS

That is amazing.

And, with the inside of the house now level with the patio,

Scott's able to get out unhampered.

So, this was the summerhouse,

this, when I was younger, I always used it.

Since I had my injury, I haven't been able to use it,

cos I can't get onto the grass.

-Yeah.

-And I can, I can get in there now.

-It even looks different, doesn't it?

-It's even got storage.

-That's amazing, isn't it?

-Yeah.

Now, despite all we've done in the house, Scott's a sportsman at heart.

So, the gym could be a game changer.

-Do you want to tell us what you got?

-Got a gym.

Thank you.

-Thank you.

-That's amazing.

-Gloucester Rugby club...

-Thank you.

-All very inspired by you.

They'd like to invite you up

to go into the director's box to meet the players,

cos they think you'll be a bit of an inspiration to the players,

-as well.

-Thank you.

-And a couple of other things.

You may be the only person that can read this.

"Difficult times need strong personalities.

"Train hard and achieve your dreams."

So, the message is written backwards for you,

but signed forwards, from Steve Redgrave.

Oh, that's amazing.

-Kind of cool, huh?

-Yeah.

There is one other thing.

A certificate.

"Scott Jones." The people who gave us all this...

"..is proud to represent the above individual

"as an official sponsored athlete.

Yes, along with everything else, Scott now has a sponsor.

HE SNIFFS

HE SOBS QUIETLY

That's amazing. You all right?

You have to point them out to us so we can give them a big thank you.

Oh...

-That got us.

-That's the one!

LAUGHTER

I didn't realise you'd actually do literally everything.

I thought you might do, like, the wet room in the bedroom,

but I never really thought that...

THIS would happen.

You're an inspiration, mate.

And everybody working on it's been really chuffed to build it for you.

APPLAUSE

What we'd like to say thank you for making his life accessible,

and normal, like, just every normal 17-year-old.

All I really wanted was a wet room,

that's all I wanted, I didn't really expect...

all this support and all this stuff to happen, I just...

didn't expect that.

All I expected with just to be able to, you know,

have a little bit more help with day-to-day life. But...

It's kind of transformed it, to be honest,

cos I can now do actually do what 18-year-olds,

or 17, 18-year-olds can take for granted,

and it's a massive thank you, to be honest.

-Now, you do realise that the next Olympics is Rio...

-Yeah.

-and the one after that is...

-Tokyo.

Yeah, and if you don't get a medal,

we're going to come back and take everything away again.

LAUGHTER

-Ready to meet people?

-(Yeah.)

-Sure?

You all right, Scott?

Thanks, mate.

-He's a little bit overwhelmed by it all.

-Honestly, it's... I...

Oh... It's been unbelievable.

You can tell Scott's a true athlete,

because he's been talking all week about independence,

and he was emotional about having a kitchen and the bathroom

and the bedroom,

but he really went when he saw the gym.

Isn't that incredible?

All these years he's wanted his independence,

but he's got a gym, which means he can work even harder,

train even harder, and maybe get that gold medal,

and of course all athletes need a supporting team around them,

it's just that Scott's got a bigger team than most.

They're helping him make his dreams come true.

So, when you think about it,

what they do's kind of special.

It's...

well, worth a gold medal in its own way, isn't it?