The Big Build - Bristol DIY SOS

I've met some amazing people on DIY SOS.

Some of them even like to give me a bit of a grilling.

-COMPUTER GENERATED VOICE:

-Can I ask you a question?

-Yeah, go ahead.

-Why don't you do any work on The Big Build?

Ryan is a funny, warm and caring 24-year-old man,

but he's trapped in hospital 50 miles away from his family.

Not seeing my family all the time is not good.

I miss them.

A brain injury five years ago has split this family apart.

I don't matter. There's only Ryan that matters.

So, we want to bring him home, but first we've got to work together.

Go on, say it. Go on, say it.

Ho-ho-ho. Stop distracting me!

Go and fix everything.

It will take an almighty effort...

To be able to help anybody is good.

To be able to help anybody for free is even better.

But thanks to an inspired local community...

This is going to be life-changing for him when he comes home.

..we might just get a young man back home to his family.

They've turned out, and they've just smashed it.

West Country boys, you can't beat it.

We have just nine days to do the job, all the usual suspects are here,

Gabrielle Blackman is our designer this week,

and when we put up an ad asking for help in Bristol, this lot turned up!

This is DIY SOS - The Big Build!

20 years ago,

when warehouse worker Dave Pollard and checkout operator Rachel married,

they bought a small three-bed house in Hartcliffe in south Bristol.

It wasn't long before they filled it to the brim, with four kids.

Jason, Ryan, Darren and Gemma.

It was fine, it was lovely.

It was a little bit of a struggle,

but we didn't find it much more difficult bringing up one than we found it

bringing up four. It seemed to be fine over the years.

It was just fun to be around.

20 years later, the Pollards are still there.

Jason, the eldest and the only one to have left home,

remembers the bustle fondly.

My ma and dad didn't really like it that much,

because we used to play football in the house,

and you can see a bit of damage on the chandelier right there.

There was always someone around, and there was always noise being made,

and there was always drama happening,

and you can't really get any peace and quiet even if you wanted it.

It was very busy all the time.

For the Pollards, having four kids in a small three-bedroom house

was a challenge, but they loved their lives being so full.

However, not all the boys were so noisy.

Over the years, if you had to narrow it down,

Ryan was by far the best behaved child we ever had.

If he was going down town,

he was always offering if I wanted to come with him.

He was the kindest brother out of them all.

Ryan loved his family first, but football came a close second.

Ryan used to go over on the green with his dad and play football.

Even myself, I used to look forward to finishing work early to go and

get all the boys out.

And of course, myself, Ryan, loved that.

Miss it.

I really miss that, you know.

Five years ago, when Ryan was 19,

a series of events began that would bring their busy lives to a screeching halt.

Ryan was having blurred vision and headaches for a few weeks.

We'd been out all day, we'd come home,

and then Ryan was led on the settee,

and I knew that something wasn't right.

So his dad took him to the eye hospital.

The doctors saw that Ryan needed urgent medical care.

He was rushed in for an emergency operation.

It just came out of the blue, how serious it was.

Ryan had a blocked ventricle.

The build-up of fluid was putting a dangerous amount of pressure

on his brain.

It's one of those situations where you say, "Well, it don't happen to us.

"These things don't happen to us, they happen to other people."

I got told the operation went fine.

My mum eventually allowed me to go to the hospital to see him.

Because, obviously, they had to shave part of his head where they had to go in,

and he was joking around saying, "Oh, I'm not going back to that barber."

"The barber's messed up my hair," and everything.

It looked like Ryan was going to make a full recovery,

but the ordeal wasn't over.

Ryan would need further surgery.

He had an operation to put a drain in to drain the fluid,

but it was too late.

By midnight, he was in a coma.

They did another CT scan,

and it was told to us then that there was significant brain damage.

Devastated.

Ryan had lost control of his breathing, swallowing,

and was partially paralysed.

He was transferred to the nearest specialist neurological unit.

Five years later, he's still there.

Rachel visits every day,

but it takes her two-and-a-half hours to get to the hospital.

Hi, Ryan, how are you?

I miss him.

It was as though a part of you was missing.

Ryan's body might not work, but his mind is still active,

and he's able to communicate short sentences through a tablet.

Not seeing my family all the time is not good.

I miss them.

I need to come home and be with my family.

Saturday is the only day Dave and Rachel can bring Ryan home for the day.

Ryan looks forward to coming home.

That is the only thing that he wants to do.

But he isn't able to stay the night.

With no downstairs bedroom or bathroom, their small home isn't suitable.

Just getting in the door is a big challenge.

Obviously, the house is not huge,

and obviously with the furniture and the doors, all the equipment,

it's tight. It's tight getting him in, especially with his long legs.

He's got such long legs.

With Dave working six days a week, Rachel and Dave aren't at home much.

The once noisy house is quiet and empty.

It feels lonely in this house, because there's really...

They're only here a few hours a day at most.

I love talking to people and telling people about my day,

but my mum and dad are not here to tell my day to.

The long hours are taking their toll.

In the house, there's damp from the bathroom

and black mould downstairs -

particularly worrying for Ryan, with his assisted breathing.

Collapse on the sofa. Just exhausted most days.

Ryan has spent five years in a hospital room 100 miles away from his family.

It's been rubbish living in hospital.

I want to go home.

He doesn't like it at all. He doesn't.

This family is torn apart.

They need our help to get them back together.

Sometimes when I leave, I cry walking up the road,

because I know he wants to come with me.

How have you managed to survive over these last few months?

Because it couldn't have been easy.

You don't. You just do it.

It's for Ryan. You just do it.

You know you've got to do it.

You have no choice.

-He is my son.

-If you think about it,

the trouble is you can't get Ryan home, can you?

And you can't do it if we leave the house looking the same.

In order to make this house viable as somewhere to get him home,

we've got to completely change the shape of it.

Yeah, that's what this is all about.

That's what it's always been about.

It's always been about just getting Ryan home.

It doesn't matter how much we change it? I know that this is your home.

It doesn't matter what you do to it...

-Not at all.

-..as long as Ryan's got a bedroom and a wet room,

that's all I want. He's like a different person when he comes home.

He is more engaged, he smiles more.

When he's in there, he doesn't want to know.

So, you think that if we can get him home it will make a difference to

-his potential future.

-Definitely, yes,

because he'll be more willing to do things, which, the more Ryan does,

the better it is for him.

Are you ready to go and meet some of the builders?

-Let's go.

-All right, let's go and tell them why it's

important, and then they get all fired up and all work at a million miles an hour during the week,

and that's how we make it work.

Good, good, good. Let's go for it.

Come on.

There are over 100 of Bristol's finest builders here,

champing at the bit to get on with it.

We're going to do our best, aren't we?

We're going to try and change things around, yeah?

-Yes.

-So, we are going to change your house a lot.

We do understand that, and we understand that is nerve-racking for you as well,

even though something good is going to come at the end of it.

I'd like to say to all these people here,

that I'd like to really thank them.

They don't really know much about Ryan's story,

but Ryan has been in a care home for five years,

and you guys giving your time,

your effort and your products is so much appreciated.

We are going to applaud you.

Thank you very much.

If we are taking a lot out of the house and everything,

can I have the front door?

You don't ask that kind of question until the owners have gone.

LAUGHTER

To make this big build possible in nine days,

some lovely trades have got in ahead of us and laid the foundations for

the brand-new extension.

Back inside, before we can rebuild everything,

we have to smash everything to bits.

Don't it make you proud?

Smashing aside, it's safety first on our site.

You must have the appropriate footwear.

Let's have a look at the sole on this.

Look at the sole, it's amazing.

-I've been obliged...

-Like Christmas.

All the builders down this way are not just pulling their weight,

they're pulling down the ceiling too.

CHEERING

14 blokes to one lady.

Well done, you!

Come on, chaps, the extension has arrived.

Should we be helping with this, or have you got other things to do?

I've got plans to look at.

I better get stuck in.

-You mind your back.

-Yeah...

We know what you're like.

Got a glass back, that boy.

Glass back? Talk about speedy space making,

the extension is barely off the lorry, and the panels are flying up.

Look, Ryan, I'm working!

See, it's a little bit busy in here at the moment.

TOOLS WHIR

And the sound of industry.

Don't you just love it?

Whilst ripping everything out,

Mark reckons he's discovered the cause of all that black mould.

This is one of the major problems we've got that's going on here.

Every time they put a piece of furniture against the wall,

it just sucks the moisture and the mould through.

-It's terrible.

-We need to redesign this small, damp

three-bedroom house into a lovely family home,

so we're calling on the services of the magnificently talented Gabrielle Blackman.

What have you got here? You've got a kitchen going there...

So, we've got the kitchen here...

Bear with, bear with...

Her challenge here is to use every scrap of space

to accommodate Ryan and his family's needs,

so knowing the thickness of the yet-to-be-built internal walls is key.

Yeah, that's a new stud wall, comes in here.

-And that wall, that's how we know we've got the space.

-It's just this gap here is really crucial to me.

This is stressing me out, this build, because it's smaller than we'd like,

to be honest. We'd love to give them more.

-It is.

-We've got to make the best of the space here,

because we're constricted space-wise in this whole build,

so we're not going to overcomplicate.

No, we wouldn't overcomplicate it, would we?

Who's ever said that you have overcomplicated?

-Never.

-Never.

-You know I hate that, I hate to gild the lily.

Gaby's epic space battle is about getting Ryan back into normal family

life without lily gilding.

At the front, we're installing a wheelchair lift, whilst inside,

the mouldy living room will be transformed into a bachelor pad

for Ryan, with a wet room.

The back of the house will be extended to include a new

kitchen and spacious living room.

Upstairs, we're widening the hallway,

redesigning all three bedrooms and installing a new bathroom.

Whilst in the garden, it's about low maintenance,

so we're paving it with curved beds and a seating area.

It's exactly what this family needs.

-The general theme?

-There isn't a general theme...

-Isn't a general theme?

-No.

I don't really like themes.

-Isn't there?

-No. It's just good design.

But all TV designers have to go, "Yeah, this one's about...

"I've gone with a Rajisthani theme here."

I'm not a TV designer, I'm an interior designer in the real world.

If I went and burst into people's house and said, "Moroccan",

they'd just go, "Get out."

So I have to just think, "What does this family actually want,

"what do they need, what do they like?"

-And just make that happen.

-And that's why we love you, you see.

That's why we love you, because you don't do that showing off for the sake of it, you know?

Yep, she's magnificent, isn't she?

Forceful but kind, knows what she wants, and knows how to get it.

Builders from all over the south-west are making Gaby's designs come to

life, but that doesn't explain why there is a man making tiny holes in

the house, or why it's starting to snow.

Perhaps Mark can fill us in.

-SHOUTING:

-So, all this here...

It's not Christmas.

This was the problem for the damp,

so it's all been taken out of the walls,

then it's all taken back and sucked away into here,

completely removed off-site.

We're going to ventilate the cavities, and that will cure all the damp.

So there will be no damp or moisture in this house ever again.

SHOUTING: OK, Mark! Thanks a lot!

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but there's still a bit of damp,

and it's much worse than we thought.

When I moved that up, we can see that the joist is right the way there.

-There's a lot of damp.

-Look at all the mould up there, as well.

They've overboarded it.

They've overboarded it and it's still come away, hasn't it?

-Yeah.

-Actually, and the boards above are rotten, as well, aren't they?

-Yeah.

-That's a bit of a worry, that is, isn't it?

-You can't leave it.

-No, you can't leave it.

The upstairs joists are rotten through.

With its walls filled with the wrong ventilation,

double glazing and leaky plumbing,

this house has become the perfect home for wood rot.

And we weren't expecting this.

Is it a bathroom going above here?

-Bathroom above here.

-Including a bath?

-Yes.

-Well, we have to change the joists, they're all rotted out.

Oh, my God. It'll all have to come out.

Well, there's a brick wall sitting up there on that floor.

'And this small house is hiding a big secret.'

One of the problems we have is that this wall,

which is actually made out of a kind of brick, is resting on this floor.

You can see through the gap, there's nothing underneath,

there is no support underneath, and these boards are rotten.

How much longer would it be before that rotted,

and the wall just went straight down through the floor?

It literally was just a matter of time, wasn't it,

before they ended up with that on their heads?

As the boys and girls knock down that wall resting on rotten timber,

it's clear this job is getting much bigger.

But no matter what it throws at us, we will succeed for Ryan.

You see, he's had to live in a specialist neurological hospital for

the last five years, and that's just not right.

Mum and Dad. Hello, mate, can I have a shake of the hand, there?

How are you? Nice to meet you.

So, interesting thing about chatting to - doing an interview with

Ryan, is a bit like meeting the Prime Minister or Madonna,

you have to supply your questions in advance, so

Ryan has actually filled out -

spent some time filling out some answers for me.

So, health assistant Sarah - she's best buddy, really -

helps Ryan get his communication tablet ready.

How do you feel about being here, rather than at home?

Being in hospital all the time is not good, it's boring.

So would...

If you were at home, it means that your mum's doing most of your care

-for you?

-I prefer having my mum doing my care,

because I know her and I feel more comfortable.

Is your mum tougher on you when it comes to your physio than the physios are?

Yes, that's a nod!

Do you know, I would have figured that was the case.

I think I will make more progress when I go home,

because my family will be there all the time to motivate me.

I will be happier.

Well, that's the plan, that's why everyone's working so hard for you.

I can promise you that we will deliver a house that you can come back to

by the end of next week, all right?

Can I ask you a question?

-Yeah, go ahead.

-Why don't you do any work on The Big Build?

LAUGHTER

No, don't film me!

Ryan, that's not funny! Well, it is funny, but...

You wicked boy!

You wicked, wicked boy, you knew that was going to happen!

Yep, it's clear from meeting him Ryan is a kind and witty young man

who's not a bad judge of character, too.

To prove Ryan wrong, I'm going to help the floor being taken up -

by recording this voiceover.

Jules could also use some of my indispensable wisdom at the front of the house,

so I'm going to give it to him.

Go on, then, what's on... I can see there's a look of concern in your eye.

No, we talked, because we're having the lift there.

Flattening out, and then having a little lift to take it down, right,

so that's his access, yeah.

And then we've got steps beside it, but there was talk of...

A slope instead.

Yeah, doing a ramp instead.

What I'm suggesting is that we have

a sloped pathway.

We've noticed on this job that you're getting a lot more involved with the design.

You've redesigned the inside, taken the walls out,

you've redesigned the ground floor,

and now you're redesigning the front garden.

I just like to bring an extra 30% if I can to every build that I'm on.

-Yeah, yeah.

-And for that 30% more of me,

there's 70% less walls and rotten floor in the house,

which means that's 100% surprise for Gabby.

I love a bit of building maths.

Oh, my goodness!

-Yeah, we took out...

-What's happened?

Well... Well, a few extra things happened.

You see,

first of all, right, it wasn't our fault.

You've broken the whole house!

It's very nice, isn't it? I like it, it's like a mezzanine, balcony.

That's design for you.

-That's design.

-You've ruined everything!

Where is the house?

Most of the house is in that skip.

Not bad, is it?

Well, not bad in the sense that our super-keen Bristol builders

overloaded the skip. Not to worry,

we've got Vince on hand to off-load the surplus into another skip.

In your own time, Vince.

Another muggy day, another muddy pile of rubble.

Our Bristol crew has sprung into action like a well-choreographed ballet -

a Swan Lake of concrete, if you will.

And here's a very heavy Darcey Bussell.

Well, unfortunately I forgot my wellingtons, so I can't really go...

You see how thick the concrete is, it's almost up to his wellies.

You know, I can't go in with my dancing shoes on.

OK, twinkle toes, this dancing is all very well,

but Jules' concreting and scaffold for the extension roof is getting in

the way of the landscapers working in the garden.

They're cut off from the rest of the house,

and the only way to find out about their plans is from the roof.

Can you tell me, roughly, what you're doing in the back garden?

We're putting in a boundary fence to give some privacy,

we're bringing the garden level up so that it's level throughout.

We're making it low maintenance, a few planting beds.

The family have got enough on their plate as it is at the moment.

What they need is something that's pleasurable,

but isn't going to give them a headache to keep up together.

Is that why you volunteered to come along here, because the family's got so much on their plate?

What is going to be the result of this will be,

I wouldn't say life-changing,

but it will make a world of difference to these people.

To be able to help anybody is good.

To be able to help anybody for free is even better.

We may have free help on this site, but we're not cheap.

Whether it's installing proper drainage for Ryan's wet room,

or a solid new floor, we're putting in quality stuff

that's going to last.

Just one more joist to come in here to go onto this hanger up here,

and then we can actually put the floor down upstairs,

and we'll have floors and walls back in again.

So, despite all the troubles that we've had during today,

it's starting to look the part.

Time to catch up with the chippies,

who have made the huge job of replacing the rotten floor look easy.

-Good work, lads.

-That's proper building.

It's not what we expected, we expected it to be MDF everywhere.

So why did you decide to come along and join in?

I want to do it just to help them out.

If it happened to me or my family, I'd just want these lads to help me out.

I've never met this chap before, and I've been using his tools.

We're just all mucking in. Absolutely brilliant.

Without this kind of teamwork, we would never be able to work this fast.

It's not all plain sailing, there are loads of new walls flying up,

and Billy, our Jurassic Spark from the age of dinosaurs,

is in a bit of a pickle about the wiring.

Erm, we're OK going downstairs, aren't we?

You know, the thing he does every day, as a profession?

We've got this special heating system that's wireless,

-and what does that incur?

-Well,

with got to get Cat 5 from the valves on the heater system down

-to the stat.

-Cables?

-Yeah.

-For this wireless system,

it needs eight cables coming up to an alarm box here.

So, wireless is not really wireless any more, is it?

Right, time for a coffee, Billy?

Is it a wireless coffee?

But there's no time for a coffee break for our other builders.

The extension is being blocked up, ready for render,

and the roof tiles are being laid.

That means it's watertight and ready for some floors.

Getting this room all cleaned out.

We're going to get the insulation down in here.

Then we're going to put a damp-proof membrane over the whole floor,

and get the screed down in here tonight, which means we've got the finished floor in, which is amazing.

We've got to get this all... We've got to get the roof insulated, boarded,

all of the wiring in there as well, you know?

So, even though this is a slow process,

we've just got to keep moving at the same speed we started at.

And there's a delivery round the front to help out.

Hop to it, everyone.

Luckily, we've got a bit of young blood in to lug it round the back.

I'm surprised you're stood here watching screeding,

rather than being involved in screeding.

We were younger.

-Do you not miss it?

-My back doesn't.

-Does it not?

-No.

-How old are you?

-21.

-How old are you?

-23, mate.

-And how old are you?

-47.

LAUGHTER

On the end, yeah, that doesn't really work out, does it?

To show you just how fast these boys are flying, here's a speeded up,

entire screeded floor going in five seconds flat.

Damp-proof membrane, insulation, screed, brand-new floor.

I like this stage of the build,

because you can see the house without its clothes on, if you like.

You know, this is all going to get covered up with plasterboard,

and then plaster and paint and so on and so forth,

but for the moment you can actually see the skeleton of the house,

and all its innards, its plumbing, its electrics.

But it is our job now to cover it all up, as quick as possible.

As we start a new day on site,

whilst the plumbers install the heating and a new boiler in the loft,

the plasterers are hiding Billy's electrics,

and Gaby's attention is focused on Ryan's new bedroom.

Yeah, I want that, I want this vibe in here

to feel completely different, and these double doors are going to be really important.

You can see the old door here, so this is the space he would have had to have got through

-before, this little bit here.

-Yeah.

-So we've doubled that...

-And now we'll be able to roll the doors back...

And because his wheelchair is larger than the average,

so we need a massive -

we need an 1,800 turning circle throughout this really small house.

So that means that this now is all usable space,

so we're really pleased with this.

'The question is, are the measurements bang on,

'or did we overdo the demolition?'

I was sure... I thought we had two sliding doors.

1652 is there, so, basically, you have got two sliding doors,

they just won't meet in the middle.

Our struggles with this room are nothing compared to Rachel's -

she travels every day to see Ryan at hospital, and it's such a long way.

Because she can't drive,

she does the entire journey using public transport.

It is tiring.

But you've got to do it.

I've got no choice - I've got to do it, because Ryan needs me there,

and I know he copes better with what has happened to him if I am there.

This journey now takes Rachel a staggering five hours of travel each day.

When my mum was visiting once a week, it was not good.

I like having her here.

Rachel now does the five-hour trip five times a week to see Ryan.

Once there, she helps Ryan get washed and dressed with Sarah,

Ryan's health care assistant.

It's a necessary but undignified routine for Ryan,

and he will only do it with those he really trusts.

I prefer having my mum doing my care,

because I know her and I feel more comfortable.

I'd like to find out more about how Rachel has held this family together.

How tough has it been for you and your husband to get through

the last five years since Ryan was taken ill?

It felt as though there was no end, that he would never come home.

It is very stressful, but you do it.

So how have you got through?

-Just carrying on.

-Do you ever think forward, and hope?

What is it that you're hoping the future holds?

Oh, Ryan's ultimate dream, apart from coming home, is to walk again.

It would be a lot of hard work on Ryan's part,

but because he wants it that much he will do it.

-Will you make sure he does it?

-Of course I will.

-You seem really in your mind to have decided that your life is Ryan's life now.

-Yes, it is.

-Nothing for you at all?

-No, I don't matter.

It's only Ryan that matters.

You do matter.

I don't see myself like that.

Well, I know you don't, but that's part of what's so amazing about you.

-Thank you.

-How many people do you think could actually manage to have done

what you've done for the five years?

I thought every mum would.

Yeah. Every day, though.

-All that distance.

-No, but isn't that what life's about?

Your family.

So what will make you happy now?

-Having Ryan home.

-It comes back to the same thing every time, doesn't it?

There's literally been nothing else in your mind for the last five years.

No. Nothing at all.

And you always believed it was going to happen?

Yeah. Even if I had to chuck him over my shoulder and carry him home,

he was coming home.

And he's 6'3" and I'm only 5'2",

so I don't know how I would have managed that.

What do you make of the fact that all of these people have come out and joined in?

It makes you realise that there are nice people out there,

that are willing to help you if you ask.

And at the end of the day, Ryan's coming home,

and that is all this is about.

You heard the message.

Ryan's coming home.

That's what's driving this steam train of a build.

Now that the plumbers' and sparks' first fix is done,

we've got to start patching the walls.

It's a busy time for Chris.

I might have to go and have a cup of tea in a minute.

If I'm honest with you.

And hope the fairies come in and it's done!

Release the boarders!

I recommend it, for anybody who ever gets a chance to do this - do it.

You won't regret it. And I'll tell you what, you'll walk away with a buzz.

This man's energy level is just unbelievable.

Now that we're getting the walls finished,

that means one thing for Gabby -

she gets to find intricate and time-consuming ways of covering them.

There's nothing like getting Mark in a good mood and then throwing

a Gabrielle tile plan at him.

-What've you got?

-It's beautiful, isn't it?

-It's a lovely glass tile.

-That is beautiful.

-Where is that going?

-In the wet room.

The splashback on the kitchen?

-No, in the wet room.

-There's not a splashback in the kitchen?

-No.

It's for all of the wet room?

-Yeah.

-Is it?

-And they're that size.

-No, the big ones.

-And they're that size?!

-They're that size.

-Oh, they are that size, actually.

Look how excited Paul is about this.

I am going to kill you. I can't believe it.

I'm not sure Paul was that excited.

Anyway, you've got to hand it to Gabby -

she certainly knows how to pamper the family with luxurious,

difficult and weird tiles.

And Ryan's sliding doors are still causing us problems, I'm afraid.

So we'll just double-check that one. What have you got there?

What little problems has it thrown at you?

It's tight on this one, so the door has to flush with the liner...

-The liner?

-..ultimately, so.

Yeah.

It's a winner, though. It's going in.

This lot don't seem fazed.

You see, Bristol tradesmen just crack on.

The garden might have been cut off,

but the bearded, green-fingered team are doing their best to keep going.

The tiny holes from the damp fix earlier are also being covered up,

and - wow - check out those lightning borders.

They've boarded a whole house in a day!

Well done.

APPLAUSE

Plumbers are done, boiler and air circulation is finished,

electrics in, and even Mark is happy.

That's another box ticked. The roof's all done. They're just cleaning it all down.

We're going to get the scaffolding taken away, get the rendering finished.

I can't believe the speed this job's going at.

If you thought that was quick, Chris has got a carefully worked-out plan for the plasterers.

Open the doors, throw 12 plasterers in there...

-That's it.

-15 bags of Multi Finish, and say, "Get on with it."

Job done.

Wow - look at them go.

They're slapping it on faster and thicker than my make-up artist does - same colour, though.

See, that's what you need.

A bit of positivity.

I think these West Country trades have earned themselves a builder's bacon bap.

Ah, there you are. Can I interest you in a sausage, bacon, egg?

No, can I have orange, please?

-A coffee...

-Would you like egg, bacon, sausage?

Can I have an apple, please?

An apple? Do think this is the nicest, poshest building site you've ever been on?

-Thank you.

-My pleasure.

Anybody for a fruit tea, perhaps?

Camomile? Anybody interested in a rooibos?

-Mint?

-Got any green tea over there?

You, off the site.

LAUGHTER

'I'm into healthy eating like anybody else, but there's a line, and he just stepped over it.'

Our own health Adonis Jules is almost ready for the lift.

We're going to, erm,

put drop kerbs here, directly in front of our access.

Young Sam here's finishing off his bit of brick work here today.

The boys over there are finishing off that wall.

Then that's it. We've broke the back of this front area.

They've turned out, and they've just smashed it.

West Country, see. West Country boys, you can't beat it.

Jules and his boys are working tirelessly to make access easier to

the house. For Ryan, every day in hospital is a struggle.

Ryan's health assistant, Sarah, knows this only too well.

I get the impression that he's depressed at the moment.

He's extremely depressed.

He's an extremely sad young man.

He doesn't have a life here, as such.

He's not living - he's existing.

And for any young man that's horrible.

And getting home will change,

and you think he'll attack his physio with more...

I think he will. I think he will make...

I mean, I go home with Ryan quite regularly on a Saturday,

and even the difference on a Saturday with Ryan is a big deal.

He's much more relaxed.

His shoulders are drooped.

Where generally here Ryan won't communicate.

A key part of Ryan's rehabilitation is visiting the hospital gym down

the corridor, but if Ryan is feeling depressed he doesn't want to go.

It's not that he's being grumpy or difficult, just sad and unmotivated.

Hi, Ry!

Are you ready to go up to the gym?

I think they've set up for you to try and have a bit of football.

No?

Because of his mental health challenges,

it's hard for even Ryan's speech and language therapist, Steph, to get him to go.

It's fine if you don't want to do it, but give it a try.

What do you reckon?

Are you sure we can't tempt you?

No, OK.

It's clear getting him home could help to lift Ryan out of his depression,

motivate him to work on his own mobility.

So, as hard... You know, as much as you've been able to do for him,

and I know you do amazing work here, it's pretty critical we get him home.

It is. It is, you know, and for his mum, and his dad.

How long have you been looking after him?

Erm, I've been with Ryan just over three years now.

So you must really get a bond going.

You must be really fond of him,

so whilst everyone's looking forward to him going home...

It's heartbreaking at the same time.

-Is it?

-Yeah.

-Are you going to miss him?

-Loads.

-You're a little bit emotional about that, aren't you?

-He's a special kid.

-It's pretty intense stuff you do with him.

He's a huge part of this place, you know.

Everybody wants him to go home,

but at the same time nobody wants to say goodbye.

Sarah's just one of an army of amazing carers all across the country looking after people.

Back on site, the builders are giving it everything to make this build happen.

They're not just changing lives -

these plasterers are breaking records.

They've only gone and finished all the plastering on the fourth day!

Everyone's mucked in together.

-Probably the best day of my working life.

-What, really?

-Yeah, it is.

-100%.

-You know, you speak to anyone, it's just been unbelievable.

We'll allow Chris a moment to wallow in his plastering majesty.

And when it's all high-quality, there's no...

Look at it.

There's an old saying. If it generally looks right...

Sorry - if it looks right, it generally is.

Now, I'm not an expert, but generally speaking that doesn't look right.

That's not just a little pop, is it?

-He went through it.

-Do you think...

INDISTINCT REPLY

Mark leads the investigation into the guilty party.

-Who did that?

-It's one of the plumbers finishing off the piping in the loft,

but they seem strangely reluctant to step forward and accept blame.

I only take a size eight.

-You take a size eight!

-And that's a size ten.

-Right, OK.

-LAUGHTER

Chris, I found him through a process of elimination.

Basically, all his mates stitched him up.

Cut his feet off.

Yeah.

All right, let's get it fixed, then.

The plaster is only just dry before tilers start in Ryan's wet room.

They need to get on with it.

There's a lot of wall, and a lot of Gabby's tiny tiles

to cover them with.

The upstairs bathroom is smaller and the tiles are much bigger so that

shouldn't be a problem. Oh, no, hold on, wait -

Gabby has brought in funky hexagon tiles from the future.

Well, basically we can't cut these with our dry cutter,

because when we scribe it, you pull it along the top bit,

but it won't go into the groove.

So we've got to go outside and wet cut every...

-Every single one.

-..every tile.

So it'll take about five times as long as it normally does.

Yep, it will. These lads have the patience of a saint.

As do the guys installing the bifold doors.

These doors will open out into the garden to increase the space so Ryan

can move more independently.

Beautiful, eh?

So, now the bifold doors are in, and the scaffold down,

the gardeners are free to catch up a bit of time.

A little birdie told me one of our gardeners is rather overqualified.

I think we need to find out a little bit more.

Did I hear you say he built satellites?

Like, a satellite builder? Is that what you're saying?

-Is he making that up?

-No, no, true.

Satellites in space that he's worked on.

A bit different, isn't it, building gardens and working in rocket science?

Absolutely, but this isn't rocket science, that's the great thing about it.

It's fantastic.

Well, gardening may not be rocket science but it helps to have rocket scientists

doing your gardening, plainly!

And, of course, skilled trades installing Gabby's nifty kitchen and those amazing sliding doors of doom.

Why are you laughing, Lee?

-I don't know why I'm laughing, at all!

-You think it should be higher?

Yeah, yeah, I can't get my hand in there.

With the plaster drying, the builders are booted out.

Gabby's decorating team have been let loose to roll out the tricky

asymmetrical wallpaper in Gemma's room.

Decorating is all about pampering, so we have arranged for Diane -

a very talented decorative artist - to paint Rachel's master bedroom.

It's a technique from a bygone era.

It was Victorian British, wasn't it?

-Yeah.

-When did it start?

-18th century.

-18th century?

-Yeah.

-Royalty, aristocrats.

-Because this is hand-painted, we're not having to fit...

The scale and everything we've been working with is perfect for this room.

So it's bespoke and perfect, so it doesn't look ridiculous,

having an over-scale paper with lower ceilings.

She's in such demand, she's even done walls for Lady Gaga,

but she's not our only esteemed decorator.

Yeah, Andy works in Buckingham Palace.

-Does he?

-Yeah.

-Does he, really?

I don't work in Buckingham Palace.

I've worked in Buckingham Palace.

-What do you do?

-It was part of an interview for a job.

Because there's only one decorator, actually, at Buckingham Palace,

that does all the internal work. But I had to think of the travelling and, unfortunately,

the salary didn't cover the travelling costs.

-Wow!

-So he said no to the Queen but yes to us!

-Ha-ha!

-Hurray!

For this family, only the best will do.

Because it has been tough.

And Ryan's dad has seen his whole world turned on its head.

So, when you look at Ryan now, what do you see?

I see my son.

I see my son. I see my son not as fit and able as what he used to do,

but he's still my son. He will always be my son.

And his life is much more difficult than mine.

Because, if you go back a few years,

life was bumbling along very nicely and, all of a sudden,

it's like someone's just ripped the whole thing up.

It hits you like a bomb. Hits you like a bomb.

And the first year, the first couple of months, I was just numb.

I was just, what's going to happen?

You just think you're going to get back to a normal life again.

What do you want for him?

I want him home.

I want him home. He wants to come home.

Rachel dearly wants him home.

Um, you talk about Rachel very powerfully.

She's a rock.

She...

What she does for her family is beyond...

She's...

She's amazing.

So I guess it must have hit her pretty hard, when all this started.

She doesn't show it, but she must feel it.

Obviously, she must feel it. But she doesn't show it.

She doesn't show it.

I'm really pleased that this is happening for you.

That's his...

His only wish is to come home.

And with the help of you guys, which we appreciate so much,

and we are highly honoured, it's going to happen.

Well, we're honoured to help.

With only one day left on the build,

these fantastic chaps have managed to get all the big stuff done -

kitchen units, tiling, flooring.

It's just the fiddly stuff now.

After all that worry about Ryan's doors...

Hurray! Thanks, Lee!

That is... Lee has been dealing with the doors of doom.

Yeah, the doors of doom.

-Bit of trouble?

-A little bit, yeah, but we got over it.

The breakfast bar has arrived.

It's the perfect fit and the perfect place for the family to hang out

together and put...

-Make pastries on that.

-Do you like making a bit of pastry,

-darling?

-Yeah.

-What's your speciality?

-Vol-au-vents.

-Oh, vol-au-vents?

Vol-au-vents, don't you know!

I told you Bristol was fancy!

This lot seem to have outdone themselves.

Mike, am I wrong in thinking...

No, I don't want to say it, OK... No, I...

Say it. For goodness' sake. We haven't got all day.

-We've got to be finished shortly.

-We're ahead, that's what I'm saying, we're ahead.

-Yeah.

-We're going to finish early.

-We're doing really well.

And you're not very often wrong, is he?

Sh! Mark, don't say it, you'll curse us all!

We're going to be out the door by four o'clock today.

-What are you doing?

-And it's all over to Gabrielle then.

I knew I shouldn't have said anything.

-Four o'clock is only two hours away.

-We've done everything, we've made the home...

-No, no!

-We've done the garden. We've done the kitchen.

-Shut up!

-Stop it!

-We're trying to get out the door by four o'clock today.

-Yeah.

-Nice one.

-Mark, it's not good to try and finish early.

Everyone is going to take their foot off the pedal!

How do you feel about four o'clock today?

You know, for us to be ahead and then the plasterers...

Now even the posh wallpaper man is saying it.

You know, it just kind of...domino effect, so we're in a good place.

-See what I mean?

-Job done!

See? Now, look. It was all going so well but that looks like a freshly

plastered and painted wall being attacked by firefighters.

You look very beautiful today.

Mark?

You've made a hideous mistake, haven't you?

Don't give me... No, don't give me a ginger beard!

Imagine if Santa was ginger.

Santa might well have been ginger.

-He's just aged.

-You'd get loads of work at Christmas!

Go on, say that.

Say that, go on, say it!

Ho, ho, ho. Stop distracting me!

Go and fix everything!

-Get out!

-Not even a ginger Santa can make us finish at four o'clock.

But with a mammoth effort from everyone...

-Oh!

-..we're not far from the finish line and a few small victories.

But does it work in the other sink?

It does! It does! Amazing.

It's a miracle!

Gabby's on finishing touches...

Those look really, really good.

..and finishing touchy-feelies.

-Loved today.

-Oh, I loved today as well.

I nearly went in for a full-on snog there by mistake.

I sort of missed my angle!

I don't want to do it again in a hurry, but...

But I will say, if you're back in Bristol, I'll be there.

-You will.

-Yeah.

-That is the realest explanation of the show I've heard in a long time.

We're all knackered, I don't want to do it again in a hurry,

but if you come back, give me a call.

Amazing.

That's our team for you.

Work until they drop and then get up and keep going.

Bristol, we salute you!

We talked a lot about finishing early on this one, didn't we?

We talked a lot about it.

And it has happened, because now is officially the time when we're supposed to finish

and, as you can see, there are people here.

Listen to the sound... The sound of work still going on in the background.

And we reckon that going to go on until about 11 o'clock tonight

and the interior's going to get done about 9.30.

These things never go the way you think, do they?

Well, at least Billy has finished on time.

His electrics are giving some much-needed light to the gardeners.

ELECTRICAL FIZZ

-Oh, no.

-Billy!

Nine days ago, we came to Bristol to meet a family shattered by a tragic

head injury and a son trapped in hospital.

It just came out of the blue, how serious it was.

It hits you like a bomb. You just think you're going to get back to normal life again.

Ryan is desperately unhappy in hospital,

even with his mum travelling up five times a week to see him.

Being in hospital all the time is boring.

Not seeing my family all the time is not good.

I miss them.

Financially and physically it has put a strain on us, yes. It certainly has.

Shed a tear every day.

They couldn't bring him home because their cramped house couldn't

accommodate Ryan and his wheelchair.

Sometimes I cry walking up the road because I know he wants to come with me.

They wanted to live together but couldn't make their house work.

That was until builders and trades came together from all over the south-west

to help adapt their home.

And this is what they pulled off.

We took a cramped, mid-terrace house and completely renovated it from top

to bottom.

Where the old kitchen was, we've added an extension,

creating a new open space where the family can relax.

We've also provided blinds for the match days

as Ryan loves to watch his football on TV.

Right next to it, we fitted a brand-new galley kitchen

with a breakfast bar and all the mod cons.

The old, mouldy living area is now a fully-equipped bedroom for Ryan

with dark wallpapered interior, a bespoke hospital bed,

automated lights and plenty of storage.

The unused dining room has become an en-suite wet room and shower to

maintain his comfort and dignity,

all accessible by electric lift winch.

Upstairs, the leaky bathroom and its rotten floor has been pulled out and

replaced with a brand-new bathroom.

This damp problem has been fixed for good.

All the bedrooms upstairs have been beautifully redesigned.

Rachel and Dave's room has been redecorated in a Victorian style

with a custom velvet headboard

and hand-painted flower mural that perfectly

frames a restful space where they can sleep well,

knowing Ryan is just downstairs.

Lastly, the neglected garden has been turned into an accessible and

private paved area.

The huge bifold doors in the living room connect to the garden,

doubling the living space for Ryan.

A perfect way to spend more family time together.

The hard-grafting Bristol trades have given this family the perfect space

to be able to get their son home from hospital.

You kind of know that your house is not going to be the house you've been in the last 26 years.

Yes, we do, yes.

-Yeah.

-We had to change it a lot, so, if you're ready...

Open your eyes.

-Wow!

-Oh, my God.

-Wow!

-Is this our house?

Absolutely amazing.

-I love it.

-Do you?

-Do you love it?

-Yes.

-Oh, I'm so pleased.

-Fantastic.

-This is the extension. This is the bit of the house that didn't used to be here.

-Oh.

-Have a seat on your sofa.

-Amazing.

Sit where you are going to snuggle up as a family.

It is a lovely, warm house.

It's all insulated.

And we've dealt with the mould problem so that's not going to come back.

-That's amazing.

-Yeah, loads of space for Ryan as well.

-That's the point, isn't it?

-Yeah.

Ryan is going to love this.

Hop up, then, and go through to your kitchen.

I just don't know what to say.

I can't believe that you've done all this.

-In nine days.

-Can you imagine, can you picture the family in here?

-Absolutely.

-Yes, I can, yeah.

Especially Gemma, up to the breakfast bar.

She's always wanted one.

-Is that right?

-Yeah.

Just so that she could sit and have a chat with you.

-Yeah.

-Well, there you go.

Right, let's show you around the rest of the place.

-Upstairs, I think, next.

-Thank you.

-Oh, that's nice.

-Oh, wow.

-That's lovely.

-Because you like Victorian stuff, don't you?

Yeah. It's very Victorian, yeah.

This is lovely.

Wow!

That is lovely.

That's not wallpaper on the walls.

That's hand-painted by our artist, Anne, who's just...

She's amazing. She just came in and created that on the wall to fit

-around your bed.

-Absolutely marvellous.

Somewhere to come at the end of the day.

-To relax.

-You can't really burn out, I mean,

so this is a place for you to come and relax.

Yeah. I always put myself last.

-Yeah, she does.

-Will this help you put yourself a little bit further up

-the order?

-To come to this room, yes.

Now Rachel and Dave get to see the most important room for them in

the whole house. Ryan's room.

-Oh, my word.

-Oh, wow!

Absolutely amazing.

-Beautiful.

-Oh, he's going to love this.

-What a room.

-The reason for the big double doors, by the way,

is because of the length of the wheelchair.

-Yeah.

-And if we'd used swinging,

opening doors it would have been in the way of the space as well, so,

by tucking them away in the walls...

You get a lot more space.

Perfect.

We wanted to give him something that was proper manly, you know?

-Yes.

-Not hospitally, but manly.

Absolutely gorgeous.

The track is really important because he's a big lad,

not easy to shift around, so it's important that you have some

tracks to be able to lift him and take him through to the bathroom.

How lovely is this?

-Wow!

-This is amazing.

Absolutely stunning.

He might actually want to have a shower, now!

Wow!

This is a wonderful space. What a transformation.

-It's fantastic.

-We can't thank you enough.

Ryan's coming home.

At last, Ryan's coming home.

All the trades have gathered to welcome Ryan into the home they worked so hard on.

It'll be the first time since he's been to hospital that Ryan has taken

himself, unaided, through the front door.

-Welcome home.

-Welcome home, Ryan.

Five years. Welcome home, buddy.

After five years away, Ryan isn't hanging about.

Oh, my gosh!

Look at it.

-RYAN:

-I can't believe this is my house.

Well, it has changed a bit. There is no doubt that it has changed a bit.

This is just Ryan's room. Still got the whole house to come!

-RYAN:

-I love it.

-I think we're going to get stuck on that one, aren't we?

You need to go and check, yeah? Go on.

You see, Ryan has to have his carer with him at all times,

and there are various medical things that need to be done during

-the course of... Is that it, all done?

-Yes, all done.

Lovely. Thank you.

And with fresh batteries in his life-support system,

the tour continues.

Ryan, so what you want to do is swing left and then you're going right,

-you're going down the corridor, yeah.

-It's amazing!

Ryan, for you, what we've done is we decided to make this into the

ultimate television area.

So we've got a big-screen TV.

We've got blackout blinds.

The blinds on the skylights are automated as well so you can block all the light out,

so you can have a proper movie night,

watch the sport or whatever.

-RYAN:

-I love it. I love it.

Double love it. All right, cool.

-Smashing.

-It just feels like home, already.

It's time to show Ryan's siblings their rooms.

Darren, first.

Right, this is your space.

Oh, wow, this looks incredible.

-Proper bachelor pad.

-Yes, it is.

Yeah.

Next up, Gemma's room.

Whoa! It's amazing what you've been able to do to such a small room.

-I know.

-Oh!

I've never...

-I'm OK, I'm just...

-Emotional?

Very emotional.

All I was really expecting was for you to cater to Ryan.

All we ever wanted was for Ryan to come home.

It is amazing what you've been able to do in nine days.

We wouldn't have been able to do this in about nine years, probably!

-Happy?

-Very much happy, thank you.

You're not much of a huggy family, but if I sent your mum in now,

-would you give her a hug?

-Yes!

Right.

-Right, Gem, do you like it?

-Love it!

Right, this is for you.

-Mm-hm.

-For everything you've put up with, with me not being here,

this is all for you.

Don't cry!

-Happy?

-Very much.

Come on, let's get you all back downstairs.

Three, two, one, go.

-Oh, it's lovely.

-Wow.

-RYAN:

-I really love it.

-Oh, well done.

-Oh, you've moved on to "really love it"!

I'm really impressed. That's great.

Look at you. You're an emotional wreck.

Yes! Mind you, I always am.

I thought you were all supposed to be professional and...

We are, but there's so much love for him.

It means so much to get him home.

Yeah. Have we done all right?

Brilliant. Absolutely amazing.

The whole thing's really amazing.

Just looking at them now...

..as a family, sat in their back garden...

That's how it should be, really, isn't it?

Yeah.

As much as you've done amazing things for him...

-Yeah.

-You've got to kind of let him go, now.

-That's what he needs, yeah.

It's beautiful to watch.

It is, isn't it? The simplest things.

How little we value the simplest things.

APPLAUSE

This is Ryan's words of thanks.

"All I wanted is to come home and be with my family.

"I miss my parents, brother and sister every day

"and have found it hard to cope knowing I can't be with them all,

"or speak to them when I want to.

"The last five years have been the hardest of my life.

"I was ripped away from my family because of what happened to me,

"but you have brought me home.

"You will never know..."

HE CLEARS HIS THROAT

I'm not sure I can do this!

"Thank you for what you've done for me.

"You will never know the difference this will make to my life,

"allowing me to once again be with my family.

"We can all look to the future together now and won't feel so alone.

"I can't believe this is real, but I am finally home."

And then he's written...

Don't know whether you can see it there. "I'm home."

What you've achieved in there in nine days is absolutely amazing.

We cannot believe it.

We are so chuffed with it.

Five years ago, when this happened to this boy...

We never thought we'd get him home.

You're amazing. Every one of you.

Fantastic.

Wet room's amazing.

You know, when Ryan was taken so very seriously ill,

the medical profession stepped in and did what they do.

They looked after him, and they've been looking after him for five years.

But they couldn't get him home. It took the skills of an electrician

and a plumber and a bricklayer and a plasterer to get him back to his family.

And sitting there watching him in the back garden,

just listening to the conversation round him, that very small thing,

for me, epitomises what a huge thing has been done here.

Something we take for granted.

You know, we can't help everyone,

but everyone can use their skills to help someone.

MUSIC DROWNS SPEECH