Series 3 - Episode 1: Cardiff

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This week Dom and Sheree are on the outskirts of Cardiff, helping a family who have been left to freeze and live in a half-finished extension with no central heating for three years.

Care-worker Julia wanted to extend her home to make room for her ageing mother Mary, who had just returned from living in Australia after having a heart-attack. She contracted a builder, the son of someone she thought was a friend, and paid him £64,000 to build a two storey wraparound extension. Six months later, the builder left the job, taking all her life savings and leaving Julia, her mother Mary and her teenage son Chris with an open shell of a home.

While Sheree struggles to make her budget stretch far enough to finish this massive job, Dom investigates the cowboy and discovers he may have fled to Thailand. He also meets other victims of the same builder, including a man whose life has fallen apart after the builder left his sewage system leaking into his garden.

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Comments (16)

  • Christian Darrall

    1 year ago

    Christian Darrall

    Listen after reading the coments above, i agree with both sides, the builders and the house owners, we have a builder we use for everythink large and small, and got to know him well, I still stand by the number 1 rule CHECK HIS OTHER WORK AND ASK THE PERSON ABOUT THE COMUNICATION, ITS NOT ILLEGAL TO DO SO, AND THEY COULD REFER YOU TO A MORE TRUSTED ONE IF HE WAS A COWBOY

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  • Bradley

    over 1 year ago

    Bradley

    Having been a builder for 20 years, I am disgusted that a small element of our industry give us all a bad name. However, people should also remember remember that there are unscrupulous customers out there too, that engage the services of a builder and then not pay. Often wonder why this isn't highlighted? A building project should be based on trust. The homeowner must trust the builder, but in turn the builder has to trust the homeowners. As a builder, I see no problem with a small deposit towards materials etc. Obviously there should be detailed reference checks and a contract before any money changes hands. A good builder vetting company that have vetted me a few times for customers is RightChoice. They actually view previous jobs and carry out credit checks for homeowners. Alternatively homeowners can pay for the materials themselves and then just pay the contractor for labour on works completed.

  • Lee

    almost 2 years ago

    Lee

    I hope your life is happier now David and your little girl is enjoying stays at daddy's house. R Wrightman I agree there are many honest builders out there that are getting screwed down because of cowboys under quoting and it isn't fair, I also agree that if it sounds to cheap then beware. However if the customers where quaified to price up jobs then they wouldn't need professionals to do it for them and in all fairness in all cases they got far less than they paid for and were truely ripped off. The fault has to lie with the scam artists but I understand your fustration because as an honest man these guys are taking away business from you and therefore scamming you also. I don't feel builders should feel threatened by this programme if anything it will hopefully encourage people to not go for a contractor based on the cheapest price as this is what you leave yourself open to but to go with the most reputable. With so many web 2.0 methods it is easier than ever for real honest builders to show just how good they are based on their past work to encourage trust with their people. If you concentrate on your portfolio and reputation then anyone watching this programme and wairy of contractors as a result will be more likely to go for you regardless of cost.

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  • sam langford

    2 years ago

    sam langford

    r wrightman it wasnt davids fault, david didnt know he was paying for a unpaid job!

  • david sherwood

    over 2 years ago

    david sherwood

    r wrightman.its not just handed over.its just like identify theft.you dont know whats going on.money was paid by intelligant people and he is a proffesional scam artist.

  • R WRIGHTMAN

    over 2 years ago

    R WRIGHTMAN

    NOT ALL BUILDER ARE BAD THERE IS A GOOD FEW OF US ABOUT WHO DO A BRILL JOB 4 LITTLE MONIES IVE EVEN DONE JOBS FOR NOTHING CAUSE FELT SORRY 4 PEOPLE OH AND I JUST WANT TO ADD THAT IF THESE PEOPLE HAVE PAID THOUSANDS KNOWING IT DONT COVER THE WORK FOR THE PAYMENT WHY DO THEY HAND IT OVER I FEEL THEY BRING IT ON THEMSELFS

  • david sherwood

    over 2 years ago

    david sherwood

    hope neil smart gets what he deserves in 2011...dave sherwood raw sewage man cardiff xxx

  • Chris Nichols

    over 2 years ago

    Chris Nichols

    first time ive seen this...love it...'enjoy your bingo' haha

  • Stephen Griffith

    over 2 years ago

    Stephen Griffith

    "I HAVE A JOKE..THERE IS A CHAIR.. THE CHAIR UHH WALK WITH A SHOES A LA LA LA LA LA.. HE WALK ON THE STREET...THE CHAIR IS A WALKING..YESS" well its a funny image. "i should tell this joke" probably not.

  • STUART

    over 2 years ago

    STUART

    ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT,ALL BUILDERS BEWARE DOM IS OUT TO GET YOU.

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