Cowboy builder's extension is so bad family faces £100,000 bill to rebuild it
James Bradshaw mentioned his household have been by means of a ‘nightmare’ ordeal (Image: Kennedy Information & Media)

A pair say they're ‘devastated’ after a cowboy builder walked off with their £50,000 life financial savings and left them residing in a botched extension so dangerous it should price one other £100,000 to rebuild.

James Bradshaw, 39, and his spouse had been placing cash away for 15 years earlier than making the choice so as to add a two-storey extension to their dwelling in Wolverhampton.

Appearing on a pal’s advice, the couple agreed to pay nearly £70,000 for the work to accommodate their rising household which was as a consequence of be completed by August 2021.

However after months of points and delays the builder vanished in September, leaving them £50,000 out of pocket and residing on a ‘constructing website’.

James has since had a surveyor in to evaluate the work that had been performed, who concluded it wanted to be fully demolished and began from scratch because of the many structural points.

As a result of hovering prices of constructing supplies and labour, along with the funds wanted to drag the unfinished extension down, they got a brand new quote for £109,000.

James then contacted a solicitor to ask about taking the builder to court docket and claw the cash again, solely to be advised he ‘gained’t see a penny’ of his hard-earned financial savings once more – even when he wins the case.

The gross sales director has now shared photographs of the mess he’s been left with in a bid to warn different ‘conscientious and first rate individuals’ to not fall sufferer to ‘cowboy builders’.

‘It’s been a nightmare. It’s put loads of pressure on mine and my associate’s life and prompted loads of devastation for our household,’ he mentioned.

PIC FROM Kennedy News and Media (PICTURED: THE DEFECTIVE, UNFINISHED EXTENSION ADDED TO JAMES BRADSHAW'S HOUSE BY A 'COWBOY BUILDER') A devastated couple claim to have lost their ??50,000 life savings and been left living on a building site thanks to a cowboy builder's half-finished, 'unsafe' extension - that had to be DEMOLISHED. James Bradshaw, from Wednesfield, Wolverhampton, says the builder, who he'd hired to add a two-storey extension to their house, would only work five-hour days and when confronted about his shoddy workmanship brazenly quit as 'he didn't want the stress'. Acting on a family friend's recommendation, the couple agreed to pay almost ??70,000 for an extension to accommodate their growing family that was supposed to be completed by August 2021. DISCLAIMER: While Kennedy News and Media uses its best endeavours to establish the copyright and authenticity of all pictures supplied, it accepts no liability for any damage, loss or legal action caused by the use of images supplied and the publication of images is solely at your discretion. SEE KENNEDY NEWS COPY - 0161 697 4266
The unfinished extension (Image: Kennedy Information and Media)
PIC FROM Kennedy News and Media (PICTURED: JAMES BRADSHAW, 39, FROM WEDNESFIELD, WOLVERHAMPTON, WHO SAYS HE WAS 'SCAMMED' OUT OF ALMOST ??50,000 BY A 'COWBOY BUILDER') A devastated couple claim to have lost their ??50,000 life savings and been left living on a building site thanks to a cowboy builder's half-finished, 'unsafe' extension - that had to be DEMOLISHED. James Bradshaw, from Wednesfield, Wolverhampton, says the builder, who he'd hired to add a two-storey extension to their house, would only work five-hour days and when confronted about his shoddy workmanship brazenly quit as 'he didn't want the stress'. Acting on a family friend's recommendation, the couple agreed to pay almost ??70,000 for an extension to accommodate their growing family that was supposed to be completed by August 2021. DISCLAIMER: While Kennedy News and Media uses its best endeavours to establish the copyright and authenticity of all pictures supplied, it accepts no liability for any damage, loss or legal action caused by the use of images supplied and the publication of images is solely at your discretion. SEE KENNEDY NEWS COPY - 0161 697 4266
James was advised he would in all probability win a court docket case however continues to be unlikely to see a penny of his £50,000 once more (Image: Kennedy Information and Media)

‘The explanation we have been having the extension performed is as a result of we’ve had a daughter and we have now three kids residing with us already – my son and my fiancée’s two kids.

‘We have been having the extension performed to create two further bedrooms and to increase the kitchen and eating room to have a bit extra space for the youngsters.’

James mentioned the builder’s work ‘was stunning from day one’, including: ‘He by no means did a full week, he’d solely flip up two to 3 instances every week if in any respect and he’d flip up at 10:30am and go away at 3pm.

‘Each time the constructing inspector got here to overview the work he’d performed it stored getting failed so he needed to redo a number of it.

‘Ultimately I mentioned to him, “it's essential to are available for a gathering as a result of this simply isn’t adequate”.

‘As he walked by means of the door he mentioned, “I’m going to provide you your a reimbursement and you will get another person to finish it as a result of I can’t get it performed and I don’t need the stress anymore”.

‘He solely supplied us £3,000 again and I simply mentioned, “you’re a joke and also you’ll be listening to from our solicitor’s”.

‘He left our home within the state it’s in and we haven’t spoken to him since.’

PIC FROM Kennedy News and Media (PICTURED: THE DEFECTIVE, UNFINISHED EXTENSION ADDED TO JAMES BRADSHAW'S HOUSE BY A 'COWBOY BUILDER') A devastated couple claim to have lost their ??50,000 life savings and been left living on a building site thanks to a cowboy builder's half-finished, 'unsafe' extension - that had to be DEMOLISHED. James Bradshaw, from Wednesfield, Wolverhampton, says the builder, who he'd hired to add a two-storey extension to their house, would only work five-hour days and when confronted about his shoddy workmanship brazenly quit as 'he didn't want the stress'. Acting on a family friend's recommendation, the couple agreed to pay almost ??70,000 for an extension to accommodate their growing family that was supposed to be completed by August 2021. DISCLAIMER: While Kennedy News and Media uses its best endeavours to establish the copyright and authenticity of all pictures supplied, it accepts no liability for any damage, loss or legal action caused by the use of images supplied and the publication of images is solely at your discretion. SEE KENNEDY NEWS COPY - 0161 697 4266
What little work had been accomplished was riddled with defects (Image: Kennedy Information and Media)

The 2-storey extension was purported to create two further bedrooms and an prolonged kitchen and eating space inside 14 weeks, for an agreed price of £68,450.

By the point of their remaining assembly in September – two months after the deadline – there was solely an unfinished single-storey and a plank of wooden blocking the place the again door was once.

A month later, an unbiased constructing survey flagged a number of structural points with the little that had been constructed and urged that it wanted to be ripped down and restarted.

By that stage, the household had already forked out £47,643.

The report discovered that the partitions have been out of sq. in a number of locations and both had a cavity that was too broad or cavity ties that have been too quick.

This implies they weren’t absolutely tied in and didn’t present full stability.

It additionally famous that the complete construction was prone to damp as a consequence of a number of points, together with mortar breaching the wall cavities.

The report additionally mentioned ‘lazy workmanship’ was evident within the inner brickwork, the place a damaged brick ‘regarded to have been jammed in place’.

PIC FROM Kennedy News and Media (PICTURED: THE DEFECTIVE, UNFINISHED EXTENSION ADDED TO JAMES BRADSHAW'S HOUSE BY A 'COWBOY BUILDER') A devastated couple claim to have lost their ??50,000 life savings and been left living on a building site thanks to a cowboy builder's half-finished, 'unsafe' extension - that had to be DEMOLISHED. James Bradshaw, from Wednesfield, Wolverhampton, says the builder, who he'd hired to add a two-storey extension to their house, would only work five-hour days and when confronted about his shoddy workmanship brazenly quit as 'he didn't want the stress'. Acting on a family friend's recommendation, the couple agreed to pay almost ??70,000 for an extension to accommodate their growing family that was supposed to be completed by August 2021. DISCLAIMER: While Kennedy News and Media uses its best endeavours to establish the copyright and authenticity of all pictures supplied, it accepts no liability for any damage, loss or legal action caused by the use of images supplied and the publication of images is solely at your discretion. SEE KENNEDY NEWS COPY - 0161 697 4266
The household now face having to fork out £100,000 to have the shoddy construction pulled down and rebuilt (Image: Kennedy Information and Media)

Total, it concluded: ‘Contemplating the general situation of the construct we might suggest that it's eliminated right down to basis degree and the construction began once more.’

In mild of this, James sought authorized recommendation to try to claw again a few of his hard-earned financial savings again to have the ability to rectify the nightmare construct.

However he mentioned his solicitor warned he would ‘by no means see a penny’ of the £50,000 as a result of the builder might merely shut the enterprise down as a consequence of not having the funds to repay it.

James mentioned: ‘Her phrases have been, “the one individual that wins in that is the solicitors as a result of we receives a commission both manner, it’s going to price you £15,000 to £20,000 to go to court docket”.

‘She mentioned, “you'll win in court docket however his solicitor will advise him to close the corporate down as a result of he hasn’t bought the cash to pay it again so that you gained’t see a penny”.

‘Two days after we acquired the court docket letter it got here up on Fb that the corporate was closed so I believe he’s already shut it down.

‘We’ve regarded into his historical past a bit now as nicely and he’s well-known for opening firms and shutting them down – I believe that is the fourth firm he’s performed that with since 2017.’

The heartbroken dad hopes that by warning individuals in regards to the ‘dishonest and unreliable cowboy’ he fell sufferer to, he may also help different households keep away from the identical destiny.

James mentioned: ‘There’s nothing we will do now, we simply should chew the bullet that we’re not going to get something from it as a result of the system doesn’t assist this type of factor.

‘We’ve bought new builders in now however as a result of we’ve wasted a lot cash we will solely afford to get the shell performed and we’ll should do the within stage by stage.

‘The brand new quote to place proper and end it's £109,000 as a result of there’s been an enormous enhance in costs of constructing supplies and labour in addition to the additional work of demolishing it.’

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