Download our build budget, plans and more on the Member Zone: members.gosforthhandyman.com/ 👍 Also here's part 2 - how to find a good builder! Enjoy... kzfaq.info/get/bejne/ldRdnsaDy9i0c5s.html

Worst bit about this Andy is you are a well informed guy so if it can happen to you then it really can happen to anyone 😖

Ah the old ‘got a funeral to go to’ along with ‘my van’s broken down’ golden oldies.

From my experience as a young-ish guy who fell into DIY and woodworking after seeing the behaviour of builders in the UK, the best way to describe their ethos is to rush, bodge, and run. It's ALWAYS about the next job, never focusing on the current one. I don't mind paying top dollar for a top job (especially since i learned how hard it is to do most of these jobs to a high level), but it's heartbreaking paying hard earned money for work that's on par or less than DIY work. It's not just a few bad apples; dodgy attitudes are widespread.

As someone who has been in the building trade for over 30 years I can tell you now Andy the whole industry is awash with these Mickey Mouse builders - Lovely new vans all financed up to the max - literally - All the gear no idea!!

Watching this increased my blood pressure

The essential tools of the English builder are: Shorts, white trainers, suntan, sleeve tats, sharp haircut, loud radio. Then light a ciggie and he's ready to get work (by which I means sit down for a cuppa and a chat)

The standard of building in this country is quite shocking.

Had a similar experience with my garden office. I did foundations and up the DPC, then got a builder in to do the brick and block work. After about 3 days of random time visits i went out with a spirit level and a square, it was miles out. 50mm out of plumb at 4 courses of thermalite high, i wasmt going to let them near the bricks if they couldnt even lay thermalite blocks. Paid them for what they had done and semt them packing. Knocked it all down and my dad and i didnit ourselves. Took about 9 months or weekends but is all done now!

The warning signs were there from the start. 1. Way cheaper than other quotes. 2. Available fairly quickly. 3. Schedule that just gave a date and payment amount, no actual detail of work that payment was for. 4. Public liability insurance details and other information asked for was not forth coming. It was always going to end badly!

"tommoz" was a major red flag, lol.

That's exactly why I watch channels like this one, because I want to learn either how to do the job myself or understand if the builder is doing the job properly. Been burnt many times as well

Thanks for sharing your story Andy, so much we can learn from it. I live in Slough and hired builders for a project in Telford. 160 minutes drive away. Turned out the boss was a cocaine addict, I had to rent a flat nearby to be on site everyday to be on top of the builders. Absolute nightmare as I struggled to find any other builders to replace them. I had no choice but to suck it up and just micro manage the existing team...I laugh when looking back, no idea where my drive came from 😂

Andy, I’m sorry you had to go through this. Watching this video sent shivers down my spine. Can’t help but feel sorry for anyone who doesn’t have the knowledge and insight as you do that are or have been through similar. Back in 2012 I’d planned to refurbish my parents property to make it accessible after my father was paralysed neck down from a car accident in 2011. Long story short, all parties involved knew exactly what they were dealing with, I ditched multiple architects and builders through incompetence and mismanagement. At one point my photoshop skills were being used as a guide, didn’t even have measurements like yours. I lost all faith and hit rock bottom having spent almost 50% of my budget on a job that had barely begun in the grand scheme of things. The only light at the end of the tunnel was an architect I’d built a website for 6 years prior, she stepped in and pointed me in the right direction after I reached out as a last resort. For obvious reasons, I couldn’t take shortcuts for this job and ended up with corporate builders. For what was supposed to be 90k and 6 months turned into 270k and 1.5 years. And no, my father knows nothing about it. It’s a burden I’ve carried for years but the lesson I learnt was I’d wish I had sought advice from people I knew first rather than letting builders take full control. I can’t help but think, how would I’ve known any better? You’re supposed to put trust in these people. Breaks my heart for those that are robbed blind every day.

When I first saw this video, I was thinking what everyone else was thinking, "if it happened to you, Andy, then the regular homeowner or DIYer is doomed" but by the end of the video I was thinking "mate, you fell for all the obvious signs of a cowboy" and it had less to do with your knowledge of the trades but more to do with your situation. We ignore red flags and put our blinders on when we're under pressure and our options are few and that's all this was. I've been in a similar situation with a builder doing two bathrooms for us, previous quotes were ridiculous, many didn't even show up to quote, I had tenants in the property and I needed the job doing asap.... along comes a reasonable quote and two lads who are keen to crack on. I ignore the obvious red flads like the quote being hand written on a peice of paper with no indication of VAT or itemised biling, wanting cash upfront, poorly constructed studwalls, misalgned tile work but I was in a tight spot and I thought I could babysit them if worse comes to worse given that I know exactly what goes into a bathroom remodal. In the end, their work was a mess and I had enough pointing out the obvious and told them to get lost over half way through. I learnt that no matter how bad it might seem in the moment or no matter how much pressure I'm in to get the job done, it's best to apologise to whoever I need to and delay the project until I find the right, competent builder because it can always get much, much worse.

I had the same issues some years ago! An old guy who pretended to be a builder agreed to build a garage on the side of my property. To cut a very long story short, he ordered some blocks from B&Q and tried to use my card number, the concrete for the slab was being delivered by a guy who was stealing from a big commercial build close by, he would turn up in a massive concrete mixer lorry at random times of the day and just dump it in the front garden! It wasn’t long before I sacked the “builder “ off but he then threatened to send his sons around,who he said were boxers to knock my head off!! I told him, when they arrive can I ask them to also knock the crap blocks down that he had stacked up 🤬🤬 Lesson Learned!!!

Hi Andy, good advice and warnings. Great result in the end. Pity it was so frustrating for you and Mrs Mac. Looking forward to your next video.

Hey Mate, thanks for sharing, we had a building experience that was very emotionally taxing and it helps to hear that it’s something that happens ❤

Great vid Andy; feel for you - a horribly stressful experience! But you showed your mettle and got though it brilliantly 🙂

Thanks for post such an honest video, it shows it could happen to anyone! Sorry you had to go through that

Thank you so much for this video Andy. The fear of getting the wrong builder is holding us back from doing our extension. Looking forward to your next video as well that’ll help me make a decision

Impressed you're so calm about the whole thing. Membership renewed great content, keep it coming.

I work in construction and I know plenty of builders. tradesmen, often carpenters or brickies expand from just being on the tools to doing extensions where they are subbing out lots of the work….the problem with this is that the skills required are very different: rebuilding an extension requires project management skills, and managing people….something lots of tradesmen don’t possess. There is a spectrum from disorganised builders out of their depth to deliberate fraud….I think your builder was out of his depth and tried blagging his way through Disorganised builders often can’t manage the business properly, they underprice or make mistakes so gradually run out of working capital and then they start taking deposits on new jobs to finance finishing previous jobs

Fair play your a really genuine person after what seemed to be a nightmare you still showed them respect imagine if you let it run its course I dread to think the outcome glad everything worked out for you

I've always enjoyed watching these videos and getting a lesson in how to remain calm and focused, then after the stress levels have returned to normal remaining in good spirits 😊

Phew, what a story. almost incredible, if it weren't for all the footage and 'evidence' to back up your story! So glad it all worked out in the end and the extension and the garden studioroom are just awesome!

Thanks for sharing your experience with us Andy, it must be painful to go over it again, glad you can smile and put it down to experience now ! A cautionary tale indeed, and enough to put you off starting on a major building project, so I'm hoping the follow up will be more positive ! Things like the site management, often seem like a trivial issue, but it says a lot about general attitudes and professionalism and as you said you have to consider your future neighbours who are living with all this for months on end !

1) don't allow a spade in the ground until you have their insurance and VAT details in your hand, and a copy of the architects plans. 2) check companies house for free online, you'll soon see if the Director has more than one business or a history of dissolved companies. 3) Word of mouth is great for recommendations, but by far the most important thing in home renovation and repair is TRUST YOUR GUT FEELING!! I'm glad you walked away in the end, these cowboys know most Brits are too polite to kick up a fuss, so fair play to you!

Thank you for putting this video up. Mistakes are hard to acknowledge but invaluable in learning so thank you for sharing. I had similar experience to you but with my roof so seeing your video helps me feel better about my own mistakes. You live and learn! I look forward to the video on how to choose Builders.

I really do believe a good worker is hard to find these days. People just don't care any more. I'm glad you come through in the end

Thanks for this video Andy. I miss the days when you started uploading work on this house, really fond memories. I was constantly looking forward to the next video of the build. I'm so happy for you guys, that it all turned out well in the end - you made a house into a beautiful home.

Wow... Ive been dealing with a storm ripping my roof off, the insurance adjustors from hell & a set of woofers who down grades my roof. I've been watching your channel to learn! 😅 Now I'm discovering this was the genesis of your issues too & the beginning of the journey to repair , heal & grow! Your a legend my friend. Much love from Newcastle/ south shields ! ❤️

Your kindness shines through...

Your a gentleman Andy, understanding and patient was very beyond most. You have done an amazing job on your new home projects and it's been a pleasure watching. 😊

I was hoping to have some form of extension done on my bungalow but after watching an experienced person like yourself get the problems you had I think i'll not bother now.

Living in brunton park with limited experience and getting a very similar extension done next year, this video is great as you’ve opened my eyes to a lot of potential pitfalls to watch out for! Really looking forward to seeing the next one, keep up the great work 👍

I'm stressed just listening to the story!! So glad you've got a glorious space in the end. We had an extension nightmare 10 or so years ago. The extension walls weren't built in line with the original walls so when we went to install the kitchen worktop there was a gap of about 2 inches at one end. That's probably the worst part for us, functionally. But the plasterer smoking in the house and starting to plaster over old wallpaper was a bit of a red flag at the time. My wife, alone in the house with 2 small kids had to confront him about it which wasn't pleasant at all.

I decided to improve the drainage in our back garden last year and did loads of research - especially on YT, which is how I found Andy’s channel. No one part of the work was particularly challenging, technically speaking, but on reflection, trying to get the job done _exactly_ the way I wanted with the precise specifications using a builder or landscaper would’ve been next to impossible. Even the most competent and fair trader would’ve had to charge a fortune for the work if they spent as much time on the small details that I did. That’s not to say that their expertise and knowledge couldn’t have improved the design and accelerated things a bit but, as a neighbour (who is, coincidentally, a builder) said - when you do it yourself, you take much, much longer to do a job but you get it done the way you want it done, every time. It did take me a very long time to get the job done but it has vastly improved our garden, which has dealt with all the heavy rain this last few months.

Hi Andy, we just watched your film, and tbh the simultaneity in your story and ours is remarkable. But we take inspiration from you and Mrs Mac, and we will make our project come good 👍 all the best 👍

Great video. Made me very happy that I built a an entire studio room and much of a kitchen / dining room extension myself. Used a builder for the foundations, masonry to wall plate level, and the solid floor. He was a (very good) brickie who worked for big builders during the week, and did his own projects evenings and weekends, and brought in top class tradesmen for the foundations and floor pour. Building inspector even complimented the standard of the work. Worked out at under £1000 per m2, but was pretty exhausting building and tiling a 32 m2 hipped roof in the middle of winter by myself, often working in the dark!

So polite this gentleman is. Patience of a saint. I wish when I work I only had costumers like you, and you don't have to deal with hustlers in a 1st world. Why is it so hard to tell truth as an adult.

What a nightmare Andy. Glad it worked out fine in the end. Had some builder issues myself, now a 100% DIY-er. Enjoyed all of your videos.

Had a similar experience, it’s hard to know it’s happening at the time but when you step back it becomes more obvious. Glad it worked out in the end

So stressful to watch! And very humble of you to express some understanding towards the end of why it may have gone wrong, not sure i'd be so understanding. We live not far from you in Forest Hall, and got lucky with our builder. Considering another extension soon and your video has made me think i'll wait for him to be available again rsther than rush in. Thanks for the video.

Wow Andy, didn’t realise that it was this bad - glad you sorted it in the end 😬

You're obviously a lot more patient and forgiving than I would have been. I'd have been withholding payments until they got their act together, but I guess then nothing would have happened. You have however done an amazing job of rescuing the project and achieved a stunning end result, not to mention honing your handyman skills and gaining an enthralled audience along the way.

Wow. What a watch! I've been following you all the way through your renovation as we were planning one ourselves and this was probably my favourite video. As many others have said, I can't believe someone of your experience of DIY etc got done, let alone a layman. It really shows how scary this process is. Our builder has been amazing and I still have lost so much sleep over the last few months - I can only imagine how you were holding up! Thanks for the perspective and keep up the great content!

Competency crisis is a lovely polite way of putting it. I'm not even going to begin to write down the horrors I've experienced due to builders,electricians,plumbers,window/door fitters etc here in the comments. I'm glad you've not done a name and shame,shows what a considerate,thoughtful gentleman you are.

you have a wonderful attitude, standards are shocking and money seems to be the only motivation for some builders.

I DIY built a small extension, a bit smaller than your studio with a proper pitch roof, and a kitchen and toilet. It was hard, really hard, and i dont think it was much cheaper in all but this video is basically why. With tragically few exception, im almost never all that happy with other peoples work especially given the cost. It's also within 5mm of all dimensions ;)

Because you're an honest and trustworthy person, you probably do business mostly with people like you. I'm surprised that you were so patient with this cowboy builder after seeing the sloppy way he kept the site and the casual way he dealt with his subcontractors! So different from the way you do things! There was no architect required for my retirement home 22 years ago. I had a trusted builder and I handed him my hand-drawn plan and said, "Make it so." And he did, with very few changes. I was onsite almost every day, and weekly he would hand me a list of all his bills and I would write him a check on the spot. He finished the project within the budget, and 22 years later there isn't a crack or a flaw that I can find.

Wow, Andy, I knew you’d had issues but this is another level! I’ve mentioned before a problem I had with a ‘plumber’ and discovered that I can in fact fit a bathroom myself. I bet you’re pleased it’s all over now 🌞

New subscriber, and construction company owner for fifty years, in Texas. It never ceases to amaze me how some builders can even tie their shoes, much less level and plumb a wall. I get on to my guys when I find a cigarette butt on the ground. Enjoying the content.

i experienced this 2 years ago with a cowboy builder, i got my money back and the cowboy builder is currently in prison he got 20 month prison sentence. it was a stressfull time. its a minefield trying to find decent trades, who arent out to rip you off.

Watching this is bringing back some pretty bad memories, we live in High Heaton and we experienced some very similar scenarios also 2 years ago. Our asbestos garage was left, rubbish everywhere (we did get a grab lorry eventually! but then there was a lot more left) We had every excuse (death in the family, van broken down bla bla bla) ended up terminating contract and doing a lot of the work ourselves with our good friend Tom at Tomswoodities. Thanks to your videos and many other youtubers we have just about finished. We have also heard a few more nightmare stories about other builders in the area.

Hi Andy, Been watching your content for several years now and I remember watching the episodes when you were going through this nightmare. I admire your patience, tolerance and all round Zen attitude. I’m sure it’s no consolation, but we (as channel viewers), ended up with some cracking videos on how to build an extension. In the words of Scott Wadsworth……”Keep up the good work” and I’ll look forward to watching your next project

Great video Andy. So much to learn from this. Thankyou so much for sharing. Kudos to you for not naming and shaming the builder. Every natural instinct would be to do just that, but the fact that you put dignity and gentlemanly conduct before your personal feelings says an awful lot about you as a person. The finished job looks beautiful by the way.

Even back then I wondered why you weren't doing it all yourself, partly because finding good tradesmen can seem unlikely.

I have noticed that when the building manager is not on site, things can go south For me his unprofessional writing in emails was a red flag

The fact they drink carling was a big give away 😀

Caveat Emptor. Nuff Respect to you for sharing your nightmare, from which we can all learn. If someone like you can come unstuck, then the rest of us have to be doubly cautious. I think you've been very measured with your report, including the explanation of the general economic and market context in the UK right now. So glad you managed to sort it all out in the end.

Hi Andy, having done my own self build after having a nightmare with builders understanding build regs , costing materials and payment plans, I did it in stages with one group doing foundations and drainage , another doing walls , and another doing roof and a firm doing the windows , so glad I split it up like this , it took longer this way but piece of mind and full control over project 😃😃👍👍

Unfortunately, and sadly, we are living in a competency-challenged era...upvc is another area of challenge, but, then again, which trade isn't challenging for the consumer. Who do we trust..?? It's almost impossible.

What a top bloke you are!! Wise words and really appreciate your persona and true words 👌👍

We may have been lucky, but this is what we did for a full alteration of the middle floor of a 1970's town house, walls down, new kitchen, juliet balcony, we wanted to walk into a finished product. Looked on line at the Federation of Master Builders, contacted the local man (we were new to the area), he told me couldn't do anything for a year (a good sign), got him to come round, I liked him,ball park figure was within our budget, so we didn't bother getting anyone else. Result was a first class job, on time, on budget and SWMBO very happy

Architect is always client side not builder side. The architect is there in many ways to protect the client’s interests. So glad you DIY’d it! Go Andy!

Brilliant video Andy. You are the most savvy person I know when it comes to building work and for you to be duped by the cowboy says it all! Thanks for posting an honest, warts and all video. It’s so hard to find decent builders. Too many charlatans out there and it gives the whole construction industry a bad name. At least you escaped fairly early on!

Terribly sorry to hear about this Andy. Having found myself in an awfully similar position a year and a half ago, I know very well how deflating and soul destroying this experience can be and what a negative effect it can have on people's lives. Unfortunately some people have no conscience. Perhaps, you should consider taking it further to your local trading standards as it might help to protect other people around your area; cowboys like this tend to change companies and start over once things go tits up. Really glad to see you eventually managed to get over it this setback and be where you need to be now. Warmest regards!

Thabk you for this important public service video. We bought a house 1 year ago as first time buyers and we fell victim of cowboy builders as well. They used similar tactics and gave us pure hell for 2 months. I did think I had done enough checks on them but not quite.. There are nasty people out there and social media helped to create the illusion we were bringing the right people to work on our house. The money we spent with the rogue traders was lost. 1 year into the works, we are now nearing completion. We were recommended the right tradesmen after we sacked the cowboys and we have been using the same team since then. Find the good ones, and stay with them.

Holy hell those new walls being out of plumb in 2023 triggers my OCD so hard. It just makes it such a pain to correct afterwards when installing jambs, sheeting and anything else that needs to be plumb. I think the bricky was the one having beers and just built in whatever direction he was tilting.

It’s a horror story but, unfortunately, not uncommon. My build cost over £900,000 - and then a further £350,000 in legal and associated costs. All because the original (RIBA) architects, who said that they were experts on this field, made fundamental errors. Then the builder, who I had known for many years, decided to rip us off by “inventing” invoices for materials and work not for our build (by this time, we had gone from a fixed price to cost plus profit). Law suits are happening as I write this but no amount of money can repair 6 years of stress.

Great video open and honest and good learning for others wishing to extend their properties.

Andy, thank you for such a detailed and candid retelling of your experience. I have to say you showed a lot more tolerance that I ever would but when you’re in the situation there is a tendency to think things will improve and get back on track. I know that it’s not unusual for builders to have the attitude that the architect’s drawings are just for general guidance. As a retired electrical engineer I know the importance of drawings and although sometimes they can contain occasional errors, they are there as the reference point for all parties involved. You mentioned that your builder progressed demolition of the old garage (leaving the mess of bricks) and then started the build of the studio. You did express concerns about the progress getting ahead of planning consent, which is understandable. Here in Scotland, that kind of demolition work would be likely to require a Building Warrant from the local council Building Control department before work started. Not having planning consent is risky (the local authority may intervene at a later date to have you change things, which could be very expensive) but progressing work that requires a Warrant in Scotland without having one is a criminal offence. Is this not the case in England? I know it’s easy to refer to “U.K. regulations” when you have an international audience but, as they say, it’s complicated! Some regulations are U.K. wide (CDM and the like) while building regulations/standards differ between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Must be a nightmare for big building firms. Looking forward to the next video. Keep up the great work.

My advice to anyone is to get a full set of drawings done first before anyone steps foot on site. People always think they need an Architect but you could just go directly to a Consulting Civil/Structural Engineers. Most small builders in my unfortunate experience as a Civil Engineer know absolutely nothing about building regulations. They best you can hope for is that they can read and follow a set of drawings, and often that's too damn complicated for them. Reputable main builders charge a lot as there's a whole lot of risk and liability to take.

There's definitely a competency crisis, and an attitude one too. It seems like some tradesmen are so in demand they feel like they don't have to bother doing a good job. I'm a handyman myself and it's amazing how easy it is to impress customers by just doing the basics, like 'turning up when I said I would' or 'doing what was asked'. I'm no master craftsman by any means, but I've got an almost 1 month backlog of work despite doing no advertising at all for over a year. People just keep finding me anyway! FWIW, I don't think you were stupid here. You did your due diligence and the guys you picked were not just incompetent but actually fraudulent (the VAT issue proves that, he knew exactly what he was doing). Don't blame yourself for the duplicity of others.

The state of the building industry in this country is absolutely shameful. I am yet to meet someone, myself included, who hasn’t had a nightmare with an extension build. My sister is currently having an extension and she’s spent multiple days this month in floods of tears as communication has completely broken down due to massive errors made by their builders. I disagree with the “amazing builders” out there. They’re all booked up - the only ones available are the cowboys. Brilliant video. For me, the early communications would have been enough of a red flag for me to walk away. Edit: Christ, this is heartbreaking and frustrating. I really admire how stoic you are about it. Thank god you’re able to take control of this situation yourself.

I learned that word “Plethora” recently - it means a lot.

Thanks for sharing your experience. I'm quite shocked to hear the story as honestly, I figured with all your experience in the industry, you would have been able to avoid such an experience. Obviously it can happen to anyone which this story shows. I guess with all the skills you've picked up, you'll have to get a plot of land next and do a full blown grand design self build 😉

The cowboys over-order materials that you pay for and then move the un-used materials on to the next client who pays for them again. That’s why the initial delivery was in dribs and drabs. They haven’t the slightest interest in observing the planning, building regs and way-leaves because you’re liable not them. And of course they went bust …… this type of builder has a company for each job that they collapse after leaving.

So sorry you had such a dreadful experience. Your work looks amazing that you have done yourselves.

Your extension is really nice. Well done!

I had two building jobs done on my old house in Scotland. First was a complete remodel of a kitchen and downstairs bathroom into one big kitchen. The guy I used was always helpful, could always do this or that, had a mate who could do things he couldn’t do… bottom line took 3 months without a kitchen instead of 3 weeks and quality was poor. Later I added an extension, to be in same style as rest of the house. Got an architect - recommended by a friend, had plans agreed (first iteration out of budget, second OK), engineer approved the roof attachment to the main part. All trades under control of architect (for 15% markup). Project completed to spec, in time, good quality. So that’s one approach - outsource the project for 15% - well worth it.

Hi Andy, You have had it tough with these builder's, all they saw was £££££ in the eyes. We all fallen in to this trap, you done the right thing ,fire them off site. The way you carried on this build is a huge credit to your selves. This is why I enjoy your video's it's not the do's and don'ts it's you honest opinion. Over the past few year's on this build I've enjoyed watching the way you explain how thing's are done. You just want to sit back and see what you have built and be proud of what you have done,I take my hat of to you. carry on doing what you do, I'll keep watching. Take care mate👍

Can associate with this 100% as we're presently living through this same hell in the same city. It's a horrible situation to find ourselves in which is affecting our mental health.

I would have run a mile at the first use of the word "mate"! Dear sweet god.

I would have taken up references for such a large job. I had a landscape gardener do a job worth £2.5k a while back for me, and asked for references. He said he had never been asked for them, but contacted his last two customers and asked if they would speak to me. They were both happy to do so, and both confirmed that the work was managed properly and the end result was good.

Many builders are not competent to organise the various trades and schedule works in the right order. Their incompetence and inexperience increases their costs so they are forced to cut corners, lay off skilled staff and muddle on until the client loses patience with them or stops paying. Workers having a specific trade skill and, without further training, giving it a go at running construction projects can be quickly out of their depth with cost estimates, cash management, materials control, communication, site management and facilitating other trades. There is no substitute for a proper architect or architectural technician's drawing. As client, you could contract a separate specialist groundwork firm to do setting out, trenching foundations, utility ducting, pipe laying and get the build out of the ground. Then a specialist bricklaying firm, then a good roofer and ending with an internal fitting out/finishing firm. Each stage warranted by insurance backed guarantee.

It's sad to see this as it's never nice to see someone lose their hard earned money (and time) because of a bad company. I am so glad you have highlighted it though. As someone who works in the trade we are competing against people like this in the industry every day. We try and warn customers of builders low balling them and give them advice on the red flags to look out for but unfortunately time and time again people fall victim to these cowboys.

Holy sh*t Andy what a nightmare Had something similar with our underfloor heating - did all the research and everything sounded great until work started. Like you say got to be the better person, draw a line under it and move on. And we had fun laying our own UFH 😂 Well played mate

Looks like you had a lucky escape, in the end.

OMG 😪 Great video , sorry for your troubles

We were lucky with the loft conversion we found a local builder who lives just around the corner and they were fantastic, And have been back to do the bathroom and would highly recommend them.

makes you wonder - if this is what happens to someone with Andy's experience what chance have the rest of us got 🤔

This is making me stressed just watching it, and I'm only 14mins in!

Reading the ‘builder bants’ in those texts is giving me flashbacks to my own experience of dodgy builders. While not quite as bad as this. I still ended up dispensing with their services and finished the loft conversion myself.

Loving the channel. Hello from County Durham.

I have had so few good experiences with the trades. Have tried everything. Paying more. Paying less. Recommendations. Websites. Doesn't matter how or who I use or how nice I am I've had crap jobs done. I'm a good customer, not too nitpicky, pay on time wtf am I doing wrong. Sometimes I strike gold and find someone amazing, usually someone older who's been doing it a while or someone brand new making a name for themselves before they get cynical. I've now got a few decent trades following this approach but it's still very hard.

Years ago in 1975 we added a 2 story extention to our house. The brickie was my brother inlaw and the chippies were friends as well. Everything was going well I had a roofer quote and accepted the tiles etc. At 9.00pm the day before he was due to start he phoned and just said I cannot do your job and put the phone down. I contacted several roofers but as soon as they saw the job the price doubled. Eventually I decided I would do the roof myself. It took 6 weekends to get the the 6000 tiles up as I was still working and we managed to finish. The contractor who supplied all the materials said he had never known anyone to do this and came a few times to check us out. He was a saint he learnt me tools and books. Now 50 years later the roof is sound and never leaked. The day of the hurricane my father in law was on the phone "Is the roof still on" what he didnt know I nailed every other row that was not going anywhere.

Had similar experience here in Toronto- some relief in knowing I was not alone - chalk it up to experience.

Sadly, this is a common problem. There is another builder on here who had similar problems with a Fencing Firm - totally ripped him off, even though he's a very proficient competent builder himself. It's terrible how some contractors behave - imagine if you had been some naive person without any building knowledge at all. Glad you 'got there' in the end and looking forward to your next installment. In fact, I hadn't realised how long your house renovations had been going on - I remember you buying the place, and thought it was oly last year - how time flies. Thanks for showing us all the pit falls. Take care 🙂