A couple say they are £44,000 out of pocket after a builder started renovations in their garden - and left the foundations of their house showing. Sandra, 63, and Stephen West, 62, asked a builder to turn their old decking into a fresh new patio area. Despite paying the huge sums, they say their house has been left in a worse state than it was when the work started.
The builder refutes the claims and says the issues were a result of natural causes. But they say the unfinished work has affected their mental health – with Sandra being prescribed antidepressants by her doctor. And they say they’ve been told by a surveyor that the situation could get worse with harsh weather.
Sandra said: “Once a week he would ask me for £2k for this, £5k for that, with more amounts and reasons all the time – it wasn’t until I added it up that I was absolutely appalled. I couldn’t sleep, I’ve been to the doctors and he put me on antidepressants, and I’m still on them now. We paid a lot of money and it’s been left in a worse state than before it started.”
