Cowboy builder conned pensioners out of life savings and left them living on building site in three-year nightmare

They planned on transforming their new home by converting their garage to a liveable space, kitted out with a new kitchen, dining room and shower space.

However, the pair were swindled out of £65,000 by a construction company found through Checkatrade.

They hired BSW Construction Projects, a company they deemed to be reputable after planning permission was granted for a new garage, conservatory and redesign of the layout.

Mrs Wade told the Daily Mail the couple were attracted to the idea of a speedy renovation, with builders telling them in October 2022 the job would be finished by that Christmas.

The couple said they paid £37,000 upfront before realising the builders seemingly did not have the skills to see out the job.

Mr Wade said he told builders three times the driveway appeared not to be level.

"The last time they came, I asked one of the men: 'Have you got a spirit level?' and he said: 'No.' But when I gave him my spirit level, he still put it the wrong way around," the veteran said.

"It's been very stressful. We feel devastated."

The couple said builders repeatedly failed to show up and left work half-done.

Throughout December 2022 and 2023 there were repeated payment requests and unstable communication, the couple said.

The couple handed over £45,000 directly to the builders, and paid out a further £20,000 for them to continue their work.

Work on the property was halted in November 2023 - and the couple have now started a GoFundMe to complete the shoddy work.

The pensioners attempted to contact the cowboy builder multiple times, even protesting on his doorstep, but their attempts were unsuccessful.

Their property has 35 defects left over as a result of the abandoned work, including a shoddy garage, half torn-down conservatory, and numerous problems within the house, the couple said.

Two winters were spent without heating in certain areas of the house, the Wades added.

Mrs Wade said: "We wouldn't see a builder for three or four weeks. So nothing was getting done.

She added that their garage is leaky and damp due to the failings of the builders, and after the garage flooded they received no support to repair it.

Both Mr and Mrs Wade had been left unable to sleep over safety concerns, with Mr Wade now taking stress medication as a result of the multi-year ordeal.

When work started, the builder said he had a separate banks account to keep their money safe. But he later admitted their savings had been shifted to a different job.

The couple contacted Checkatrade to complain about the builder, but said they had to phone about "six or seven times before getting anywhere".

Checkatrade did eventually send someone to write a report on the incomplete work in February 2024, and Mrs Wade said the representative told the couple "he had never seen such a bad lot of work done in his life".

The tradesman-finding website offered £1,000 in compensation, but the couple has said a survey determined it would cost in excess of £30,000 to completely finish the planned renovations.

A Checkatrade spokesman said: "We take the experience of Mr and Mrs Wade extremely seriously and recognise the distress this situation caused.

"It marks a failure in the delivery of work by BSW Construction Projects Ltd, who were removed from our platform over two years ago.

"We accept that the handling of the Wades' claim could have been dealt with more quickly. At the time, we understood they were still in discussions with the trade to resolve the issue directly and were awaiting further evidence before escalating the case to an independent surveyor. Since then, we have bolstered our industry-leading vetting, monitoring and complaints processes, and cases like this would now be escalated automatically.

"Our best-in-class guarantee exists to protect homeowners on the rare occasions work goes wrong, and we remain committed to maintaining the highest standards of trust and safety for everyone who uses Checkatrade."