A couple who paid a building firm more than £27k to renovate their house say they're still without a roof and front door 10 months later. Matt and Allison Brown from Machen in Caerphilly hired a company called K Construct last May to build them a front porch and a rear extension - a job they were told would only last four to six weeks.
The pair claim that they've been left 'living on a building site', surrounded by unfinished and unsafe work, having forked out almost all the £30,345 total they were initially quoted. They added that they feel abandoned by the firm (which is not related to a company of the same name based in London) and its Cardiff-based project manager Darryl Kavanagh, who disputes the allegations.
Not only that but the family cite the situation as having had a huge impact on their mental health. In particular, their 24-year-old autistic son is said to have been left 'confused and bewildered' by the ongoing situation.
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"Our house has been left in an unsafe state," said Matt, 49, a sales manager who's only lived at the address with his wife Allison (57) for just over a year. "We no longer have use of the main entrance to the property and our only form of security is a plywood board that's held on by screws down the sides.
"Can you imagine how draughty and cold that made the house during this winter? It's been unbearable and almost tarnished the entire time we've been here.
"Not only that, the lack of guttering means water often leaks in, while waste materials and rubble have been left stacked up against the side of our property, causing damp issues. Piles of it are also still obstructing our driveway," added the dad-of-two.
The family's garage roof was also reportedly damaged when a crane was used to lower a digger into the back garden. What is more, the decking which was subsequently taken up has yet to be replaced, forcing the homeowners to balance on the remaining "thin timber supports" each time they go outside.
"Our mental health has suffered from this and our autistic son has really struggled with all the disruption," said Matt. "This is his home and he should feel safe and secure in it - instead he's often in tears of frustration over it all."
He added that work on the project finally stopped last August over an argument about whether a structural support (or lintel) which had been installed was the correct type for the job. "The builder said, 'Yes, it was', but the guy from building regulations said, 'No, it wasn't'.
Matt said that a major problem lay in the fact he'd been asked by Mr Kavanagh to provide a 'basic drawing of where the light switches, power sockets, doors and windows should go'. "But I never thought for one minute these were to be used a blueprint for the actual build," he added.
"Surely it's up to the building contractor to ensure there are adequate plans and a programme of work? And I'd expect any construction company to use only materials which are the correct specification."
The Browns then sought help from Citizens Advice in approaching Mr Kavanagh to ask for some sort of resolution to the problem. A series of letters were drafted, to which they claim to have received no reply.
"So far we've paid out a total of £27,110 to these people. As a result, we don't have enough money left to hire someone new to step in and make the place liveable again - we don't even have the funds to attempt the work ourselves.
"We'd go to a solicitor and start legal action against K Construct if we could. But, again, we can't afford to."
However, K Construct's Darryl Kavanagh denied deserting the couple. He said work had been halted because the family refused to pay an outstanding balance of around £4,000 on building materials which he'd arranged to be delivered to their home.
He claimed that figure included the price of a new, much more expensive lintel, which became necessary when the original designs for the rear extension supplied by the Browns had to be revised. Thereby, the project turned from being planning exempt into one which did require permission.
"Yes, there have been delays our side - as there often are in building work - so I can understand their frustrations," said Mr Kavanagh, adding that he had emailed the family to inform them of the developments.
"But there were a litany of things that popped up which weren't our fault - things which we then had to deal with. Not least the lack of professional architect's drawings in the first place."
He also admitted accidental damage to the Browns' garage roof, but insisted that would be repaired. "We're ready and willing to return to Caerphilly and get this job finished, as soon as the current outstanding balance is paid," he said.
"We haven't run away anywhere. But if they aren't going to pay what's owing then things can't progress."
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