A family says they are waiting for their extension “to fall down” after council contractors walked out without completing the job.
Amy Reed and Steven Bradshaw had asked for the work to be done to help their six-year-old son Oliver, who has Duchenne muscular dystrophy and faces a future in a wheelchair.
The family moved into a council property in Nuneaton and, after a referral from an occupational therapist, a specialist disability downstairs extension to the property was agreed.
Oliver needs a specialist bedroom and washroom with a hoist and, after plans were drawn up, construction started in September last year, Coventry Live reports.
The project was supposed to be completed by Christmas but more than six months later the family have been left with a “living nightmare” due to an alleged catalogue of failings by the council contractor, Cathedral Plastics Ltd.
The extension is still not complete, the contractors walked out and the family have been left waiting, it is claimed.
"We aren't waiting for it to be finished...we are waiting for it to fall down," Amy told CoventryLive.
"I am worried about him (Oliver) going in there.
"This (the extension) was supposed to make his life easier, now I am just worried about him going in there now."
Their nightmare started with the footings for the extension - which ended up being condemned by a building inspector - and a warning was issued to the contractors.
This, the family claim, continued as the build progressed with a catalogue or errors:
Dangerous and incorrect plumbing and pipework including 90 degree bends in the piping, electric plugs in the wrong places - including by sinks, issues with the toilet and window and guttering problems.
Amy also claims that the firm “destroyed our home” by breaking a number of personal belongings and she alleges labourers also made rude and unprofessional comments about her and her son.
It came to a head with the construction company walking away from the project in April.
"This was a relief for us but our concerns continue about the current build and what they have left which isn't satisfactory for a disability extension," she said.
"I cannot believe the council are still using them (the sub contractors), they have ruined the house and the extension."
Now they are waiting for the borough council to appoint another firm to finish the extension.
"No-one will want to touch it because so much has gone wrong and so much needs to be done to make it safe," she said.
CoventryLive contacted Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council about the situation and a spokesman said that they were unable to comment on the issues on behalf of the contractor, but admitted there were problems.
A spokesman said that they are working to get a new contractor in place so that the works can be start next month.
"Work was commissioned to provide accessible accommodation to comply with the recommendations made by the occupational therapist and started in September 2021," the spokesman said.
"Issues were found and while we are we are unable to comment on behalf of the contractor, it must be noted that this work is incomplete at this stage and has not been commissioned for use by the tenant.”
In regards to the use of the contractor, the council spokesman added: "The company in question is no longer carrying out disabled adaptation work for the council."
