Another builder said it he was ‘physically scared to go inside the building’
A FAMILY claim a builder has left them trapped in a dangerous house, £95,000 out of pocket and their home standing over a pit.
Ryan, 37, says what was meant to be a dream renovation for his growing family left them with a house so dangerous that other builders refused to step inside.
A family claim they were left out of pocket to the tune of £95,000 by a cowboy builderCredit: Supplied
Their garden was allegedly left destroyed and their basement turned into a ‘pit’Credit: Supplied
Ryan, 37, lives in a three-bed semi-detached home in Leeds with his wife and two childrenCredit: Supplied
The production designer lives in a three-bed semi-detached home in Leeds, West Yorkshire, with his wife and two children – a two-and-a-half year old and a newborn.
He said the the builder has since gone bankrupt, abandoned the job and left them “trapped” in a dangerous home they can’t afford to fix or sell.
To make matters worse, Ryan alleges that the builder later sent him a message threatening the safety of his family.
But the builder in question hit back and told The Sun he “did not abandon” the project and the site was “left safe” – he claims he was required to cease trading due to bankruptcy proceedings.
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He added it was an “extremely unfortunate situation” and the work was plagued by “exceptional and unforeseen challenges” throughout.
‘We’ve been left with a pit’
The family say they hired the builder in summer 2024 with plans to dig out their basement, add a side extension and landscape the garden to a finished standard.
“We were doing all this work so that we can stay here for as long as possible. With our growing family, we like the area, we like the house,” Ryan said.
“All we’re trying to do is just improve our position a bit and make our lives better for the children by given them more space.”
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Instead, he says they were left with a gaping hole beneath the house and the entire structure resting on temporary props.
“The house is held up on props. The garden is completely destroyed and the basement itself is just a pit,” he said.
He added it’s left the underside of the house completely exposed letting in the freezing air as well as vermin.
“We’ve had mice in the house because of this and the house itself is freezing because it’s so exposed underneath,” he added.
“It’s left us out of pocket, a structurally unsafe home and my wife and children in danger.”
Leeds based builder, Graham Nash, 54, who runs Pinnacle Builders Ltd, says he helps those ripped off by “cowboy builders” and visited the property after Ryan reached out.
Ryan says the entire house is currently resting on temporary stiltsCredit: Supplied
But the builder in question hit back saying the site was ‘left safe’Credit: Supplied
He told The Sun he was “actually physically scared to go inside the building”.
“I just didn’t know how it didn’t collapse in its current position, it scared me to death walking in.”
“I can’t believe that he’s left a family living in that house in the state that it is. I’ve been doing this 35 years and I’ve seen some shoddy work in my time but that work beats them all.”
But the builder disagreed, insisting all structural works to date comply with building regulations.
“The site has been left safe, properly propped and inspected,” he said.
“Only one internal wall and the staircase wall remain propped which cannot be removed without qualified assistance.
“Approximately 98% of the structural works have been completely. I previously offered and continue to offer the remaining 2%.”
‘My wife was terrified’
The situation took a turn in December after Graham posted videos on social media highlighting the quality of the work and the situation Ryan and his family had been left in.
Ryan claims that’s when he received a disturbing message from the builder who claimed Graham’s posts had triggered insults and death threats.
He alleges the builder warned him to stop or “wake up with no props” under the house.
“He said if I carried on, I’d wake up with no props in my basement,” Ryan said.
“Which is saying the house would collapse. That’s what would happen.”
He said he rushed home to his wife and told her what was going on as she was holding their newborn child.
“She was understandably terrified, holding our two-week old baby at that point,” Ryan continued.
“She doesn’t even feel safe in her own home anymore. It’s a really low thing to have done.”
Ryan immediately contacted the police who are now investigating the matter.
The work was allegedly started in 2024 but was never finishedCredit: Supplied
Ryan says he and his family feel ‘trapped’Credit: Supplied
“You can’t just text somebody that you’re going to destroy their house and get away with it. It’s like a handbrake turn into insanity,” Ryan added.
When put to the builder, he said: “Removing supports without professional expertise would pose a serious risk of injury or death to the person removing them.”
“I was distressed to learn that, despite my offer to complete the remaining structural works, the matter was pursued via social media.”
‘He just kept moving the goalposts’
Ryan said his ordeal began in July 2024 when work first started on their home.
“At the beginning, everything was going at a rate of knots,” he said.
“There were plenty of people on site, lots of things happening. It all looked good.”
He said they had agreed a contract price and said they made payments as requested, trusting on the builder to deliver.
“We were holding up our end of the deal. You saw the work being done and it reinforced our confidence,” Ryan added.
Early delays and hold-ups caused by a party wall agreement with neighbours didn’t immediately raise any alarm bells.
But by 2025, Ryan claimed deadlines soon started to slip with weeks rolling into months as the builder’s promises on completion were becoming increasingly unrealistic.
“He was just moving the goalposts all the time. That was the first initial thing.
“He said it’s going to be March now, then it’s going to be June.
“We paid him in good faith and he’d hide behind excuses like the job being more expensive than quoted.
“But we had a contract price and we honoured our side of it.”
By this point, Ryan says he had already paid so much just to keep the work going.
“We were backed into a corner. We were just trapped,” he said.
“At some point, we could have gone, we’re not paying you any more money until this is done. We just wanted it done. We thought, we’ll just do this and then it’ll get done because we still had this faith.
“Things did still keep happening, even at a snails pace. We knew he had other jobs on.”
But the builder claims said “unforeseen” ground conditions, regulatory changes and cash-flow issues severely impacted progress.
He said: “The clients were fully aware of these issues. I communicated the challenges regularly, both personally and through site staff, on numerous occasions.”
Ryan also claimed he asked for an extra £27,000 after misquoting on materials, something the builder has also disputed.
But the builder disputed this, claiming he met with the family and made it clear the issues would mean a further injection of cash to complete the project.
This was something he says, the family were unable to do at that time and added they “mutually agreed to continuing progressing the work as far as possible”.
He added that at the time he believed company cash-flow would allow him, as a “gesture of goodwill to carry the project to a sealed structural shell” allowing his client to raise further funds.
But after two other projects were delayed he says he lost “250,000 of anticipated work and cash flow” – he added he later had to borrow £25,000 from friends and family to support the business.
By October 2025, the builder was forced to file for bankruptcy and all work stopped.
“I can’t remember the last time we saw him on site – it was months and months ago,” Ryan said.
He added the builder is now listed on the insolvency register, leaving the family tens of thousands of pounds out of pocket with any money recovered from the insolvency process likely to be minimal.
‘We’re trapped’
With the work incomplete, Ryan said he contacted multiple other traders but no-one was willing to take on the job.
“They don’t want to take on other people’s part done structural work. Which is understandable. So it was really hard to find somebody who would say yes to any given aspect of it,” he said.
“The house is structurally not safe, I don’t blame them in the slightest for saying no.”
He added the ordeal has taken a heavy toll on his family – especially on Ryan’s wife during pregnancy and after giving birth.
“Throughout the pregnancy things just became more and more difficult for her. It just became more and more stressful.
“Especially when the bankruptcy thing rolled around, because it’s like suddenly there’s no end in sight.”
It’s put a financial strain on the family too with Ryan adding it’s left them “really exposed”.
“If something goes wrong like the boiler needs replacing. Where do we find that money?
“We can’t move from here because no would would buy this. We’re trapped by it.”
But the builder said: “The clients had full visibility of the financial position and a detailed spreadsheet was maintained throughout.
“The original contract price was £95,000 which was a discounted figure and substantially lower than two comparable quotations.
“Any competent contractor would have encountered the same unforeseen conditions and incurred additional costs well in excess of £30,000.
“This position can be independently verified and even the project’s structural engineer has since indicated that the realistic cost of the works is closer to £150,000.”
When Ryan was asked whether the work is recoverable, he said the prevailing opinion was that it’s “not unsalvageable”.
“One group of guys were like, knock it down and start again. There’s all these different things we need answers to,” Ryan said.
“The builder has gone bankrupt, which happens but threatening us when his work has been called into question is unacceptable.”
He added the ordeal has “destroyed” his faith in a lot of industries around building.
“As best as I understand it, there’s basically no regulation on this to a degree,” he said.
In response the builder said: “This is an extremely unfortunate situation. I and my team worked diligently and in good faith to overcome exceptional and unforeseen challenges.
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“The loss of two major projects last year made insolvency unavoidable.
“Nonetheless, my offer to complete the final structural phase of this project remains open, unconditionally, subject only to having appropriate assistance on site.”
Things took at turn in late 2025 when the builder filed for bankruptcyCredit: Supplied
Ryan says he has contacted other traders to finish the work but no-one wants to take on the jobCredit: Supplied
The builder has hit back saying there were ‘unforeseen and exceptional circumstances’Credit: Supplied
Ryan says the ordeal has left them ‘really exposed’ financially
