Playing the role of knight in shining armour is Chester builder Chris Payne in TV series Bad Builders Bang to Rights broadcast on ITV1 this evening (Tuesday, January 27).
Chris, who runs family-owned building firm CJ Payne Home Improvements in Circular Drive, Lache, stars alongside pint-sized presenter Dominic Littlewood and designer Pippa Jameson in the three-part series.
He comes to the rescue of people whose lives have been ruined by dodgy contractors by rebuilding and repairing their homes.
Chris, 39, whose firm worked with donated materials but was paid for the labour costs, was shocked at some of the poor workmanship he encountered.
He said: “The last one we did in Birmingham was a structurally unsound three bed semi. It was horrific, proper cowboy stuff. The other two jobs were good builds but were just not finished.”
Chris, who has been in the building trade 20 years, explained how his company was chosen for the prime time TV show.
“It was a customer of ours who put us forward about 18 months ago. It was narrowed down from the 500 builders who applied and then they came to see us on site in Chester and we got down to the last two. After a few phone calls we were invited to go and see the first job in Swindon. They wanted to see how we looked on camera and hear our advice on what needed to be done on the first build.
“Then the other guy was busy so we got the job!” he joked.
In the series, Chris helps an 84-year-old woman who has been forced to sleep in her living room for almost a year, a single mum whose home has been made uninhabitable and a young man with severe learning difficulties who has been living in a leaking extension for the past seven years.
Presenter Dominic confronts the builders responsible for the shoddy work and exposes dodgy contractors catching them red handed by secretly filming them at work.
He said: “Whether you’ve got a leaky roof, your boiler’s on the blink or you’re looking to extend your homes, these are the people we trust to make our homes warm, safe and secure. But invite the wrong contractor over the threshold and you could be inviting in a world of pain.”
Bad Builders Bang to Rights is aired on ITV1 tonight (Tuesday, January 27) at 8pm and again on February 3 and February 10.
