A COUPLE who paid more than £30k for their dream kitchen have said they have been left with a nightmare months later.
Michelle Reid and her partner Craig Kappen agreed to have work done by Northern Traditional Homes Ltd at their home in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear.
The building company came recommended to them so they did not hesitate to pay a £10,000 deposit in September 2022 after spending 18 months planning the extension to their house.
The couple agreed a 12-week build time with director Paul Galsworthy, who Michelle says promised they would have their dream kitchen in picture perfect in time for Christmas with their daughters, 23 and 21, and their 15-year-old son.
However, seven months later and 32k down, the family are still living in a building site, with no kitchen, no power and leaking radiators.
To make matters worse, the heartbroken family have no money to pay anyone else to do the job.
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Michelle said building work stopped and started from September 2022 before the workers disappeared completely in March – two weeks before their eldest daughter was due to bring a newborn baby home.
And window cleaner Craig is now using YouTube to find out how to try to salvage the build and get their dream home back on track.
Michelle said their catalogue of complaints included the internal walls being demolished and left behind as well as the wall at the front of the extension being rebuilt five times.
There were also several issues highlighted by Gateshead Council building control, including questions over the lintels which had been fitted to supporting walls and the joists in the new roof.
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The couple also took issue with a window being removed and the space not being boarded up – leaving a large hole open to the winter elements.
And electrics were stripped out of the old kitchen, leaving the central heating boiler attached to an extension lead.
Michelle, a domestic cleaner, said: "It has just been terrible and my family has suffered so much from this man and his building company.
"He manipulated us into paying him £32,000 bit by bit and we have been left with nothing to show for it except a massive mess with no money to get it put right with another builder."
SHATTERED DREAMS
The heartbroken mum added: "I had to cook Christmas dinner in a makeshift kitchen in the corner of the living room, despite being assured it would be sorted well before Christmas.
"We were constantly being told that the money had ran out and we needed to pay the next instalment."
At one point, Michelle claims the workmen left them to go to another job because Paul told us he needed to get some more money in before he could finish ours.
She continued: "In desperation, my partner said we would pay for all the materials just to get the job going again, and he agreed to take it off the balance we owed at the end of the build.
"At one point, we even ended up paying staff wages at £250 a week, which again Paul said would come off the final balance.
"My partner took time off work to help out in an effort to keep costs down as it was obvious to us that the company was under financial pressure.
"Every night when Craig came home there was something for him to tidy up as everything was just left when they did turn up."
Michelle said that Gateshead Council's building control was not happy with the job and that the family contacted Trading Standards and then a solicitor to try to recover the money.
'DEVASTATED'
She said: "Finally, this month Paul Galwsorthy replied via his solicitor to offer £7,100 of the £15,000 he owes to us, and deducted amounts that were totally unjustified so we we refused it. We have now waited nearly two weeks with no further word.
"This has devastated us and we don't want it to happen to anyone else. I was emailing him about the state of the back of our house, about the baby coming, about they way we were living and he just completely ignored me."
The mum added that they now have a "complete kitchen in boxes" in their half-finished extension as it was delivered ready to fit.
Michelle said that when her granddaughter came along, the extra space was even more important.
She continued: "This was supposed to be our dream. We have lived in this house for seven years and last year finally managed to buy it off the council and wanted to make it into exactly what we wanted from our home.
"Instead we have been left with a derelict room and lots of dust all over the house, with every weekend taken up by us trying to do what we can ourselves while we save to pay for tradesman to do what we can't do, like electrics.
"We have given up and lost all trust in builders after our experience."
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A spokesman for Gateshead Council said: “Trading Standards are aware of the complaint against Southern Counties Homes Ltd and have given advice about the current situation and potential next steps.”
Mr Galsworthy has been contacted for comment.
