I was on Nick Knowles’ DIY SOS – the BBC did a ‘bodge job’ on my house and someone could have been killed
THE BBC has been accused of doing a bodge job on a house that the family believes could have caused a fatal accident.
The Chapman family claims that Nick Knowles and his DIY SOS team failed to help when things later went badly wrong.
Peter Chapman, 64, was later offered £15,000 by the BBC for compensation but refused it claiming repairs would cost more.
He has been in dispute with the Beeb for three-and-a-half years.
He said: “DIY SOS has robbed me of the last three years and the stress is killing me.
“My wife Sarah and daughter Suzanne have not been able to use the outdoor facilities that were built by DIY SOS because it is now in a dangerous condition, which they were made aware of and they acknowledged over two years ago but nothing was done.
“On the first day after taking possession of the house from DIY SOS, Sarah nearly fell in the bathroom, which could have been fatal, when the wall bars around the toilet came away from the wall while she was using them.
“Also, part of the floor collapsed in the hallway, while I was walking on it, which again could have been fatal for my wife or my daughter.”
The BBC insisted that the work on the house complied with building regulations and said Mr Chapman had declined its offers of help.
It offered to give him £15,000 to help him get the work he was worried about done but he turned it down, insisting that it would cost about £30,000.
Mr Chapman says he needs to fix things like a leaking roof, which means he uses buckets to collect dripping water.
Other issues include cracks that have appeared in the decking on the patio, making it unsafe for Sarah to come out onto in her wheelchair, and a ramp leading to the back garden which is unsafe for her to use because it is too steep.
The 64-year-old also blames the programme for laying a driveway that sank and had to be re-laid, cracks in some of the bungalow’s walls, a lack of insulation in two ceilings and installing a slippery hard floor in the lounge when he wanted to keep carpet.
Full-time carer Mr Chapman claims producers failed to return some of his precious family photographs, failed to install obscured glass in a bathroom and left a gap under a side gate that led to his dog running out and going missing for a while.
He said that having to look after Sarah, 59, Suzanne, 39 and his brother Steve, 68, while fighting his battle for compensation from the BBC has taken its toll.
He said: “I wish I’d never heard of DIY SOS. They’ve literally had me in tears. They just don’t want to know.
“I have been trying to get them to understand the impact their botched attempt at helping me and my family has had on me.
“We’ve been used and well and truly exploited. It was all done for effect.
“There were too many people doing too much, too quickly in appallingly wet conditions.”
He believed the build, which was hit by prolonged heavy rainfall, should have been postponed.
Sarah and Suzanne suffer from Myotonic Dystrophy, a genetic disorder that affects muscle function.
It claimed the life of the Chapman’s other daughter, Margaret, shortly before filming for the programme began.
Mr Chapman asked the BBC not to broadcast the programme because of the ongoing dispute but claims it did anyway.
He said: “I now find it hard to go anywhere because I’m embarrassed, ashamed and feel intimidated about what has happened to me, especially when people ask me about how the house is after DIY SOS did their work.”
A BBC spokesperson said: “DIY SOS is a heart-warming programme that brings communities together and helps improve the lives of those in need thanks to the hundreds of volunteers who give up their time to participate.
“As with all of our previous projects, the Charlton Kings build was planned and completed in accordance with the necessary required regulatory approvals and signed off onsite by building control.”
The corporation said that it sought impartial third party advice to assess the property when Mr Chapman declined its offers of help.
It claimed it offered him various solutions, though Mr Chapman denied this had been the case.
The BBC added that it was aware that Mr Chapman had made his own home improvements since it finished filming, which it had no involvement with.
It said it took its duty of care to its contributors very seriously, offered Mr Chapman support and returned personal items to him.