Cowboy Builders

Melinda and Dom are in Eastbourne helping a single parent whose life has been turned upside down. Following his wife's death, 50 year­old-chef David Kon was left to bring up his three daughters alone. But their Eastbourne semi was not big enough, so David decided to extend into the loft to give each of his girls a room of their own. Unfortunately for the Kon family, the builder they paid £31,000 to do the job botched the build and left them with an unfinished death trap above their heads. The stress of the situation has driven the family to despair and David feels like he has failed his children. It is now Melinda and Dom's job to rebuild the loft, catch the cowboy and get this family's life back on track.

Melinda and Dom head to Bath to rescue single mum Jenni Rossi. The 46-year-old school secretary wanted a better home for her and her teenage son, so she decided to remortgage her three-bedroom townhouse to pay for a large open-plan kitchen extension. Jenni obtained a number of quotes from construction companies, but none of them came in below £70,000 - well out of Jenni's price range. When a builder offered to do the job for £32,000, therefore, she jumped at the chance. Sadly, the builder Jenni had hired left the job unfinished. By the time she had already paid £26,000, all Jenny had to show for her money was an empty shell. Building inspectors visited the site and decided that the standard of work was so poor it would have to be condemned. Jenni tried contacting the builder, but received no response. She then discovered that the cowboy had moved house, leaving no forwarding address. With nowhere to turn, Jenni hit rock bottom and has spent the past six months living in little more than a building site. Fortunately, help is at hand. Upon arrival in Bath, Melinda takes on the challenge of rebuilding the extension, giving it a big-budget makeover. But as her builders and designers start work, they discover a number of shocking fundamental flaws. Budget and schedule soon go out the window, but Melinda will stop at nothing to get the best for Jenni - even if that means persuading sympathetic local businesses to donate their services for free. Meanwhile, consumer champion Dom sets about hunting down the construction cheat in an attempt to get Jenni her money back. But since this particular rogue has been AWOL for six months, tracking him down is going to take some serious detective work.

Melinda Messenger and Dominic Littlewood go to Warrington to help Sheila, who was left devastated when builders abandoned her extension half-finished.