'Cowboy builder' left family inside 'death trap on stilts' home after botched £125k extension

A father has revealed how a " cowboy builder " left his family living in a "death trap on stilts" and cost them £125,000 following a disastrous extension project. Ryan Ward, 37, and his wife - who wishes to remain anonymous - were thrilled at the prospect of transforming their three-bedroom semi-detached property into their 'forever home'. The devoted pair purchased the house in Leeds , West Yorks., in 2021 and dedicated the following three years to putting aside £70,000 to fund renovations that would accommodate their expanding family. Their plans included excavating their 30 square metre cellar and constructing a 16 square metre side extension , alongside landscaping the garden. The production designer explained they started contacting builders in January 2024, hoping to have the work completed before year's end. He obtained various quotes spanning from £120,000 to £150,000, until one tradesman, whom he ultimately hired, claimed he could complete the work for £95,000. The builder commenced in July 2024 and over the following year left the property "mice infested" while his expectant wife and 3-year-old son remained inside a "structurally unsafe" dwelling, before ultimately declaring bankruptcy without finishing the job. Ryan states the builder has left his family £125,000 out of pocket after being forced to borrow an additional £30,000 from relatives and friends for urgent repairs. The builder maintained he "did not abandon the project" but instead was compelled to stop trading "due to bankruptcy proceedings". He also stated he left the site "safe, properly propped, and inspected" adding the situation was "extremely unfortunate" and he worked in "good faith". Ryan said: "It is a terrifying thought living in a house not knowing it could have collapsed at any moment. He put my family at risk, basically making us live in a death trap on stilts. "He knocked down walls and left gaping holes in the side of our house, through which mice entered and terrorised our kitchen. It makes me angry and upset what he did as we trusted him, but instead he could have killed us." Ryan explained that despite the builder having dramatically undercut his quote by around £60,000, he didn't view it as a warning sign because the tradesman appeared genuine and articulate. He said: "For the price he offered, it seemed like a no-brainer, we were looking for the most competitive price. "You would think underpinning by such an amount would be a red flag, but he made it not seem like that. He had such an extensive knowledge of the industry, and the detail, the words he used, and how he described the process of completing the work filled us with confidence. When he spoke to structural engineers and architects, they didn't raise any issues with him as he must have been saying all the right things." The father revealed he signed the contract for £95,000, which was meant to be finished within 14 weeks in July 2024. He explained that when construction began, everything appeared to be "going to plan" with at least three tradespeople on site daily. Work commenced with removing a staircase that connected his back door to the garden, creating space for the extension. They proceeded to dig out the cellar by six feet before underpinning the surrounding walls, eventually reaching the boundary wall shared with their neighbour. Underpinning involves strengthening a wall structurally by extending the foundation deeper, using steel and cement placed beneath in designated sections. The work was set back by a month while they waited for a Party Wall Award for the boundary wall, which wasn't granted until November. The Party Wall Act 1996 resolves disputes between neighbours concerning building work that affects shared walls or boundary structures, according to Gov.UK. By this stage, he had demolished the external cellar wall of the property and supported it with acrow props to bear the house's weight. He had also constructed the three walls in their garden extending from the cellar for the extension. However, according to Ryan, this was when the refurbishment went "off track". He explained: "There was an unexpected delay with the party wall which stopped us from being able to underpin it for around a month. "As it was also going to have to be done by hand, it would also delay things further. We expected to add a delay to when the work would be completed by two months and we didn't think it was something to worry about. But during this time work slowed and then it never picked up again." Following completion of the underpinning work on the neighbour's wall, he demolished two additional walls within the cellar and installed further acrow props to support the load in January 2025. However, according to Ryan, he was unaware at that point he was employing unsuitable props which weren't engineered to bear the weight of his 40-tonne property - placing his family at serious risk. The builder disputes this, maintaining the property was "safe and correctly propped" and the "temporary support scheme has been approved by both the Building Control Officer and the Structural Engineer". He stated that when he departed "approximately 98% of the structural works were completed" and has proposed to "complete the remaining 2%", which he maintains would require roughly one week with support from an experienced operative. He further stated: "All structural works completed to date comply with Building Regulations and have been inspected and approved by both Building Control and a Structural Engineer." By this stage, the father claims the builder started mentioning financial difficulties. Ryan explained: "When he told us about money problems, we just continued paying him as we needed the work done. It was beginning to drag along and becoming a burden as we thought we would have it all completed by now." In February, the builder informed the couple he would be able to break through the cellar ceiling and fit their new staircase, yet this never came to fruition. Ryan revealed this was the point at which he began to "worry" about whether the work would ever be finished. The builder maintained that the couple were "fully aware" of his financial situation having "communicated the challenges regularly". He cited cash flow problems, regulatory changes, the delayed party wall, ground conditions and two scheduled profitable projects being held up as the root causes of his difficulties. The couple's troubles were further compounded when his wife fell pregnant with their second child in March. Ryan also claims that during this period the builder requested an additional £27,000 after misquoting on material costs. The builder stated he "made it clear that the cumulative impact" of these issues meant a "significant additional financial input would be required to complete the project". He went on to say: "The clients advised that they had no further funds available and asked whether savings could be made. I advised that this was not realistic. "The original contract price was £95,000, which was a discounted figure and substantially lower than two comparable quotations received by the clients, each in the region of £120,000. Any competent contractor would have encountered the same unforeseen conditions and incurred additional costs well in excess of £30,000. We mutually agreed to continue progressing the works as far as possible." The builder also claimed that cashflow from the two projects at the time would have enabled him, as a "goodwill gesture", to see the project through to a "sealed structural shell", giving the clients the opportunity to secure additional funds. However, in the months that followed, Ryan claims little headway was made until, in August 2025, the builder informed them he had filed for insolvency and abandoned the site. The builder attributed this to the two delayed projects costing him £250,000 in cashflow, adding that he had been forced to "borrow" £25,000 from friends and family to keep the business afloat. He has since confirmed that his bankruptcy was officially formalised on December 16, 2025. Ryan said: "To hear that was just heartbreaking - we were left in complete limbo, having paid him the full amount as we were so desperate for it to be complete." Ryan revealed he approached several builders to take on the work, but all refused, citing it as a "structural liability". It was at this point that they were referred to builder and philanthropist Graham Nash. Graham - who runs his own business called Pinnacle builders - calls out cowboys on his social media pages and helps homeowners who have been affected. The builder - who has over 35 years experience, said it was the "worst piece of building work he had seen in his career". The builder disputed Graham's claim. Graham posted a couple of videos online about the builder's work, and following this the builder sent Ryan messages from the building saying he would 'remove' the stilts from his house. Ryan revealed he reported the matter to West Yorkshire Police , who confirmed they had looked into the incident before closing the case. The builder said: "I was distressed to learn that, despite my offer to complete the remaining structural works, the matter was pursued via social media. Removing supports without professional expertise would pose a serious risk of injury or death." A spokesperson for the force said: "A crime of harassment has been filed due to insufficient evidence." Graham told Ryan he would be able to fix the house for £29,000, which he managed to scrape together by borrowing from friends and family, as well as squeezing their wages, leaving them "financially unstable". The house has since been made structurally sound, with steel beams properly installed to support the building — work the original builder had failed to carry out — and the extension completed. However, the family still faces further work, including fitting the cellar bathroom, plumbing, electrics and redecoration, amongst other outstanding tasks. The couple also welcomed a baby daughter in December 2025. Ryan said: "We hope everything can be done by the end of this year. We are glad of the situation we are in now as at least our house is safe." 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. "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."