‘Nightmare builders’ bodged brand new bathroom leaving father £10,000 out of pocket: Workers abandoned job after putting in wrong pipes, wires and cladding and failing to install windows

• James Crosthwaite, 37, hired a Newcastle firm to build a brand new bathroom
• They charged £7,200 but he had to pay a second company £3,000 to finish it
• Subcontractors installed pipes, wires, cladding and a doorframe incorrectly
• Now a High Court judge has ruled he is owed more than £7,500 by the company
• Have YOU faced hell with builders? Email [email protected] 

A father-of-two owed more than £7,500 is fuming after workmen botched his brand new bathroom and threatened to knock their work down in front of his one-year-old daughter.

James Crosthwaite, 37, hired Home Bathroom Installations to carry out work to build a downstairs bathroom at his home in Newcastle and was quoted £9,000 in March 2021.

Mr Crosthwaite initially paid the firm £7,200, but the project was hit with a series of delays with work starting a month late and was only completed more than a year later when James hired the second firm.

The taxi driver said the work done by Home Bathroom Installations was completed to a shoddy standard with the wrong pipes, wires and cladding being used.

James Crosthwaite, 37, is now owed £7,665 by the company but has not yet received a penny

He added gaping holes were left during the winter where windows were not installed and rubbish was also strewn across the front of his home for months on end.

The dad-of-two eventually had to fork out another £3,000 to get the problems rectified by another firm after he became so fed-up with the delays – taking his total spend to more than £10,000.

At the time his wife was recovering from surgery, and the couple had a one-year-old and a new-born baby.

One of the subcontractors used by the firm even showed up to the house and threatened to knock his work on the bathroom down in front of their one-year-old child, Mr Crosthwaite said. 

Now a County Court Judgement has been issued against Home Bathroom Installations, owned by Anthony Wilson, saying it owes Mr Crosthwaite £7,655.

High Court Enforcement officers have tried three times to carry out a writ against Mr Wilson but have so far been unable to do so.

Mr Crosthwaite said: ‘It’s been a total nightmare. He constantly blamed other people for delays and was using subcontractors to do the work.

Mr Crosthwaite said that rubbish was left outside their house for months at a time by the workers

The new company told Mr Crosthwaite that the toilet wiring was completely wrong

‘We got a quote from him in March last year and the work was meant to start in April but they didn’t come until late May.

‘At the beginning he hired a man who probably worked for about five full days in a month’s period, he was arguing with Anthony about materials and being paid.

‘In the end Anthony sacked this guy but he then came to our house demanding I personally pay him and threatened to knock the work that he completed down all in the presence of my one-year-old daughter.

‘The cladding was then installed the wrong way, the wrong pipes were used and we had rubbish left outside our house for months.

‘He has lied to us constantly and not stuck to timeframes. He left us stressed and angry. 

‘The mess outside my house was embarrassing.

‘I made him aware that I would get legal advice as we had paid over £7,000 for a job that was incomplete and a room that has no function.

‘I kept asking him to finish off the room, he promised and promised but never turned up so I decided to take legal action.

James’ bathroom was finally finished after he says he was forced to pay another company £3,000 to put the bathroom right.

Waste and building materials were also dumped on public land next to the house

The bathroom doorframe which was installed was the wrong size, Mr Crosthwaite said

The company now owes the family £7,665 for the shoddy workmanship, but Mr Wright continues to dispute the claims

He added: ‘I asked another builder to quote me for the rest of the work to be finished, he said the cladding already installed was incorrect, the cement laid was bad and cracked and there was also a leak in the shower.

‘He also stated that the work done so far was only worth no more than £3,000 and I had paid Anthony £7,200.

‘I contacted high court enforcement to try and get my money, but he’s started a new company and Home Bathroom Installations was never listed on companies house.

‘I gave him plenty of opportunities to finish the work before I went ahead with court proceedings, but he never stuck to any deadlines or promises.’

Contesting the claim, Wilson admitted there had been delays but said ‘It has always been my intention to complete this job and to be asked for almost £8,000 to be returned is not reasonable.’

He also said delays to the work were down to his workforce isolating in line with Covid guidance and also due to a shortage of raw materials.

Home Bathroom Installations has since ceased trading, but Mr Wilson has now set up a new company named Bathrooms and Cladding.

He declined to comment when contacted.

Have YOU faced hell with builders? Email [email protected] 

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