We are a family from Lodgemoor, Sheffield, with two young children aged four and three.

In September 2025, building work on our home went catastrophically wrong. Part of the structure was left unsafe during demolition, and the builder walked away, leaving our home uninhabitable.

Since then, we have been displaced for over seven months, moving 14 times while trying to make the house safe again.

We had begun renovations to fix a leaking conservatory, improve the downstairs layout, and update the bathroom, using savings built up over eight years. During the works, serious failures left the house partially demolished and structurally unsafe. The builder did not complete the project or return to repair the damage.

We had already paid two-thirds of our savings for the work — money we are very unlikely to recover — leaving us with limited funds to make the house safe and liveable again.

The builder had been a member of the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) and TrustMark, a government-endorsed quality and redress scheme, and we relied on these credentials when appointing him.

However, after the problems came to light, both organisations withdrew support and said they were unable to assist us further.

We are now pursuing complaints with both of them, and also with the builder’s insurer and with our bank’s fraud team. The bank has not been willing to review our case, stating that this is a “civil matter.” The builder’s insurer has retrospectively voided his policy after our claim, stating that false information was provided by him to get insurance — they have said they can't honour our claim, despite having previously confirmed to us that his cover was active before the work began.

Challenging all this legally would be prohibitively expensive, and our priority now is simply to make the house safe so we can return home and stop the ongoing cost of temporary accommodation.

Media Coverage

Our situation has been featured on BBC Radio Sheffield and TV on BBC Look North, and in an online BBC News article:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4g02j2kvrdo

We are now facing the additional challenge of damp and mould after the house was left exposed through the rainy winter, which is continuing to damage our belongings, doors, and appliances.

We have begun working with new builders, who are charging on a day rate, to start making repairs. It is clear that we cannot complete the necessary work without financial help. Our immediate goals are to make the house structurally safe and weatherproof, and to cover temporary accommodation until we can make it liveable enough to return.

What the repairs involve:

To give a clearer picture of what we are facing, the lowest quote we have received to fully repair and restore the house is around £92,000.

The support from this crowdfunder is focused on helping us take the first essential steps — making the house safe and weatherproof — so that we can move back in and begin to stabilise financially.

These initial steps include:

Structural stabilisation (steel supports): ~£15,000

Repairing/replacing damaged walls: ~£20,000

Roof repairs (further damage discovered): ~£2,000

Windows and glazing: ~£15,000

Total cost before we can move home: ~£52,000

The fundraiser target reflects the remaining shortfall after support we have already received from family (with heartfelt thanks to Knut’s mum).

The remaining work will come later, once we are back in the house. We are prepared to live very simply for a time — using local facilities where needed and relying on the warmer months — in order to make returning home possible sooner.

For transparency, the further costs to fully restore the house are estimated at:

Essential internal works (plastering, electrics, basic finishes): ~£10,000+

Bathroom, heating and flooring: ~£30,000+

Total estimated cost: ~£92,000

However, our immediate priority is much more modest: to make the house safe and weatherproof so we can return home and prevent further damage.

We are approaching this in stages, carefully managing what we can afford, and delaying non-essential work until later.

Every contribution — big or small — brings us closer to giving our family back the stability and safety we urgently need, and to stepping out of the difficult cycle of paying both our mortgage/bills at home and the costs of temporary accommodation.

Thank you, from our full and grateful hearts, for your support.