BBC Show DIY SOS Leaves Family Disillusioned After Three Years in Cheltenham Bungalow
Key Highlights :
The Chapman family of Cheltenham were left disillusioned after their home was renovated as part of the BBC show DIY SOS starring Nick Knowles. After three years in the property, the family are now planning to move out due to "potentially fatal errors" they claim were made during the renovation.
Peter Chapman, his wife Sarah, their daughter Suzanne and his brother Steve, were all living in a bungalow in Cheltenham that was revamped with the help of Knowles and the DIY SOS team in February 2020. The episode featuring the Chapman's home was due to air in 2022.
However, since moving back in, the family have experienced issues with poor workmanship and potentially fatal errors that have resulted in a three-and-a-half-year dispute with the BBC. Due to the issues they have faced, the family now "don't feel comfortable at home anymore" and are planning to move to the US, where Mr Chapman and his family will join his son.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Mr Chapman said: "DIY SOS has robbed me of the last three years and the stress is killing me." Mr Chapman is a full-time carer for his family as his wife and daughter suffer from a serious genetic disorder that affects muscle function. The family had lost their other daughter, shortly before filming of DIY SOS, to the same genetic disorder.
The family claim that potentially fatal errors were made to their home during the DIY SOS renovation. The main thing Mr Chapman said he wanted the programme to do was "fix his leaking roof" which he claimed was not done resulting in the family having to pay £2,000 to fix it themselves. The family also had to fork out a further £4,000 for the driveway to be re-laid after work by the DIY SOS programme caused it to sink.
Other issues included cracks in the decking and issues with a ramp to the garden that was installed, meaning both were unsafe for Sarah to use in her wheelchair. Mr Chapman also claimed cracks in some of the walls have appeared, there is a lack of insulation in two ceilings and a slippery hard flooring was installed in the lounge when he wanted to keep the carpet. The family have now installed insulation and reinstated carpet to the lounge themselves.
The BBC insisted that the work on the house complied with building regulations and said Mr Chapman had declined its offers of help. The BBC allegedly offered to give him and his family £15,000 to help him with the necessary work he claimed needed doing.
An expensive bed, special medical mattresses and a new walk-in hydrotherapy bath were also all thrown away by the programme and replaced with 'inadequate' replacements. Mr Chapman added: "We're so fed up with it that we will eventually be moving. It's a difficult decision but I feel so wronged at what they did to me. I just don't feel comfortable here any more."
The Chapman family's experience with the BBC show DIY SOS has left them disillusioned and feeling wronged. After three years, the family are now planning to move out due to the issues they have faced. The BBC has offered to help the family but they have declined and are now looking to move to the US. It is unclear how many other families have faced similar issues with the BBC show, but it appears this is not an isolated incident.
