As Featured In

TapsUK Helps Support Channel 5 Cowboy Builders

The Reginox 1.5 bowl and drainer kitchen sink with complimentary twin lever tap supplied by Taps UK appeared on FIVE TV show "Cowboy Builders" - Series 3 Episode 6: Surrey - For further information on this program and featured suppliers, please visit www.five.tv/shows/cowboy-builders

As Dom and Sheree head to Woking in Surrey, they unearth one of their most heart-wrenching cases to date. In order to make room for terminally ill best friend Liz and her two daughters, hotel receptionist Jackie took out a mortgage on her three-bedroom house and paid a builder to add a two-bedroom extension to the property. Little did she realise, however, that the man she hired to complete the work was a builder with a somewhat dubious reputation. Back in 2008, Dom investigated this builder for a string of shoddy jobs, but the cowboy managed to get away. ?This time, I?m determined not to let him slip through my fingers,? says Dom.

Despite receiving a deposit of ?26,000, the builder never started Jackie?s extension. In fact, by removing the windows and doors in preparation for the work that never followed, he made matters a good deal worse. For some 18 months, Jackie and her four kids have been living in a house with large pieces missing, meaning they are exposed to the elements all year round. Desperate to fix the situation, Jackie remortgaged her house and paid another builder to start work on the extension. But money soon ran out, and the extension remains an empty shell.

Upon arrival at the property, head builder John assesses the situation and decides that work can be completed in ten days at a cost of ?10,000. As soon as Jackie and her family have moved out, the team sets to work knocking through the walls to connect the existing house with the extension, and building a dining area, a bathroom, a living room and two additional bedrooms. However, while digging a drainage ditch, John makes a shocking discovery. It seems the foundations beneath the extension are way too shallow, meaning the property is at risk. ?In 30 years I?ve never seen anything like that,? says John. Unbelievably, it seems Jackie has been ripped off twice in a row. What was initially a ten-day job has now turned into a month-long job costing in the region of ?20,000.

Determined not to let Jackie down despite the setback, Sheree comes up with a plan to stretch what little budget she has. ?I?m gonna need help. Lots and lots of help,? she says. While John and the team set to work underpinning the house, Sheree heads into town and throws herself at the mercy of local traders. Thanks to the generosity of the people of Woking, she soon has all the fixtures, fittings and furniture she needs, along with an army of helpers willing to give their time for free. But with time running out and the budget stretched to breaking point, will the team complete the job?

Meanwhile, Dom is back on the trail of the cowboy, and has soon unearthed a litany of botched jobs, distraught families and bankrupt businesses across the country. He has also discovered that the second builder to work on Jackie?s property is a former associate of the first. Could the pair have been working together?

Dom catches up with the second builder at his home office and confronts him with the details of his work. While the contractor denies any wrongdoing, he promises that he will investigate the case over the coming weeks and return the money to Jackie if necessary. ?Let?s see if he?s a man of his word,? says Dom.

While getting hold of the second builder was relatively easy, catching up with the first is much
harder. However, thanks to a network of people that the man has upset, Dom receives a tip-off that the cowboy is working on a site nearby. Armed with a fistful of paperwork, a camera crew and a surveillance team, Dom finally closes in on the man he has been after for two years. But will the crafty cowboy manage to escape Dom?s clutches for a second time?

Our products can be seen from time to time in featured magazines such as "The Essential Kitchen Bedroom and Bathroom Magazine", "Period Living Magazine".

The Essential Kitchen Bathroom Bedroom Magazine

Issues Featured

The Essential Kitchen Bathroom
Bedroom Magazine (August
2008 Issue 148 page 16 - 21)

Period Living Magazine

Issues Featured:

Perios Living Magazine
(February 2009 issue
225 page 99 - 101)