Blundering builder jailed for botched £40k job

Peter Fenlon, who left part of the roof in danger of collapse, was finally ordered off the job after missing a string of deadlines to complete the job which Mr Kevin Smith and his wife re mortgaged their home to fund.

The two storey side extension and single storey rear extension to the Canterbury Road, Penn address had been expected to take up to 20 weeks but the patience of the couple finally ran out, eight months and over £43,000 later, when it was still weeks from being finished.

The ill fated job began in April 2014 and by June of that year - after Fenlon had pocketed £21,000 - it was obviously not going smoothly or quickly, Wolverhampton Crown Court was told.

Frustrated father of two Mr Smith finally terminated the contract on January 12 2015, 38 weeks after its launch and several weeks before the latest estimate for completion of the project - sending 56-year-old Fenlon into a rage.

The 49-year-old railway worker alerted Wolverhampton City Council's Trading Standards Department who employed a chartered surveyor to check the completed work which was so bad it was estimated it would cost at least a further £15,000 to put right. The latest figure is £30,000

Slate roof tiles on the house had been replaced by much heavier ones made of concrete that matched those on the extension without additional support leaving part of it in danger of collapse.

The door frames were not square, unsightly silicon had been used to fill gaps, floor tiles were uneven and wall tiles were slipping. There was no heating in parts of the downstairs of the house forcing the family to cook in a kitchen where the temperature dropped as low as -2C (28F).

The heating was finally connected two days before Christmas - prompting a further £4,000 payment to Fenlon - but it soon failed after it was discovered the radiators fitted by the bungling builder leaked.

Mr Mark Jackson, defending, insisted: "This is not a rogue trader and the offence was not fraudulent. He neither routinely cuts corners nor treats people in the way he treated the Smiths. This was an exception because of special circumstances. He had injured his back, left his brother to do the work but did not check its quality, as he should, because of the injury."

Married Fenlon from Simmonds Road, Ashmore Park and of previous good character admitted recklessly contravening the requirements of professional diligence between April 2014, and January 2015. He was jailed by Judge Barry Berlin who said: "You behaved in a cynical, deplorable way and when the contract was ended your arrogance and contempt for your customer was plain for all to see."

Mr Smith said after the case that the bodger builder deserved all he got. This guy devastated the family home and left us with financial difficulties we are still dealing with, as well as a lot of stress and discomfort. How somebody like that can call themselves a builder beggars belief.

"He was working with his brother at the start and everything went fine until he put the roof on and his brother left the job. The roof started to leak and had to be replaced. He also did not reinforce it with wooden struts to support the heavier tiles.

"We were desperate to get things done and left it and left it before bringing the whole thing to a halt. By then all the floor in the kitchen had been replaced because he did not lag the pipes running underneath which sprung leaks.

"The list of faults went on and on and will cost us around £30,000 to put right. Four years after the work started on the extension the house still does not look as we hoped it would but we cannot afford to complete all the repairs that are needed."

Mr Smith, who praised Wolverhampton Council's Trading Standards Department for launching the successful criminal prosecution, has had to re mortgage the family house twice to cover the unexpected costs. A civil action he launched against Fenlon has been resolved with a 'small' payment from the builder but he is still 'significantly' out of pocket.

He concluded: "I got quotes, checked reports on the guy's work and made inquiries to see if there were any county court orders against him. What more could I have done? I know this is an extreme case but how often are builders being allowed to rip off their customers?"