Wolverhampton cowboy builder pocketed £29k for £5k job and left house extension at risk of collapse
A cowboy builder has admitted pocketing £29,000 for a job that was worth no more than £5,000.
Andrew Tedstill’s work was so bad it could cost up to £20,000 to put right, a judge was told.
Some of the faults meant the house extension in Bryan Avenue, Penn, was in danger of collapse, Wolverhampton Crown Court heard.
An expert employed by Wolverhampton City Council’s Trading Standards Department to assess the work found that openings made in external walls were not supported by lintels and concluded: “It is more luck than judgement that there has not been a significant impact on the premises.”
He also reported that steel beams moved in brickwork while the roof was poorly made and inadequately supported and walls at the front and rear were structurally unsound.
Threat
The 40-year-old builder allegedly threatened to knock the walls down after the customer became dissatisfied with the progress part way through the project and threatened to withhold payment.
Tedstill from Green Oak Road, Codsall pleaded guilty to unfair trading by breaching professional diligence between December 2 2015 and April 7 2016.
Mr Ben Mills, prosecuting, told the court: “He accepts the failings identified by the expert. He also accepts he was paid £29,000 for the work which was not good enough and ran out of funds through poor financial management. He further accepts that the customer was entitled not to pay any more and might have felt intimidated by him although that had not been his intention.”
The defendant also raised no issue over the figures for the amount charged and its real worth and did not disagree with the estimated price for remedial work, the court was told.
Mr Mark Jackson, defending, said Tedstill was gathering testimonials from satisfied customers and added: “He has been building for a long time and is not routinely a rogue trader.”
The case was adjourned for pre sentencing reports until March 27 when full details are expected to be given to the court. The defendant was remanded on bail and told by Judge James Burbidge QC: “I make no promises as to the type of sentence you will receive. All options are open.”
