A builder turned a family's home into a 'death trap on stilts', leaving them £125,000 out of pocket, and then disappeared. 

Ryan Ward, 37, and his wife - who does not want to be named - hoped to turn their three-bedroom semi-detached house into their 'forever home'. 

The couple moved into the house in Leeds, West Yorkshire, in 2021. They spent the next three years saving up £70,000 to renovate their home to accommodate their growing family. 

The planned renovations included evacuating their 30-square-metre cellar and adding a 16-square-metre extension to their house, as well as landscaping the garden. 

The production designer said they began contacting potential builders in January 2024, with hopes to finish the work by the end of the year. 

Mr Ward received quotes ranging from £120,000 to £150,000 until one builder quoted him £95,000 for the work. The couple jumped at the opportunity and employed the contractor, with work beginning in July 2024. 

Over the following year, they claim the home became 'mice infested' and 'structurally unsafe' for the family - including a pregnant wife and three-year-old son - to live in. 

The builder eventually filed for bankruptcy and never completed the job, costing the family £125,000. This came after they had to borrow a further £30,000 from friends and family for emergency repairs. 

The contractor said he 'did not abandon the project' and was forced to halt the work 'due to bankruptcy proceedings'.

He added he left the site 'safe, properly propped and inspected', saying the situation was 'completely unfortunate' and he worked in 'good faith'.

Mr Ward said his family was left with the 'terrifying thought' of 'not knowing' if the house could 'collapse'. He added: 'He put my family at risk, basically making us live in a death trap on stilts. 

'He knocked down walls and left gaping holes in the side of our house, through which mice entered and terrorised our kitchen.

'It makes me angry and upset what he did as we trusted him, but instead he could have killed us.'

Due to the builder being seemingly genuine and well spoken, Mr Ward said he did not see the dramatic £60,000 undercut of the quote as a reason for concern. 

The now father-of-two said the price was a 'no-brainer' as they searched for the 'most competitive price'.

He said: 'You would think underpinning by such an amount would be a red flag, but he made it not seem like that. 

'He had such an extensive knowledge of the industry, and the detail, the words he used and how he described the process of completing the work filled us with confidence. 

'When he spoke to structural engineers and architects, they did not raise any issues with him as he must have been saying the right things.' 

Mr Ward signed a contract of £95,000, under the belief the work would be completed in 14 weeks. 

He described the work as 'going to plan' when it started, with at least three tradesmen on the site every day. They started with demolishing a staircase, connecting the back door and his garden, in order to make space for the extension. 

The work continued into the cellar, which was excavated by six feet before underpinning - strengthening the foundation of the house's walls - the surrounding walls, before reaching the wall they shared with their neighbour. 

The project was then delayed by a month after they hit a delay in getting a Party Wall Award for the wall, which they were only given in November.

The Party Wall Act 1996 settles disputes between neighbours regarding construction work involving shared walls or boundary structures, according to Gov.UK. 

However by this stage, the builder had knocked down the house's outside cellar wall and put in Acrow props to hold the house up. 

Three walls had also been built in their garden, leading from the cellar, for the extension. Mr Ward reflected on this point as when the renovations went 'off track'.

He said: 'There was an unexpected delay with the party wall which stopped us from being able to underpin it for around a month.

'As it was also gong to have to be done by hand, it would also delay things further. 

'We expected to add a delay to when the work would be completed by two months and we didn't think it was something to worry about. 

'But during this time work slowed and then it never picked up.'

In January 2025 the builder knocked down two walls inside the cellar and placed Acrow props to bear the weight. 

Yet Mr Ward was later told that he was using incorrect props at the time, which were not designed to hold the weight of his 40-tonne house, therefore putting his family in danger. 

The builder disputes this claim, adding the house was 'safe and correctly propped'. He added the 'temporary support scheme has been approved by both the Building Control Officer and the Structural Engineer'. 

The contractor claimed 'approximately 98 per cent of the structural works were completed'. He added he offered to 'complete the remaining 2 per cent', which he estimates would take around one week with the help of an experienced operative. 

He continued: 'All structural works completed to date comply with Building Regulations and have been inspected and approved by both Building Control and a Structural Engineer.'

It was at this stage Mr Ward said the builder disclosed his own financial issues. He said: 'When he told us about the money problems, we just continued paying him as we needed the work done. 

'It was beginning to drag along and become a burden as we thought we would have it all completed by now.'

In February the builder told the couple he would be able to break through the cellar ceiling and install their new staircase, however this never happened - sparking Mr Ward to 'worry' about the renovations. 

The contractor said the couple were 'fully aware' of his financial situation, having 'communicated the challenges regularly'.

He said financial issues stemmed from cash flow issues, regulatory changes, the delayed party wall, ground conditions and the delay of two scheduled separate profitable projects. 

This news came as Mr Ward's wife became pregnant with their second child in March.

The builder also allegedly asked for a further £27,000 after misquoting material costs. He said he 'made it clear that the cumulative impact' of these issues meant a 'significant additional financial input would be required to complete the project'.

He added: 'The clients advised that they had no further funds available and asked whether savings could be made. I advised that this was not realistic.

'The original contract price was £95,000, which was a discounted figure and substantially lower than two comparable quotations received by the clients, each in the region of £120,000. 

'Any competent contractor would have encountered the same unforeseen conditions and incurred additional costs well in excess of £30,000.

'We mutually agreed to continue progressing the works as far as possible.' 

The builder also added he believed company cashflow, supported by two ongoing projects at the time, would have allowed him, as a 'goodwill gesture', to carry the project to a 'sealed structural shell'. This would therefore, he said, give his clients time to raise the needed further funds. 

Mr Ward claims limited progress had been made until, in August 2025, the builder told them he had filed for insolvency. He subsequently left the site. 

The builder claims this was because the two delayed projects cost him £250,000 in cash flow. He added this left him needing to 'borrow' £25,000 from friends and family to keep his business afloat, with his bankruptcy officially formalised on December 16, 2025.

Mr Ward said the news was 'heartbreaking', adding the family were 'left in complete limbo, having paid him the full amount as [they] were so desperate for it to be complete'.

The father said he contacted several builders to see if they would complete the work, but all of them turned it down, saying it was a 'structural liability'.

The family was eventually introduced to builder philanthropist Graham Nash, who calls out cowboy builders on his social media and helps homeowners who have been affected. 

Mr Nash, who has 35 years of experience, said it was 'the worst piece of building work he had seen in his career'. This claim was disputed by the original builder. 

When Mr Nash posted his work online, the other builder messaged Ryan to say he would remove the stilts from his house. 

Mr Ward said he reported it to the West Yorkshire Police, who confirmed they had investigated the incident before dropping the case. 

The builder said: 'I was distressed to learn that, despite my offer to complete the remaining structural works, the matter was pursued via social media. 

'Removing supports without professional expertise would pose a serious risk of injury or death'.

Mr Nash told the family he would be able to fix the house for £29,000, which they were able to scrap together - leaving them 'financially unstable'. 

The house has now been made stable after steel beams were fitted, but the family still needs the cellar's bathroom to be fitted, plumbing and electrical work to be done, as well as redecorating. 

Mr Ward hopes the work could be finished by the end of the year. 

The builder said: 'This is an extremely unfortunate situation. I and my team worked diligently and in good faith to overcome exceptional and unforeseen challenges.

'The loss of two major projects last year made insolvency unavoidable.

'Nonetheless, my offer to complete the final structural phase of this project remains open, unconditionally, subject only to having appropriate assistance on site.'