Featured Image Credit: BBC
Topics: TV And Film, Home, BBC, DIY
Rhiannon Ingle
One family have been allegedly forced to move out to escape 'hell' after accusing Nick Knowles’ DIY SOS of wrecking their family home.
Peter Chapman and his wife, Sarah, daughter, Suzanne, and brother, Steve, all reside in a bungalow based in Charlton Kings, Cheltenham which was renovated by the popular BBC programme back in February 2020.
However, while the revamp seemed to have been great at the time, Chapman has since claimed there's been a whole array of issues with the home including a leaking roof, a wheelchair ramp that is too steep and general issues of poor workmanship.
The BBC has said the work 'was planned and completed in accordance with the necessary required regulatory approvals and signed off onsite by building control'.
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The man has since claimed - after being in a dispute with the broadcaster for three-and-a-half years now - that serious errors that could have been 'fatal' were made.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Chapman alleged: "DIY SOS has robbed me of the last three years and the stress is killing me.
"My wife Sarah and daughter Suzanne have not been able to use the outdoor facilities that were built by DIY SOS because it is now in a dangerous condition, which they were made aware of and they acknowledged over two years ago but nothing was done.
"Sarah nearly fell in the bathroom, which could have been fatal, when the wall bars around the toilet came away from the wall while she was using them."
He added: "Part of the floor collapsed in the hallway, while I was walking on it, which again could have been fatal for my wife or my daughter."
Now 'so fed up' with the whole ordeal, Chapman has disclosed he and his family 'will eventually be moving'.
"It’s a difficult decision but I feel so wronged at what they did to me," he stated.
"They just put their foot down on me and said 'no'. I just don’t feel comfortable here anymore."
Chapman concluded: "They were just making a programme out of it. People will think I'm ungrateful but I'm not, I'm really cross.
"I wonder whether other DIY SOS families have had their lives affected like this. It can't be just me, surely."
According to the Daily Mail, a sum of £15,000 for repairs was suggested but Chapman later rejected his before claiming over more than double that amount would be needed to aptly cover costs.
A BBC spokesperson has since issued a statement on the matter.
They told TYLA: "DIY SOS is a heart-warming programme that brings communities together and helps improve the lives of those in need thanks to the hundreds of volunteers who give up their time to participate.
"As with all of our previous projects, the Charlton Kings build was planned and completed in accordance with the necessary required regulatory approvals and signed off onsite by building control."
The BBC also said it sought third party, impartial advice to assess the property when Chapman declined offers of help adding that he has previously been offered various solutions and assistance to the issues he has raised which he has declined.
The brodcaster is also aware that Chapman has made his own home improvements since DIY SOS finished filming which the BBC had no involvement with.
The BBC added that it takes its duty of care to their contributors very seriously and offered Chapman support as well as returning his personal items to him.