DIY SOS family to move out of home after just 3 years

Peter Chapman, his wife Sarah, their daughter Suzanne and his brother Steve, all live in a bungalow in Cheltenham that was revamped with the help of Knowles and the DIY SOS team in February 2020, with the episode going to air in 2022. 

Although everything seemed to go smoothly at the time, Mr Chapman has now told the Daily Mail that since moving back in they have experienced issues with poor workmanship and potentially fatal errors which has resulted in a three-and-a-half-year dispute with the BBC. 

It has got to point now, the family "don't feel comfortable at home anymore" and are planning to move to the US, where Mr Chapman and his family will join his son.

Nick Knowles was involved with the Chapman's renovations. (Image: BBC/Neil Sherwood)

Mr Chapman, speaking to the Daily Mail, said: "DIY SOS has robbed me of the last three years and the stress is killing me."

Mr Chapman is a full-time carer for his family as his wife and daughter suffer from a serious genetic disorder that affects muscle function.

The family lost their other daughter, shortly before filming of DIY SOS to the same genetic disorder. 

The errors the family claim were made to their home during DIY SOS renovation

The main thing Mr Chapman said he wanted the programme to do was "fix his leaking roof" which he claimed was not done resulting in the family having to pay £2,000 to fix it themselves. 

According to the Daily Mail, the family had to fork out a further £4,000 for the driveway to be re-laid after work by the DIY SOS programme caused it to sink. 

Other issues included cracks in the decking and issues with a ramp to the garden that was installed, meaning both were unsafe for Sarah to use in her wheelchair. 

Mr Chapman has also claimed cracks in some of the walls have appeared, there is a lack of insulation in two ceilings and a slippery hard flooring was installed in the lounge when he wanted to keep the carpet.

The family has now installed insulation and reinstated carpet to the lounge themselves. 

Filming for the DIY SOS episode involving the Chapman's took place in 2020. (Image: BBC)

Mr Chapman said: "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.

"On the first day after taking possession of the house from DIY SOS, 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.

"Also, 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."

An expensive bed, special medical mattresses and a new walk-in hydrotherapy bath were also all thrown away by the programme and replaced with 'inadequate' replacements.

Mr Chapman added: "We're so fed up with it that we will eventually be moving. It's a difficult decision but I feel so wronged at what they did to me

"I just don't feel comfortable here any more."

BBC's offer for help was declined

The BBC insisted that the work on the house complied with building regulations and said Mr Chapman had declined its offers of help.

According to the Daily Mail, the BBC allegedly offered to give him and his family £15,000 to help him with the necessary work he claimed needed doing.

The BBC offered to give the family £15,000 to help with further works according to the Daily Mail. (Image: PA)

A BBC spokesperson, talking to the Daily Mail, said: "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 Daily Mail also reported the corporation said it sought impartial third party advice to assess the property when Mr Chapman declined its offers of help as well as offering him various solutions.

The BBC has been contacted for further comment.

Mr Chapman added: "They were just making a programme out of it. People will think I'm ungrateful but I'm not.

"I wonder whether other DIY SOS families have had their lives affected like this. It can't be just me, surely."