Nick Knowles told a family they had to leave their home immediately after discovering it was unsafe during the latest episode of DIY SOS, which aired on October 6. The BBC presenter admitted it was the first time he had ever asked a family to vacate their property.
The episode introduced viewers to deaf couple Ahmed and Rifat and their three young children from Southampton. The couple had invested all their savings into rebuilding their home, but the project turned into a disaster when the builder left the work unfinished.
A builder's broken promises
The couple explained that the building work was not progressing as quickly as it should have. Through an interpreter, they shared that the builders would leave the home and not return for a while, while pressuring them for money. The builder claimed he needed to buy materials for certain areas of the home, but Rifat said they never received any materials. After speaking to the architect, they discovered the builder had been taken to court before.
After spending £72,000, the home was left drastically unfinished. Viewers saw holes and wires left everywhere, along with an unfinished kitchen. Ahmed admitted: "We can't cope, it's been such a traumatic experience."
Nick's discovery of a dangerous structure
While exploring the property, Nick was in disbelief at the state of the home. He commented: "Wow, it's not even close to finished, it's barely started by the looks of it." However, one area stunned him as he showed Ahmed a structure that wasn't complete and had a huge gap underneath the structural wall. He told him: "The middle of the house is currently resting on, not very much. It is absolutely not safe."
Not wanting to leave it as it was, Nick called a friend to bring over something to help support the wall. Speaking to the camera, he remarked: "I'm in the position now where I can't leave this building like this, so there's no messing about here. There's no thinking to be done. We have to take this on, don't we?"
Family asked to leave for safety
Once that was done, he spoke with Ahmed and Rifat about what that meant for them. He explained: "The bad news is, some of the structural detailing here is, I think, dangerous for you to be around. I really believe you should move out of the house. As soon as possible, for the safety of all of you. That's the really tough news."
Sharing the good news that the team were going to come and fix the house, giving them the home they deserved, Nick told the camera: "I think that's the first time that I've had to tell the family they have to leave. Now, I have to turn all of this anger that I've got towards the situation they've been turn it into positive energy and transfer that."
In the end, Nick and the DIY SOS team were able to transform the home, making it almost unrecognisable from how viewers saw it at the start of the episode. DIY SOS continues Tuesdays on BBC One from 8pm.
