This Cutting Edge film joins the inspectors as they investigate anonymous tip-offs, uncover dangerous building practices and enforce the law against reluctant homeowners and dodgy builders, even presiding over demolitions if the rules and regulations are persistently ignored.
Particularly contentious jobs are passed on to Mark Harding, nicknamed The Sheriff. He tried to join the police force, but failed the entrance test, and now he approaches each case 'in the manner of a criminal investigation'.
The programme also meets the homeowners trying to improve their homes while satisfying the regulations - from the pregnant mother whose builder has left her with a new roof that the building inspectors say 'can't be saved', to the pre-op transsexual who has spent 15 years gutting his terraced house without applying for building regulation approval, and leaving all but one room uninhabitable, because he wants a palace 'fit for a princess'.
With the recession making moving house more difficult, more people are extending, converting, digging and drilling - striving to improve their current homes.
Although the nation's home improvers may not know it, every change they make has to please the building inspector. Without approval, they won't get the certificate they need when they want to sell...
You must enable JavaScript to view comments.
