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Devastated family stuck in £107k debt with a wrecked home

by Manual Rumble (09-04-2024)


A distraught family has been left £107,000 out of pocket after a building company went bust and left their home uninhabitable.

Danielle and Andrew Duffy, from Rochdale, agreed to pay £71,000 for a double-storey extension to their £110,000 three-bedroom property but have been left with a wreck. 

They handed over £62,000 for the work to be carried out only to receive an email from building firm Nuera Construction Ltd stating it had gone into administration.

Now they have been told it will cost a further £45,000 to complete the extension, which is money they do not have. Mrs Duffy claims that building firm boss Michael Ashley Wood is now no longer contactable.

The 37-year-old mother said: 'He has absolutely destroyed us both financially and mentally. He has taken every penny that we own from us.

'We had been saving for five years to help pay for the work to be done. We have had to scrimp and scrape and missed out on holidays to help pay for this.




Danielle and Andrew Duffy, from Rochdale, pictured alongside their three children





The distraught family has been left £107,000 out of pocket after a building company went bust





After handing over £62,000 for the work to be carried out, building firm Nuera Construction Ltd stated it had gone into administration





Danielle Duffy, pictured outside the front of their wrecked home, said her family has been 'absolutely destroyed both financially and mentally'

'We managed to save £15,000 and then remortgaged the house for the remainder.

'We have not lived in our house for over a year now. Fortunately, my mother-in-law let us have her home, while she lived elsewhere but it was only supposed to be for a maximum of 16 weeks.

'She has been brilliant but, obviously, wants to move back home. It has been a nightmare for everyone.'

The family decided on the extension to add a fourth bedroom so daughters Chloe, 14, and Sophie, 13, could have their own bedrooms.

'My eldest daughter is autistic, and her sister is suspected of having autism and ADHD, so we decided to extend so they could have their own space,' explained Mrs Duffy.

The extension also included relocating the bathroom and increasing the size of the kitchen.

The couple, who have a son Lewis, nine, moved out of their house in March 2023 for the work to begin but have not returned since.

Mrs Duffy, who works as a lunch lady at a school, added: 'We have been quoted £45,000 to complete the work.

'I just don't know how we are going to pay for it. We don't have that kind of money. 




Mrs Duffy said her semi-detached home was left exposed to the elements for five months





The interior of the house, including the internal renovations, has been left 'completely ruined' Mrs Duffy said





A look at some of the possessions which were left behind in their family home





After building firm boss Michael Ashley Wood failed to show up and made excuses, the house has been left a wreck outside and inside





An aerial view of the Duffy's family home which they paid £62,000 to get renovated





The family have been told it will cost a further £45,000 to complete the extension





Mrs Duffy said her eldest daughter, who has autism, has 'blamed herself' and cries herself to sleep every night





Danielle and husband Andrew said they had been saving for five years to pay for the renovations 

'We have already remortgaged the house for the initial extension and are paying for that.

'I am so embarrassed. I have never asked for financial help in my life. Everything we have, we have worked hard for. 

'We work to provide a decent life for our children, and Michael Wood has destroyed this.'

She added: 'I have my eldest daughter blaming herself for what has happened. She told me that if she didn't have autism, we wouldn't have had the work done and wouldn't be in this mess.

'That is heart-breaking. She cries herself to sleep at night.'

Danielle and warehouseman Andrew, 38, reformas zaragoza said they found Rossendale-based Nuera Construction Ltd on several trade websites and opted for the firm after boss Michael visited their home.