A rouge builder with multiple complaints to his name and under investigation by the state's powerful building watchdog has left a Fairy Meadow family with little after being paid tens of thousands of dollars.
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The garage in the backyard of the home where Manny Grigoris grew up in Fairy Meadow was meant to be a retreat for his elderly mother, but the family has been left with incomplete works, a leaking building, exposed plumbing and $20,000 down the drain.
In December last year, Mr Grigoris engaged Shellharbour carpenter Caleb Blanch to renovate the brick garage at his mother's address to become her retreat.
Half the garage would be turned into a small granny flat, with a kitchenette and a bathroom.
The garage was Mr Grigoris's late father's den and had a special meaning for his mother.
The works were costed at $20,000 and the first payment of $5000 was made as works began.
Having had issues with mould in the main house, a key concern was waterproofing and preventing any water damage in the new studio.
"I know what we went through to get rid of the mould here, and make everything safe and liveable. I was worried about having issues with water and mould in the garage, so the emphasis was always that it's got to be watertight, and he [Caleb] assured me from the onset that this was going to be the priority."
While works began straight away, what began to concern Mr Grigoris was the lack of coordination with subcontractors. Given the concern with waterproofing, when Mr Blanch placed plastic on the inside of the building frame to prevent water from getting in, rather than from the outside, this also raised eyebrows.
With the need to cover the cost of materials and Mr Grigoris willing to help out to speed up the process, requests for additional funds were quickly acted upon, with four payments of $5000 between December 19, 2023 and January 10, 2024.
But as other tradespeople raised concerns about works completed so far, by mid January, the relationship began to fall apart. A particular concern was the plumbing.
Drains for the shower and bathroom floor were installed by way of horizontal pipes that were level with the floor, rather than a drain underneath the floor.
Copper pipes for water were installed on the outside of the single-skin brick garage, something that Mr Grigoris said was never agreed on.
Mr Grigoris said he was told this was more cost effective and it would mean there was more space inside, but with the issues piling up, on January 24, Mr Grigoris consulted Fair Trading.
The response shocked him.
Mr Blanch was unlicensed and the Australian Business Number included on the quote was cancelled in March 2023.
The carpenter was under investigation after multiple complaints stretching back to 2021.
"As the trader is unlicensed, the two recent complaints have been referred to our investigation team to review for further action," a spokesperson for the NSW Building Commission said.
Builders must be licensed to undertake worth valued over $5000 in NSW.
Mr Blanch was contacted for comment.
Mr Grigoris then forbid Mr Blanch from coming on to the property and requested he provide a plan to rectify the work that had already been paid for.
In the months since, some plumbing work has been rectified, but the bulk of the work remains incomplete. Before dawn Saturday, as the Illawarra was drenched in some of the heaviest rainfall in years, Mr Grigoris's fears were realised, as water pooled on the step in front of the door of the studio and ran into the dwelling, flooding the half-finished home.
After the sun came up that morning, Mr Grigoris and friends pulled up the floating wood floors and ran a fan for 48 hours to dry out the unit.
With his ageing mother struggling to get up and down the stairs, Mr Grigoris is left with little to show for the $20,000 spent by his mother, beyond some gyprock and copper pipes.
"What does she see, this disaster."
Quotes from other builders suggest it would cost at least the same amount again to fix the work done and complete the project, money the family doesn't have.
A NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal Hearing is scheduled for next month, but Mr Grigoris is not hopeful for a resolution.
As the latest victim caught up in a construction industry that has caused heartbreak across the Illawarra, Mr Grigoris now has some advice for anyone getting work done on their home.
"Go to the Department of Fair Trading and check, check and check again."
