When a Dream Extension Turned into a Nightmare
Rob and Lucy Davies initially hired builder Steve Figg to construct an extension to their home, anticipating a smooth project. Instead, the experience became a distressing ordeal that resulted in significant damage to their property and even led to their arrest.
Despite having received £44,000 from the couple, Figg reported them to the police, alleging harassment and claiming he wanted to kill them. The 35-year-old builder had grown frustrated with the couple from Langdon Hills in Basildon, Essex, repeatedly asking when he would return to complete the work.
Figg is not alone in disappointing clients. Others have shared with the BBC how his work endangered not only their homes but also their personal relationships.
One woman recounted how Figg arrived at her property wielding a chainsaw and sledgehammer, destroying her garden office amid a payment dispute.
Figg, residing on Milton Road, Stanford-le-Hope, Essex, has now been ordered to pay the Davies £85,000 in compensation after admitting to 22 breaches of building regulations at their residence.
The couple, along with others who engaged Figg, have recounted the extensive damage he caused.
'A complete nightmare'
Rob Davies, 37, described the state of their home:
"The only way I could describe how our house looked was like a bomb site. There was a huge, gaping hole in the garden where the kitchen was supposed to go and the back of the house was at risk of collapse."
This was the condition in October 2024, a year after Figg began work on the single-storey extension, which was initially scheduled to take 12 weeks.
Large gaps in the unsupported wall allowed rats to enter and nest inside, and the house became difficult to heat.
"The only way we got through it was going day by day and saying 'It'll be OK,'" Davies said. "It was a complete nightmare. There were times where we thought we wouldn't get through it together. It tested our marriage hugely."
The couple spent a total of £75,000 on the project, including £28,000 to repair Figg's damage and £3,000 in legal fees.
After two months of unsuccessful attempts to contact him, Figg accused the couple of harassment and told police he wanted to kill them.
Rob and Lucy were arrested at their workplaces and spent 22 hours in custody at Grays police station before being released with an apology from officers.
Basildon Council's building control team later gathered evidence against Figg, who operated Figg Construction Ltd, revealing the full extent of his misconduct.
"Hate's a strong word, but I genuinely can't think of another sort of person who would do this. He's the lowest of the low. He masquerades as someone who can do all these things, but, when you get under the surface, he's incapable," Davies said.
'Incredible and terrifying'
Although Figg was only sentenced for his actions at the Davies' home, the court heard he was under investigation for possible offenses involving four other unnamed victims.
Gemma Hemmings described a frightening encounter shortly after giving birth, when Figg arrived at her home armed with a chainsaw and sledgehammer.
"We watched while he destroyed everything with a big smile on his face. It was terrifying," Hemmings said.
Gemma, 40, and her husband Steve, 38, had paid Figg nearly £100,000 in 2021 to build a garden office and extend their house in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex.
They withheld the final payment, demanding Figg improve his substandard work before receiving the balance, which angered him.
During the dispute, Figg demolished their garden office.
Hemmings recalled the impact on their family:
"He was someone who'd been in our house and around our children. We'd let him into our family."
The couple had to avoid their home with their newborn for 10 weeks while Figg made excuses for the prolonged nine-month project.
"I look back and I don't know how Steve and I are still together. It destroyed our marriage. The pressure it put on our family life was incredible; it was just incredible and terrifying," Hemmings said.
Despite their ordeal, Hemmings considers themselves among the luckier victims, as their house still had windows, walls, and a roof.
They described Figg as intimidating, causing them to install security cameras in their home.
"If you'd asked me four years ago, I'd have probably said I wanted him dead," Hemmings said. "But now I don't think about the man. He's getting everything he deserves for what he did to us and those people after us. I think he's one of the worst people I've ever met."
'The worst build he'd ever seen'
Nick Marns, an insurance broker from Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, considers himself less fortunate.
He paid Figg a substantial sum in 2017 to double the size of his two-bedroom property, but the result was a gutted and chaotic site.
Marns was left homeless and required counselling due to the stress.
"When building control came, he said it was the worst build he'd ever seen in his career," the 41-year-old said.
Photos of the site, which contained 10 tonnes of rubble, illustrate the extent of the damage. Marns was unable to return home until June 2018.
The ordeal strained his relationship and led to a mental breakdown.
Marns described Figg as manipulative and deceitful, frequently fabricating excuses to evade responsibility.
"He's a weasel of a man because every time he's confronted, he becomes sick or says one of his family members has died," Marns said. "It still turns my stomach with hatred because of what he did to our lives. He dismantled our lives."
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