Home salon dream ended with £47k bill

A SINGLE mother of two has been left with a bill of more than £47,000 and had her dream of running a hair salon from home shattered by a cowboy builder.

Nicola Goulden, 35, from Leeds, has been forced to work two jobs to pay off the loan she took out — and is living in a building site.

The work has already cost more than £15,000 and she now faces a £20,000 bill — which she cannot afford — to fix the mess.

Her only recourse is through the courts, where she is expected to represent herself, despite paying £2,500 in fees to bring her case.

The builder began work on her 18ft extension in late 2019 and gave her a quote for £17,500.

But he walked out after she challenged him over his slow progress on the job. Nicola (above), who has been put on medication, was forced to pull the whole structure down after a surveyor warned it could collapse, and her children still cannot play in the garden.

She says: ‘I’ve had to take on a second job hairdressing in a care home to pay off the loan.

‘I also had to spend another £10,000 to build a cabin in the garden to work in. The surveyor said everything was done wrong.

‘I just have to get through each day. It has cost thousands just to clean up his mess.’