A profoundly deaf couple left living with their three children in a dangerous, unfinished house after paying a builder £72,000 have had their home and their hopes, rebuilt by more than 150 volunteers.
Ahmed and Rifat Ali wanted a home where they could keep their children in sight and give their youngest son, who is autistic, more space to play.
Instead, the Southampton family were left without a kitchen, surrounded by exposed wires, broken walls and unfinished floors, with no savings left to put things right.
Their story featured in series 35 of BBC One’s DIY SOS, broadcast on Tuesday, 6 October, at 8pm.
But it was Rifat’s quiet admission about how she coped after putting the children to bed that left presenter Nick Knowles visibly emotional.
“I think I cry when the children go to bed,” she told him.
After inspecting the property, Nick said: “It’s impossible for me to leave you in this situation.”
A dream home left in ruins
The couple, who communicate using British Sign Language, commissioned a ground-floor extension at their home in Bitterne to make everyday family life easier.
Their three children — Ishmael, Hibba and Adam are hearing. An open-plan layout would give Ahmed and Rifat a clear view of them, while creating more room for Adam and a garden where the children could play.
“We wanted to change the house because of Adam’s autism and the layout just doesn’t really work for deaf people,” Ahmed explained.
Rifat said: “We’d got this vision for the building work, we were so looking forward to it, and now we’re here.”
The couple said work became increasingly sporadic, with builders leaving and failing to return. They said they were pressured to pay more
money, including for materials that never arrived.
By the time the project stopped, they had paid £72,000.
“He crushed our dreams and damaged our home and left us in this mess,” Rifat said.
The family also described calling the police after the builder arrived at their door demanding further payment.
“The children were here, the children could hear him banging at the door,” Rifat said. “The police came and the agreement was that he wouldn’t return to the property.”
Without the money to repair the damage, the family had spent months trying to manage in the unfinished house.
Adam slept in his parents’ room, while Ishmael and Hibba shared another bedroom. With no working kitchen, the family relied on appliances including an air fryer and microwave.
“The children can’t go out into the garden, there’s wires hanging out of the ceiling, we can’t cook, we don’t have a kitchen,” Ahmed said.
“We try and stay positive for the children, but it’s really hard with our youngest son, who has got autism and wants to roam around downstairs and have his free space.”
‘The light at the end of the tunnel’
Nick told the couple the house was too dangerous for them to remain in during the renovation.
Three weeks later, he returned with tradespeople and volunteers ready to take on the rebuild.
The sight of so many people gathered to help brought Ahmed to tears.
“It’s amazing, just thank you, thank you for coming,” he told them. “It’s been quite a dark period, and I just feel like this is the light at the end of the tunnel.”
Rifat added: “I can’t believe that you’re going to change our house and make it home again. We just can’t wait to come back. So thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”
The team tackled what Nick described as “six months’ work in about seven days”, turning the building site into an open-plan family home.
The transformation went beyond repairing walls and fitting a kitchen. It included technology designed around Ahmed and Rifat’s needs.
Sensors in the children’s bedrooms were connected to a lighting panel that flashes when they shout or cry. A vibrating fire alarm was installed in the parents’ bedroom.
On their return, the couple repeatedly described the house as “beautiful” and said it was “beyond our wildest dreams”.
Ahmed joked that the technology made it feel like “James Bond’s house”.
Thanking those who had helped, he said: “It’s warm, it’s bright, you are amazing, amazing human beings.
“It really shows you what people can do when they come together.”
A year later, ‘there are no barriers’
In a social media update a year after the rebuild, the couple said the impact had lasted far beyond the emotional homecoming.
“The house is so much more suited for us as a deaf family. There are no barriers, things are so much better,” Rifat said.
The children now enjoy the garden, with Ishmael playing football and Adam happiest exploring the sand and soil.
“This house is really amazing,” she added. “It’s become such a home for us.”
Ahmed recalled how different life had been before the volunteers arrived.
“This time last year we were in a dark place,” he said.
“But when DIY SOS came to our rescue and all the volunteers fixed up our house in eight days, this really is a dream come true for us.”
His message to everyone who helped was simple: “Thank you to all the team at DIY SOS and the volunteers, you are all truly beautiful souls.”
