Suzanne Schiavelli-Backstrom fell in love with the original details of her three-story brownstone at first sight. There was the problem of the antiquated heating and cooling system though, so they hired a contractor to add a ductless HVAC system and bring their thermostat into the modern age. 

But instead of small vents hidden throughout the walls as expected, the contractor removed all of the traditional molding and finish work to install large industrial style ducts - even cutting into their newly restored roof to mount the machinery. 

With water leaking through the roof and the ugly-duct system that doesn't even work properly, licensed contractor John DeSilvia and his team will have to do an entire gut renovation to bring the Backstrom's brownstone back to its former glory.

Lynda and Desmond McGoey have a big home, and an even bigger family. With five growing children, they wanted to turn their basement into a much-needed living space, as well as fix the exterior foundation capping. But when their contractor started demanding more and more money, and doing less and less work, they looked into his license and found out it was merely his disconnected cell phone number! 

After he disappeared with all their cash, the basement filled with water - and mold - causing health hazards for their young children and further limiting their already limited space.