Businesses rally to help finish construction project for Cohasset couple

COHASSET, Mass. — On the outside, Christmas has arrived to one Cohasset home.

But on the inside, not so much.

When you walk into Brenda Proctor's home, don't be alarmed if you see a bathtub sitting in the middle of the living room.

The tub in the living room is part of an unfinished bathroom renovation that was started last summer but never finished.

Proctor and her husband hired a local contractor who had given them a good price. Initially, work had started, but the follow-through was lacking.

"He was here for 2 weeks," said Proctor. "He put the electricity in and the plumbing in but you couldn’t use it - but he put it in."

They say the contractor then kept demanding more and more money.

"First it was $2,000, then $3,000 - we had given him 8,000 dollars," said Proctor.

He appeared to be working on the house, but then suddenly disappeared.

"The sink didn’t work, there was a flood," said Proctor. "I can’t use my washer machine."

It was all a mess until Cohasset Fire Captain Rob Forde came to the rescue as part of a community program called "Cohasset Cares".

"[It's] basically a program to help seniors who are living independently in their homes and make it safer," said Forde.

Once he stepped inside the house, Forde said he couldn't believe what he saw. Instead of getting mad, Forde called in some contractor friends to help.

"I just hate to see people get taken advantage of," said Jim Mahoney, a contractor.

The Proctors signed contracts on Tuesday and hope to get the proctor's washer hooked up first and then finish their bathroom.

Brenda says this is the Christmas present she will never forget.

"Oh it’s a relief, you have no idea, because I’m 78 and my husband is 80," said Proctor.

Cox Media Group