BBB helps Colorado family recover after going through contractor fraud

It's been nearly a year since Christina and Scott Latimer's life turned upside down in what should've been a rewarding construction project at their Northglenn home.

"I was thinking back to last time you were here, and I was like, yeah, the driveway was completely mud," said Christina. "Now having the driveway and having cabinets and a carpet in the bedroom, it's a huge relief. Such a huge relief."

CBS Colorado met with the Latimers back in May 2025, when they were in the midst of building an accessory dwelling unit for Christina's mom, Peggy.

They quickly would realize the company they hired to do the project would abandon them mid-build, after taking more than $100,000 from them.

"There's a lot of tears that come from me. It's really hard to go through this. It's not something I wish on anybody," said Christina back in 2025.

"I will say that I'm not sure I'll even be alive to be in here if we don't do it soon," said Peggy back in 2025.

CBS Colorado learned that the construction company, Cooner Construction, would also be responsible for leaving another Denver metro area resident's build unfinished.  

Since then, the construction company filed for bankruptcy and seemingly ceased operations. To this day, Christina and her family are still fighting to settle with the company to get some of their mom back, and have also been forced to settle with subcontractors who placed a lien on their home after Cooner Construction failed to pay certain subcontractors for the work they had already done on the ADU.

"My mom ended up having to close out a retirement account so that we could continue with construction," said Christina.

Room by room, Peggy's house slowly started to become a home, but with ongoing debt from the previous build, the Latimers couldn't complete every construction task.  

"I actually saw the story with the Latimers based on the CBS Colorado news story that broke last May, and we had just recently launched a nonprofit program called Restoring Trust, where we help families recover from contractor fraud by connecting them with trustworthy businesses that want to give back," said Meghan Conradt, Director of Foundation for the Better Business Bureau.

Condrat reached out to the Latimers to see how their nonprofit could help.

We actually had one of our accredited businesses, which is Colorado Glass and Mirror, [help]," said Condrat. "They went out on Christmas day, and they installed a brand new shower door and handrails completely free of charge."

Now, with the help of a local landscaping company, the Restoring Trust nonprofit is helping the Latimers replace their old irrigation system. The irrigation system was destroyed during initial construction when concrete was poured over their yard.

"Now we're looking at a new irrigation system because the cost to repair the system is way higher than installing a new system at this point," said Ricardo Velasquez, Landscaper with Arbol de Fuego Services.

It's a service Velasquez is honored to give to the Latimers, knowing the struggles he's seen customers face over the years, having to choose between getting work done on their home or being able to sustain their life.

"At the end of the day, whatever you plant or seed, it's what you sow," said Velasquez. "A lot of people who have a lot of situations going on. And obviously, growing up, I always had people helping, not just me, but my family. It's just something that giving back to the community is important because at the end of the day, we're in business to serve people."

A mission to help restore trust with reputable contractors, as well as help people like Peggy live life more independently.

"If we can create more trust between consumers and businesses, that helps all of us thrive," said Condrat.

"It's completely humbling and mind-blowing that there are people who care enough to want to help when you've gone through something like this," said Christina.

The Restoring Trust nonprofit has already helped four families across the Denver metro area who were negatively impacted by contractors. Anyone who's faced a similar situation is encouraged to apply for help on the BBB site.