An elderly couple in Pynn's Brook in western Newfoundland is facing a cold winter due to substandard home renovations.

After Jessie Flynn suffered a stroke in 2012, her house required renovations to make it wheelchair accessible, including a wider front door, a bigger bathroom, a new shower and a new sink and other modifications.

Instead, the front door doesn't fully close, the sink is too high, the shower is slanted and leaks water on the floor. A window in the kitchen has a gaping hole. There are problems with the home's electrical panel.

Flynn and her husband, Pat Flynn, didn't have much money, so they obtained a grant from the Newfoundland and Labrador Housing Corporation, and hired a contractor.

Work done poorly

Pat Flynn, a former carpenter, said the work was done, but it was done poorly.

"[It] looked all right first but then I realized what was happening and I checked everything out," said Flynn. "[It's] not very good."

"I'd like to see it redone," said Pat Flynn. "At least the important things."

He said the couple will have to rely on portable heaters to stay warm until the spring.

However, Flynn added, cold weather is not their only worry. He said no one seems to know how to track down the contractor.