BENTON, Wis. -- Building a new house is supposed to be one of the most exciting times in your life. But for some, it becomes a nightmare. For the last nine months, News 3 has been exposing the consumer cracks in new home construction. Linda Eggert has an update to a story she investigated last May -- how one Platteville couple has fought back.

Steve and Donna Reed learned the hard way how quickly the dream of a new house can crumble. But now a new effort backed in part by the state builders group, is trying to reconstruct their dream -- one weekend at time.

The Reeds wanted a modest retirement home in a tiny southwest Wisconsin village. What they got was an unfinished house they couldn't live in.

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I-Team Report: Rebuilding The Dream

Most of their construction loan was gone, and so was their builder.

"It's been the worst year of our lives," said Donna Reed. "It's a nightmare, the whole thing, and it's I don't know, it's like you don't want to trust anybody, anymore."

Four months after News 3 investigated, the Reeds have hope their nightmare may be ending.

"They're going to be in here by Thanksgiving Day, if there's any way at all possible, which with this kind of help, I believe it is possible," said Tom Butson, a friend of the Reeds who is organizing volunteers to help finish the house.

Inside the Reed's Benton house last weekend, about 35 church members, building contractors, friends and total strangers, started to tackle a job left undone.

Finally, the Reeds have something to smile about.

"It's been long months," Donna said. "We've been working with this and fighting with it and … it looks like it's finally coming to an end."

Volunteers are now out to literally save the Reed's home and fix any problems -- like a main support beam anchored on one end by a handful of screws.

The Reeds haven't been able to meet mortgage payments, but their bank has now postponed foreclosure proceedings, to let volunteers give it their best shot.

"The thing that bothers me the most is there's no repercussions against the man who built this place," said volunteer John Risic. "I feel very sorry for the Reeds. They just really got taken over the coals."

The Reed's builder first denied he was the general contractor, Eggert reported. He told News 3 "he was just a sub."

He now admits he was the builder, but says he's the victim. He says he stopped work because the Reeds never paid him around $8,000 for extras they ordered.

The Reeds deny that, and say he deceived them. Bank officials told News 3 they caught the builder trying to do "double draws." For example, they say he put in "a draw request covering the roof, but that the next draw request had the roof in it too."

All of it's too familiar to one volunteer. He's battling his builder, too.

"There needs to be some accountability for these contractors," said Jack Kraller. "So they can't run roughshod over people. These are people's lives."

The Reeds are now pushing for legislation that would mandate building inspection on all new homes – no matter how tiny the town. If they had they had an inspector, the Reeds and others believe things would have been different.

"I hope the Senate, and Legislature pass that unanimously -- 100 percent," Butson said. "I hope there's not a dissenting vote on that vote when it comes to the floor."

"This bill would really help other people," Donna said. "Nobody should be in this predicament like we've been in for the last year-and-a-half." The Reeds say they're overwhelmed by all the help so far, including food from small businesses in the area.

Meantime, the Wisconsin Builders Association has made the Reed house a community project. It's asking members to donate.

Can You Help?

After a News 3 investigation in new home construction problems, a volunteer effort is under way to save and repair Donna and Steve Reed's home in Benton, Wis. Can you help?

Donations of cash and materials are needed as well as volunteer labor. The next volunteer work session is set for this weekend, Sept. 20-21. Other sessions will be set up as needed. Please call volunteer coordinator Tom Butson at (608) 348-2175 or Rep. Gabe Loeffelholz at (608) 266-1170 to find out what you can do.

If you are a builder, you may also want to check out the Reed House project undertaken by the Wisconsin Builders Association. http://www.wbaonline.org/everyone/foundation.asp

If you have additional, you may also email I-Team Reporter Linda Eggert at LEggert@wisctv.com.