When Keith Ellick was diagnosed with terminal cancer, his boss Addam Smith was desperate to do something to help lift his spirits.

So the company director raised his employee’s plight on a Facebook forum for tradesmen – and was soon inundated with ideas from plumbers, builders and gardeners up and down the country.

And in their own version of popular BBC1 programme DIY SOS, Mr Smith and a 50-strong team spent seven days transforming the two-bedroom home that Mr Ellick, a landscape gardener, shares with partner Sasha Hogan, 26, and their son, Leyton, aged five.

Generosity: Keith Ellick, left, was diagnosed with terminal cancer and feared he didn't even have the money to pay for a funeral. His worries about his family's future inspired boss Addam Smith to act

Renovation: Mr Smith spent seven days transforming the two-bedroom home Mr Ellick shares with partner Sasha Hogan, 26, and their son, Leyton, aged five. Picture: The kitchen before work started

Transformation: Mr Smith got help from 50 generous tradesmen, who gave up days off and evenings to work

While Mr Ellick’s family enjoyed time away at a holiday chalet, the tradesmen gave up days off or time in the evenings to install new flooring, a new kitchen and bathroom, decorate the lounge and landscape the back garden of the terraced house.

Mr Ellick, from Lincoln, said he was stunned at the transformation – and overwhelmed by the workers’ generosity of time and spirit.

The 41-year-old said: ‘The house looked like a show home inside. I can’t thank Addam and everybody else enough. We are truly humbled by what they have done for us.’

The former serviceman was diagnosed with terminal cancer in January and told he could have as little as 12 months to live.

His boss, who runs his own landscaping business, said he had been spurred to act when Mr Ellick told him about the devastating diagnosis and his fears for his family’s future once he passed away.

Mr Smith, 41, said: ‘One of the first things he said was, “I haven’t even got the money for a funeral”. He wasn’t worried about himself, he was worried about his family.’

Delight: Mr Ellick, from Lincoln, said he was stunned at the transformation – and overwhelmed by the workers’ generosity of time and spirit. Pictured: The family's living room before

Surprise: The tradesmen renovated the home while Mr Ellick’s family enjoyed time away at a holiday chalet

Kind: Mr Smith got help after he posted a message to the 17,000-strong Builders Talk Group on Facebook seeking ideas, and then started approaching companies for free items to re-do each room

Dream house: Mr Ellick says the small terrace is now like 'a show home' after the work was done over Easter

The father-of-two posted a message to the 17,000-strong Builders Talk Group on Facebook seeking ideas to help his friend – and the online community swung into action.

Mr Smith spent weeks sourcing free materials – including a bathroom suite and kitchen – by asking local companies, contacts and the forum members, before arranging to get everybody together to work on the house over Easter.

One group member also put Mr Ellick in touch with a charity that supports research into new treatments for cancer and Mr Ellick is now in the early stages of being accepted for potentially life-saving clinical trials.

Future: What's more, a funding page Mr Smith set up has topped £16,000 – and the businessman hopes to raise £100,000 to help the family buy their council-owned home outright, and start trust funds for Leyton and Mr Ellick’s four other children from previous relationships

High praise: Mr Smith has also received a congratulatory call from DIY SOS presenter Nick Knowles

Meanwhile, the funding page Mr Smith set up has topped £16,000 – and the businessman hopes to raise £100,000 to help the family buy their council-owned home outright, and start trust funds for Leyton and Mr Ellick’s four other children from previous relationships.

Mr Smith – who even received a congratulatory call from DIY SOS presenter Nick Knowles when he heard of the project – said the build was ‘amazing’. ‘What you can achieve when you put your mind to it is pretty special,’ he said.