Ljbleebotting Reviews

An 18 month nightmare experience

Lee came to us in September 2022 as we had noticed a brown mark on our chimney breast where it joins the ceiling he took a photo from the ground of the front and side of our chimney He showed this to us and said the side flashing needed anttention and new flaunching put round the chimney pot We accepted his quote and the work was carried out We agreed a time but the work was done earlier than arranged so we were not home We left the patch area for a few weeks to ensure that it had dried out before we painted it When we had rain late 2022 the patch had come back so we called Lee and he came back He told us that the leak was fixed and it was just the old stain My husband waited until Spring 2023 and then applied a stain blocker The same stain reappeared later and again Lee came back and repeated that it was the plaster and that we needed to remove and re plaster which my husband agreed he would do as he used to be a plasterer We waited as we were concerned about the heavy rains we have had throughout the winter Early this year my husband removed a large section of the chimney breast and re plastered but again the stain came back in exactly the same place Lee came out again and said more plaster needed to be removed and maintained that was the problem saying that if it wasn t he would come back again We agreed that he should do the work This was done a week later but when his son who did the work removed a portion of the ceiling he found that it was soaking behind and pulled out lots of soggy lagging We said that we thought this needed further investigation but he said that he believed it was the cowl that was the problem and proceeded to complete the work and payment was made to him that day Overnight it rained and in the morning there was a much larger damp patch on not only the chimney breast but also now on the ceiling It was the weekend so on Monday we called and another man attended who went onto the roof and came down with some close up photos which he showed us and then took back to Lee who emailed to say that the leak was from the back of the chimney and also that the chimney had cracked and so had the new flaunching His son also came back that day and we reminded him that we were concerned about the wet lagging and he said again that he had told us it was the cowl he believed was letting in water At this point we lost confidence in this company as Lee should have had someone go up on the roof from day 1 and not relied on a photo taken from the ground which only showed the front and side He should also have checked the roof on one of the 4 visits he made after the work was supposedly done His son should have stopped work once it was apparent that there was water ingress instead of plastering it over We invited several companies to come and assess the chimney and quote for the repairs to be done From this we had several photos and videos which showed that the leak at the back and the crack that Lee had referred to were not on our side of the chimney which is shared with our neighbour As the ones sent by Lee had been closeups this fact was hidden from us This meant that the new works Lee quoted for included our neighbours side In addition we were told that the cracks on the flaunching were because the wrong sand had been used instead of a mix with sharp sand ordinary builders sand had been used and not only was the flaunching cracked it had not adhered to the brickwork We relayed all this to Lee who maintained that what he done was correct and said it complied with NHBC regulations He later said that his son had told us the leak was coming from the back of the chimney but this was not the case at all and we had already told Lee his son had said twice it was the cowl - which incidentally has nothing to do with the problems One of the builders managed to make a temporary repair on his visit - free of charge - which has greatly improved matters but some water is still getting in with all the rain we have had Lee made no attempt to do this for us despite assuring us that if he was wrong about the plaster he would come back I checked online and read all the information on NHBC website and there was nothing specifying builder s sand could be used for flaunching and so I asked repeatedly for the appropriate NHBC passage that Lee claimed showed he was correct but he has failed to provide this I also asked on 2 occasions whether he would come back and redo the plastering if it has been compromised by the rain as his warranty states but he has declined to answer this We are now in a worse position than we started probably having to pay again for the area to be replastered

Stay clear

We use LJB due to them being a large company and after assurances the work would be completed to a high standard The quote included replacing repairing all rotten joists and floorboards Unfortunately they failed to do this and 2 weeks after work stopped we now have mould growing in our brand new kitchen and toilet This is because they did not complete the work they had quoted for My daughter is disabled and my other daughter was born with 1 kidney and now we are unable to use these rooms due to the black mould We paid over 12k and are so upset We held back money due to their many failures including bodging a tower unit in the kitchen where nothing was straight agreeing to fit a radiator then refusing then agreeing again Breaking my integrated washing machine by rounding off the screw hole by using a power tool leaving loose plaster and scrim tape where they have decided to drill through new plaster and didn t sort it out They fitted a stopcock which cannot be accessed due to it being too close to the washing machine They had been back for corrections 2 times however their corrections were very poor and bodged I will be taking this further as I now have an uninhabitable kitchen and toilet Please do yourself a favour and choose a reputable builder who will take pride in their work unless you want to spend thousands more putting right their work

Rude owners and office staff

The workmen were great but the office staff and owners obviously had extensive training in how to be rude to customers Very poor communication would never use again it has sullied the whole experience

Last September

Last September we were quoted over 4 000 to weatherproof a traditional lead lined gulley after experiencing water ingress in heavy rain situations LJB Botting came to the job with 2 men who were on site for 5 5 hours That was it When I challenged the time taken in relation to how much we were charged and asked for a break down of charges a warranty this was turned down The first test heavy rain came last month August 2022 and nothing had been resolved with the same water ingress When contacted LJB Botting didn t want to know and said that if we wanted them to have a look they d charge us Nothing short of appalling all round AVOID

Wouldnt use them again

Recently bought a bungalow that had a new roof from LJB Quote was 21500 to sellers estate to include some rafter feet replacement that were rotten Other quotes were cheaper but LJB availability was sooner so that we could complete on the sale sooner Other quotes 3k cheaper detailed work that included new tiles felt battens dry ridge etc Fully expected LJB work to be the same 2 guys on site one week used cheap felt reused old tiles and patched in new cheap dry verge detail Asbestos from the roof left at my address although quote detailed allowance to clear waste Roof looks awful sellers estate paid for the roof prior to our possession Will now need to reroof as part of our plans in order to look acceptable We have not inspected inside the roof void yet to see exactly what has been replaced so will probably add to this review once we have had a look We were looking to use them for an extension but after this we wouldn t touch them if they paid us

Awful

Awful awful owner of a business We agreed to repair work being done on our property roof and gutter When it started leaking we were told it wasn t his problem and when I asked for them to repair the further damage they had caused as I had spent a lot of money on the repair he turned on me making threats he would taken me to the police for harrassment I have never had such a poor experience and it is sad as the office staff were lovely Steer clear

Terribly disappointing- beware

So very disappointed as requested to speak to the manager after a job was completed and was told by his office he won t call you back I was gobsmacked I ve emailed twice and still not had a reply to either emails let alone the phone call Shocked is an understatement Why do they not reply Lee seemed so genuine and nice They ve left me no choice but to share this terrible experience I had to get another Eastbourne company out to rectify the problem LJB Botting had caused Beware

Garage build

Always punctualWorking all day in all weathersJob was finished to a great standardFriendly and helpful workers Would definitely recommend

Superb job

Our experience was very good Reasonably priced quote to knock two rooms into one and create a bespoke media wall All members of the team were great and we are very happy with what was created