Pointing

[BravingSpring]

Does anyone have any idea what you would expect to pay to have the front and side of an average sized semi re-pointed up to about 1 metre?

I've got someone coming later to quote but have no frame of reference.

Do you mean your only doing the first meter? On the scale of pointing jobs that would be quite cheap, it's scaffolding that really adds to the cost. Pointing just requires a labourer in terms of skill set, although you do want to get the cement mix right. It's quite time consuming though. When you get your quote ask how many days it will take as then you will know if the day rate is reasonable for a relatively unskilled Job.

a few hundred but less than a k.

they will probably whiz out the old mortar with a special blade in an angle grinder, it makes vast amounts of gritty dust. Move your car half a mile away, shut your windows, and warn your neighbours.

They will probably inject the new mortar with a nozzle gun, it does a really good job. Mortar grows stronger if it stays damp for a few days, so if you get the chance (e.g. they whiz out the old mortar on day one, then go home) hose out the grooves that night. This will remove dust and stop the bricks being too dry. It is easy. Mist and drizzle is better for fresh mortar than hot sun.

You may find the colour and texture does not match the rest of the wall.

I got a quote of £450 and went with it, it's being done this week, thank you for the advice.

I appreciate aesthetically it's better to get the whole house done together but funds don't allow, I need it done before winter as we get a damp patch in the living room when it rains.

The builder has advised me to pain on a sealant once the mortar has dried, at least that sounds like something I can manage myself.

it should not be necessary.

Are you on a storm-lashed coast?

Does the gutter leak?

PigletJohn We're not on a storm-lashed coast :)

The guttering currently leaks and the soffits are knackered, hence a damp problem upstairs as well, but it's all being replaced in a couple of weeks, so we should be water tight soon.

We had a leaking gutter that was sorted out 18 months ago but we still have what looks like a damp area of bricks on the outside (no damp inside) and the mortar is all crumbling away in that area. It never looks dry even in dry weather, although if we get a prolonged dry spell (some hope) we start to see some drying out and white deposits on the bricks.

If we replace the mortar/pointing how would that affect the "damp" area - or could it be another problem. Our driveway slopes down slightly and rain tends to run to that corner of the house but we have had our drains cleared (where the rainwater runs away) but we do have clay soil.

sorry to hijack this post

Any advice anyone?

BravingSpring

If you repair both the pointing and the gutter, there should be no need for chemicals. The wall should be dry within a year.

AnnaLP

It sounds to me like rain is puddling onto your wall. The paving should slope away from the house, and should be 9" below the DPC. Save up for a pickaxe. Cement mortar should withstand wet. If yours is an old house with lime mortar you need to cure the source of water and repoint the wall. Not all builders are competent with lime. Do not use cement and do not use chemicals. If the drains are brown glazed clay they are probably broken and leaking.

PigletJohn Thank you, that's reassuring.