Cement pointing on Victorian terrace

[umbel]

We have seen a house we are keen to put an offer in for - a lovely old Victorian terrace. I’m concerned though, as the whole thing seems to have been reprinted in thick cement, rather than lime mortar. It’s the only one in the block that has had this done. How problematic is it likely to be and if it’s going to cause problems, how feasible/expensive is it to get it removed and replaced without damaging the brickwork?

Pic??

I’d get a survey done as I think it will depend on how the house is built (whether it has cavity walls etc). If you ask in advance the surveyor may be able to give you an idea of the price, or a good (word of mouth) builder could also do it.

Stupidly I didn’t think to take a picture! It looks a bit like this, though the bricks are more like standard bricks, not stone. No time to take anyone for a look - offers have to be in tomorrow

old houses often suffer damp due to "modernisation" ...Houses should breath and modern things like double glazing do not allow for this. I am not saying this is the case here..Just if they have done one thing what else have they done?

I repointed a Victorian house house I used to live in about 20 years ago, I used cement instead of lime ( I find it easier to work with ) and never had any problems with it. I still go past it now and it still looks good.

Bricks are porous anyway so will let any moisture that soaks in ( rain ) out again when it drys.

I might be able to find a photo.

The price probably depends on where you are. We had our Victorian semi front and part rear repointed for £2000 about 4 years ago and we're in the North West. But prices for work like this seems to have gone up recently due to costs of materials going up.

I've known it done with no apparent ill effects. If the bricks are exposed they can still evaporate water off the surface.

Victorian is extremely unlikely to have cavity walls.

It probably has a slate DPC that has been bridged. Look for that, and signs of damp around drains and downpipes. These are all common and can be fixed. Do not allow anyone who sells silicone injections near your house.

Shouldn't cause any issues with bricks as they are permeable. Impermeable stone like granite etc would be a different story.

Besides permeability the other issue is that the mortar should be softer than the brick to allow for natural movement. Victorian bricks are generally soft so limr pointing is ideal in this respect. Lime also 'manages' moisture very well and much better than brick itself. I had the cement pointing removed from the back of my house and there was a little bit of brick damage here and there but not too bad. I am planning to do the front also. If you can find a spot where the cement pointing has worn off you can guage how deep it is. If just a few mm it could be fairly easy to remove .

@vera16 good to know it can be removed. Was it an expensive job?

@umbel not cheap because it involves scaffolding and several says work. I'm going to have a go at the front myself - the bits I can reach!

it was about 80 per sq metre to remove and repoint in lime..may have gone up again..!!

I had a quote to have one gable wall repointed in lime: £9000 (large detached house). I went on a short course to learn how to do it myself instead.
Ad a PP said it depends on how hard the bricks are whether you can get away with cement, also how exposed to weather. Hard bricks hard mortar, soft bricks soft mortar. Best leave the cement if its not causing the bricks to spall as removing it could damage the bricks in the process.

As another PP said if the cement is a thin amatuer repair that pops out easily by all means remove it. Watch a few vids on YouTube but watch out its a total rabbit hole full of purists versus pragmatists.

Granite etc wouldn't be damaged by cement as its so hard but your house would be less breathable. My house is sandstone and old cement repairs have caused stone to erode.

@Wbeezer I am interested to know where you found the course? I actually think you would take more care not to damage the bricks if doing it yourself. But I am scared of heights so the top floor would worry me!

@PigletJohn

I've known it done with no apparent ill effects. If the bricks are exposed they can still evaporate water off the surface.

Victorian is extremely unlikely to have cavity walls.

It probably has a slate DPC that has been bridged. Look for that, and signs of damp around drains and downpipes. These are all common and can be fixed. Do not allow anyone who sells silicone injections near your house.

I’ve lived in 3 Victorian houses - they all had cavity walls!

Thanks for the advice all. It’s going to best and final offers tomorrow, so we’ll see if we get lucky.

@vera16 part of my motivation in going on the course is because I'm pretty sure i would do a more careful job than a lot of builders, or at least know when a quote is realistic and up to standard for techniques and materials (live in a listed building).
The course was at the Scottish Lime Centre in Fife, possibly not that handy! They do sell DVDs though.

I’ve never seen anything built before 1900 with cavity walls.

@Soontobe60

I've only seen one, large, late Victorian house. During demolition I saw it had a structural 9" wall, then a gap, then a 4" wall. I don't know if it was intended to combat damp, or retain heat, or something else.

Were yours rat-trap bond? Not unusual, but built to economise on bricks rather than as a cavity wall. Note that the bricks are laid on edge, giving about 1/4 more face of wall. There are some of them near me.

it was an imposing house built near the Merchant Seamen's Orphan Asylum built in 1862, and a short walk from a railway station built around the same time, so probably built after that.