When does a brick wall need repointing?

A brick wall needs repointing when the mortar joints have eroded back from the face of the bricks, crumble when scratched, have cracked or fallen out, or let water into the wall. On an assessment visit, check how deep and how widespread the damage is, look for the cause — a leaking gutter, plants, the wrong mortar used in a past repair — and identify the original mortar so the new joints suit the wall. Then quote for the areas that really need it, the mortar type, the joint finish and the access needed.

Mortar wears with age and weather, but local damage can point to a cause nearby: an overflowing gutter, a broken downpipe, a leaking overflow, climbing plants, ground built up above the damp course. Repointing without fixing the cause brings the problem back. Point out what you see to the client and say which trade should deal with it if it isn't your work.

Older solid-brick walls were built with lime mortar, which stays slightly flexible and lets moisture out through the joints. Hard cement repointing on such walls traps moisture in the bricks and can damage their faces as they freeze and thaw. Identify the original mortar: soft, pale, sometimes with visible lime lumps on older buildings. On a modern cavity wall built with cement mortar, a matching mix is fine. Explain the choice to the client in plain words; it is the key decision in the job.

Look at the joint profile and colour: flush, recessed, weathered or tuck-pointed, and the sand that gives the mortar its tone. A test panel in a discreet spot, left to dry, lets the client approve the colour before the whole wall is done.

Chimney stacks, parapets and free-standing garden walls take weather on both faces and from above, so their joints wear first. Check the flaunching and pots on a chimney at the same time, and the coping on a garden wall: a cracked coping lets water straight into the joints below.

Mortar must not freeze before it has set, and lime in particular needs mild, damp-free conditions and protection from sun, wind and rain while it cures. Plan larger repointing jobs for the milder months and tell the client that dates depend on the forecast. Small patches can be fitted in between bigger jobs when the weather allows.

On Book, each service has a name, a price and an optional description shown on your public page. Create a "Repointing assessment" service with short slots that clients book online, and ask in the description for the address and photos of the wall from a distance and close up. Clients book with their name, email and phone and describe the problem in the optional note, which you read in your new-booking email. For small repairs, create a "Patch repointing" service with longer slots; for whole elevations, agree dates by phone and book the client into the working days yourself from your calendar.

Durations and prices are examples: set your own. If the forecast forces you to move a day, reschedule it from your bookings list and tell the client yourself, since Book doesn't email clients about changes. Book costs €5/month, everything included: unlimited services and bookings, no commission, no contract.