Re-Pointing End of terrace wall

[curium]

Hi

My old Ma's house needs repointing. She's end of terrace so has quite a big wall which I want to get done first as it's the one exposed to the weather.

It's fairly straight forward as in the wall is flat but is 2 stories high plus the roof space so scaffolding or cherry-picker will be needed.

I was tempted to have a go my self since cash is tight but have never even laid a brick and don't have a helper so i figure that with the cost of hiring the necessary tools plus the slow speed at which I'd progress I should at least get quotes in.

Basically I'm after advice on how much it will cost. Since it's a flat wall i figure there should be a cost per square meter for this type of work. Can anyone advise on what this is likely to be for a west london end of terrace house?

Also can you advise of how this type of work is done and how much can be done in a day? From reading around it would seem to be a case of:
1. Raking out existing mortar for 3 courses of bricks the entire length of wall using angle grinder.
2. Remove dust from joints.
3. Wet joints
4. Apply mortar (6:1:1 - builder's sand/hydrated lime/cement).

Can you use a ready-mix mortar mix?

Will a mortar gun give good results?

Can anyone advise on whether a 'weathered' finish or 'hollow key' finish would be better for an exposed end of terrace wall.

Cheers!
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[stuart45]

£20 M2 is an average for pointing. If the joints are soft lime you would be better with a plugging chisel, and a hand mortar rake. A mortar gun is good, but you need to get the mix right. I usually add cementone for old brickwork, as I think the joints don't look so new then, but its a matter of opinion.

 

[^woody^]

If you are thinking of DIYing, then after reading up on pointing, read up on rendering as it is very easy to make a right mess and smudge all the mortar all over the place.

Its OK for a small area, but not a whole gable IMO

I like your "Pointing in four easy steps" That's what is in all the books and it looks so easy, but its a lot harder to master in practice

Have a go on a small area first and see what you think