Repointing is one of those jobs where two quotes for the same wall can differ by thousands of pounds, and it is rarely obvious why. This guide sets out what pointing typically costs in London, what pushes the figure up or down, and how to tell a fair quote from one that will cost you more in the long run.
Most pointing work in London is priced per square metre of wall. As a rough guide, expect somewhere between £50 and £90 per square metre for standard repointing, covering raking out the old mortar and refilling the joints. Specialist work on period brickwork, such as lime pointing or tuck pointing, usually sits higher, often £90 to £150 per square metre or more, because it is slower and needs more skill.
These figures are for labour and materials only. Access is normally priced separately, and on a London house it can be a large part of the bill. Treat any range as a starting point: the only reliable price comes from someone looking at the wall in person.
The condition of the existing mortar matters most. Soft, crumbling lime mortar rakes out fairly quickly. Hard cement mortar that was smeared over the joints decades ago has to be cut out carefully to avoid damaging the brick faces, and that can double the time on the wall.
The pointing style and mortar type also change the price. A plain flush or weatherstruck joint in a sand and cement mix is the quickest. Much of North London's housing is Victorian and Edwardian, built in soft London stock brick with lime mortar, and it should be repointed in lime so the wall can breathe. Lime costs more and needs protecting while it cures, but cement on soft old brick traps moisture and causes the brick faces to blow.
Anything above ground floor level generally needs scaffolding. For the front of a two or three storey terrace, allow roughly £800 to £1,800, and more for a full wraparound or a tall townhouse. If the scaffold stands on the public pavement, the scaffolder needs a licence from your borough council, which adds a fee and sometimes a wait of a week or two.
Terraced streets bring their own complications. Rear elevations with no side access may mean carrying everything through the house, and parking suspensions or permits for vans can add to the cost in controlled zones. If your home is listed or in a conservation area, which is common across Islington, Camden, Haringey and Barnet, check with the council before changing the mortar type or pointing style.
A cheap quote is often cheap because the raking out is shallow or done entirely with an angle grinder at speed, which chips the brick edges and widens the joints. Ask each bricklayer the same questions so you are comparing like with like.
Timing matters too. Mortar should not be laid in frost or heavy rain, so spring to early autumn is the busiest period and winter work may need rescheduling around the weather.
For the front elevation of a typical Victorian terrace, expect roughly £2,000 to £4,000 for the pointing, plus around £800 to £1,800 for scaffolding. The final figure depends on the condition of the old mortar, the mortar type and how easy the wall is to reach.
Done properly, with joints raked out to a good depth and the right mortar for the brick, pointing should last 50 years or more. Shallow work or cement mortar on soft old bricks can start failing within a few years.
Patch repairs are fine where the damage is limited to one area, such as below a leaking gutter or around a chimney. If the mortar is soft and receding across most of the wall, a full repoint is usually better value because you only pay for scaffolding once.
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