Repointing is one of those jobs where the quotes you get back can vary wildly, and it is hard to know which one is fair. The honest answer is that it depends on the size of the wall, how the old mortar comes out, and what your house is built from. Here is what we see on real jobs around Birmingham and the wider West Midlands, so you can budget properly and spot a quote that does not add up.
Most bricklayers price repointing by the square metre of wall face. Across the UK you can expect roughly £30 to £60 per square metre for standard work on a house wall that is easy to reach. In the West Midlands we tend to sit in the middle of that range, with London and the South East noticeably higher.
That figure normally covers raking out the old joints to a proper depth, brushing and wetting the wall, filling with new mortar and finishing the joints. It usually does not include scaffolding, brick replacement or repairs to lintels and sills, which are priced separately.
Access is the biggest single factor. If the work goes above a single storey, you will need a tower or a scaffold, and a scaffold on one elevation of a semi in Birmingham is often £500 to £1,000 on its own. Terraces with no side access, or houses with a conservatory or extension in the way, take longer to set up.
The condition of the existing joints matters too. Old cement pointing that was slapped over lime mortar can be a nightmare to remove without damaging the brick faces, and that slows the job right down. Soft red Victorian bricks, common in Kings Heath, Moseley and Erdington, need careful raking out by hand rather than a grinder.
Finally, the mortar itself. Standard sand and cement is the cheapest. A lime mortar, which is the correct choice for most pre 1920s houses, costs more in materials and takes longer to apply and cure, so expect the square metre rate to rise by around a third.
Not every house needs full repointing. If the mortar is only crumbling on one weathered gable or below a leaking gutter, a targeted repair makes far more sense than paying for four elevations. A good bricklayer will tell you this rather than push the bigger job.
That said, patching a wall that is failing everywhere is false economy. You pay for access and setup each time, and mismatched mortar colour across a front elevation looks poor. If more than about a third of the joints on an elevation are recessed or loose, doing that whole face usually works out cheaper per metre and looks right.
Ask what depth the joints will be raked out to. Anything under 15mm is not really repointing, it is a cosmetic smear that will fall out in a couple of winters. Ask what mortar mix will be used and why, and whether the quote includes any brick replacement or just the joints.
A written quote should state the area being covered, whether scaffolding is included, and the joint finish, such as weather struck, bucket handle or flush. If someone quotes a suspiciously low price for a whole house in a day, they are almost certainly going over the top of the old mortar rather than raking it out.
Done properly with the right mortar, repointing should last 30 to 50 years. Poorly done work over the old joints can start failing within two or three winters.
Small ground floor patches are doable if you are careful, but raking out to the correct depth without chipping brick edges takes practice. Getting the mortar mix wrong on an older house can trap moisture and cause the bricks themselves to spall, which is far more expensive to fix.
Bricklayers are often quieter in the colder months, so you may get a better price, but mortar should not be laid below about 3 degrees or in frost. Around Birmingham that usually means spring through to autumn is the sensible window, with early booking for the busy summer period.
Tell us a few details about what you're planning. We'll come back within 24 hours, usually the same day, and get a site visit booked in for the week.
Most jobs start with a 5-minute call so we can work out if we're the right fit and when we could realistically get on site. No hard sell.