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How much does repointing brickwork cost?
In Cheshire, a repointing price depends on the area of wall, how high it is, the mortar and how the crew will reach it. Ask for the measured area and the access method in the same written quote.
Last reviewed:Repointing is the joints, measured
In Cheshire, repointing means taking failed mortar out of the joints and putting new mortar in. The quote is for an area of brickwork on a particular wall, at a particular height, with access that is either easy or not. No figure is printed, because we could not find two dated public sources that agree on one. A low garden wall you can reach from the lawn is a different job from the gable of a house. Do not let one description stand in for the other.
Height, and why the crew's method belongs in the price
The Health and Safety Executive defines work at height as work in any place where, if precautions were missing, a person could fall a distance liable to cause personal injury [S1]. It says employers, and people who control the work, must plan it, supervise it and use people with the right skills [S1]. The first control is to avoid the work at height where that is reasonably practicable, and otherwise to prevent a fall [S1].
On ladders, the same page says not to use them for strenuous or heavy tasks, and to use them only for light work of short duration, a maximum of 30 minutes at a time [S1]. It also says not to overreach, and not to rest a ladder against a weak upper surface such as plastic guttering [S1]. Repointing a storey of brick is heavy, repetitive work. Ask whether the quote includes a tower or scaffold, and for how much of the wall. A price that assumes a ladder all day is a different method from a price that includes a working platform. Ask the firm which platform they will use, and do not climb the elevation yourself.
HSE: work at height. QuoteZila is not affiliated with this organisation.
Do as much discussion as you can from the ground. Photos of the upper joints can be taken from a window you can open safely, or left to the firm. Do not go up a ladder to "check the mortar" before you have hired anyone.
Mortar, bricks and walls you share
The look of the finished joint is part of the specification: flush, recessed, or weathered. Ask for it in words. Ask what happens to bricks that are already split. Replacing bricks is a different line from filling a joint. Ask the firm to name the mix, because the right mix depends on the bricks in front of you.
If the wall stands on the boundary, look at GOV.UK before you assume it is only yours. A party wall can include a garden wall on the lands of two owners, and the guidance excludes timber fences from that example [S2]. Work to an existing party wall is within the Act [S2]. Cutting into a wall is listed; raking a joint is not given as its own example [S2]. Read the guidance and ask before the work starts, and do not treat every repoint as needing a party wall notice. Where the Act does apply, that phrase is the step the Act is built around. The Act sits apart from planning permission and from building regulations approval [S2].
A fence that needs new panels is not this job. The fencing guide is the place for that.
What the paper should measure
| Line | Why quotes drift apart |
|---|---|
| Area, in square metres, and which elevations | A front and a gable are not one number |
| Height and access | Ladder limits are about light, short work [S1] |
| Scaffold or tower, and how long it stays | Often the largest unnamed cost |
| Depth the old mortar is raked | A face-skim is a different job |
| Mortar mix and joint finish | Has to suit the bricks you have |
| Brick replacements | Count them or exclude them |
| Protection of paths, plants and windows | Cleaning mortar off glass takes time |
| Waste | Old mortar is heavy |
| Shared or listed wall | Ask before work on a wall you may not own alone [S2] |
| VAT | Registration when taxable turnover goes over £90,000 [S4] |
What to send
- Photos of each elevation from the ground, and a note of anything above first-floor level.
- A rough area, or the length and the storeys, marked as approximate.
- Whether a path, a conservatory roof or a neighbour's yard is the only place to stand.
- Whether you think the wall is shared.
- The postcode.
Jobs you might post
These are examples, not taken from real job posts.
- "Front and side walls of a semi in Sandbach, two storeys. Joints are recessed and crumbling. Please measure the area, say how you will reach the top, and include the platform in the price. Do not include the rear yet."
- "Garden wall between us and next door, about waist height, in Crewe. Please say if you think the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 might apply, and price the repoint only."
- "Gable end. We cannot tell from the ground how deep the joints are. Please allow for a proper rake-out and list brick replacements separately if you find them."
The words "about waist height" are a householder's description, not a measured standard.
Comparing repointing quotes
Citizens Advice says to get written quotes from at least three traders, and that a quote is a fixed price while an estimate is a rough guess [S3]. A much lower price may mean they are not quoting for exactly the same work [S3]. Some traders charge to come and quote: ask before they visit [S3]. Ask to see insurance that will not run out mid-job [S3]. If they offer a guarantee on the mortar, ask whether it is insurance-backed [S3].
Mortar, weather and the wall you can see from the street
The look of new joints is a specification, not a colour you can copy from a brochure. Ask what the mortar is made of, and ask the firm to match the existing joints rather than to "brighten the house up". A hard mix on a soft old brick can be the wrong choice. Write the mix down, and if the house is old, ask the council whether the wall has a status that changes the work before anyone rakes a joint.
Raking out old mortar is dusty and it is the part that can damage the arrises of the bricks. Ask how deep they will go, and what they will do if a brick is already loose. Replacing bricks is a different line from filling joints. A quote that says "repoint the front" and does not mention brick replacement will grow when the first cracked header falls out. Say whether you want replacements included up to a stated number, or priced as they are found. The split between those two ways of quoting is the point.
Weather stops the work even when the scaffold is already up. Frost and driving rain are reasons a week slips. Ask what the firm does if they have to leave a wall open overnight, and whether the price changes if they return the following month. Do not accept "we'll see" as the only answer. A written assumption, "price assumes continuous access and workable weather", tells you what was excluded.
The area should be measured, not paced from the pavement. Ask for square metres of elevation, and ask whether window openings are deducted. Two firms who both say "the front" can be measuring different shapes. Chimneys, if they are in the job, are height as well as area, and the ladder section above is why the method of reaching them belongs in the same quote. Ask the firm to describe how they will reach the chimney, and do not climb it yourself.
A garden wall is not the front of the house. GOV.UK's party-wall examples can include a garden wall on the lands of two owners, and they exclude timber fences [S2]. If the wall you want repointed is the boundary, say that in the post and ask each firm whether they think the Act applies. Raking a joint is still not, on its own, a reason to assume the Act always applies.
Official pages
QuoteZila is not affiliated with these organisations.
- Work at height: HSE [S1].
- Party walls: GOV.UK [S2].
- Quotes and deposits: Citizens Advice [S3].
- VAT: GOV.UK [S4].
This page is general information, not professional or legal advice. QuoteZila does not check Gas Safe, WaterSafe, NFRC, NICEIC or other registrations against the register on your behalf: look them up yourself.
Where this applies. The ladder timing is the HSE page's wording for people who control work at height. It is not a licence for a householder to spend a day on a ladder, and it is not a price.
Post a repointing job
Name the walls and the town. Up to five matched local businesses can reply [QZ2]. QuoteZila is free for customers and local businesses [QZ1].
Honest status: QuoteZila is new. We're starting in Cheshire, beginning with Crewe, Nantwich and Sandbach, and growing area by area. Anyone in the UK can still post a job or register a business. How fast you get quotes depends on how many local businesses have joined near you. Businesses can register and receive jobs straight away. We don't check insurance, qualifications or registrations, so please check these yourself before you hire.
Posting a job is not open yet
Brickwork of this kind sits with builders. Access equipment sits with scaffolders. All services.
Questions about repointing
How much does repointing cost in Cheshire?
Height, access, the type of mortar and whether the joints are worn or have already been patched all change the job. Compare quotes that measure the same area.
Can the work be done from a ladder?
The Health and Safety Executive says work at height should be avoided where that is reasonably practicable, and that ladders and stepladders should be used for light work of short duration, a maximum of 30 minutes at a time, not for strenuous or heavy tasks. Raking out a whole elevation is not a light five-minute job. Ask the firm how they will reach the upper courses. Do not climb the wall yourself.
What is repointing, in the quote?
Ask the firm to say they will rake out the old mortar to a stated depth and put new mortar back, and to name the mix. A quote that only says 'repoint' can mean a skim over the face of the joints. Those are different jobs. Ask the quote to say which of those jobs it is.
Is a garden wall between two houses a party wall?
GOV.UK says a party wall can be a wall on the lands of two owners that does not form part of a building, such as a garden wall, but not including timber fences. The Act covers work to an existing party wall. Raking out mortar is not, on its own, a reason to assume the Act always applies. Read the guidance and ask before you alter a wall you share. Where the Act applies, use a party wall notice.
What if the house is old or listed?
If the building is listed, or sits in a conservation area, ask the council before anyone rakes the joints out. Consent is a question for that council, not a rule to copy from a neighbouring house. A hard mortar on a soft old brick is a specification question for someone who can see the wall, not a mix to copy from a general note.
Should I pay the full sum first?
Citizens Advice says to avoid large upfront payments, to consider buying materials yourself, and not to agree a deposit above 25% if you cannot avoid one. Get a receipt. Scaffold and mortar are the usual reasons a firm asks for money early.
Does QuoteZila check repointing firms?
No. We don't check insurance, qualifications or registrations, so please check these yourself before you hire. You can report a quote or a business from your job page.
Can I post a repointing job?
Yes. Say which walls, roughly how high, and your Cheshire postcode. Up to five matched local businesses can quote. QuoteZila is free for customers and local businesses.
Related reading
- Roof repair cost: if the failed joints are under a leaking verge
- Fencing cost: timber fences are outside the garden-wall example
- Builders
- All cost guides
Part of Cost guides. All services
Related trades
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Related pages
- Room over a garage: what changes the price. In Cheshire, a room over a garage is priced from the structure, the stair and planning for an upper storey. No pound total is printed. See what to ask.
- RSJ Cost in Cheshire: What a Quote Should Say. An RSJ in a Cheshire house is one line in opening a wall. Building regulations apply. Ask the quote to name the calculation, the propping and making good.
Sources
- QZ1: QuoteZila product fact. QuoteZila pricing line.
- QZ2: QuoteZila product fact. QuoteZila FAQ.
- S1: Introduction to working at height safely, Health and Safety Executive. Accessed 2026-10-27. https://www.hse.gov.uk/work-at-height/introduction.htm
- S2: Party Wall etc Act 1996 guidance, GOV.UK. Accessed 2026-10-27. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/party-wall-etc-act-1996-guidance
- S3: Before you get work done on your home, Citizens Advice. Accessed 2026-10-27. https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/getting-home-improvements-done/before-you-get-building-work-done/
- S4: When to register for VAT, GOV.UK. Accessed 2026-10-27. https://www.gov.uk/register-for-vat