Brick homes are known to be strong and stable, and they’re built to last. But that doesn’t mean they’re free from maintenance or repair. Although they’re designed to withstand the elements, over time they can need a bit of TLC to keep them in good condition. In other words, you may need to repoint your brickwork.
This means scraping out the exterior section of old mortar between the bricks and renewing it with fresh mortar. But why bother doing it? And does it matter who does it?
Protect your home from problems
Moisture is always finding its way into homes. Causing problems with damp and mold. One way it manages this is through the mortar between your bricks. This is often the case in old homes with crumbling mortar, newer homes built with poor quality materials or homes exposed to extreme weather conditions, such as those on the coast.
Thankfully, this problem is easily remedied by repointing the brickwork. This keeps the joints strong and sealed, so your home continues to be protected from the elements.
Improve the aesthetic appeal
Protecting your home isn’t the only reason to repoint your brickwork. Renewing the mortar will also increase your home’s aesthetic appeal, making the walls look neat and fresh. Basically, they should look as good as new.
And how the exterior of your home looks could be the difference between someone wanting to buy it or not. So, it’s an important aspect of your home to maintain to help retain its value, whether you put it on the market or not.
Why use a professional?
So, now we understand why it’s worth repointing your home, let’s look at the reasons for using a professional to do the job.
Firstly, unless you’ve only got a garden wall to worry about, then the brickwork is likely to stretch high up. This makes it more difficult to reach without scaffolding and tricky for a novice to undertake safely and confidently. Builders and building companies are used to working at height. So, they have the necessary training and insurance to undertake this kind of work safely.
And although the cost of repointing a house is around £3,000 or $3,700, to do it yourself you’ll need a scaffold and ladders, plus a whole range of tools including an angle grinder, mortar rake, hammer, bolster and edging trowels. Then there is the cost of the materials to top. So, although you may think it’s cheaper, the cost to complete the work yourself isn’t exactly cheap.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, builders have the skills and tools to complete the repointing work properly and relatively quickly. This will save you time and effort, especially if you end up needing to redo poorly completed areas. And if you’re careful about who you hire to do the work, it should be guaranteed for a reasonable amount of time, giving you peace of mind.
To wrap up
Keeping your home well-maintained is important to make sure it stays dry and safe. It also helps you keep your home looking its best, so you retain its value. So, repointing your home is necessary to do when the mortar starts to crumble, or gaps open up.
And getting a professional builder in to do it is important to achieve a lasting, quality finish as well as keep you safe and save you time.