07542 569 403 office@akjohnbuilders.co.uk
A K John Building & Refurbishment

OUR SERVICES

Brickwork and repointing in Oldham and Greater Manchester

New brickwork, rebuilt sections and repointing with a mortar that suits the wall.

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Tell us what you want to do. No obligation either way.

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WHAT IT INVOLVES

What brickwork and repointing involves

New brickwork, rebuilt sections and repointing with a mortar that suits the wall.

What you get

New brickwork and blockwork, failed sections rebuilt, garden and boundary walls, and repointing where the mortar has gone.

The mortar is the whole job

Old solid walls were built with lime, softer than the brick on purpose, so the wall can move and water can get back out. Hard cement traps it and spalls the faces off.

What moves the price

How much old mortar actually has to come out. Raking back properly is real work, and skimming over the top of it is why a job gets done twice.

Example image
Example image: an older brick elevation after repointing

IN THE QUOTE

What is in the quote

  • What the existing mortar is, and what mix is going back in
  • Raking out to a proper depth rather than skimming over the surface
  • Access, whether that is scaffold or tower, priced as its own item
  • Replacement of individual spalled or damaged bricks where needed
  • Rebuilt sections where a wall has moved or failed, rather than patched
  • Protection to what is below, because pointing is a dirty job

The cheapest quote most often costs the most: a hard mortar on a soft old wall takes years to show and takes the brick faces with it.

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HOW WE DO IT

How a brickwork job actually goes

Four steps, start to finish, so you know what happens and when.

  1. 01

    Tell us what the wall is doing

    Mortar falling out, a bowed section, a chimney that needs taking down, or new work to match existing. A close photo of the joints and one of the whole elevation.

  2. 02

    The mortar is the whole question

    An older solid wall wants a soft lime based mortar and modern cement will trap water in the brick and spall the faces off it. We look at what is there before deciding what goes back.

  3. 03

    A written quote by area, not by guess

    Measured by the square metre with the mortar specified and access priced in, because scaffold on a two storey gable is a real part of the cost and not a surprise.

  4. 04

    Raked out properly, then pointed

    Joints raked back to a sound depth rather than skimmed over, brushed out, then pointed and finished to match the rest of the wall.

THREE WAYS TO START

Talk to us about your brickwork

Whichever is easiest. You get the same answer from all three.

Call 07542 569 403 Quickest if you want to talk it through Send a photo on WhatsApp A picture answers more than a paragraph

Or send it in a minute

Three boxes and a photo if you have one.

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PAST WORK

Recent work

Finished jobs, photographed on site.

A finished media wall: backlit marble effect panel, wall hung television and a long floating unit
A finished media wall: backlit marble effect panel, wall hung television and a long floating unit
A level access walk in wet room with a black rainfall shower, grab rail and a tiled niche
A level access walk in wet room with a black rainfall shower, grab rail and a tiled niche
A finished bathroom with a close coupled WC, a two drawer vanity unit and black fittings
A finished bathroom with a close coupled WC, a two drawer vanity unit and black fittings
The finished arch with its ceiling light, looking through into the tiled bathroom
The finished arch with its ceiling light, looking through into the tiled bathroom
A living room ceiling with a recessed feature panel, ceiling rose and downlights
A living room ceiling with a recessed feature panel, ceiling rose and downlights
The media wall close up: the marble effect panel and the curved bulkhead with its spotlights
The media wall close up: the marble effect panel and the curved bulkhead with its spotlights

Call us for your brickwork quote

A written quote, itemised, with no obligation.

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USEFUL TO KNOW

Brickwork questions

How do I know if my house needs repointing?

Mortar that is crumbling to the touch, joints that have receded well back from the brick face, or plant growth in the joints are the usual signs. Patches of it are normal on an old elevation and do not always mean the whole wall needs doing. What is worth avoiding is being told the whole house needs it when a sheltered elevation is perfectly sound.

Our house is stone, not brick. Is it the same?

No, and the difference matters. Stone generally needs a softer, lime based mortar, and the wrong hard mix on soft stone damages the face rather than the joint. Say the property is stone when you ring so the right thing is quoted and the right materials turn up.

Can you match the existing brick?

Often closely, sometimes not exactly, because bricks that were made locally a hundred years ago are frequently not made at all now. Where a match is not achievable you are told before anything is ordered and the options are discussed, including reclaimed brick.

Do you do garden and boundary walls?

Yes. They come up constantly and they are worth doing properly, because a boundary wall that has moved is usually moving for a reason at its base rather than at the top where it shows.

Often booked alongside

Groundworks and foundationsPlastering and skimmingGarden roomsAreas we cover

GET A PRICE

Tell us about your job

Three boxes and a photo if you have one. We price it in writing, with no obligation.

Goes straight to Andrew John. No obligation.

Where we work from

Based in Oldham, covering Greater Manchester.

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