Repointing is it as bad as I fear?

[BathDIY]

Had some repointing started late last year, the top half of the wall only as scaffolding up.

Builder supposed to be returning to complete from garage roof but have become concerned about how well the work has been done.

I noticed that after rain the repointed portions seem to be wetter in places, I started to wonder why more water was present just in these areas. Also, I noticed that some bits had been missed out.

On closer inspection, it seems that the racking out seems to be a little roughly done, shouldn't the whole mortar joint be racked out?

Can still see old mortar in places.

Is the repointing good enough?

I am planning on applying Stormdry to this wall (to help sort garage water ingress) but have become concerned that it won't work if repointing is poor.

 

[^woody^]

Yes, the finish and the raking out is crap.

If the wall does appear too wet after rain then the mix and/or the ironing (compacting) of the joint is crap too.

Water repellents rely on the grains of sand and pores of mortar being tightly bound.

 

[BathDIY]

Yes, the finish and the raking out is crap.

If the wall does appear too wet after rain then the mix and/or the ironing (compacting) of the joint is crap too.

Water repellents rely on the grains of sand and pores of mortar being tightly bound.

Woody thanks for letting me know.

It's not so much that the wall is wet I can see patchy areas of damp and dry in the repointed joints.

Trying to get the guy back to sort the work properly.

Am assuming the entire joint should be raked out down to a level of 10mm, then dust cleaned out. What else should I insist on to get the job redone correctly (i.e. Am not sure what mix he should have used, how do I ensure it's correctly compacted)?

Can you point me at something official that's difficult for him to argue against?

Also, should cracked bricks be removed (bear in mind we have lose-fill insulation with no adhesive added in, so it will fall out)?

 

[^woody^]

Any brickie worth hiring will know that joints are raked out to 20mm minimum, normally 25mm max. Knowing how to point is knowing how to clear the joint, dampen it, fill compact and iron the joint. You should see a smooth hard mark-free surface that looks solid not grainy.

The damp joint spots are likely voids full of water.

Lots of guides on the net from BRE or BDA or BS. Most require payment, but the relevant bits are often cited in free documents.

 

[BathDIY]

Thanks so much, Woody wish I could do heights and sort this myself.

Other than letter writing and trading standards, what other routes are open to me in terms of sorting out poor work like this without paying twice?

 

[^woody^]

The best way is to provide a specification to the builder. It does not have to be highly technical, it can be just very basic, a few lines or bullet points, and then the builder knows exactly what is expected from him and what he is being paid to do. Don't let them tell you what they want to do, you tell them what they have to do.

Sorting out existing poor work is down to speaking with the builder. If he has a clue he will know that it is wrong. If he has no clue, he will argue to the end of time that it is right, and unless he accepts that it is wrong it can be difficult to move forward.

There are scammers, builders who do poor work either knowingly or unknowingly, and those who just have no clue at all but may have good intentions. And then comes the issue of whether they will admit bad work or not. I'd suggest determining which type you have, because that dictates how to deal with them.

Otherwise it's potential court claims to jolly him along.

 

[lucius]

Bad job, as a rule off thumb the raking out should be a minimum one and a half times the width so in this case around 15mm.The pointing they have done is rough.

 

[BathDIY]

Well, the builder has been around and as feared its an agree to disagree situation. He has offered a refund, but this wouldn't include the cost of the scaffolding, so that leaves us in a bad situation cost-wise. Bearing in mind he was recommended and is used by 2 different people my wife works with, this is all a bit of a shock.

Can someone give me a rough steer on the price I should expect to pay a competent brickie to repoint the gable end excluding the garage?

Have tried to find a bricklayer, (asked on Facebook / asked a couple of friends) so far no joy, any suggestions on places I could try also and what should I be looking for (qualifications etc.)?

Given my current lack of funds (and difficulties finding a brickie) am now wondering if I should leave the work above 6" from the garage roof (my height) and redo the repointing down from this point myself. Is large scale repointing like this a task a DIYer should undertake, have done some small amounts of brickwork in the past (filing in garage window / replacing single bricks)?

 

[lucius]

Where is the job?

 

[BathDIY]

I'm in GL10 postcode.

 

[lucius]

To far for me ime afraid.

 

[BathDIY]

To far for me ime afraid.

Oh well, can you let me know what you consider to be a fair price for the work so I have something to go on?