Scotland · Building Works

Brickwork and repointing in Angus and Dundee

Typical time on site: 3–10 days for a typical house. Guide price in Angus and Dundee: £2,400–£5,800 including VAT.

Close-up of freshly repointed red brickwork

Free survey in Angus and Dundee

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Repointing is raking out old, crumbling mortar from between bricks and replacing it with fresh mortar, sealing the joints against rain and protecting the wall; brickwork repairs replace spalled or cracked bricks and rebuild damaged sections.

Angus and Dundee is part of our UK-wide coverage for brickwork and repointing. Places we cover include Dundee, Arbroath, Forfar and Carnoustie, and we travel to smaller communities across the area as well. Since your property is in Scotland, the relevant planning and building rules are the ones set there. In Scotland, budget around £2,400–£5,800 with VAT; the figure is confirmed after a survey that costs you nothing.

Guide price
£2,400–£5,800 inc VAT
Time on site
3–10 days for a typical house
Planning rules
Scotland
Price level
About 4% below the national guide
Towns listed
4
Survey
Free, with a written quote

How much does brickwork and repointing cost in Angus and Dundee?

Budgeting for brickwork and repointing in Angus and Dundee? The numbers below include VAT and are adjusted for Scotland, where costs are about 4% below the national guide. The headline range is £2,400–£5,800. Nothing is final until we have measured up at a free survey and agreed the specification with you.

Type of jobWhat it usually involvesGuide in Angus and Dundee
Chimney or small areaRepointing a chimney stack, gable or single wall, including access.£600–£1,750
Typical semi-detachedRepointing the main elevations of a 3-bed semi, including scaffolding.£2,400–£5,800
Detached or lime workLarger houses, or period homes repointed in lime with brick repairs.£4,800–£9,600

What moves the price up or down:

  • Wall area to repoint and the height of the house
  • Mortar type: cement or lime, and joint style
  • Number of bricks to replace and how well they match
  • Scaffolding and access, including chimneys

What do you get?

  • Survey of mortar, bricks, cracks and the cause of any damp
  • Scaffolding or access towers where needed
  • Raking out old mortar to the correct depth
  • Replacement of spalled or cracked bricks
  • Clean-down of brick faces after pointing
  • Waste removal and a tidy site
Patch repointingRepointing only the worst areas, such as a chimney, gable or around a downpipe.
Full elevation repointingRepointing an entire wall or the whole house for a uniform, weathertight finish.
Lime repointingBreathable lime mortar for older, solid-walled homes built with soft bricks.
Garden walls and piersNew or rebuilt garden walls, piers and boundary walls on proper foundations.

Housing across Angus and Dundee

Dundee has sandstone tenements and terraces, Victorian villas in Broughty Ferry and the West End, and extensive post-war housing. Angus towns such as Arbroath, Forfar, Montrose and Brechin use local red sandstone, and harled cottages and farmhouses are common in the countryside.

Tenement flats often need window replacement and internal refits, and houses commonly take extensions and loft conversions. Sandstone buildings need careful repointing and stone repairs, and harled cottages need breathable render.

Relatively dry for Scotland, but cold easterly winds and frosts are common, and coastal towns face salt and haar.

Do you need permission in Angus and Dundee?

As Angus and Dundee is in Scotland, read the following with that system of planning and building control in mind. We check what applies to your house with the council before you receive a quote.

In Scotland, repointing and like-for-like masonry repairs are maintenance; listed buildings and conservation areas may need consent if materials or appearance change.

A building warrant is not normally needed for repointing; structural rebuilding of walls or chimneys can need one.

Rules change and every property is different, so we check the planning history and constraints for your address before we quote.

How does the job run?

  1. Free site survey

    Book a visit and we'll come to you. The survey covers measurements, the state of what's there now and any obvious constraints, so the price that follows is based on your actual home, not an average.

  2. Quote in writing

    Next you receive a written quote with a fixed price for the agreed specification. It lists what is included, what is not, and how payments are staged, so you can compare it properly.

  3. Booking the work

    We handle the paperwork side: checking whether planning permission or building control approval is needed, submitting applications where they are, and scheduling the trades and materials around your dates.

  4. The work itself

    On site, the agreed plan is followed and any change is put in writing first. At completion we do a final clean, go through the snagging list with you and leave you with the relevant documents.

What you can expect from us

Permissions checked firstWe check whether planning permission or building control approval is needed for your property, and handle applications and notices where they apply.
Changes agreed in writingIf something needs to change once work is under way, we explain why and confirm the cost or saving in writing before carrying on.
Plain-English adviceWe explain options, materials and trade-offs without jargon, so you can make decisions about your home with a clear picture of what each choice means.
Certified where requiredElectrical, gas and other notifiable work is carried out by suitably registered people, and you receive the relevant certificates when it is finished.

Frequently asked questions

Should my house be repointed with lime or cement?

Houses built before about the 1920s were usually built with soft bricks and lime mortar, and should normally be repointed in lime. Hard cement mortar in these walls traps moisture and can cause the brick faces to crumble. Newer homes built with cement mortar are usually repointed in a similar mix. We check your wall construction before recommending a mortar.

What causes bricks to crumble?

Bricks usually crumble, or spall, when water gets into them and turns to ice, pushing the face off. This is often caused by hard cement mortar or impermeable paint trapping moisture in soft bricks, or by leaking gutters soaking the wall. Damaged bricks can be cut out and replaced with matching ones, or turned round if the back face is sound. We fix the cause at the same time.

How long will brickwork and repointing take?

On a typical home, allow 3–10 days for a typical house. Larger projects, older buildings and extra work found once things are opened up can extend that, while simpler jobs may be shorter. Your quote includes an estimate of time on site, and your point of contact keeps you updated on the programme as the work progresses.

How much does repointing a house cost?

Repointing a typical 3-bed semi costs £2,400–£5,800, including scaffolding. As a guide, allow roughly £25–£55 per square metre of wall plus fixed costs for access and set-up. Chimney stacks, lime mortar and brick replacement add cost, while repointing a single elevation costs less. We confirm a fixed price after inspecting your walls.

Can you combine brickwork and repointing with other work?

Yes. Because we manage several trades under one contract, we can plan brickwork and repointing alongside other work on your Angus and Dundee home, such as new windows with rendering, or a kitchen refit with an extension. Combining jobs can reduce repeat set-up such as scaffolding, skips and access, and every element is listed and priced in the same written quote.

Towns in Angus and Dundee

Choose your town from the list to see how we price and plan brickwork and repointing in your part of Angus and Dundee, including typical time on site.

Ready for a written price?

Request your free survey for brickwork and repointing in Angus and Dundee. Once we've seen the property, we'll send a written price, fixed for the work as specified, with no obligation.

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