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.
We arrange brickwork and repointing for homeowners in Truro and the wider Cornwall. The job is planned, priced and managed by us and carried out by tradespeople engaged under our contract, so there is one agreement and one contact. On a typical home the work takes 3–10 days for a typical house, and guide pricing in the South West is £2,600–£6,100, VAT included.
- Guide price
- £2,600–£6,100 inc VAT
- Time on site
- 3–10 days for a typical house
- Postcodes
- TR1
- Planning rules
- England
- Local area
- Cornwall
- Survey
- Free, with a written quote
What should you budget for brickwork and repointing in Truro?
These are guide costs, not quotes. For brickwork and repointing in Truro the range is £2,600–£6,100, VAT included, reflecting prices in the South West that are about 2% above the national guide. Once we have visited for a free survey, you get a firm figure for the scope you approve.
| Type of job | What it usually involves | Guide in Truro |
|---|---|---|
| Chimney or small area | Repointing a chimney stack, gable or single wall, including access. | £600–£1,850 |
| Typical semi-detached | Repointing the main elevations of a 3-bed semi, including scaffolding. | £2,600–£6,100 |
| Detached or lime work | Larger houses, or period homes repointed in lime with brick repairs. | £5,100–£10,000 |
Your price depends mostly on:
- 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
- Mortar mixed to suit the wall, in lime or cement
- Colour and joint style matched as closely as possible
- Replacement of spalled or cracked bricks
- Clean-down of brick faces after pointing
Local housing and brickwork and repointing
Older Cornish homes are often built of granite or slatey local stone, with slate roofs and sometimes slate-hung walls facing the weather. Cob cottages survive in places, Truro and Falmouth keep Georgian and Victorian streets, and many towns have rendered post-war houses, bungalows and newer estates on their edges.
Stone and cob properties often need breathable lime render, careful repointing and roof repairs. Post-war and newer homes commonly benefit from new windows, roofline renewal, external rendering and single-storey extensions.
None of this holds for every street in Truro, which is why we look at your actual house before pricing brickwork and repointing rather than assuming from its age alone.
Planning and building rules in Truro
Truro is in England, so the planning and building rules set out below are the ones that apply. We confirm the details with the council before we quote.
Repointing and repairing brickwork with matching materials is maintenance, so it does not need planning permission in England. On a listed building, work that affects its character, including a change of mortar or brick, may need listed building consent.
Building Regulations do not normally apply to repointing or brick repairs, but rebuilding a wall, chimney or structural section can need building control involvement.
Rules change and every property is different, so we check the planning history and constraints for your address before we quote.
The four stages
Free site survey
It starts with a survey at the property, free of charge. We check condition, access and services, ask how you want the finished result to look, and answer any questions you have about brickwork and repointing.
Written quote
We turn the survey notes into a written quote. The price is fixed for the specification we agree, and the document sets out materials, scope and payment stages in plain language.
Booking the work
With the quote agreed, we book the work in and handle preparation: permissions where needed, building control notifications, material orders and access arrangements for your Truro property.
Finish and handover
During the work we protect the areas around it and tidy up at the end of each day. Once complete, we check the finish, remove our materials and hand over paperwork such as building control sign-off where it applies.
How we work
Common questions
How do I know if my house needs repointing?
A house needs repointing when the mortar between bricks is crumbling, recessed well behind the brick face, cracked or missing. You may be able to scrape it out with a key. Damp patches inside, especially on exposed walls, and plants growing in joints are other signs. Patches of failed mortar can be repointed on their own, but widespread decay usually means a full elevation.
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.
Is the price fixed?
Yes, for the specification we agree. Your written quote sets out exactly what is included at a fixed price. It only changes if you ask for something different, or if a problem the survey could not reasonably reveal later needs extra work. In either case we explain the change and confirm it in writing before going ahead.
How much does repointing a house cost?
Repointing a typical 3-bed semi costs £2,600–£6,100, 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.
Do I need planning permission in Truro?
It depends on the work, the size of the project, your property type and whether the building is listed or in a conservation area. Truro is in England, so England's rules apply. Many smaller jobs need no planning application, but some still need building control approval. We check what applies to your address before quoting.
Near Truro
Addresses in TR1 are all covered for Truro, along with Falmouth, Redruth and Newquay close by. Give us your postcode when you get in touch and we will confirm the details.