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.
Whatever type of house you own in Kelso, we start by looking at how brickwork and repointing would fit it rather than offering a standard package. We cover TD5 and neighbouring places such as Galashiels, Hawick and Peebles. One named person looks after you from survey to handover, and nothing is booked until you hold our figure in writing, fixed for the work described.
- Guide price
- £2,400–£5,800 inc VAT
- Time on site
- 3–10 days for a typical house
- Postcodes
- TD5
- Planning rules
- Scotland
- Local area
- The Scottish Borders
- Survey
- Free, with a written quote
Brickwork and repointing prices in Kelso
Below is a breakdown of typical costs for brickwork and repointing in Kelso. Because rates in Scotland are about 4% below the national guide, the overall guide comes to £2,400–£5,800, including VAT. Size, materials and access move the figure, and a free-of-charge survey settles it.
| Type of job | What it usually involves | Guide in Kelso |
|---|---|---|
| Chimney or small area | Repointing a chimney stack, gable or single wall, including access. | £600–£1,750 |
| Typical semi-detached | Repointing the main elevations of a 3-bed semi, including scaffolding. | £2,400–£5,800 |
| Detached or lime work | Larger 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
- Condition of the existing mortar and how hard it is to remove
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
Homes in Scottish Borders
Mill towns such as Hawick, Galashiels and Selkirk have stone terraces and tenements from the textile industry, Melrose and Kelso have older sandstone centres, and farmhouses and cottages across the Borders are built of whinstone or sandstone under slate roofs. Post-war and newer estates surround the larger towns.
Mill-town terraces and tenements often need lime repointing, re-roofing in slate and replacement windows. Newer homes commonly take extensions and garage conversions, and rural properties add fencing, porches and driveways.
That mix of housing shapes how we approach brickwork and repointing in Kelso: the age and construction of your home affect the materials, the method and, in the end, the price.
Permissions for brickwork and repointing in Kelso
Homes in Kelso come under the regulations for Scotland, summarised below. We don't rely on general rules alone: we confirm the position for your address with the council before a quote goes out.
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.
The four stages
Free site survey
We begin by looking at the job in person. During the free survey we discuss options, materials and budget for brickwork and repointing, and photograph or measure anything the quote needs to reflect.
Price and scope agreed
The quote arrives in writing, not over the phone. It covers the full scope, the finishes you've chosen, any exclusions and the payment schedule, with a fixed price tied to that specification.
Plan and prepare
Preparation matters as much as the build. We agree access, parking and working hours with you, order materials in good time, and confirm any permissions so the job isn't held up once it starts.
The work itself
Our trades complete brickwork and repointing while your point of contact keeps you updated. When everything is finished, we clear the site, take away waste and go through the result with you before handover.
Why homeowners choose us
Questions about brickwork and repointing in Kelso
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.
Do you cover Galashiels, Hawick and Peebles?
Yes. As well as Kelso, we cover Galashiels, Hawick and Peebles and the rest of Scottish Borders. Our coverage is UK-wide, so the process is the same wherever you are: a free site survey, a quote in writing that fixes the price for the agreed scope, and one point of contact while the work is planned and carried out.
Will repointing cure damp?
Repointing can stop damp caused by rain getting through failed mortar joints, which is common on exposed walls. It will not fix damp from leaking gutters, a bridged damp-proof course, condensation or high ground levels against the wall. We look for the cause during the survey and recommend fixing that, so repointing is not done for the wrong reason.
Is repointing messy or noisy?
Raking out old mortar is noisy and dusty, especially when power tools are used on hard mortar. We sheet scaffolding to contain dust, keep windows closed nearby and clear up at the end of each day. The noisy phase moves around the house elevation by elevation. Inside, you may notice some dust on windowsills, so it helps to keep windows shut.
Which postcodes in Kelso do you cover?
We cover TD5, along with the rest of Scottish Borders. If your postcode is not listed, get in touch anyway: our coverage is UK-wide, and we can usually arrange a survey wherever you live. Enter your postcode in the guide-price tool or contact form and we will confirm.
Near Kelso
If your address falls within TD5, we cover it. The same goes for neighbouring Galashiels, Hawick and Peebles, which we include alongside Kelso when arranging surveys and quotes.