How to Price a Repointing Job in the UK

To price a repointing job, measure the area that genuinely needs work, inspect the condition of the mortar and masonry, estimate the time needed to rake out and repoint the joints, and calculate materials, access and other job costs. Add your share of business overheads, a sensible allowance for identified risks and your markup. The result should be a price you can explain and a quotation that states exactly what the customer is getting.

The wall area is only the starting point. Forty square metres of accessible, soft mortar is a different job from forty square metres of hard cement pointing on fragile old brickwork. That difference needs to appear in your labour allowance, not just in the description of the work.

1. Inspect the Wall Before Putting a Price on It

Start with a site visit rather than a price-per-square-metre figure. Record which elevations and sections need attention, take photographs and note the condition of the joints. Look for loose or missing mortar, damaged bricks or stone, cracks, moisture problems and areas previously repaired with a different material.

Don't assume the whole wall needs repointing. On older buildings, sound historic mortar should normally be left in place. Unnecessary removal can damage masonry and discard useful evidence of the building's history. Historic England's guidance on repointing and the SPAB's repointing advice both emphasise assessing the actual need before starting.

Also establish:

• Existing mortar: Is it reasonably soft, very hard, loose or patchy? How difficult will removal be?
• Masonry condition: Are brick edges fragile, or will individual bricks or stones need separate repair?
• Joint dimensions and finish: What removal depth and finished profile are appropriate for the masonry and specification?
• Access: Are there conservatories, narrow passages, sloping ground, extensions or neighbouring property to work around?
• Protection and cleaning: What needs covering, and how will dust, debris and runoff be controlled?

Where appropriate and authorised, a small trial area can help establish the safest removal method, likely labour time and suitable finish. If hard cement pointing cannot be removed without damaging historic masonry, the correct solution may be to reconsider the proposed work, not simply charge more to force it out. SPAB explains this distinction.

Repointing cannot, on its own, correct structural movement, defective rainwater goods or every cause of damp. Identify concerns that need investigating rather than silently including them in a fixed price.

2. Measure the Repointing Area Properly

Measure each wall section in metres and calculate:

Wall area (m²) = width (m) × height (m)

For a straightforward example, suppose an elevation is 10 m wide and 5 m high. That is 50 m² gross. If the windows and doors have a combined area of 10 m², the main face measures 40 m² net.

That does not automatically mean the job is a simple 40 m². Reveals, returns, arches, decorative brickwork, awkward corners and small patches can take disproportionately long. Measure or allow for them separately. Be consistent about what you deduct: a small opening may save little time once its surrounding joints and edges are accounted for.

Record the measured quantity and the labour assumptions separately. A price per m² is useful for checking your quote, but it should not be the only way you calculate it.

3. Calculate Mortar Quantities and Labour

Estimating mortar

Mortar consumption depends on the total length of joints, joint width, depth of removal and the amount wasted during mixing and application. In principle:

Finished mortar volume = total joint length × average joint width × filled depth

Use metres for every dimension so the result is in cubic metres. Joint dimensions vary, so a representative measured patch and the chosen mortar supplier's yield information are more reliable than a universal bags-per-square-metre figure.

For example, assume a representative patch indicates that the specified joints need 3 litres of finished mortar per m²:

You could round that up to 0.14 m³ for purchasing calculations, then use the actual product's declared yield and pack size to work out how many bags or how much site-mixed material to buy. The 3 litres per m² and 15% allowance are examples, not typical UK rates; site measurements and the product specification take precedence.

Estimating labour

Break the work into the tasks that consume time: setting up and protecting the site, removing old mortar, cleaning and preparing joints, mixing, placing and finishing new mortar, protecting the work while it cures, and clearing away.

If you have records from comparable jobs, use the actual hours or person-days achieved. Otherwise, take care not to assume the same daily output on every wall. Hard pointing, narrow joints, fragile faces and detailed work around openings can change productivity substantially.

Remember that six person-days might mean one person working for six days or two people working for three days. Neither arrangement necessarily describes the full elapsed programme, which may also include scaffold installation, curing, inspections and return visits.

Include dust and safe access in the cost

Raking out mortar can produce hazardous silica dust, particularly when using powered tools. Your allowance needs to reflect the appropriate working method, dust extraction, respiratory protection and cleaning arrangements. The Health and Safety Executive's guidance on raking mortar sets out relevant controls.

Work at height also needs to be planned and carried out using suitable access equipment. Do not treat scaffold hire as an optional extra after agreeing the job price; use the HSE's work-at-height guidance when assessing the work.

4. How Lime Mortar Changes a Repointing Quote

Mortar choice is not simply a question of comparing the price of a bag of lime with a bag of cement. The material must suit the masonry and the agreed specification. For some older, softer masonry, overly hard or incompatible pointing can contribute to damage; for other buildings, a different mortar may be appropriate. SPAB's technical advice gives useful context for traditional construction.

When costing lime repointing, consider whether the specification calls for particular mixing methods, mortar preparation, sample panels, protection from rapid drying or frost, and additional curing attention. These can affect the number of site visits and the period for which protection or scaffolding is needed.

Similarly, allow for the time needed to match an existing colour, texture and joint profile. If the finish is important, include a sample area and obtain the customer's or specifier's agreement before pricing the remainder as routine production work.

Listed buildings: Do not assume repointing is automatically exempt from consent because it is described as a repair. In England, listed building consent may be required where work affects a building's special architectural or historic interest; requirements differ across the UK. Check the relevant local authority or conservation officer and establish who will obtain any required approvals before work starts. See GOV.UK's historic environment guidance.

5. Build the Job Cost Before Adding Markup

A workable estimate groups costs so that nothing disappears inside an optimistic day rate:

Avoid double-counting overheads. If your internal labour cost already includes an overhead recovery allowance, don't add the same expense again as a separate percentage.

A contingency is an internal pricing allowance, not permission to charge the customer extra later. Any additional work or variation should be handled under the quotation's agreed terms and properly authorised.

Markup is not profit margin

Markup is measured against cost; margin is measured against selling price. If your cost base is £100 and you apply 20% markup, the selling price is £120. The difference, £20, is 16.7% of the selling price before considering whether every cost has been allowed for accurately.

Selling price before VAT = cost base × (1 + markup percentage)

Keep the calculation consistent. Your job-cost sheet may show more detail than the customer-facing quote, but your selling price should recover the expenses you expect to incur.

For a broader explanation of labour costs, overheads and profit, see our guide on how to price a building job.

6. Worked Example: A 40 m² Repointing Quote

Here is a complete illustrative example, not a UK average or a recommended rate. Assume the contractor has inspected one elevation, measured 40 m² of net repointing, agreed the mortar specification, allowed for difficult work around openings and excluded brick replacement and structural repairs.

The working assumptions are six person-days, around 0.14 m³ of finished mortar including the illustrative allowance above, and scaffold access for the agreed programme. All example cost allowances are hypothetical. For simplicity, costs below are treated as excluding any recoverable input VAT for a VAT-registered contractor.

The equivalent selling price is £93.60 per m² before VAT (£3,744 ÷ 40 m²). That is a sense-check for this particular scope, including its scaffold and other allowances—not a rate to copy onto the next job.

The quote does not need to reveal every element of your internal costing. It does, however, need to state the agreed work and a clear customer price.

Apply VAT correctly

For a VAT-registered contractor supplying ordinary repointing repairs to a domestic customer, the standard 20% VAT rate will generally apply. HMRC explicitly treats repointing as repair or maintenance; listed status by itself does not make it zero-rated. Special circumstances can change treatment, so check the actual supply against HMRC's VAT Notice 708.

If you are not VAT-registered, do not simply add the example's 20% VAT line to your quote. You also need to cost purchases appropriately for your business's VAT position. Subcontractors supplying other construction businesses may need to consider the construction VAT reverse charge, rather than copy the domestic-customer example.

7. What to Put in the Customer's Repointing Quotation

The costing tells you what to charge. The written quote tells the customer what you have agreed to deliver. At minimum, make these points clear:

• Location and quantity: Which elevations or patches are included, and the measured area or other agreed quantities.
• Preparation and specification: Joint removal and preparation, mortar type or approved specification, joint finish, and any sample area.
• Access and protection: Who supplies scaffolding, what is protected, and any necessary access through neighbouring property.
• Inclusions and exclusions: Cleaning and waste disposal, plus exclusions such as brick replacement, structural repairs or unexpected substrate damage.
• Timing and payment: Expected start and duration, weather or curing limitations, payment stages and any deposit.
• Price and validity: The customer total, VAT treatment, quote date and the period for which the price is offered.
• Changes: How hidden defects and additional work will be priced and agreed before proceeding.

Make exclusions conspicuous. A customer should not have to guess whether the quote covers replacing broken bricks or repairing a leaking gutter that contributed to the deterioration.

If important details remain uncertain, our guide explains when to give a quote or an estimate.

For a wider guide to laying out the customer document, see our guide to writing a professional building quote.

8. Common Mistakes That Make Repointing Jobs Unprofitable

Pricing entirely by area. Two walls with the same square metreage can need very different levels of preparation and access. Build costs from the scope first, then calculate your per-m² figure as a check.

Underestimating mortar removal. Hard patches, delicate brick arrises and awkward joints can consume more time and wear out tools faster than anticipated. A trial area can reduce uncertainty before you commit to a fixed price.

Forgetting the programme beyond pointing. Mortar protection, scaffold hire, return visits and weather delays can all matter. Account for the likely attendance and hire periods rather than counting only days spent filling joints.

Leaving additional work undefined. If you encounter loose bricks, structural cracks or hidden damage, photograph the issue, agree the next step with the customer and document any variation before continuing.

Confusing an allowance with actual profit. Check completed jobs against your estimates. The useful records are labour days, material quantities, hire duration and costs you did not anticipate; they improve the next quotation far more than a generic national average.

Final Check Before Sending Your Quote

A good repointing price starts with the wall, not a rate card. Measure only the work needed, establish a suitable specification and realistic working method, cost labour and access properly, then apply your overheads and markup. Before sending the quote, read its scope and exclusions as though you were the customer.

Quote Forge helps UK tradespeople turn their own figures into itemised quotations, calculate totals and VAT, and save and generate PDFs. Once you've worked out the repointing costs, you can use it to prepare a clear quote for the customer.