100 yr old railway cottage - brick repairs

[shelli]

Hi All

This is a question for those of you who know about bricks. A friend of mine's small terraced brick cottage is in need of some exterior repairs. It was built when the railway came through, probably 100 yrs ago or so.

Here are some pictures of the area in question - it is at the rear of the property, there has been some bodging with cement render in the recent past before she bought the house.

She thinks that the damage has been caused by a leaking down pipe or guttering over time in all seasons (freezing thawing expanding contracting etc)

She was getting quotes from a firm to paint something called Geocel onto the bricks (silicon based product) to make watertight - I asked her to hang on until I'd taken soundings from you guys

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[shelli]

2 more pics
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[skier-hughes]

That's some bad bodging.

I'd get a proper guy in to remove affected bricks and repoint where neccessary, far better and will make the place look really nice.

 

[shelli]

thanks Graham

Bricks are soft right? and cement is hard? - so what, chisel out affected bricks, replace with new (better quality ones) and repoint with Lime?

Are the worst looking bricks kn*ckered from what you can see?

sounds labour intensive (?) - she is overseas and I will be managing/overseeing it for her - dont want to do the wrong thing by her

 

[Moo]

Has she given you permission to do something about the windows, while you're at it?

 

[skier-hughes]

Compared to a lot of my bricks they are in pretty good condition.
From those pictures, I'd change the three at the top right of the window, plus one or two others higher up.
The window also looks like it may have cement at the top, which would need removing and replacing.
The bricks behind the cement are most likely totally shot, so quite some work there.
Quite a bit of repointing to do, but on the whole it looks good.

Time consuming to do well, but not hard for a proper brickie.

What's the outlet to the right of those three bricks I mentioned earlier?

 

[Gervase]

Horibly bodged!
Judging by the bond it's not a cavity wall, so getting those header bricks out will be tricky - best to break off the face and use a piece sawn from a similar brick as a cosmetic repair, while repointing the whole caboodle in lime. As said earlier, it's a fiddly job, but well within the scope of a good brickie.
Avoid any miracle paint-on solution like the plague!

 

[shelli]

Has she given you permission to do something about the windows, while you're at it?

nope - unfortunately
they were there when she bought it - the front ones are really nasty (with fake leading)

 

[shelli]

Thankyou Gervase and Graham for your thoughts.

Graham - the pipe to the right of the window is the cooker hood extractor. It needs capping ideally but runs at a downward angle so no water can get in.

I will get some quotes from brickies who will repoint in lime - Piper mentioned Ducketts locally

We don't have much brick round here - except on railway sidings.

Thanks again
Shelli

 

[Moo]

What sort of budget has she given you? Is there any chance of squeezing in the odd replacement window?

 

[shelli]

What sort of budget has she given you? Is there any chance of squeezing in the odd replacement window?

Moo, you are clearly window obsessive !! :wink:

I know they're ghastly, you know they're ghastly, she knows they're ghastly, the tenants that live there however quite like the way they keep the rain and wind out of the house!!

Shelli x

 

[Gervase]

...the tenants that live there however quite like the way they keep the rain and wind out of the house!!

A novel use for windows! :wink:
I wonder if they've ever thought that nice wooden ones can do just that!