Wall repair - opinions sought

[ChrisD]

I've just had this repair performed on a garden wall and I don't like it at all. Am I being too critical? All opinions sought - good, bad or indifferent, let me know. The wall is listed.

Thanks,
Chris.

 

[malcolm]

It's not very tidy. I hope lime mortar was used. If so it should still be possible to get some of the mortar off the stone by tapping (fairly hard) and then sweeping with a stiff brush. That will also recess the mortar a tiny bit, remove trowel marks and expose any aggregate in the mortar. This is the brush I use: http://www.homebase.co.uk/en/homebaseuk/homebase-masonry-cleaning-brush-520671 If it is in cement then it will be easier to chip off and do again before it has fully hardened.

The joints took too large and the mortar doesn't look like it is sloped at the top to allow run off.

 

[Flyfisher]

What is it that you don't particularly like?

One problem with repairing such an old wall is that the repaired section will look starkly pristine against the original parts, but it will hopefully 'weather in' over a few years. I've heard that a brushing down with diluted yoghurt will encourage moss regrowth, but am not sure if that's an old wives tale.

Having said all that, I agree with Malcolm that the mortar is rather untidy. It looks to me as if the job hasn't really been finished properly and needs, as Malcolm describes, a good brushing to smooth it all out.

I'm no great bricklayer but have rebuilt a section of similar wall myself and my mortar work looked much the same before brushing it all down for a neater finish, though only time will make it fully blend in with the original. Perhaps your brickie just forgot the final step?

 

[chuckey]

That looks like, what they call "brown sand" round here which is actually soft sand. Should be sharp sand. Its really worth looking out for a source of white sand, Wickes sand down south is the colour of custard. Just go over the stones with a wire brush and brick cleaner.
Frank

 

[plasticpigeon]

The end doesn't look plumb and the joints look rather large. A brushing down would improve it, but I think it could be better. What do I know though!?

 

[Lime]

Think the technical term is a bl**dy mess.

 

[MatthewC]

That work does not look very professional! It's no better (and possibly worse) than my efforts. If it is lime then, as above, a decent hard brushing would make it look better, but I hope it's not too late! If it's not lime then you had the wrong contractor.

 

[ChrisD]

Thanks for the replies. As I think you all suspected, the mortar is cement based and now harder than the stone that it encases.

My objections are: Use of inappropriate materials; aesthetics - the poorly done, brown mortar looks awful; the wide joints are really only there because not enough stone was used; the construction method is not in keeping with the rest of the wall and no attempt has been made to look at nor understand the construction of the wall and execute a decent repair accordingly.

This picture is of a section of the wall a bit further along and shows how it should look.

It is not a 'dry stone' wall but it is constructed similar to many walls here (including the main house), coursed blue lias with rubble/mortar infill. The rest of the wall is open jointed, it may have had lime mortar pointing at some time but probably not.

A council worker deliberately cut off the end the wall for access and this is their attempt to put right the damage. I think they've made it worse but unfortunately its going to have to stay like this now. Hopefully the vegetation will disguise it a bit in a few decades time. Yes, these are the same people that are in charge of protecting our built heritage.

 

[Roger H]

Hi Chris.

It looks dreadful - and presumably nothing like the original if your photos are indicative. Why can't you get them to redo it in a professional manner? Is the house listed? - If so, no way would that work constitute a repair, and therefore pp would be required.

 

[Penners]

I echo what others have said (particularly Lime!). It's an extremely unsympathetic and poorly carried out repair, and if cement mortar was used for the grossly over-thick joints it's quite likely to be detrimental to the structure. It looks as though the remainder of the wall is dry stone - or at least the modern equivalent of it which has an invisible mortared dross core, so the thickly mortared joints of the new pier look awful against the original. The original "cock-and-hen" was much more tidily placed, and without mortar (although slim, nicely struck-off mortar joints would, in my view, be acceptable on this pier, to stabilise the cock-and-hen).

However (and forgive me if the following is bleedin' obvious), before you loose both barrels at the builder, you need to be honest with yourself about how much of a brief you gave him. If you just told him to rebuild the pier, then it's going to be difficult to criticise the fact that he did it "the way I always do it". However, if you gave him detailed instructions and he has not followed them, then you have a valid cause for complaint.

 

[Penners]

I've heard that a brushing down with diluted yoghurt will encourage moss regrowth, but am not sure if that's an old wives tale.

My old wife advocates that, as do I! You can also encourage "weathering/maturing" with a dilute wash of a well-known bovine product.

 

[doubledevondream]

As most other contributors have said, "What a dog`s dinner!" I won`t add any more criticism, I think you should go now to remedial action. You say the wall is listed, as it should be, it`s a good piece of work, so get in touch with your local council. In fact you should already be; as soon as the first dork damaged it and before the next dork came to repair it! The conservation officer should have been overseeing it; they all work for the same authority! Maybe suggest to the C.O. that their in-house team go on a conservation building course.
I find it really depressing that tradesmen of such low standards are tolerated, especially by a local authority.

 

[masochists-r-us]

Appalling. Send the photo to your Conservation Officer. Surely, he/she will be duty bound to take action.

 

[CliffordPope]

It looks completely wrong having thin upright stones right to the end. A proper wall should look as if the mortar is just an incidental filler, not the sole means of holding it together.
Surely there should either be a large stone on the end, like a book-end, or else a stack of horizontal thinner stones?

Why didn't the builder just copy the style of the rest of the wall?

 

[MatthewC]

You say the wall is listed

Where was that said by the OP? I can't find it.

 

[mims&pip]

The wall is listed.

Thanks,
Chris.

There you go, Matthew

 

[steveb]

looks like it's listed a bit to the right...

 

[SilverSaloon]

i dont think it looks good.

done a fair bit of stonework on my sandstone house now and never done it before but mine looks 100% better than that (IMHO of course!).

 

[YEWStuart]

You say the wall is listed

Where was that said by the OP? I can't find it.

At the end of the sentence in the first post.

 

[Penners]

Chris - what's the latest news about this wall? Have you made any progress?