West facing wall in need of TLC

[Anonymous]

I'd like some advice please.

Just bought a detached Edwardian house. The rear wall faces west and has undergone a combination of neglect and misinformed 'repair' over the last few years.

Much of the wall requires repointing. The previous owner applied a silicone sealant to the face of the wall some years ago. Given that this will seal in moisture, is it more important than ever to repoint using a lime based mortar to allow the wall to breathe? And can anyone furnish us with an 'idiot's guide' to repointing?

Also, our surveyor recommends revealing the wall ties to assess condition. As competent DIYers is this something we could do ourselves?

 

[Anonymous]

I assume that this is a cavity wall - otherwise you wouldn't have wall ties.

I cannot give any advce on those; however, with regard to pointing, I'd still repoint, even though the wall has been coated in silicone seal (which is NOT a good idea for the long term life of brick) with lime. This will help the bricks to shed water without the damaging effects of cement. Cement itself can cause damage in the long term. That of course supposes it isn't already cement pointed and that you can get that off without damage.

An Idiot's Gude: Jane Schofield's little book on lime - see SPAB advice and publications. A fiver - a snip!


http://www.spab.org.uk