To rake out and repoint an old Victorian garden wall recently we charged £50 per square metre.  We averaged about 5 metres each per day.  The wall was about 20 metres long and 2.5 metres high with buttresses.  Both sides needed pointing.

Any bricks that needed replacing were £10 each.

Cost the guy about £6,000!

Spot on Robbo

Pointing is a job most hated.  Those that do it well will never be idle and I see Robbo is that person.  If it is too shallow it crumbles and falls out, too deep it will take forever to complete just right it stays and works as pointing should and dispel water from the joint and ultimately the cavity.

Do as Robbo says and get them to show you how they intend to do it and the mix with which they intend to use.  If its too weak then it will fall out, too strong and it may crack the brickwork.  They will tell this from the scrapings.

No it aint a cheap job but done well it will last for years.

Just to explain the significance of pointing it is not just decorative.  It has several profiles; all but one is developed to dispel water as quickly as possibly from the joint where, if it were to permeate and freeze would crack the wall else get into the cavity and ultimately the inner leaf and into the house.  En-route it will allow the brick(s) to absorb water while it gently soaks its way through the outer leaf.  If your cavity has brick batt type insulation, then that may end up getting soaked and taking an age to dry out.

I am not going to include wasps that just need soft mortar for nest building and often decide to move in to your cavity cos its there and warm and dryish with a regular water supply.

Wyatt Earp, from Bodgit, Fukit and Scarper the cheapest builder in town wont know that but will still bill the same as if Robbo did it.  You chose!