Repointing and lime mortar work, done properly.

Houses built before about 1930 were built with lime mortar, and lime is what should go back into them. Lime is softer than the brick around it, so the wall can breathe and the mortar takes the damage rather than the brickwork.

Modern cement does the opposite. It seals the wall, holds the moisture in, and the face of the brick eventually blows off. On an old house that is expensive to put right.

I work in lime on brick, stone and flint, including listed buildings, and I match the mix and the finish to what is already there.

Chimneys take the worst of the weather, so they are usually the first thing to go. Once the joints are open, water runs down inside the stack and turns up as a damp patch in the bedroom.

I rake the old joints out properly and repoint with a mix matched to the existing mortar and brick, so the finished wall looks like the rest of the house rather than a repair. Full elevations, single walls, garden walls and stacks.

Weeds pushing up through the joints, slabs rocking underfoot, sand washing out every time it rains. Once the pointing between slabs goes, the bedding underneath starts moving as well.

I repoint patios, paths and driveways so the joints hold, the slabs sit still and the weeds stay out.