Crumbly mortar and damaged brickwork advice for 1970's extension All manner of questions and solutions to problems and issues surrounding the subject of brickwork, blockwork and stonework

[ChrisR99]

Hi all,

My apologies if this is a repeated article - I could not find anything similar... For a long time we have had a small section of damaged brickwork (see photo link) on a small section of an extension room built in the 1970s. We have no idea how it happened but can only guess it's something to do with the extremely crumbly mortar around that area. I was doing some gardening in that area and wondered if it was an issue that should be resolved by re-pointing or is it a bigger problem? I don't know how much you can see on the photo but the bricks do cave in a little bit as well as the crumbled mortar. Sorry I had to put a link to the photos rather than post a photo - The photos from my camera were too big.

Photos:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/6f1ghavmiimd8 ... 7.JPG?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/wp4ulj3t7tzfl ... 6.JPG?dl=0

Many thanks, Chris

[stuart45]

Not really a serious problem. Looks like the ground level was higher at some point and the brickwork below the better quality facework was not intended to be showing.
It sometimes happens on site that a split brick is used, or the brickwork overhangs slightly when it's corrected getting to were it shows.
Not really the best planning with the footing brickwork, but if you dug down on a lot of properties you may find similar things.
You could try and point it up to make it look a bit better, although it's always going to look a bit rough.

[stuart45]

Forgot to mention that if I'd ended up with a split to get the right level at DPC, I'd probably have got it backfilled a bit quick to the bottom of the facework, so that might have pushed in some of the green brickwork a bit.

[ChrisR99]

Hi, Thanks for the quick response. Thats good it's not a big issue! I dont believe it was all covered over but some certainly was in past years by a grass garden which I forgot about! Is there any way that the bricks could be 'pulled' out again and re-pointed or is is just best to leave them and repoint them as they are? This wall faces the public footpath and is quite visible so I'd rather it look neat and tidy...

Many thanks, Chris

[stuart45]

If it's just those few in the photo you can take them out and relay them and repoint the rest. Probably best for you to cut out the bed joints with a drill and ease the bricks out. Once you get one out the rest get easier.