Bricklaying in Rockbourne

Flint and brick, pointed to the flint. The chequer and banded walls in Rockbourne are flint set in a lime mortar with brick at the quoins, the lacing courses and the openings, and the flint is doing almost nothing structurally on its own.

It is the mortar that holds the wall together, so when it washes back the flints loosen and then drop. We rake the joints out by hand and point back in an NHL lime matched for sand, colour and texture, brought up around each flint rather than smeared flush across the face, because a flush skim over flint is what makes an old wall look like a concrete one.

The brick in Rockbourne is soft and handmade, and where it has been repointed in sand and cement the damage shows in the brick, not the joint. A hard joint stops a solid wall breathing, so the moisture leaves through the face and pushes it off. Cutting that cement out without damaging what is left is slow, patient work.

Plinths, and the wet end of a wall. Several buildings in Rockbourne are cob or chalk sitting on a brick or flint plinth, and the plinth exists to keep the earth wall clear of the splash line. Once it loses its mortar, water gets behind it and the wall above starts to go. Rebuilding a plinth course by course in lime, bedded so the wall can still dry, is a repair worth doing the year you notice it. The village sits in flood zones 2 and 3 with Sweatfords Water only metres off the built edge, so the bottom courses of any wall here work harder than they do elsewhere.

A stack above a thatched roof is the most exposed brickwork in Rockbourne. We repoint above roof level, cut out perished brick, renew the flaunching round the pots and rebuild from the flashing up. Working over thatch changes the method rather than the price: no grinders, no flame, the coat sheeted, and the access set out so nothing is dragged across it.

The walls along the street are long, old and have no damp proof course, so they wick water up from a verge that is wet for much of the winter and the bottom courses go first. We rebuild bowed lengths on a proper footing, reinstate the coping that was keeping rain out of the core, and rebuild gate piers bonded into the wall. The former farm buildings bring blocked cart openings cracked along the joint between old and new, sagged lintels, and new openings that need a foundation under the pier.

A square metre of wall tells us nothing until we see the joints and the materials, so there is no rate.

Flint. Flint and brick walls take longer than plain brick. Each flint is set by hand, and loose ones have to be reset in a matching lime mortar.

Matching. Old brick needs a match in size, colour and texture, and that can mean reclaimed stock. Trial panels are often needed to match an existing lime mortar for colour and strength.

Access. A cottage wall close to the lane, a flint boundary wall and a barn in a yard need different set ups. The work at height rules make any platform a priced line.

Water. Walls near the stream, or in the flood zone, can stay wetter at the base, and that affects the mortar choice and how long it needs to cure.

Distance. Materials are brought in one go to avoid return trips, so the brick or flint match is settled before the start date.

Ask other quotes what the mix is, how it will be matched, and whether the scaffold is included.

We are 16 miles from Rockbourne, based in Boscombe, and cover the villages north of Fordingbridge, including Sandleheath, Breamore, Damerham and Whitsbury. New Forest District Council handles planning and building control. Bournemouth Roofing & Building Ltd, registered in England and Wales, company number 15471719, which you can look up. Before you book a visit in Rockbourne, you can read our customers' Google reviews, word for word, on our reviews page.

It belongs to Thomas Hannen, who comes out to price the wall himself. A verified Checkatrade customer gave the firm 10 out of 10. Both the visit and the itemised written quote are free.

Most repairs in Rockbourne need no application at all. What decides whether a change to the outside of your house does is who the council is, whether a conservation area or a listing applies, and whether the place sits in a protected landscape.