Heritage Repointing in Ballarat — questions and answers
Short answers on repointing old brickwork in Ballarat: what goes into the joint, when joints need work, how the old mortar comes out, what winter does to the job and who to ask about a permit. Each rule is the Heritage Council of Victoria's or another government body's own, with its read date. This site sets no prices.
Call (03) 9122 8610Cost
How much does heritage repointing cost in Ballarat?
We do not answer that with a price, because no government page sets one. What changes a quote is the mortar, how the old mortar comes out, how dust is controlled, the weather allowance and scaffolding. Ask for each in writing, and ask more than one provider what its quote covers. The costs page lists the technical lines and the permit pointers, each with its source. The costs page's Heritage repointing costs and rules check lists the technical and permit lines for repointing old brickwork, each with its source.
Why not just use cement mortar?
The Heritage Council of Victoria's code (June 2020) says modern Portland cement-based mortars are incompatible with lime mortars and with many of the masonry materials used in older buildings. It also says earlier repointing in hard cement mortar, or with incorrect profiles, shall not be matched. Ask what the new mortar is and why.
An old wall in Ballarat
Does the wall need repointing, and what should the job respect?
Three questions in the order an owner meets them, each answered in the Heritage Council of Victoria's own words.
Start at Step A. Answer each question yes or no and follow the link to the next step. An outcome ends the flow.
Step AQuestion
Are the mortar joints eroded deeper than they are wide, or cracked?
A rule of thumb is that repointing should be undertaken where the depth of erosion is greater than the width of the joints. This would be 10 mm for normal brickwork. Cracked joints should generally be repointed.
Source: Heritage Council of Victoria, Heritage Technical Code HTC 2:2020, Repointing with lime mortars (June 2020) · read
Step BQuestion
Was the wall repointed before in a hard cement mortar?
Previous repointing, undertaken with hard cement mortars (instead of a lime mortar) and/or with incorrect profiles, shall not be matched.
Source: Heritage Council of Victoria, Heritage Technical Code HTC 2:2020, Repointing with lime mortars (June 2020) · read
Step COutcome
On those two signs the rule of thumb does not point to repointing.
A rule of thumb is that repointing should be undertaken where the depth of erosion is greater than the width of the joints. This would be 10 mm for normal brickwork. Cracked joints should generally be repointed.
Source: Heritage Council of Victoria, Heritage Technical Code HTC 2:2020, Repointing with lime mortars (June 2020) · read
Step DOutcome
The code says earlier hard-cement repointing shall not be matched. Ask what the new mortar will be instead, and why.
Previous repointing, undertaken with hard cement mortars (instead of a lime mortar) and/or with incorrect profiles, shall not be matched.
Source: Heritage Council of Victoria, Heritage Technical Code HTC 2:2020, Repointing with lime mortars (June 2020) · read
Step EQuestion
Will the work be done below 5°C or above 30°C?
Unacceptable work conditions are temperatures below 5°C and above 30°C unless misting systems are in place to maintain humidity.
Source: Heritage Council of Victoria, Heritage Technical Code HTC 2:2020, Repointing with lime mortars (June 2020) · read
Step FOutcome
The code lists those as unacceptable working conditions unless misting systems keep the humidity up. Ask when the work is scheduled and how it is protected.
Unacceptable work conditions are temperatures below 5°C and above 30°C unless misting systems are in place to maintain humidity.
Source: Heritage Council of Victoria, Heritage Technical Code HTC 2:2020, Repointing with lime mortars (June 2020) · read
Step GOutcome
Next is how the old mortar comes out. The code sets a depth for raking out, and says angle grinders are not acceptable where oscillating blade tools work.
Joints are to be raked or cut out to 2.5 times the joint width, with a minimum depth of 20 mm.
Most lime mortars and some weaker cement and composition mortars can be raked out by hand or by using oscillating blade tools (e.g. mortar saws and multi-tools). Angle grinders and disc cutters are not acceptable when oscillating blade tools can be used successfully.
Source: Heritage Council of Victoria, Heritage Technical Code HTC 2:2020, Repointing with lime mortars (June 2020) · read
Each step names its source and the date it was read. This is not a diagnosis of your wall, and it sets no price.
Process
When do joints need repointing?
The code's rule of thumb is to repoint where the depth of erosion is greater than the width of the joints, which it puts at 10 mm for normal brickwork, and says cracked joints should generally be repointed. It also calls an accurate assessment of condition an essential first step, so have the wall looked at before agreeing a scope.
How is old mortar cut out, and what about the dust?
The code says joints are raked or cut out to 2.5 times the joint width with a minimum depth of 20 mm, by hand or with oscillating blade tools, and that angle grinders and disc cutters are not acceptable when oscillating blade tools can be used successfully. WorkSafe Victoria says effective dust controls, such as on-tool water suppression or on-tool dust extraction, need to be used when cutting or grinding materials that contain crystalline silica, which includes bricks and mortar.
Timing
How quickly can someone get to me?
We cannot promise a time. It depends on the provider's bookings. Form and phone enquiries are passed to a local provider, who contacts you directly.
Can heritage repointing be done in a Ballarat winter?
The code lists work below 5°C or above 30°C as unacceptable unless misting systems maintain humidity, and asks for four weeks of protection from frost, rain, sun and wind. The Bureau of Meteorology's table for Ballarat Aerodrome gives an average overnight low under 5°C from June to September, read 6 October 2026. That is a monthly average of the low, not the temperature at your wall during a working day, so ask the provider how the work is scheduled and protected.
Permits and approvals
Does repointing a heritage building need a permit?
It depends on whether the building is on the Victorian Heritage Register, in a Heritage Overlay or neither, and we do not say which applies to you. Heritage Victoria says its general permit exemptions apply to all places on the Register and that specific exemptions for a place prevail over them. The City of Ballarat employs full-time Heritage Advisors who can guide restoration and repair works. Ask the City, or Heritage Victoria for a Register place, before you book.
Source: Heritage Victoria, s. 92(1) General Permit Exemptions FAQs; City of Ballarat, Heritage planning permits; read 6 October 2026.
Service area
Which suburbs do you cover?
Ballarat. Four pages are written around one materials fact each from the City's heritage precinct statements: Buninyong, Bakery Hill, Learmonth and Soldiers Hill. The rest of the City of Ballarat is covered on the same terms.
Do you repoint the brickwork yourselves?
No. This site is run by a marketing company, which passes each enquiry to an independent qualified local provider. The provider inspects the wall and quotes, and does any work itself; we have no crews or plant.
Thanks — we have your enquiry. Someone will be in touch shortly. Prefer to talk now? Call (03) 9122 8610.
Last reviewed · Updated · First published