How Much Does it Cost to Rebuild a Gable End?

Job Costs

Job	Description	Labour
1	Rebuild the gable on a Victorian villa re-using the original bricks. There is easy scaffolding access. This will take 2 men 4 days inc. scaffolding.	£1600
2	If the scaffolding has to bridge a conservatory add ….	£200

“Labour” at £175 a day (tradesman) £100 (labourer), includes incidental fixings etc. and tipping charges. “Materials” if mentioned, are larger things (a boiler) and stuff only you can choose (tiles etc). Also VAT must be added all round.

Information Sheet on Gable Replacement

A gable is the triangular, upper part of a wall at the end of a ridged roof. A gable end (or gable wall) is the entire wall from the roof ridge to ground level.

Victorian builders often made their gables only half the thickness of the gable wall beneath and consequently over time, a gable may begin to lean in toward the loft, due to wind action against 150 year old mortar. So, unless you want to snuggle up to a ton of bricks one night, it would be advisable to get it sorted!

Scaffolding will be needed and if the builder has to ‘bridge’ your conservatory, it will add to the cost.

The good news is that this weakened mortar can usually be cleaned off the existing bricks and then these can be re-used.

Ask your builder how much of the gable he intends to demolish. Ideally, he will take it right down to the level of the bedroom wall beneath. This may sound drastic, but the roof will happily remain where it is, supported on the rafters and at the end of all the work you will have a perfectly vertical gable once again.

Finally, if you really want to create an impression, ask him if he will re-instate the mortar using a weather-struck joint! This is a masonry joint which sheds water easily because the mortar is pressed inward at its upper edge so that it slopes outward towards the lower brick.

FAQs 'traffic light' guide

What's easy about this job…
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A nice job done from scaffolding.

What's tricky about this job…
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Very little.

Potential problems with regards to this job…
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If the tiles are incorrectly bedded, the tile being drilled could crack. This obviously will need replacing. Do you have a spare? It may not be easy to get a replacement that matches.