Rickard Dwiggery wrote
I've just got quoted £1500 for
full weather proof pointing (think that's what it's called) or half that for
non-weather proof. It's all to do with the shape of the joints I believe
and weather proof joints take longer.

Rick

Sounds like you're in danger of being conned here Rick. They are probably
talking about "weathered and struck" pointing, where the mortar is built out
proud of the surface of the brickwork and the bottom edge is struck off with a
tool called a "Frenchman" along a straight edge board. The term "weathered"
refers to the sloping face, but in fact it's no more weather-proof than any
other style of pointing (except the dreaded recessed joint) - and in some cases
it can actually cause even more damage, as it sheds water onto the bricks
instead of allowing it to soak in and dry out again. Often it looks a mess,
especially when it covers the top edge of the brick below and the joints end up
about 1" wide. And it doesn't take twice as long to do, so there is no
justification for charging twice as much.

The best advice is to stick with the original pointing style - it's most
probably ordinary flush pointing, which is perfectly good enough.

Peter