Gable
This is the triangular section of wall which stops you seeing into the loft and tends to be found on older (Victorian) properties. Or as our Interactive House shows, on extensions, where they are cheaper to construct then “hipped roofs”.

Gable Ends
This is the name for all of the wall which has a gable at the top. The word end probably came into common usage as this type of wall was usually used at each end of a Victorian terrace.

Gable ends (the whole wall) need replacing as often as any other wall does and for the same reasons, which we aren’t going into here.

Victorian builders very often made their gables thinner than the walls below and as a result it’s quite common, particularly on the design of house known as the “villa”, to find the gables leaning inwards a few inches. This is caused by wind action over time and unless you want to snuggle up to a ton of bricks one night, it’s advisable to get it sorted!

By thinner we mean 4” thick as opposed to 9” thick, which is what the rest of the house is.

Scaffolding is required and if there’s a conservatory below, then the scaffolding will have to “bridge” this, so it will be more expensive.

If the gable is a Victorian one, it’s very likely that all the bricks can be used again. One reason why the wall is leaning is that Victorian mortar tends to be weaker than the stuff we use today, thereby allowing the wind to do its worst. This means that it can be easily cleaned off the bricks as the gable is demolished, leaving them all clean and ready to go back again!

Just to put your mind at rest, all of the gable can be demolished without supporting the roof. The only timbers that will need to be supported are the two purlin ends and that can be done by propping them on the joists below for the duration of the work.

Make sure you agree with the builder prior to demolition, just where he is going to stop. Ideally, he should remove all the gable wall and start as low as possible without disturbing the bedroom wall below.

The prices have assumed only a few extra bricks are necessary and that the gable will be left pointed with a weatherstruck joint.