Is thick mortar between bricks ok?

Looks as though your original bricks are imperial sizes & the new ill matching ones are metric sizes, hence the thicker joints.
Check the sizes against those you say are locally available, otherwise a reclamation yard.
Why coloured mortar ?

 

Has the shape of the door been followed? only the wall looks like it’s leaning.

 

What a mess, as well as the bricks he has not even used the same bond.

 

Just remembered, this is the 'cowshed' one.
Need say no more.

 

Huh?????

 

https://community.screwfix.com/thre...y-brick-arch-compromised.272571/#post-2183559

 

Awful ... no bond matching, no toothing in, mortar too wide. And bricks way different.

 

Ahh, thank you. I don’t know why new threads of a similar issue get started?

 

Same chancer that made the mistake in the first place by the looks of it. I suggest get a professional in and have it done properly and charge it back.

 

If he keeps trying there's a chance he'll get it right eventually.
If he fixes a line down from where you want it to finish to the bottom course, you can measure in to the existing for each course and check whether you need to remove any brickwork to avoid big perp joints.

 

Law of averages?

 

Lime merchants normally stock different coloured ready mixed lime mortars.
https://www.limebase.co.uk/shop/lime-mortars/

 

You need to get a bit of the mortar to colour match, give the lime shop that and they will give you a bag of ready mixed to match.

Old imperial bricks are easy got.

I just looked at your original post, why did you not open out the whole arch cutting from the inside?

 

He needs to use Natural Hydraulic Lime 3.5, which you can get reasonably easily enough from some merchants (not all) and not hydrated lime (which you can get everywhere). That will be the next issue as if he's not mixed lime mortar before he will just used hydrated lime as it will be the only thing he's heard of. They are absolutely not the same product.

Needs to find the right sand (to match existing colour) and use no cement.

You can also buy pre mixed NHL +sand e.g via Conserv.

It's easy to work with , in some ways easier than cement based mortar as it sets more slowly. I'd say it's probably not what he's used to but by the looks of the brickwork he's not used to much!!

 

Bodge job. Get a bricklayer.

 

Just show him the third photo from your other thread, if he can’t make it look like that then suggest he pays for someone who can or you will at his cost