Two Amsterdammers with a nose for rodents.
KB Solvers was founded by Sven de Baat and Maarten Cok, two true-blue Amsterdammers who know the city inside out. From pre-war canal houses to post-war complexes, from the Houthavens to Zuidoost. There are few places where we cannot find the rats.
The story behind the name
Knabbel and Babbel, the two figures in our logo. They give KB Solvers its name.
KB stands for Knabbel and Babbel, the Dutch names for Chip and Dale. Not invented by a marketer but by two founders who understand the humour of the trade. Knabbel and Babbel are the cartoon rodents of our childhood: cheeky, clever and always one step ahead. We find it fitting that our name pays them a small tribute. A craftsman without a sense of humour is not someone you want with you in a crawl space anyway.
Behind the name is serious work. Solvers, because that is what clients expect from us: a problem that others did not solve, finally solved. It is why fellow pest controllers, construction firms and housing associations refer to us.
True-blue Amsterdammers
Sven de Baat and Maarten Cok were both born and raised in Amsterdam. No imports, no commuters, no "city office". Two men who grew up between the canals and who know the city the way only Amsterdammers know it. Which neighbourhood has which foundation, which type of housing repeats which mistake, and in which crawl space a rat prefers to nest.
For our clients that means: we do not need to get to know the city before we help you. We know Amsterdam, and Amsterdam knows its rats. There are few places where we cannot find them.
About Maarten Cok and Sven de Baat
Maarten has worked as a pest control specialist for three years. Before that he spent fifteen years as a builder. That combination is no accident. Every pest controller knows what a rat is. Maarten also knows where in a building a rat can or cannot pass, and why.
That second pair of eyes is what makes him see access routes others miss. With Maarten the conversation runs through pipe penetrations, pointing, facade vents and hatch surrounds. Those are not the words you read on a typical pest control website, but they are the words by which a rat problem is durably solved.
Sven de Baat is co-founder of KB Solvers and, like Maarten, born and raised in Amsterdam. Together they are the two faces of the company. Sven is jointly responsible for the day-to-day running of the business and the relationships with clients across the city.
VCA-certified
KB Solvers is VCA-certified (Veiligheid Checklist Aannemers, the Dutch contractor safety standard). For residents that is a reassurance. For housing associations and construction firms it is often a requirement. We meet the safety standard you expect from any subcontractor on your building site.
The team
KB Solvers works with a small, stable team. No subcontractors, no rotating faces in your building. We believe the work stands or falls on the people executing it, so we keep the group small and known.
Where we are based
Our address is Minervahavenweg 15, 1013 AR Amsterdam, in the Houthavens. We are right in the city, close to the buildings where most of our work takes place. We operate in Amsterdam and surrounding municipalities, from Amstelveen and Diemen to Zaanstad and Westpoort.
What drives us
A house where a family can live again. An association that can close a file. A contractor who delivers with their head held high. Those are the outcomes that interest us. Not the paper guarantee. Not the subscription. Not the sharpest customer rating on a comparison site. The work itself, and a city that ends up looking a little better.
Want to meet us or book an inspection? Get in touch.