Prevention starts with the drawings.

Where it can go wrong

On most building sites rats are considered at two moments only: never, and at handover. The phase in between is when a rat decides whether your building will become a future problem. A pipe penetration a few millimetres too wide, a vent without mesh, a chimney shaft a mouse cannot reach but a rat can: those details separate a building that holds up from a building that records its first complaint two years in.

When we get involved

• Design phase. We review drawings for rat-sensitive details: pipe penetrations, ventilation, crawl-space connection, pointing, chimneys, roof gardens.
• Renovation and transformation. Especially in older Amsterdam buildings, the transition between old and new work is a frequent access route. We assess risks before you proceed.
• During execution. A short visit during facade or installation work can save years of repair and pest control.
• At delivery. A handover check focused on rat proofing gives the client certainty and you a clean file.
• After complaints. Did the client report something? We look with a structural eye, not with a standard pest controller protocol.

Topics we advise on

• Rat-proof pipe penetrations and odour traps.
• Fine mesh in ventilation and facade vents.
• Crawl-space access, hatches, insulation and cabling.
• Cavity walls, pointing and seal lines at rat-sensitive points.
• Sewers, gutters and rainwater discharge.
• Roof gardens, planters and green features in relation to rat routes.
• Facade finishing during the renovation of pre-war buildings.

Why this is not work for a standard pest controller

A pest controller who only works with poison thinks from the animal, not from the building fabric. Rat-proof advice for your project requires someone who reads the construction drawing, knows the materials and grasps the transitions between trades. That calls for construction experience, not just biocide know-how.

Maarten Cok spent fifteen years in construction before specialising in pest control. You will feel that difference in conversation. We talk about your schedule, your subcontractors and your materials rather than about traps and bait boxes.

Forms of collaboration

• One-off advice on site or on drawings.
• Ongoing partner relationship across several of your projects.
• Hired specialist for persistent complaints on delivered buildings.
• Workshop or short training for your site managers and project leads.

What advice costs with us

Advice is fully situation-dependent. A drawings review may take a few hours, an inspection on a large renovation project takes longer. In practice, advisory projects run from €2,500 to €5,000 per engagement. We give you an honest estimate up front, including what you will get and when.

An outcome you can hand over

You receive written advice that fits into your file. No sales talk, just the specifics: which points are a risk, which interventions cost relatively little and deliver a lot, and where to stay alert during execution and aftercare.

Amsterdam buildings, Amsterdam knowledge

KB Solvers was founded by two true-blue Amsterdammers. For you as a construction firm that means: we know the difference between a 1890 facade, a 1965 complex and a transformation project from last year. We know which risks are typical for which part of the city. Not an external consultant who needs to read up first, but someone who already knows.

Working on a project where you want to rule out rat problems in advance or where you need to settle a persistent complaint? Get in touch for an introductory conversation.