Unit 1 & 2, Grantham, NG31 9ST
Some of the best partnerships in our trade come about because two businesses simply see things the same way. That is how we feel about Remmers. They are a German manufacturer of construction chemicals and coatings, and like us, they are a family business that has spent decades refusing to cut corners.
We are now working with Remmers to install their advanced Flex system, a multi-functional interior waterproofing system that brings Remmers waterproofing to homes across the East Midlands. For our customers, it means a proven, high-performance way to turn damp cellars and basements into rooms that stay dry, feel warmer and are protected against radon gas. For us, it is a recognition of the technical standards we have worked to since 1972.
Remmers products are used on buildings all over Europe, from family homes to listed churches. Their systems have a strong reputation with architects and conservation specialists, but any waterproofing system is only as good as the people installing it. Working with Remmers brings their products together with our experience in preparing old masonry properly, and our diagnosis-first approach means the system is only specified where it is genuinely the right answer.
That second point matters to us. We will never recommend a Remmers system because it is new or because it sounds impressive. Every job still starts with one of our surveyors looking at the property, taking readings and working out exactly where the moisture is coming from. If a Remmers basement tanking system is the best fix, we will tell you why. If it isn't, we will tell you that too.
Bernhard Remmers started the company in 1949, in a garage in the small town of Löningen in Lower Saxony, while Germany was being rebuilt after the war. From the beginning he made a point of meeting his customers, understanding the problems they faced on real buildings and developing products to solve them. Over the following decades the business grew into an international group with around 1,500 specialists, yet it has stayed independent and owned by the family the whole way through.
Building preservation and restoration have been at the heart of Remmers since day one. Their research and development, production and testing are all carried out in Löningen, and their waterproofing products go through rigorous German testing before they ever reach a building site.
When people talk about German engineering, they usually mean products that are designed carefully, tested hard and built to last. That is exactly what you want from something that sits behind the walls of your home. Once a basement is waterproofed and finished, nobody wants to be opening it back up in ten years. The Remmers approach is about getting it right once, for the long term, and that sits very comfortably alongside the way we have always worked.
The Flex system waterproofs a basement or cellar from the inside. In many older houses, digging out around the outside of the building to reach the foundations is expensive, disruptive and sometimes impossible, especially in terraces or where a property sits right on the pavement. Interior waterproofing gives you a dependable alternative without excavating your garden or your neighbour's driveway.
Rather than relying on a single coating, the system builds up a series of layers, each with its own job. Done properly, the result is a permanently dry wall surface that you can plaster, paint and live with.
Every installation is specified to suit the property, but the Flex system is built around these Remmers products:
MB 2K is the key to the system's flexibility. Old buildings move. Seasons change, timbers dry out, and fine cracks appear over time. A rigid coating on its own can crack along with the wall. MB 2K stays elastic and bridges those small movements, so the waterproofing keeps doing its job long after it has been covered over.
A damp cellar is cold, smells musty and is a breeding ground for mould. Once the walls are dry, the space behaves very differently. Dry masonry holds warmth better than wet masonry, which helps the room feel more comfortable and makes it cheaper to heat. The air is fresher, and stored belongings stop going mouldy.
Remmers designed the Flex system with living spaces in mind, not just storage. That makes it a strong option if you are thinking about turning a cellar into a home office, a playroom or an extra bedroom. Our basement conversion service can take the project from a damp, unused space to a finished room.
Radon is a natural radioactive gas. It forms when the tiny amounts of uranium found in all rocks and soils break down, and it rises up through the ground into buildings. You cannot see it, smell it or taste it, so the only way to know if it is a problem is to test for it.
Large parts of the East Midlands sit on geology that produces more radon than average. Much of Derbyshire, including the Peak District with its limestone, and parts of Northamptonshire are official radon Affected Areas on the UK Health Security Agency's map. That isn't a reason to panic, but it is a reason to take it seriously. The UKHSA links radon to more than 1,100 lung cancer deaths in the UK each year, and the risk grows the higher the level and the longer you are exposed to it.
Basements and cellars need particular care. Because they sit below ground and are in contact with soil on several sides, the UKHSA advises that they should be treated as having a higher chance of raised radon levels wherever they are, regardless of what the postcode map says. Radon finds its way in through cracks, gaps and the openings around pipes and cables, exactly the same routes that water uses.
This is where the Remmers Flex system earns its place. It is tested for radon resistance, so the same layers that keep water out also act as a radon barrier on the walls they cover. If you are converting a cellar into a room you will spend time in, that protection is well worth having. Where radon levels are high, we will talk you through how the waterproofing fits with any other measures your property may need, such as ventilation.
Our part of the country is full of beautiful old buildings. Georgian townhouses in Stamford with deep stone cellars. Victorian terraces in Lincoln and Nottingham with brick-lined basements. Farmhouses, barn conversions and country houses scattered across the villages in between. We have been looking after properties like these for more than fifty years.
Older buildings were never designed with modern waterproofing in mind. They rely on thick, breathable walls and natural drainage, and they can be badly damaged by the wrong treatment. Heavy cement renders and impermeable coatings trap moisture in the wrong places and push damp somewhere else.
That is why cellar tanking in an old building needs knowledge of the building as well as the product. Through our heritage preservation work, we understand how period and listed properties behave and how much of the historic fabric needs protecting. The Remmers Flex system gives us a high-performance option for below-ground spaces, while our heritage experience makes sure it is used in a way that respects the rest of the house.
The British Board of Agrément (BBA) is the UK's leading independent body for testing and certifying construction products. A BBA Agrément Certificate shows that a product has been assessed against British building requirements, including a review of how it is made and how consistently it performs. Remmers MB 2K, the flexible waterproofing at the heart of the Flex system, holds a BBA certificate. For you, that means the main waterproofing layer behind your walls has been independently checked against UK standards rather than relying on the manufacturer's word alone.
Remmers installations carried out by Dower come with the Remmers Insured Guarantee, giving you added peace of mind on top of the care we put into every job. We will explain exactly what your guarantee covers and for how long as part of your written quotation, so you know where you stand before any work begins.
Dower was founded in Lincolnshire in 1972, and three generations later we are still a family-run business based in Grantham. We specialise in damp proofing and heritage restoration, and in that time we have completed close to 4,000 projects, each one backed by a written guarantee. You can read more about our story on our about us page.
Remmers is an independent, family-owned business too. We think that shared background is a big part of why the partnership works. Neither of us answers to outside shareholders looking for a quick return. Both businesses have been built over generations on reputation, and both understand that the work you do today has to stand up for decades.
What that means for you in practice:
If you would like to see how the Remmers Flex system compares with the other options we offer, our basement waterproofing page explains the different approaches and when each one makes sense.
Radon is a colourless, odourless radioactive gas that forms naturally when uranium in rocks and soils breaks down. It seeps up from the ground and can build up inside homes, particularly in basements, cellars and ground floor rooms. Levels vary a great deal from one area to another, and even between neighbouring houses.
Yes, at high levels and over long periods. When radon is breathed in, it damages the lining of the lungs and raises the risk of lung cancer. The UKHSA estimates radon is a cause in more than 1,100 lung cancer deaths a year in the UK, and the risk is much greater for smokers and ex-smokers. The good news is that high levels can be reduced, and waterproofing below-ground walls with a radon-tight system is one way of limiting how much gets in.
You can check by looking up your address on the UKHSA's UKradon website, which shows the chance of a home in your area being above the action level of 200 becquerels per cubic metre. If you live in Derbyshire, the Peak District or parts of Northamptonshire, there is a good chance you are in an Affected Area. If your home has a basement or cellar, it is worth testing whatever the map says.
Tanking is the process of applying a waterproof layer to the walls and floor of a basement or cellar, so that water in the surrounding ground cannot get through into the room. Traditional tanking often used rigid cement-based coatings. Modern basement tanking systems like the Remmers Flex system combine rigid and flexible layers, so the waterproofing can cope with small movements in the building without cracking.
It depends on the condition of the walls, how well they were prepared and the quality of the system used. Most tanking that fails does so because the cause of the damp was never properly diagnosed or because the surface was not prepared correctly. A well-specified system, installed by trained operatives onto properly prepared masonry, is designed to last for decades, and that is why we back our work with long-term guarantees.
If you have a damp cellar, a basement you would like to bring back into use, or concerns about radon in your home, we would be glad to help. One of our surveyors will visit, find out what is really going on and give you honest advice, whether that turns out to be a Remmers system or something else entirely.
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