About Us - Who We Are

ABOUT US

The Founders - The Start of the Company

In 1993 Nigel and Joyce Gervis purchased Tŷ-Mawr, a run-down farm in the heart of the Brecon Beacons National Park. Wanting to restore the listed building sympathetically, the couple set about sourcing traditional lime mortars and plasters for their project. The problem was they weren’t easily accessible so with a wealth of building restoration and project management experience between them, Nigel and Joyce decided to produce their own and Tŷ-Mawr Lime Ltd was born.

It has subsequently become one of UK’s market leaders in the design, manufacture and distribution of traditional and environmentally-friendly building materials and systems.

 

Building Skills and Spreading the Word Champions of skills and awareness

Since 1996 Tŷ-Mawr Lime Ltd has been delivering practical workshops and seminars designed to re-invigorate traditional building skills and knowledge to use traditional building materials efficiently and effectively. Over 12,000 delegates have attended it’s training centre on courses and many more for technical and open days.

As part of their awareness raising programme, CPD seminars are delivered UK wide on “using lime” and “retrofitting traditional buildings with environmentally friendly insulation materials and systems.

The company is regularly commissioned to develop tailor made courses for organisations such as the Landmark Trust, British Waterways and the National Trust. In 2010 and 2011, Tŷ-Mawr Lime Ltd hosted the prestigious Summer School for the King’s Foundation for the Built Environment, attended by delegates from across the globe. In 2012, Nigel Gervis, Technical Director was awarded ‘Trainer of the Year’ for his outstanding work within the built heritage sector, sponsored by the Marsh Trust, run in partnership with English Heritage and CITB Construction Skills.

Tŷ-Mawr Lime Ltd was selected to represent Wales at the Smithsonian Exhibition on the National Mall in Washington D.C. in 2009 and delivered a training programme for the Royal Botanical Gardens in Jordan in 2010. In 2012, along with the Welsh Colleges, Tŷ-Mawr provided ‘expert support’ on a fact finding and awareness raising trip to India.

Courses are regularly run for the Welsh School of Architecture, various colleges and Local Authorities as well as large contractors to train their own teams.

 

Award Winning Innovation

Tŷ-Mawr Lime Ltd is dedicated to minimising the impact of buildings on the environment and supplies a complete range of environmentally-friendly materials compatible with ‘breathing building’ principles, including mortars and plasters, paints and finishes, building boards and insulation products and over the decades have established excellent working relationships with suppliers including Singleton Birch, St Astier, Eden Renewables, CE Wood, Schneider, Glapor, Graphenstone, Beeks and Earthborn to be able to ensure they can give clients the support and confidence to use these materials in today’s more sustainable new builds as well as retrofit projects.

The company has also developed a unique range of award winning ‘greener’ alternatives to mainstream building products such as lime hemp plaster, which uses hemp fibres instead of sand, and their sublime® insulated limecrete floor, an environmentally-friendly alternative to concrete. Its work in this field has won Tŷ-Mawr Lime Ltd several awards including the Local Authority Building Control (Cymru) award for Technical Innovation for their Sublime floor in 2013 and being named as a  sustainable development champion on the Wales Green List. In 2014, Tŷ-Mawr was proud to be presented with the Powys Business Award for the ‘Development of New Markets’. In 2019, the couple received a lifetime achievement award at the Senedd in Cardiff for their work and dedication in this field in Wales.

 

Delivering support and quality

Tŷ-Mawr Lime Ltd has built up a unique team of product advisers as well as knowledgeable production and support staff, all committed to delivering excellent products and service through their quality management system. 

They offer a wide range of services including pre and post sales product support, mortar analysis and matching, paint matching, thermal loss calculations and condensation risk analysis, to support clients across the country.

As well as quality, their care for the environment and to ethical practices and sourcing still are a primary focus, they operate an Environmental Management Scheme and carry their Ethical Business Award. 

 

Passionate about a ‘greener’ future

Tŷ-Mawr Lime Ltd’s passion for buildings and the environment has seen the use of lime and other natural building products grow and its commitment to innovation and responsible sourcing has seen the development of a complete suite of accessible, appropriate, practical and sustainable products and systems suitable for healthier buildings and a greener future.

They now operate out of three sites in the Brecon Beacons National Park, focussing on employing local people and using local hauliers and suppliers when they can, to support the rural Welsh economy.

The couples three sons now work alongside them, involved in all aspects of the business, the on-going restoration of Tŷ-Mawr house, buildings and land and in developing the next generation of sustainable building products including blocks and improved plasters, to hopefully secure the next thirty years of supplying and supporting this important work in an industry that requires dramatic change over the coming years to help to achieve net zero and reduce the environmental impact of building targets and home improvements.