Brick & Bolt: Making Home Construction Faster, Cheaper, and More Reliable

Building a house in India has always been seen as a complicated and overwhelming process. But thanks to Brick & Bolt, a Bengaluru-based company started by Jayesh and Arpit Rajpurohit, this is changing. Combining Jayesh’s expertise in civil engineering from IIT-Roorkee and Arpit’s background in computer science, the uncle-nephew duo launched Brick & Bolt in 2018 to make home construction simpler, faster, and more reliable.

The company’s journey began with an initial investment of ₹25 lakh. Since then, they’ve raised $1.5 million from Sequoia India’s Surge program and $2.2 million from Foundamental, a German venture capital firm. They were also featured in Forbes Asia’s ‘100 to Watch’ list.

Arpit Rajpurohit, Co-Founder and CTO notes, "Our focus has always been on delivering homes that meet the highest standards of quality and efficiency. Every home we complete is a step toward transforming the construction industry."

• Founded: 2018
• Founders: Jayesh Rajpurohit (Civil Engineer, IIT-Roorkee) and Arpit Rajpurohit (Computer Scientist)
• Headquarters: Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
• Business Model: B2C and B2B2C
• Unique Selling Points: Transparency, predictability, and escrow-based payment system
• Employees: Over 130

The Inspiration Behind Brick & Bolt

The idea for the company came when Jayesh’s family faced huge struggles while building their home in Bengaluru. From delays to budget overruns and poor quality of work, the experience was exhausting. Arpit saw similar issues in Ahmedabad. Realizing that these challenges were common, they decided to fix the system by introducing a technology-driven approach to construction.

Jayesh Rajpurohit, Co-Founder and CEO, says, "We wanted to remove the stress from home construction. The goal was to make the process transparent and predictable so homeowners could focus on their dreams rather than the hurdles."

What Sets Brick & Bolt Apart

Brick & Bolt stands out in the construction industry with its innovative use of technology and customer-focused approach. Their goal is to make construction more predictable, scalable, and transparent, offering services for residential dwellings, commercial spaces, and large-scale projects. Here are some key features that set them apart:

1. Quality Assessment System (QASCON): Brick&Bolt employs a proprietary Quality Assessment System (QASCON) that performs over 470 quality checks throughout each project. This system monitors construction stages in real time, enabling remote monitoring and ensuring high standards at every step.

2. Escrow Payment Mechanism: To ensure financial transparency and security, Brick&Bolt uses an escrow payment mechanism. Payments are released to contractors in milestones, providing customers with 100% money safety.

3. Customizable Floor Plans: With over 3,200 customizable floor plan options, Brick&Bolt caters to diverse customer needs, allowing for personalized designs that align with individual preferences and project requirements.

4. End-to-End Ownership: Brick & Bolt takes full ownership of projects, from design to execution. They ensure that projects are completed on time, within budget, and to the customer’s specifications, alleviating the stress of home construction.

5. Tech-Enabled Platforms: The company leverages internal technology-driven platforms and apps to manage projects efficiently. These tools provide real-time updates, streamline processes, and enhance communication between all stakeholders.

6. Large Network of Contractors: Brick & Bolt has built a strong network of contractors and sub-contractors to ensure timely project execution. This collaborative approach guarantees high-quality work and adherence to deadlines.

Making Construction Faster with Express Delivery

Brick&Bolt recently introduced an 8-Month Express Delivery Service to help plot owners build homes faster while saving money. Traditionally, home construction takes over a year, and delays are common. With this new service, customers can move into their dream homes in just eight months. The company achieves this by:

• Using advanced technology to monitor progress.
• Streamlining processes like material selection and resource allocation.
• Adding extra manpower during critical stages.

By doing so, they help homeowners avoid paying both rent and EMIs at the same time, saving them lakhs of rupees.

Arpit Rajpurohit, Co-Founder and CTO, explains, "By accelerating the process through optimized resource allocation and advanced quality checks, we’re helping homeowners save both time and money without compromising on quality."

Several homeowners have shared positive feedback about their experience with Brick & Bolt. Customers appreciate the company’s transparency, quality assurance, and timely delivery.

USP of Brick & Bolt

Brick & Bolt is an online marketplace that connects customers with a curated set of construction professionals, including architects, designers, contractors, and carpenters. The platform leverages a proprietary AI-led engine to predict work schedules and delivery dates, enhancing transparency in construction timelines. To ensure accountability, Brick&Bolt imposes penalties on service providers for delays.

Focused on making construction simple and reliable, the platform incorporates quality checks and real-time project tracking through computer vision. It also allows seamless communication among all parties involved and provides a workflow management system for site engineers from project initiation to final delivery.

Using an escrow payment model, Brick & Bolt offers price transparency and minimizes escalations. Customers pay for each project stage, with payments released only after its completion. The platform’s easy-to-use interface, cost estimation, and in-house price quotation system further streamline the process for homeowners.

Tackling Industry Challenges and Overcoming Skepticism

India’s residential construction industry faces significant challenges, including delays, cost overruns, and a lack of transparency. While the Real Estate Regulation and Development Act (RERA) has brought improvements like better accountability and timely delivery, inefficiencies still persist. Brick & Bolt has stepped in to address these problems with a technology-driven approach that ensures seamless communication, timely delivery, and unmatched quality. By leveraging advanced systems like their proprietary Quality Assessment System (QASCON) with over 470 quality checks, the company has brought transparency and precision to an unorganized sector.

"The construction industry has long been plagued by inefficiencies," says Jayesh. "With Brick & Bolt, we aim to modernize it and make the experience stress-free for homeowners."

However, starting out wasn’t easy. When Brick & Bolt launched, skepticism about their online platform was rampant. Many potential customers questioned the feasibility of building a home online, with common reactions like, “Who builds a house online?” Despite these initial doubts, the founders remained committed to their mission. They focused on proving their model through transparency, delivering quality projects on time, and emphasizing customer satisfaction. This persistence gradually won over customers.

Jayesh reflects, "Convincing customers to trust an online construction platform was tough at first. But with every successful project, we proved that technology can make construction seamless and stress-free."

As more projects were completed successfully, customer confidence grew. Brick&Bolt’s emphasis on clear timelines, reliable payment methods through escrow, and penalties for contractor delays set them apart. Today, they are transforming the way homes are built in India, proving that innovation and dedication can overcome even the toughest challenges.

Expansion and Future Plans

Brick&Bolt is rapidly expanding its footprint across India, currently operating in cities like Bengaluru, Mysuru, and Hyderabad, with plans to extend its services to Chennai and four additional cities. Their ambitious goal is to make home construction stress-free for everyone and achieve a business turnover of $5 billion by 2025.

Jayesh, emphasizes, "Our vision is to be the go-to solution for home construction across India. We want to bring efficiency, transparency, and customer satisfaction to every project."

Looking ahead, Brick & Bolt remains committed to setting new standards in the construction industry by emphasizing transparency, efficiency, and customer-centric solutions. With their innovative approach and tech-enabled platforms, they aim to make home construction in India simple, reliable, and stress-free.