Work out what you need.
Find someone to build it.
MaterialBru is a South African building app in two halves. Eleven estimators that work to SANS 10400 and SABS, and a directory of building pros who cover your address. The estimating is free.
The app is still in build. Nothing to download yet.
A sample of the Walls estimator — worked to SANS 10400 Part K, allowing 5% waste on bricks and 10% on mortar. The app runs the full version and ten more, kept current as the standards change.
Two halves of the same job
How many bricks, how much cement
Put in your dimensions and get quantities worked to the South African standards a building inspector uses. Walls to SANS 10400 Part K, foundations to Part H, slabs to Part J, glazing and doors to Part N, roof insulation to Part XA, and on through plaster, tiling, ceilings, paint and paving.
Save a job, add notes, come back to it. Export a PDF to send to your supplier or keep with the plans. Free users watch one short ad per export.
All eleven are free, in full. No trial, no locked modules.
The people who can actually do it
Once you know the quantities you usually need someone to lay them. The directory covers the whole industry, from the architect who draws the plans to the paver who finishes the driveway, and shows you the businesses whose service radius reaches your address.
Every business on it pays to be listed, so you are not calling a dead number scraped off a lamp post. Directory access is part of Pro.
How it works
Measure and estimate
Enter the dimensions of the wall, slab or roof. Get the quantities, worked to standard.
Price and plan
Export the list as a PDF, send it to your supplier, and save the job to come back to.
Find someone nearby
Search the directory for a business that covers your address, and call or message them.
Who you’ll find
The whole industry, from the person who draws the plans to the person who lays the last brick. Missing a category? Ask for it when you list.
Sample rows. Real listings appear here once the directory opens.
- 01Architects
- 02Architectural draughting
- 03Quantity surveyors
- 04Structural engineers
- 05Civil engineers
- 06Town planners
- 07Land surveyors
- 08Project managers
- 09Interior designers
- 10Health & safety agents
- 11General building
- 12Bricklaying & plaster
- 13Concrete works
- 14Welding & Steel
- 15Carpentry
- 16Roofing
- 17Waterproofing
- 18Ceilings & Partitions
- 19Scaffolding
- 20Demolition
- 21Plumbing
- 22Electrical
- 23Solar & backup power
- 24Air conditioning & HVAC
- 25Gas installation
- 26Fire protection
- 27Security installation
- 28Boreholes & water systems
- 29Painting
- 30Tiling
- 31Flooring
- 32Glazing & aluminium
- 33Kitchens & cupboards
- 34Blinds & shutters
- 35Landscaping & gardens
- 36Paving
- 37Swimming pools
- 38Fencing & walling
- 39Irrigation
- 40Earthworks & excavation
What it costs
Two different things are priced here, and you probably only need one. Working out quantities is free. Being listed in the directory, so property owners can find your business, is a separate subscription sold to the business.
| Feature | Free R 0 forever | Pro Single R 99 per month | Pro Team R 199 per month |
|---|---|---|---|
| All 11 calculators SANS 10400 and SABS | Included | Included | Included |
| Save projects, edit and add notes Stored on your device | Included | Included | Included |
| People included | 1 | 1 | Up to 5 |
| Banner and popup ads | Shown | Removed | Removed |
| PDF export | One 30-second ad per calculator | Instant, unlimited | Instant, unlimited |
| Bru Nearby trade directory Search and contact building businesses near you | — | Included | Included |
| Project guidance Municipal authority finder, and the registration bodies: SACAP, ECSA, SACPCMP, SACLAP, SACPLAN, SAGC | — | Included | Included |
Pro Single covers one person on one device at a time. Pro Team covers up to five people, five sessions at once, which suits a field crew or a couple of estimators working the same jobs. Both are in-app subscriptions billed by the App Store or Google Play. Cancel there and it runs to the end of the period you have paid for.
All eleven estimators, in full. Nothing is locked, trimmed or time-limited, and there is no trial to run out. Free is the whole toolset with ads, not a sample of it. What you give up is convenience and the directory.
- Banner and popup ads appear while you work.
- Each PDF export needs one 30-second video ad, and exports a single calculator at a time. A job with walls, plaster and paving is three ads and three files.
- Projects are saved on the device only. There is no cloud backup, so a lost or reset phone loses them.
- The Bru Nearby trade directory is not included, so you cannot search for or contact a business from inside the app.
- The municipal authority finder and professional registration lookups are not included.
For architects, engineers, draughtsmen, town planners and trade contractors who want property owners to find them. You are placed by the radius you actually travel, set as a point and a distance, rather than being tied to a suburb. Priced per business and billed in rands through PayFast, separately from any app subscription.
| Plan | Price | Categories | Includes |
|---|---|---|---|
Provider Starter Get listed and found by property owners in your area. | R 49 per month | 3 |
|
Provider Pro (Annual) Priority placement and more categories, billed yearly. | R 449 per year | 8 |
|
Pay by card, Instant EFT or SnapScan through PayFast. International cards work too.
Placed by how far you travel
A listing appears to property owners inside the radius its owner sets, up to 200 km. No suburb tags, no guessing which side of town somebody covers. Listings are open in all 9 provinces.
List your business
Get in front of people who have already worked out what the job needs. Tell us about your business and we’ll send a setup link on WhatsApp. Four steps, then payment.
Request a listingSee pricing for what each plan costs and covers.