Press
Everything you need to write about us, without waiting for a reply. If you need something that isn't here, email info@bricksandsparks.co.za and you'll hear back the same day.
Bricks & Sparks is a South African marketplace for hiring tradespeople with the money held in escrow. A homeowner posts a job, compares written quotes from tradespeople whose ID and trade registration have been checked, and secures the money in escrow — held by TradeSafe, not by the platform and not by the tradesperson. The tradesperson can see the funds are secured before they drive out, but cannot access them; the money is released stage by stage as the homeowner approves the work, or automatically seven days after a stage is marked done. Larger jobs are funded one stage ahead, with retention held for a defects period and released automatically when it ends. A project paid with a building loan runs through it too: the bank's stages are approved on the site, which produces the progress claim for the bank, while the owner's own contribution and any variations stay in escrow. Bricks & Sparks is free to join and charges tradespeople nothing for leads. It is available on the web and as an app for iPhone and Android.
Counted from the live database at the moment this page loaded, so they are current rather than aspirational. Escrow is provided by TradeSafe, a licensed South African escrow provider. Founded 2026 by Alex Ferrer.
The problem with hiring a builder in South Africa has never been finding one. It's that someone has to hand over money first, and it's always the homeowner.
A tradesperson who can see the money sitting in escrow before they drive out doesn't need a deposit. A homeowner whose money is in escrow doesn't need to trust a stranger. Both of them stop chasing the other.
We don't make money from leads, so we have no reason to put a bad tradesperson in front of you.
All three attributable to Alex Ferrer, founder. Happy to give you something fresher on the phone.
static/press/founder.jpg — 1000px on the long edge is plenty.Alex Ferrer, founder.
Biography to come — one paragraph on who he is and the job that went wrong that led to this.
Click for the full-size file. Free to use in any coverage of Bricks & Sparks, no permission needed.
How do you make money?
Homeowners — Posting and receiving quotes is always free. Escrow processing costs are
shown transparently when funding the job.
Pros — Free while we're launching. Later we charge a small success fee only on jobs won
through Bricks & Sparks. Never a lead fee.
Who holds the money? TradeSafe, a licensed South African escrow provider. Bricks & Sparks never holds it. If we disappeared tomorrow the money would still be with them.
What happens in a dispute? That stage freezes. Both sides put in their evidence, we decide how the held money is split, and the escrow provider acts on it. It concerns the money in escrow only — nobody loses their legal rights.
What does "verified" mean? We have checked the person's ID and their trade registration — a wireman's licence, PIRB or SAQCC gas, whichever the work needs. Verified tradespeople are listed first, and nobody starts electrical, plumbing or gas work through the platform without their registration on file.
Alex Ferrer ·
info@bricksandsparks.co.za
Interviews, data requests and a homeowner or tradesperson to speak to:
just ask.
