The era of "guesstimating" construction costs is over. Meet Griham Data.
Solvin Babu
Founder OF Griham
If you asked a contractor in Delhi, a builder in Bangalore, or a mason in Kottayam what the price of a solid concrete block is today, you would get three different answers. And chances are, all three would be wrong by tomorrow morning.
For decades, the Indian construction industry—the second largest employer in the nation—has run on "approximate values." We rely on intuition, outdated PWD handbooks, and "national averages" that mean nothing in a local market.
In the US, they have RSMeans. In the UK, they have BCIS. But in India? We have Excel sheets passed around on WhatsApp and phone calls to dealers.
That changes in 2026. From the heart of Kochi, we are building Griham Data—the first hyper-local, real-time construction intelligence engine for India. And we are starting by fixing the most broken part of the industry: The Estimate.
The "Blind Spot" in Indian Construction
Every year, Indian infrastructure projects bleed millions in cost overruns. Why? Because the estimate created in January is useless by March.
Here is a real-world example from our pilot in Kerala: In December 2025, the government rate for a Solid Concrete Block in Kottayam was ₹42.00. By January 2026, market volatility pushed that price to ₹47.50.
That is a 13% hike in 30 days. For a small villa, that’s a ₹50,000 loss. For a commercial tower, it’s a disaster. Most estimation software would still be using the old data. Griham Data flagged this change instantly.
Why Kerala? The Perfect Laboratory
People ask, "Why build a national construction tech startup from Kochi?" The answer is simple: Kerala is the toughest market to crack.
High Labor Costs: Kerala has the highest daily wages for masons (₹1,200/day) compared to the national average.
Material Sensitivity: A ₹5 change in cement prices here stops projects dead in their tracks.
Educated Clients: The average Malayali homebuilder demands absolute precision.
If we can solve cost estimation in the volatile, high-stakes market of Kerala, we can solve it for any market in India. We are not just building software; we are building a battle-tested engine.
The Griham Difference: "Hyper-Local" Intelligence
Existing tools give you "National Averages." But you can't build a house in Marangattupilly using "National Average" sand prices.
Griham Data is different because we go District-Deep:
Live Dealer Networks: We don't just scrape the web. We verify prices with key dealers in local hubs—from Kottayam to Kochi, and soon, Bangalore and Chennai.
Government + Market Hybrid: We ingest official DSR (District Schedule of Rates) data and correct it with real-time market reality.
Predictive Analytics: In late 2026, we won't just tell you the price today. We will tell you, "Buy Steel now, because it will go up 4% next week."
The Vision for 2026
We are starting with Griham Cloud—a web-based estimator that lets architects create bank-grade estimates in minutes.
But our vision is bigger. We want to be the Bloomberg of Indian Construction.
For the Architect: No more embarrassing calls to clients explaining why the budget exploded.
For the Bank: A "Verification API" to know if a loan request matches reality.
For the Homeowner: Peace of mind.
The Indian construction industry doesn't need another project management tool. It needs Truth. And starting today, that Truth is coming from Kochi.
Join the revolution. We are opening our Beta access this March. Stop guessing. Start estimating.
👉 [Join the Waitlist at www.griham.io]
#ConstructionTech #StartupIndia #KochiStartups #CivilEngineering #GrihamData
Share on social media
