AI-verified milestone escrow · Residential construction · Utah

Nobody pays ahead.
Nobody waits.

Construction is stressful enough. Obra holds the project in licensed Utah escrow — so homeowners stop wondering whether the contractor is coming back, and contractors stop wondering whether the money is still there. Verified milestones, one tap, same-day release.

Funds held by a licensed Utah title & escrow company FDIC-insured accounts Lien waiver on every release
Project total$189,500
In escrow$103,000
Released$86,500
DRAW 3 OF 7 · SUBMITTED TODAY 09:47 $48,500
Framing complete
RELEASED
GPS 40.9805° N, 111.8874° W · matches project site
Submitted by Ridgeline Framing Co. · license verified
Conditional lien waiver attached ✓
Homeowner approval
Released Jul 29 · 2:14 PM · same-day ACH to Ridgeline Framing Co.
$21,000
$65,500
$48,500
$22,000
$12,500
$14,000
$6,000
The problem

Construction money is a standoff.

Homeowners are asked to pay ahead of work they can't verify. Contractors finish work and wait months to get paid for it. Both sides lose — every single build.

The homeowner's fear

Big deposits into a contractor's personal account. Progress you can't judge from the driveway. And if it goes wrong, your money is already gone.

The contractor's wait

Work finished, invoices out, crews and suppliers to pay — and the money crawls back over months. So bids get padded, and good builders float bad risk.

$280Blost to slow construction payments in the U.S. in 2024
82%of contractors wait 30+ days to get paid
74 daysaverage construction payment cycle — the slowest of any U.S. industry
SOURCES: RABBET CONSTRUCTION PAYMENTS REPORT 2024 · PWC WORKING CAPITAL STUDY
What it actually feels like

Confidence is the product.

Escrow and evidence are the mechanism. What both sides actually get is the ability to stop worrying about the money and get back to the build.

If you're the homeowner

Spend your energy on paint colors and tile — not on whether your contractor is coming back.

Your money is sitting in licensed escrow, not in someone's account. Every dollar that moves, you released. The worst-case scenario stops being a possibility, so you can go back to enjoying the thing you're building.

If you're the contractor

Mrs. Johnson pulls up in a new Range Rover, and you don't feel a thing.

Because you already know the money for your project is funded and waiting — not spent. No reading the tea leaves on a client's finances, no wondering if the last draw is coming. You build; the ledger already answered the question.

How it works

Four steps. One tap. Same-day money.

Every project runs on a draw schedule — the same way banks fund construction, rebuilt for people.

STEP 01Funds held in licensed escrow

Fund the project

The homeowner deposits into an FDIC-insured escrow account held by our licensed Utah title & escrow partner. The money is safe, visible to both sides, and committed to the build — not sitting in anyone's pocket.

STEP 02Milestone documented with photo and video

Work gets documented

When a milestone is done, the crew captures photos and video right in the app — timestamped, GPS-matched to the site, with the lien waiver attached. AI verifies it against the scope before anyone reviews. Proof, not promises.

STEP 03Homeowner approves on their phone

Approve with a tap

The homeowner gets a notification, reviews the evidence from anywhere, and taps approve. Questions? The draw pauses while you talk — the money never moves without you.

STEP 04Same-day release to the contractor

Released same day

Approval triggers a one-click release by the escrow officer. Same-day ACH lands in the contractor's account — not in 74 days. Everyone sees the receipt.

The full process — disputes, change orders, and all →
Contractor photographing finished work on a Utah jobsite to submit a draw for release

Get paid the day you earn it.

For contractors & builders
  • Same-day ACH the moment a draw is approved — no more floating payroll while invoices age.
  • Your crew documents from the phones they already carry. Two minutes per milestone.
  • Digital lien waivers generated with every draw. No paper chase.
  • Win bids with it: "your money sits in licensed escrow, not my account" closes nervous clients.
Everything for contractors →
Homeowners reviewing and approving a construction draw on a tablet outside their finished home

Never pay ahead of the work again.

For homeowners
  • Your money sits in FDIC-insured escrow until work is verified — never in a contractor's account.
  • Pay only for milestones you've seen proven with photos, video, and GPS.
  • A complete visual record of your build, from excavation to final walkthrough.
  • If something's off, the draw pauses and funds stay put while it's resolved.
Everything for homeowners →
In Spanish, la obra is the jobsite — the work itself. We named the company after the thing that earns the money.

Obra speaks both languages of the American jobsite. Crews document in English or Spanish, and the proof reads the same in either one. Disponible en español.

Built in Utah

Local money. Local builds. Licensed here.

Obra is built in Farmington and runs on a partnership with one of Utah's established title & escrow companies — the same kind of trust account that closes your house, now protecting your build.

#4in the nation for new housing per capita — Utah builds more than almost anyone
17,970housing units added on the Wasatch Front in 2023–24
1 tapbetween verified work and released money
Questions

Fair questions. Straight answers.

Who actually holds my money?

A licensed Utah title & escrow company — the same kind of regulated trust account used to close real estate every day. Funds are FDIC-insured and Obra never touches them. We build the software; licensed escrow officers move the money.

What if we disagree about whether a milestone is done?

The draw pauses. Funds stay in escrow — nobody can pull them — while both sides review the evidence and talk it through. Most disputes end fast when there's timestamped video instead of memory. If needed, a defined resolution process kicks in before anything moves.

Does the contractor have to wait around for my approval?

No. The moment a draw is submitted you get a notification, and most homeowners approve the same day — it takes about a minute to review. Reminders nudge automatically, and the typical draw releases within 24 hours of submission. That's still weeks faster than the industry's 74-day average.

What does it cost?

One flat fee per project, set when the project is funded — like a closing cost. No percentage of your build, no cut of the contractor's money, no surprises. Pilot projects get founder pricing.

Put your next draw on Obra.

Now piloting with custom builds and remodels on the Wasatch Front.

You're on the list — we'll reach out before the pilot opens. ✓
CONTRACTORS: ASK ABOUT FOUNDING BUILDER SPOTS