In this article
Remodeling lead cost is the price of a purchasing model, not one national rate. You may pay per inquiry, through a managed marketing package or for a flat lead plan. Compare the complete charge and accepted project scope before calculating what an estimate or signed job costs.
On 23 September 2026, current examples include $54.99 organic remodeling leads within a 99 Calls package and theBuildd monthly lead plans starting at $3,000. Those amounts cover different work and should not be treated as interchangeable rates.
Disclosure: theBuildd supplies exclusive residential homeowner leads. We distinguish current published prices, provider-reported observations and hypothetical calculations below.
Current remodeling pricing evidence
| Provider / product | Published amount checked 23 September | What to include in the comparison |
|---|---|---|
| theBuildd trial | $300 for 4-7 opt-ins | General trial; contractor qualification; no dispatching |
| theBuildd weekly / monthly | $800/week / monthly from $3,000 | Scope and territory agreement; actual delivered mix and volume |
| theBuildd base monthly dispatching | +$500, or $3,500 combined | Calling and live transfer or booked appointment handoff; not a promised count |
| 99 Calls organic remodeling | $54.99 per lead with Growth | Growth package and setup costs, plus applicable media/management |
| 99 Calls Growth package | $399/month + $399 setup | Organic per-lead fee and Google Ads service fee of 15% of spend listed separately |
| Houzz Pro software | $249/month after trial | Software purchase, not a price per remodeling lead |
| Houzz advertising | Starts at $499/month | Confirm advertising scope, term and other purchased services |
Sources: theBuildd pricing, 99 Calls remodeling leads, 99 Calls package pricing and Houzz Pro pricing. A published starting amount does not replace a quote for your accepted service and area.
99 Calls also reports $114-$353 for Google Ads and $51-$169 for Local Services Ads on its remodeling page. It describes these as 10th-90th percentile observations over the prior 12 full months. These are the provider’s reported cost observations, not fixed national remodeling prices, independent averages or predictions for your business.
Other providers may quote different units or private local rates. The remodeling lead company comparison explains the models and evidence limits. Do not turn an old marketplace estimate into a current rate card.
Define what the invoice buys
Ask whether the charge follows a submitted request, connected call, qualified conversation, booked appointment or recurring service. Then list setup, software, management, media and qualification costs separately.
An opt-in and a phone-qualified homeowner leave different work for your office. A booked appointment still needs to be attended. Even a suitable consultation does not guarantee an accepted proposal.
The qualified-lead definition helps separate these steps. Name the deliverable before comparing dollars.
Keep kitchen, bathroom and larger projects separate
A broad remodeling category can include work below your minimum project or outside your crew’s scope. Ask how the provider records the homeowner’s request and what filtering is actually available.
Use the kitchen lead cost worksheet for design and consultation expense. The bathroom lead cost worksheet focuses on attended estimates and full-room versus narrower work. Home addition leads need longer design and feasibility stages, while remodeling appointment setting needs a clearly named calendar event. These pages give project-specific calculations; the broad pricing models remain here.
Do not assign the same expected contract value to every contact. A lead source can change its job mix without changing its invoice, which changes the economics your crew experiences.
Calculate cost at three stages
Use one group of inquiries and follow it through the sales process. A lead purchased in September may sign later; keep that outcome tied to its original source rather than forcing it into whichever month makes a dashboard look better.
| Measure | Calculation | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Source cost per inquiry | Source spend ÷ delivered inquiries | Cost of the purchased contact stream |
| Source cost per held estimate | Source spend ÷ attended estimates | Cost of reaching a substantive consultation |
| Total cost per signed project | Source and selling expense ÷ signed projects | Acquisition expense after estimating effort |
Suppose a group costs $1,200 in source spend and produces six held estimates and two signed projects. Source cost is $200 per held estimate and $600 per signed project. Add $600 in office, travel and estimating expense, and total cost becomes $900 per signed project. These are assumptions, not a market benchmark or theBuildd result.
If only one project signs, the same total expense is $1,800 per signed project. The price per lead did not change; the outcome did. This is why the completed-project contribution also belongs in the review.
Give estimating and design time a place in the budget
Use actual labor and direct costs to calculate what the work leaves before acquisition and overhead. Then choose an acquisition allowance your business can support. Revenue alone does not tell you how much room there is.
Count calling, travel, site measurement, proposal work and unrecovered pre-sale design consistently. Do not record an owner’s time as free merely because it does not create a separate vendor invoice.
If design is a separately paid engagement, keep its fee and associated costs clear. Avoid counting the same income twice when you later report the construction project.
How theBuildd’s flat plan should be evaluated
Base plans deliver exclusive opt-ins for your team to qualify. Optional monthly dispatching adds our callers and a live transfer or booked appointment. Trial and weekly plans exclude it. Confirm the accepted work and ZIPs through the remodeling service before purchase.
A flat plan fixes the agreed invoice, not the local demand. Divide actual spend by actual inquiries, held estimates and signed projects. Do not calculate a promised effective CPL from an expected volume range.
Each lead is sold to one buyer through us; the homeowner can independently request other estimates. Bad leads are replaced rather than refunded. Agree eligibility and reporting rules rather than assuming a lost sale or missed appointment automatically creates a replacement claim.
Put the price into a written test
Record scope, territory, billable event, full cost, contact process and remedy before starting. Use the provider buying checklist to close unanswered terms.
Review contact and scope fit early. Keep following proposals long enough to see their actual outcome, and record completed work and collected contribution after a contract signs. A small paid trial can check the handoff without establishing a stable close rate.
Compare your remodeling territory and plan with theBuildd. Bring your minimum project and estimate capacity, then judge the offer against the acquisition cost your own jobs can carry.