The first 100 contractors on HoustonBuilt lock in a 4% platform fee for life. Zero lead fees. Milestone escrow protects your work. Built by a Houstonian, for Houston trades.
Everything a Houston trade needs, nothing you don't. No lead fees, no monthly minimums, no "pro-tier upsells."
You keep 96% of every completed job. Thumbtack's effective take is 15-30% once lead fees stack up. Angi takes 20%.
You keep 96% vs their 70-85%You never pay to see a job, submit a quote, or compete for work. Pay only when a job finishes and the homeowner approves the milestone.
Pay only on approved jobsWe pull your TDLR (electrical, HVAC, A/C, plumbing) or TSBPE license automatically and badge your public profile. Homeowners see you're real before you quote.
TDLR + TSBPE auto-pullHomeowner funds hit Stripe escrow the day they sign. You release work in milestones — rough-in, drywall, final — and get paid as each one approves. No ghosting.
Stripe Connect escrowHomeowners rehire you with a tap — no profile hunting. Reviews are gated to verified completed jobs only. No fake 1-stars from tire-kickers.
Verified reviews onlyFree, built into every account. Track your pre-lien notice deadlines on Houston jobs without hiring a service or missing the 15th of the second month.
Free · Texas-specificFrom signup to first paid milestone in under two weeks.
License (TDLR/TSBPE), insurance COI, and ID — we handle the pulls. Average turnaround is 48 hours.
Your public profile — bio, trades, service area, photos, verified-license badge — gets indexed on houstonbuilt.app.
Houston homeowners post jobs. You see every lead for free, submit a line-item quote, and message directly in the app.
Homeowner funds a Stripe escrow. You release milestones as work completes. Funds hit your bank in 2 business days.
This is the only comparison most pros actually care about. Numbers are industry-reported effective rates on a typical Houston residential job.
| For you, the contractor | HoustonBuilt | TaskRabbit | Thumbtack | Angi |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What % of the job you keep | 95-96% | 85% | 70% | 80% |
| Lead fees (pay to see jobs) | $0 | N/A | $8-$80/lead | $15-$100/lead |
| Monthly minimum | None | None | Budget required | $350+/mo |
| Milestone escrow on your pay | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| License verified on profile | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Texas Chapter 53 lien tracker | Free | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Reviews from paying customers only | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Houston-only (serious buyers) | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
That's $400 more per job — on a typical 3-job-per-week pace, roughly $60,000 more a year in your pocket.
HoustonBuilt is operated by SKCG Financial Holdings LLC (dba HoustonBuilt), a Texas LLC. Payments ride on Stripe Connect — the same rails Shopify, DoorDash, and Lyft use. No overseas call center. No faceless "support team."
Yes. The Founding 4% rate is locked to your contractor account for the life of that account. If HoustonBuilt raises the standard fee in 2027, Founding pros stay at 4%. Written into the Contractor Agreement you'll sign at onboarding.
Stripe charges roughly 2.9% + $0.30 on card payments — that comes out of the gross before the platform fee. So on a $2,500 job you pay Stripe ~$72 and HoustonBuilt $100 (4%), leaving you ~$2,328. Still ahead of every national competitor.
No. Our platform fee only applies to the labor portion of a line-item quote. Materials pass through at cost.
We're running Nextdoor, Reddit, Google Business, and local SEO (128 neighborhood-by-trade landing pages indexed). Founding pros also get surfaced first in homeowner search until the marketplace fills in.
92 slots left. First-come, first-locked. Verification takes ~48 hours — your profile goes live the day after.
Claim your Founding slotSend me your name, trade, and phone — I'll email the Founding Contractor pitch deck and FAQ within the hour.
Or email direct: hello@houstonbuilt.app