TL;DR: To find what a contractor website really costs, add up 3 years: the build, hosting, domain, security, updates and your own time. On a Scalable Websites plan, 36 months comes to $3,420, $7,020 or $10,620. Hosting, security and unlimited update requests are included, and you own the site after 36 months.
How much does a contractor website cost? The honest answer is the 3-year total: the build, plus hosting, security, updates and your own time. At Scalable Websites, a full 36 months costs $3,420, $7,020 or $10,620, depending on the plan, with hosting, security and update requests included.
Most quotes show only the first number. This post adds up the rest so you can compare a do-it-yourself builder, a one-time build and a monthly plan side by side. If you want the short version on what a fair price looks like, see our guide on what a contractor website should cost in 2026.
What goes into the 3-year cost of a contractor website?
Six things add up over 3 years: the build, hosting, your domain, security and backups, updates, and the tools that turn visits into calls. Every website has these costs. The only question is who pays for them and how.
- Design and build: the pages, the writing, the photos and the layout. More pages and more custom work cost more. Our post on how many pages a contractor website needs helps you size this part.
- Hosting: the server that keeps your site online all day, every day. It’s billed monthly or yearly.
- Domain: your web address. It renews every year.
- Security and backups: the FTC’s cybersecurity guidance for small businesses says to update software and back up files on a regular schedule, and to keep backups off your network. Someone has to do that every month.
- Updates: new services, new job photos, holiday hours. Some designers bill for each change.
- Lead tools: click-to-call buttons, lead forms, text alerts and missed-call text-back. These are sometimes extra subscriptions.
Then there’s the cost that never shows up on an invoice: your time. Every evening spent fixing a page builder is an evening you could have spent bidding jobs. And if a form breaks and nobody notices, you lose calls you never knew about.
How much does a contractor website cost on a monthly plan?
On a Scalable Websites plan, you pay one flat monthly price, so the 3-year math is simple.
- Starter, $95 a month: $3,420 over 36 months.
- Growth, $195 a month: $7,020 over 36 months. It adds 3-5 pages, missed-call text-back, unlimited lead follow-up, and Google Search Console and Google Analytics.
- AI Enhanced, $295 a month: $10,620 over 36 months. It adds 10+ pages, blogging, priority support, and AI text and chat.
Every plan includes hosting and security, click-to-call, your Google reviews on the page, custom lead forms with instant text and email alerts, and on-page SEO from day one. You get unlimited update requests on every plan. Plans have a 6-month minimum, then go month-to-month. Six months on Starter comes to $570, on Growth $1,170, and on AI Enhanced $1,770. After 36 months, the client owns the site. Every plan also gets a free design refresh every 36 months and comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
How do the main ways to pay compare over 36 months?
Each option spreads the cost out differently, so compare the full 3 years, not just the first bill. This table shows where the money goes with each one.
| Option | What you pay upfront | What you keep paying | Who handles updates and security | What drives the 3-year total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DIY website builder | Low cash, lots of your time | Builder subscription, domain, paid add-ons | You | Your hours, add-ons, plan upgrades |
| One-time freelance build | A project fee | Hosting, domain, paid edits | Usually you, unless you add a care plan | Page count, custom work, hourly edit rates |
| Agency custom build | A larger project fee | Hosting plus a separate maintenance contract | The agency, while you pay for upkeep | Scope, revision rounds, the maintenance contract |
| Our monthly plan | Your first monthly payment | The same flat monthly price | Us, with unlimited update requests | The plan you pick: $3,420 to $10,620 over 36 months |
A one-time build can look cheaper in month one. Over 3 years, hosting, security and paid edits keep adding up. Our breakdown of monthly contractor website maintenance costs covers that side in more detail.
Pros and cons of paying monthly instead of upfront
Paying monthly swaps one big bill for a steady, smaller one. That suits some contractors better than others.
Pros
- A set cost you can budget like a truck payment.
- Hosting, security and updates come in one bill.
- No waiting on a quote every time you need a small change.
- The design gets refreshed every 36 months, so the site doesn’t age out.
Cons
- You pay every month, even in a slow month.
- There’s a 6-month minimum before you can go month-to-month.
- You own the site after 36 months, not on day one.
- If you rarely change anything and can handle hosting and security yourself, a one-time build may cost less over many years.
When does the cheapest website end up costing the most?
When it loses calls. A site that’s hard to use on a phone, or a form that quietly stops sending, can cost you more in missed jobs than any monthly fee.
Phones are where most people find you. According to the Pew Research Center, about 91% of U.S. adults own a smartphone. Google now crawls and indexes websites mainly with its smartphone crawler, and its mobile-first indexing documentation lays out what your mobile pages need to get right. If your site falls apart on a phone, that’s the version both Google and your customers see.
Around here, the stakes are easy to see. New subdivisions keep going up around Magnolia, Conroe and The Woodlands, and new homeowners look for contractors on their phones. Storm and hurricane season runs from June to November, and that’s when roofing, fence and restoration searches climb across the Houston area. Most homeowners compare 2-3 contractors’ websites and Google reviews before they call. If your site is slow or broken, or hides your reviews, they call the next company. Here are signs your contractor website is losing leads to check before you price anything.
Is Scalable Websites a fit for your business?
Here are the plain facts, so you can decide.
- We’re based in Montgomery, TX, and Preston Toor meets clients in person across Montgomery County and greater Houston.
- We’re veteran-owned.
- We build for roofing, HVAC, plumbing, fire protection, fencing, concrete coatings, pool service, septic, general contractors and 30+ more trades.
- Recent builds include Double D Industries in Tomball and Spartan Fire Protection in Houston.
- A typical launch takes days, not months.
- Our team brings 10+ years of experience and 200+ websites built for home service businesses.
- We hold 5.0 stars from 5 Google reviews.
- One client, Lonny, said: “This was our first experience with making a website. They made our experience extremely easy.”
Want to see the 3-year math for your own business? Call (832) 979-2478, Monday to Friday from 8 AM to 5 PM, or schedule a consultation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I own my website on a Scalable Websites monthly plan?
Yes, after 36 months on the plan. Until then, the site is hosted, secured and updated as part of your plan.
Can I cancel a monthly website plan?
Every plan has a 6-month minimum and then goes month-to-month. Every plan also comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Is hosting extra on top of the monthly price?
No. Hosting and security are included in every plan. Hosting isn’t sold on its own, only as part of a website plan.
How fast can a new contractor website go live?
A typical launch takes days, not months. The timeline depends mostly on how quickly you can send photos, services and business details.
Is a DIY website builder enough for a contractor?
It can work if you have the time to build, update and secure the site yourself. Most owners find their time is better spent on jobs, which is why they hand the site off.
Recommended Reads
- How Much Does Contractor Website Maintenance Cost Each Month?
- How Much Should a Contractor Website Cost in 2026?
- How Long Does It Take to Build a Contractor Website?