FAQ - I have my own Budget Calculator already, why use the HTA's?

Lead With Trust: Why You Should Start Every Budget Conversation With the HTA Calculator.

Many integrators have developed their own budgeting tools—or rely on third-party calculators tailored to their product mix, service tiers, and labor rates. That’s fantastic. But before presenting your own company-specific numbers, lead with the HTA Budget Calculator.

Here’s why: The HTA is a respected, independent, standards-setting organization whose sole mission is to educate and empower. Unlike an integrator, the HTA isn’t selling anything. That neutrality gives the HTA Budget Calculator unmatched credibility and positions it as a trusted third-party resource. It helps sidestep the skepticism many homeowners bring to the first budget conversation.

Instead of you being the bearer of “sticker shock,” the HTA calculator sets the expectation. And because the tool is used by luxury architects, builders, and interior designers—and is even linked to on the National Association of Home Builders’ (NAHB) website—it carries authority across the design/build community.

Prequalify Your Clients. Protect Your Time. Strengthen Your Proposals.

By using the HTA Budget Calculator as the first step, you set realistic budget expectations and position yourself as a consultative expert. Explain to your prospective clients that the calculator was created to reflect a range of installed costs—from “very good” to “top of the line”—based on real-world industry data. This helps your clients self-identify where they want to be.

Once you’ve walked through the HTA estimate together, then and only then should you transition into refining the figures using your own internal budgeting tool. This layered approach builds trust, avoids awkward “What’s your budget?” conversations, and ensures that your proposal aligns with what the client already expects.

You’ll save hours of value-engineering time, protect your margins, and dramatically reduce the risk of losing a deal to an inferior proposal. In short, you’ll elevate your role from contractor to technology advisor—and win more projects because of it.