Every pAIsaLocal project bills on a 20/30/30/20 milestone schedule: a 20% reservation deposit, 30% at project start, 30% mid-job, and the final 20% only at completion — you never pay for work that hasn't happened.
That one structure answers the question DFW homeowners worry about most after price: how do I know I won't get burned?
The Schedule
| Milestone | Share | When You Pay | What It Buys |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reservation deposit | 20% | When you book | Reserves your crew and build slot |
| Project start | 30% | Work begins on site | Materials on the ground, crew mobilized |
| Mid-job | 30% | Visible mid-build progress | The structure going up in your yard |
| Completion | 20% | Job done, walkthrough passed | Nothing — it's held until you're satisfied |
On a $20,000 outdoor kitchen, that's $4,000 to book, $6,000 when work starts, $6,000 mid-build, and $4,000 at the end. On the real DFW average kitchen ($17,159), the deposit is about $3,432.
Why Not the Usual "Half Up Front"?
The classic contractor ask — 50% before a shovel hits dirt — puts all the risk on you. If the crew disappears or the job drags, half your budget is gone with nothing standing in your yard.
Milestone billing splits the risk honestly:
You're protected because 80% of your money only moves after work you can walk outside and see, and the last 20% waits for a finished walkthrough.
The crew is protected because the deposit reserves real capacity and the start payment covers real materials — nobody's floating a $17,000 job on hope.
That's the "Built from the Mud Up" version of trust: not a promise, a payment structure.
How It Applies Across Projects
The same 20/30/30/20 schedule applies whether it's an outdoor kitchen, a concrete patio, or a natural-stone retaining wall. The milestones scale with the project total your estimate locks in — and because pAIsa's total is the sum of the line items (not a number that drifts later), the milestone amounts are fixed the moment you book.
What Happens Between Milestones
1. Estimate — describe your project at paisalocal.com; three AI agents price it line by line in about two minutes. 2. Site walk — a crew lead walks your yard, confirms access, utilities, and grade before anything is scheduled. 3. Book with 20% — your slot and crew are reserved; milestone amounts are locked to your estimate total. 4. Build — each payment bills against progress you can see, through the final walkthrough.
FAQ
How much is the deposit on a pAIsaLocal project?
20% of your locked estimate total. On the DFW average outdoor kitchen of $17,159, that's about $3,432.When do I pay the rest?
30% when work starts on site, 30% at visible mid-job progress, and the final 20% at completion after your walkthrough.Is this a financing plan or a loan?
No — it's a payment schedule, not credit. You're paying the project total in stages tied to progress, with no interest or lender involved.What if I'm not satisfied at the end?
The final 20% is the completion milestone — it bills after the job is done and walked through, which is exactly the leverage a homeowner should hold.Do concrete patios and retaining walls use the same schedule?
Yes — 20/30/30/20 applies to every pAIsaLocal project type, scaled to your locked estimate total.Can the milestone amounts change mid-project?
The amounts are locked to your estimate total when you book. Scope changes you request are documented in writing (per Texas HB 2060 disclosure standards) before they change anything.---
Payment schedule as implemented in the pAIsaLocal booking system, 2026. Project averages from pAIsaLocal's published DFW dataset across 27 cities (July 2026).