What does "five per city" actually mean?

TradeCraft Builds accepts a maximum of five contractors per trade in each metropolitan area — five plumbers, five HVAC contractors, five electricians, and so on. Once the fifth slot in a trade fills, we stop selling that trade in that city to new contractors. As long as the existing five members stay active, no new direct competitor can buy in. If a member cancels, the slot reopens to the waitlist.

Who builds the website?

The senior team at Fifty & Five — the same agency that has built 222+ brands since 2008, including work in adjacent categories for Appliance Parts Pros, UTI Transportation, and Enterprise Holdings. AI accelerates production; senior strategists and creatives lead every build.

Is this AI-generated or human-built?

Both, by design. Brand judgment, copy direction, creative review, and customer relationships stay with the senior team that has built 222+ brands over eighteen years. AI handles the throughput — site production from intake, schema and AEO entity work, directory submissions across 40+ platforms, review automation, and monthly performance reports. The operating model is what makes a ten-day sprint at this price point possible without compromising on craft.

What is Answer Engine Optimization (AEO)?

Answer Engine Optimization is the discipline of structuring a brand so that AI assistants — ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, Claude — cite it when answering buyer questions. When a homeowner asks "who is the best plumber in Orlando?", the AI returns a short list of named businesses. AEO engineers your presence to be one of them.

How long does the build take?

Ten calendar days from the moment intake is completed. Monopoly tier ships in seven. If the site is not live within ten days, the setup deposit is refunded in full.

What happens if I cancel?

The exclusive slot opens to the next contractor on the waitlist for that trade in that city. Cancellation is straightforward — we make it easy by design. The structural consequence is that the territory passes to a competitor, which is the intended retention mechanism of the model.

Is the setup deposit refundable?

The setup deposit is applied to the first month of service. If we do not deliver the live site within ten days of completed intake, the deposit is refunded in full.

How is this different from Angi, Thumbtack, or HomeAdvisor?

Lead marketplaces sell the same lead to three to five contractors at once; close rates run below 15%. TradeCraft Builds builds a property the contractor owns — domain, site, reviews — where leads arrive uncontested. Close rates typically run 40–60%.

What is included in the social media add-on?

For $499/month, the Fifty & Five social team produces and publishes twelve posts per month across Facebook, Instagram, and Google Business Profile. Captions written in the contractor's voice, approved monthly in five minutes. A separate Google Ads management add-on is also available at $399/month plus your ad spend.

Where is TradeCraft Builds based?

TradeCraft Builds is headquartered in Orlando, Florida, and operated by 5ifty & 5ive LLC. The parent agency Fifty & Five has operated out of Orlando since 2008.

Who owns TradeCraft Builds?

TradeCraft Builds is a product of 5ifty & 5ive LLC, founded by Lucas Vandenberg, who also founded the parent agency Fifty & Five in 2008.

What does TradeCraft Builds cost?

Three tiers: Territory ($499 setup + $699/month), Dominator ($999 setup + $999/month), Monopoly ($1,999 setup + $1,499/month). Setup deposits are applied to the first invoice. Optional add-ons: Social Media ($499/month) and Google Ads management ($399/month plus your ad spend). Annual contracts receive a two-month discount on any tier.

How does TradeCraft Builds compare to Scorpion or Hibu?

Scorpion and Hibu are large enterprise-scale agencies. They will sell to you and to the competitor across town. TradeCraft Builds is a productized, sprint-delivered offering with territory exclusivity (five contractors per trade per city) and Answer Engine Optimization as the lead discipline.

How does TradeCraft Builds compare to Angi or Thumbtack?

Angi and Thumbtack are lead marketplaces that sell the same inquiry to three to five contractors simultaneously, with close rates below 15%. TradeCraft Builds builds a digital presence the contractor owns; leads arrive uncontested and close at 40-60%.

Do I own my website at the end?

You own the brand, the copy, the domain, and all customer data and leads. The site is hosted on infrastructure we maintain as part of your monthly service, which keeps the SEO and AEO optimization current.

What if my city is not on the current list?

Twelve metropolitan areas are open at launch. Additional cities roll out across 2026. If your market is not yet open, reach out and we will prioritize it in the next launch wave.

Do you serve trades outside the five listed?

The current focus is plumbing, HVAC, handyman, electrical, and general contracting. Adjacent trades like roofing, painting, landscaping, and pool service are on the 2026 roadmap.

TradeCraft Builds vs Hibu | Honest Comparison

Where Hibu wins

Bundled offering — website, SEO, paid ads, reputation management, all in one contract
Long-standing relationships with traditional local-business owners
Multi-product depth for businesses that want one vendor across many channels

Where TradeCraft Builds wins

No territory exclusivity — same lead-to-everyone model as the rest of the category
No AEO focus — AI-search visibility is not their discipline
Long-term contracts standard — Hibu typically requires multi-year commitments
Service model is templated rather than senior-led — typical Hibu engagement is account-managed at scale, not strategically led
No 10-day sprint guarantee or comparable delivery commitment

The honest summary

Hibu is a fine choice for a contractor who wants a single bundled relationship with a large platform and is comfortable with multi-year commitments. They are not a senior-led specialist offering and they do not lead with AEO.

Who should choose what

If you want a one-stop-shop platform and you do not care about exclusivity or AEO, Hibu is competent. If you want a productized senior-led offering with exclusive territory and the AI-search layer engineered, TradeCraft Builds is the closer fit.

Five contractors per trade per city.

While your membership is active, no new contractor in your trade gets in. Move early and the position is yours to keep.

See Pricing

TradeCraft Builds vs Hibu

Where Hibu wins

Where TradeCraft Builds wins

The honest summary

Who should choose what

See how we stack up against the rest.