A client approves the kitchen design and estimated price. Three weeks later, the contract is still unsigned, the deposit has not been paid and the project has no place on the production calendar.
A project can be listed as approved when only one part of the decision is settled: the client likes the design. They have not necessarily accepted the final scope and price, decided how they will pay or committed to the proposed schedule.
When those decisions are grouped under a single project status, stalled jobs all look the same. The firm sees proposals awaiting signatures but cannot tell whether projects are stalling over the final price, insufficient financing, scheduling concerns or gaps in the sales process.
Individual Changes Can Conceal the Real Price Decision
Kitchen and bath estimates often include allowances for unselected products. Site verification may also uncover electrical, plumbing, structural or code-related work. As those selections and site conditions are resolved, the project total changes.
The client might approve a tile upgrade during one meeting, more expensive cabinets during another and added electrical work after site verification. Agreement at each stage does not necessarily mean the client has reconsidered the project at its new total price.
Houzz found that 37% of homeowners who set renovation budgets exceeded them in 2025. Higher-end product selections and expanded scopes were among the most common reasons. Approving each change along the way still does not tell the firm whether the client accepts the final total.
If the original estimate was $55,000 and the final proposal is $68,000, the relevant question is whether the client has accepted a $68,000 project. Without that confirmation, “design approved” can give the firm a misleading view of both the sale and its pipeline.
A Client Can Accept the Price and Still Be Unable to Fund It
A client can believe a project is worth $68,000 without having $68,000 available on acceptable terms. That can be a funding gap rather than a pricing objection. A financing application can sit incomplete, get declined, come back approved for less than the project total or come with terms the client won’t accept.
In a 2025 ServiceTitan consumer study, 41% of homeowners said they actively seek financing options when hiring a home service provider. If the client’s financing options are not established until the design and selections are complete, the firm may discover late in the process that the proposed project exceeds what the client can comfortably fund.
Earlier financing discussions allow borrowing capacity to inform the scope and selections. With only one financing source, one lender’s credit criteria can determine which projects appear financeable. Broader lender coverage gives the firm more than one answer before it concludes that financing will not work.
“Proposal Sent” is Not a Useful Explanation
Once the final proposal is delivered, “awaiting decision” can still hide several different issues. A spouse or other decision-maker may not have agreed. The proposed construction window may not work. The client may be concerned about displacement, dust, access to the kitchen or how long the home will be disrupted.
A revised scope can help close a funding gap. It does nothing for a client worried about living without a kitchen for several weeks. What matters is not that the proposal was sent, but the last decision the client actually made. A project waiting on a spouse’s approval should be tracked differently from one waiting on financing or a revised construction schedule.
Separating design approval, final-price acceptance, ability to pay and commitment gives the firm a more accurate pipeline. It also shows why the project stalled, so the firm is not treating a financing problem, a scope problem and a scheduling concern as the same sales objection.
—Evgen Mekheda works with Magwitch, a multi-lender point-of-sale financing platform for home improvement contractors
