Hi Brian,

Yoast's SEO plugin will apply the noindex tag to that unique http://www.example.com/services/ page URL. Subsequent pages that adopt that page as a parent will not be affected, so you'll be okay there from a technical standpoint.

"there doesn't need to be anything on the parent /services/ page itself"

Strategically, I think this is a missed opportunity for SEO and lead generation. Creating a top-level Services page is a great way to position your company well in search for search queries such as "home remodeling [city name]," highlight what services you offer and what sets you apart from the competition, support a better internal linking structure, and generate leads (CTAs, embedded forms, etc.).

-Brian