The verdict in three sentences
For an aluminium window systems manufacturer, the website is no longer a brochure: it is the daily work tool of the architects, cost consultants and engineering offices who specify your ranges. A realistic 2026 budget sits between EUR 20,000 and 38,000 excl. VAT for the core site, plus EUR 6,000 to 10,000 for a specifier portal structuring 1,200 documents (technical sheets, BIM objects, DoPs, test reports). Plan 14 weeks and EUR 200 to 350 per month for maintenance, and measure the return through BIM downloads and installer enquiries, not raw traffic.
What specifiers actually expect from your website
A Berlin architect working on a school or a 60-unit residential block looks for three things in under two minutes: thermal performance (Uw, g-value), fit with project constraints (acoustics, fire safety, accessibility) and a clean BIM object to drop into Revit or ArchiCAD. If they cannot find it, they specify the competitor with the tidier catalogue. Cost consultants want tender-ready specification texts and price indications.
The site must therefore work as a filterable document base, with one page per system (sliding, casement, curtain wall, entrance door) and filters by performance, use case and certification (ift Rosenheim, CE, Passive House).
| Module | Content | 2026 budget (EUR excl. VAT) | Specifier impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Core site and design | 40 to 60 pages, brand, headless CMS | 20,000 to 38,000 | Brand credibility |
| Specifier portal | 1,200 indexed documents, filters, account | 6,000 to 10,000 | High, weekly use |
| BIM library | IFC, RFA, GDL objects per system | included or 2,500 | Very high at design stage |
| Specification text generator | Exportable Word tender texts | 3,000 to 5,000 | High for cost consultants |
| Installer locator | 350 geolocated points, filters | 4,000 | High for project owners |
| PIM or ERP connector | Product data sync | 4,000 to 8,000 | Data reliability |
| Maintenance and hosting | Updates, backups, support | 200 to 350 per month | Continuity |
Specifier portal architecture: the choices that move the budget
The most expensive variable is not design, it is document migration. 1,200 files scattered across a sales server, USB sticks and emails often mean 15 to 25 days of sorting, renaming and tagging. An existing PIM (Akeneo, Pimcore, Salsify) cuts this line sharply, because the site plugs into it.
| Architecture option | Timeline | Indicative cost (EUR excl. VAT) | When to choose it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Documents uploaded manually in the CMS | 14 weeks | 6,000 | Under 500 documents, few updates |
| CMS with taxonomy and CSV import | 14 weeks | 8,000 | 1,000 to 1,500 documents, one dedicated person |
| PIM sync via API | 16 weeks | 10,000 + 4,000 to 8,000 | Living catalogue, several ranges per year |
| Open access, no account | no extra cost | 0 | Open image, no lead qualification |
| Specifier account access | 1 extra week | 1,500 to 2,500 | Capture qualified contacts for sales |
| Download tracking in the CRM | 1 extra week | 1,500 to 3,000 | Sales follow-up on identified projects |
Our recommendation for a 200-employee systems house: technical documents open to all (specifiers hate form walls), BIM objects and specification texts behind a free one-click account, and downloads pushed to the CRM. Your specification sales rep then knows that practice X downloaded three sliding-door objects this week.
Installer locator and technical performance
The locator serves private homeowners and developers alike. With 350 installers you need a lightweight map, postcode search and filters by installed range and qualification. Budget: around EUR 4,000 excl. VAT, with a back office where the network team updates listings. On the technical side, target a Largest Contentful Paint under 2.5 seconds, compressed PDFs and 3D viewers loaded only on demand.
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Claire, marketing director of a Berlin systems manufacturer, compares two scenarios. Today the specification team receives 90 document requests per month by email or phone, at 15 minutes each, or 22.5 hours a month. With the portal she expects 80% of requests to become self-service: 18 hours saved per month, around 216 hours per year, or EUR 9,700 at EUR 45 per loaded hour. The full project (site EUR 28,000, portal EUR 8,000, locator EUR 4,000) costs EUR 40,000 excl. VAT. If BIM download tracking wins just two EUR 60,000 projects per year at 25% margin, that is EUR 30,000 of margin, and payback comes in under 12 months, including EUR 3,000 of annual maintenance.
FAQ
How much does an aluminium window manufacturer website cost in 2026?
The core site sits between EUR 20,000 and 38,000 excl. VAT depending on page count and design level. With the specifier portal and locator, a full project lands, as an order of magnitude, between EUR 30,000 and 52,000 excl. VAT.
Should we host BIM objects ourselves or rely on BIMobject?
The two are complementary: the external platform brings visibility, your own site keeps the data and the specifier's contact. Hosting IFC and RFA files is cheap, a few tens of euros per month for a few gigabytes.
How long does it take to publish 1,200 documents?
Plan 14 weeks for the whole project, including 3 to 5 weeks of document migration. With a clean PIM, migration drops to one week of import and checks.
Should the specifier portal require an account?
We advise open access to technical sheets and a free account for BIM objects and specification texts. This compromise captures qualified contacts without slowing the 70% of visitors who just want a quick data point.
What maintenance budget should we plan?
Between EUR 200 and 350 excl. VAT per month for hosting, security updates, backups and a small volume of improvements. New ranges are then published in-house with no development.
Let's scope your project. Send us your catalogue and the number of documents to migrate: we will price the site, specifier portal and locator with a 14-week plan. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
