Website redesign for an architecture firm in Calgary: budget, timeline and risks (2026)

The verdict in three sentences

For a Calgary architecture firm that works mostly for multi-unit housing developers, a redesign is due as soon as the website stops showing what the practice does today, especially retrofit, adaptive reuse and energy performance. A sensible budget sits between $2,900 and $8,900 on Kolonell's fixed grid, against a 2026 ballpark of CAD 15,000 to 45,000 (roughly USD 11,000 to 32,000) with a local agency. The real risk is not the price: it is losing the project pages that already bring developers in from Google.

Which signals say the redesign is due?

Architecture websites age faster than the practice. In Calgary, many firms built their site when downtown offices and single-family homes filled their order book. Today, inner-city residential infill, small rental buildings and the conversion of vacant office space are widely discussed topics. If your site says nothing about them, developer clients will not find you on those searches.

Concrete signals to check:

• project pages weigh more than 3 MB each and take over 4 seconds to load on a phone;
• the portfolio is sorted by year instead of by program type (multi-unit, mixed use, retrofit);
• no page explains your approach to energy performance, timber or building reuse;
• the contact form asks for drawings as attachments, which puts client documents into an inbox not designed for them;
• the careers page for architects and technologists points to a posting closed two years ago.

What does the redesign cost in Calgary in 2026?

Local figures below are 2026 ballparks drawn from typical agency quotes and public agency rate pages, converted approximately into USD. They move with the number of projects to migrate.

Every Kolonell tier includes a project manager reachable in your time zone, native English or French copywriting, delivery in 3 to 4 weeks once content is ready, and 3 months of support. Maintenance after those 3 months is on quote. Also on quote, as separate lines: BIM viewers, project extranets, client portals, tender document rooms and CRM integration. These tools are linked or embedded, never rebuilt inside a fixed-grid site. Tier details are on our international offer page.

How do you present retrofit and timber work without inventing anything?

This is the most delicate part of the redesign. A developer wants evidence of method, not slogans. What works: one page per expertise (envelope and energy retrofit, mass timber, reuse of existing buildings) describing your process, the studies you usually commission, the engineering partners you typically work with and the questions you ask at concept stage.

What to avoid: showing a certification or sustainability rating a project never achieved, or implying a quantified energy saving without a source. If a certification is real, the firm supplies the document and the page quotes it as is. The word architect appears only for principals who hold that title with the Alberta Association of Architects. Permit and heritage processes with the City are described in general terms, never as advice.

What timeline and which risks should you plan for?

Project images move to WebP or AVIF, with lazy loading and responsive sizes. Private houses are shown without addresses. The contact form collects the minimum: name, contact details, project type, area of the city and rough budget. Drawings travel through a separate secure channel, on quote. On data, Alberta PIPA governs collection by private organizations in the province and CASL governs commercial email. This is not legal advice.

For go-live, pick a quiet week in your submission calendar, not the week of a developer pitch.

When is a local agency the better choice?

To be fair: if you want in-person workshops with your partners, an architectural photographer coordinated by the agency and a custom-built project extranet, a Calgary agency has a real advantage. The same goes if the redesign comes with a full new brand identity. Kolonell fits better when the scope is clear: a fast site, a well-structured portfolio and a migration with no losses.

Questions to ask any provider: who builds the 301 redirect map? How many weeks of Search Console monitoring after launch? Who checks the rights for every photo? Are BIM or extranet tools priced separately?

Mini case study

Illustrative example: Bowfield Studio, a fictional 12-person Calgary firm designing multi-unit buildings for developers. Its site has 42 project pages, 15 of which get Google traffic. The firm picks Growth at $4,900, keeps the 15 ranking pages with 301 redirects, merges 18 older pages into 6 typology pages and retires 9 projects with no photo permission. Three-year cost: $4,900 + 33 months x $120 (market assumption; Kolonell maintenance after the 3 included months is on quote) = 4,900 + 3,960 = $8,860. A mid-range local quote at CAD 30,000 (approx. USD 21,600) with the same maintenance assumption would pass USD 25,000.

FAQ

How long does a redesign with Kolonell take?

Plan on 3 to 4 weeks once copy, photos and permissions are gathered. Preparing content on the firm's side often adds 1 to 2 weeks.

Will we lose our search rankings?

The risk is real if old URLs disappear without redirects. With a full inventory, a 301 map and 6 weeks of Search Console monitoring, any dip is usually temporary.

Can we show our high-performance building projects?

Yes, if the data and certifications are real and supplied by the firm. No rating is added without a document, and the 2 to 3 day compliance review checks it before go-live.

Can our project extranet be integrated?

It can be linked or embedded, as a separate line on quote. It is not rebuilt inside the $4,900 Growth tier.

Does the price include maintenance?

Three months of support are included. After that, maintenance is on quote.

Let's scope your project. Send your current site and project list and we will price the migration, the tier and the timeline on one page. See the international offer or request a free quote: detailed reply within 48 hours.