The verdict in three sentences
For an architecture firm in Cape Town, a redesign costs USD 2,900 for Starter, USD 4,900 for Growth and USD 8,900 for Premium on Kolonell's fixed grid, against roughly ZAR 40,000 to 150,000 with a local agency, about USD 2,200 to 8,300 (2026 ballpark). The portfolio is both the asset and the danger: oversized project pages, photos without credit or client permission, or project URLs deleted without a 301 redirect cost more than the design itself. A well-scoped redesign fits in 3 to 4 weeks once images and copy are ready.
What signals that a redesign is due?
A practice working across the City Bowl, Woodstock, the Atlantic Seaboard and the Winelands, on houses, renovations and hospitality projects, will recognise these symptoms:
- project pages serve 5 to 8 MB JPEGs, and the gallery takes several seconds to open on mobile;
- project photos credit neither the photographer nor the client's permission;
- the title "architect" is used for the whole team, with no distinction between SACAP registration categories;
- recent projects are not online because the site is painful to update;
- the careers page points to a role filled long ago.
How much does a redesign cost and what does each option include?
| Option | 2026 indicative budget | Timeline | Often included |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cape Town freelancer | ZAR 15,000 to 45,000, about USD 800 to 2,500 | 4 to 8 weeks | Adapted portfolio theme |
| Local agency | ZAR 40,000 to 150,000, about USD 2,200 to 8,300 | 8 to 14 weeks | Custom design, art direction |
| Kolonell Starter | USD 2,900 | 3 to 4 weeks | Short site, 6 to 8 projects |
| Kolonell Growth | USD 4,900 | 3 to 4 weeks | Filterable portfolio, project pages, careers, news |
| Kolonell Premium | USD 8,900 | 3 to 4 weeks | The multilingual tier (languages set in the quote), advanced animation |
| Project extranet, BIM, client portal | On quote everywhere | Varies | Embedded or linked, never rebuilt inside a fixed-grid site |
Every Kolonell tier includes a project manager reachable in your time zone, native English or French copywriting, delivery in 3 to 4 weeks and 3 months of support. Details are on the international offer page. New project photography remains a third-party cost, paid to the photographer.
How do you compare two redesign quotes?
Sample grid for two fictional quotes, scores out of 5, total out of 100 (sum of weight times score, divided by 5):
| Criterion | Weight | Quote A | Quote B |
|---|---|---|---|
| Migration plan and 301 map for project pages | 25 | 4 | 5 |
| Image performance (WebP/AVIF, lazy loading) | 20 | 3 | 4 |
| Ease of updating the portfolio | 20 | 5 | 3 |
| Realistic timeline | 15 | 2 | 4 |
| Total cost over 3 years | 20 | 3 | 4 |
| Score out of 100 | 100 | 70 | 81 |
Adjust the weights to your priorities: a practice publishing a project a month will weight portfolio updates more heavily.
Which risks should you plan for, and how do you avoid them?
Ranking loss on project pages. Some pages, a house in Camps Bay or a renovation in Bo-Kaap for instance, attract precise searches. Full URL inventory, project-by-project 301 map, six weeks of Search Console monitoring.
Images and rights. Every project carries the photographer's credit and the client's written permission to publish. Private houses may require the address to be hidden.
Professional titles. "Architect" and the other categories appear only for people actually registered as such with SACAP, checked by the firm before go-live.
Marketing content. Competitions, awards and publications only if real and supplied by the firm. Municipal and heritage approval processes are described in general terms, with no promised approval times.
Personal data. Contact and application forms limited to what is needed, a privacy notice aligned with POPIA and attention to Information Regulator guidance; commercial claims stay consistent with the Consumer Protection Act. This is not legal advice.
Need a professional website?
Kolonell builds websites that attract clients, optimized for the Sénégalese market. Free quote in 2 minutes.
Switchover. Go-live outside competition submission or planning submission weeks, DNS prepared, Google Business Profile up to date.
When a local agency is the better choice: if you want art direction built in workshops at your studio, photography organised by the same provider and in-person follow-up, a Cape Town agency remains an excellent choice.
Mini case study
Illustrative example: Kloof Line Studio, an imaginary six-person practice in Woodstock, with two registered architects and four technologists. It wants 18 projects online, a careers page and a portfolio that is easy to update.
Three-year calculation: Growth at USD 4,900. New photography of four projects by a local photographer (third-party cost), about ZAR 32,000, roughly USD 1,800. Maintenance at USD 90 a month over 33 months, or USD 2,970 (market assumption; Kolonell maintenance after the 3 included months on quote). Total: 4,900 + 1,800 + 2,970 = USD 9,670. The existing project extranet stays linked from the site, on quote if deeper integration is wanted.
FAQ
How much does an architecture firm website redesign cost in Cape Town?
On the Kolonell grid, USD 2,900 for Starter, USD 4,900 for Growth and USD 8,900 for Premium. With a local agency, the 2026 ballpark is ZAR 40,000 to 150,000.
How long does the redesign take?
Allow 3 to 4 weeks once photos and copy are ready. Selecting and captioning 15 to 20 projects often takes the firm 1 to 2 weeks.
How do we avoid a slow portfolio?
WebP or AVIF formats, sizes matched to the screen and lazy loading. A project image often drops from several MB to a few hundred KB with no visible loss.
Are the extranet or client portal included?
No, they stay on quote. The existing tool is embedded or linked, so a file-sharing system is not rebuilt.
Can we publish all our projects?
Only with each client's permission and the photographer's credit. Plan one line per project in your tracking sheet, so 18 checks for 18 projects.
Let's scope your project. Send us your project list, your current pages and your submission calendar, and we will price the redesign between USD 2,900 and 8,900 with a 3 to 4 week timeline. See the international offer or request a free quote: detailed reply within 48 hours.
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.
