The verdict in three sentences
In Greenwich, Connecticut, an architecture firm's clients often browse projects on their phone, on the train to New York or between site visits, and a 10 MB project page loses them before the third photo. A redesign that merges two old websites costs a ballpark USD 18,000 to 100,000 across Fairfield County and New York agencies, against $4,900 for Growth or $8,900 for Premium at Kolonell, in 3 to 4 weeks once content is ready. The two jobs that matter are light pages (WebP or AVIF, lazy loading) and real WCAG 2.2 AA accessibility, with alt text, contrast and keyboard navigation.
What happens when two studios become one website?
Merging two studios creates problems people underestimate: two indexed domains, joint projects shown twice with different captions, two team pages and two contact forms. You pick the domain that survives, then 301-redirect the URLs of both old sites to the new pages, one by one for any page that gets traffic. Search Console is monitored on both properties for 6 weeks.
The merged team page is also the moment to check titles: the title architect is regulated by the state licensing board and shown only for license holders, with NCARB certification and AIA membership listed only where real. Historic home renovations and local planning processes are described in general terms, never as advice.
How much should your project pages weigh?
| Metric | Typical old portfolio site | Target after redesign |
|---|---|---|
| Project page weight | 8 to 15 MB | Under 2 MB |
| Hero image | 2 to 4 MB JPEG | 150 to 300 KB in WebP or AVIF |
| Images loaded on open | 30 to 40 | 4 to 6, the rest lazy-loaded |
| LCP (largest element shown) | 4 to 7 s on mobile | 2.5 s or less |
| INP (responsiveness) | 300 to 600 ms | 200 ms or less |
| CLS (visual stability) | 0.2 to 0.4 | 0.1 or less |
The right-hand thresholds match the values Google rates as good for Core Web Vitals. Responsive sizes send an 800-pixel image to a phone instead of a 4,000-pixel file.
Which WCAG 2.2 AA checks fail on a visual portfolio?
In the US, ADA Title III claims against websites are frequent; WCAG 2.2 AA is a reasonable target. This is not legal advice.
| WCAG criterion | Common failure | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| 1.1.1 Non-text content | Project photos without alt text | Short text per image: room, material, view |
| 1.4.3 Contrast minimum | Light gray text over a photo | Ratio of at least 4.5:1, caption band |
| 2.1.1 Keyboard | Gallery unusable without a mouse | Arrow keys and Escape in the lightbox |
| 2.4.7 Focus visible | Outline removed by the theme | Clear focus outline on links and thumbnails |
| 2.4.11 Focus not obscured | Sticky header hides the active element | Calculated scroll offset |
| 2.5.8 Target size | Tiny carousel dots | Targets of at least 24 x 24 pixels |
What budget and timeline for the redesign?
| Option | 2026 ballpark | Typical timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Regional freelancer | $6,000 to 15,000 | 6 to 10 weeks |
| Fairfield County boutique agency | $18,000 to 45,000 | 8 to 14 weeks |
| New York agency | $40,000 to 100,000 | 12 to 20 weeks |
| Kolonell Starter | $2,900 | 3 weeks |
| Kolonell Growth | $4,900 | 3 to 4 weeks |
| Kolonell Premium (the multilingual tier, languages set in the quote) | $8,900 | 4 weeks |
Ranges come from typical agency quotes and public rate pages. Kolonell includes a project manager reachable in your time zone, native English or French copywriting and 3 months of support; see the international offer. On quote: BIM viewers, project extranets, client portals, tender document rooms, CRM and secure upload of plans.
Other risks to handle before go-live:
- photo credits and written permission from every client, no address for private houses;
- a form limited to name, contact details, project type, location area and rough budget;
- firm review of all marketing content, with awards and press only where real;
- DNS switch with TTL lowered 48 hours before and MX records kept for both old domains;
- a single careers page for architects and technologists, CAN-SPAM for the newsletter.
Need a professional website?
Kolonell builds websites that attract clients, optimized for the Sénégalese market. Free quote in 2 minutes.
Questions to ask: who writes the alt text? How are keyboard and contrast tested? How many URLs from both old sites does the 301 map cover?
A local or New York agency is the better choice if the merger calls for a full new brand identity, a formal third-party accessibility audit or on-site work with both teams.
Mini case study
Illustrative example: Halden Morrow Studio, born from the merger of two Greenwich studios focused on high-end residential work and historic home renovations. Site A has 35 projects and 60 URLs, site B 22 projects and 41 URLs; 9 joint projects appear twice, leaving 48 unique projects. The firm keeps 30, and the other 18 redirect to their category: 101 URLs in total in the 301 map. The 30 projects hold 360 images cut from about 3.5 MB to 250 KB each, from 1.26 GB down to 90 MB. At one minute per alt text, writing takes 6 hours. Budget: Growth at $4,900.
FAQ
Which domain should survive a merger?
Usually the one with more ranking pages; the other 301-redirects for at least 12 months.
Is WebP enough to make a site fast?
It often cuts image weight by 60 to 90%, but lazy loading and responsive sizes are also needed to reach a 2.5 s LCP.
Does every photo need alt text?
Yes for informative images; purely decorative ones get an empty alt. Plan about one minute per image.
Is an accessibility audit included?
Keyboard and contrast testing are part of delivery; a formal audit by an independent third party is a third-party cost, priced separately.
Which tier for two merged studios?
Growth at $4,900 covers 30 filterable projects; Starter at $2,900 is too narrow beyond 10 projects.
Let's scope your project. Tell us your two domains, the number of projects to keep and your target go-live date. 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.
