The verdict in three sentences
For an architecture firm in Lugano, the right question is the total cost over 3 years, not the opening quote: patching an old theme or a portfolio builder often ends up costing as much as a clean redesign. A Ticino agency typically quotes CHF 12,000 to 35,000 for a redesign, while the Kolonell fixed grid offers Growth at CHF 4,500 and Premium at CHF 8,200, the multilingual tier, languages set in the quote. With an Italian-speaking core market and international clients in English and German, the multilingual structure and the 301 redirects weigh more than the design itself.
Patch or redesign: what do 3 years cost?
The table compares typical scenarios for a site of around forty pages. Monthly figures are market assumptions, not Kolonell prices; Kolonell maintenance after the 3 included months is on quote.
| Scenario | Year 0 | Running costs over 36 months (market assumption) | 3-year total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patching the current theme with a freelancer | CHF 3,000 | 36 x 150 = CHF 5,400 | CHF 8,400 |
| Hosted portfolio builder, freelancer setup | CHF 2,500 | 36 x 30 = CHF 1,080 | CHF 3,580 |
| Redesign by a freelancer | CHF 9,000 | 36 x 150 = CHF 5,400 | CHF 14,400 |
| Bespoke redesign, Lugano agency | CHF 20,000 | 36 x 250 = CHF 9,000 | CHF 29,000 |
| Kolonell Growth | CHF 4,500 | 33 x 150 = CHF 4,950 (market assumption; Kolonell maintenance after the 3 included months on quote) | CHF 9,450 |
| Kolonell Premium | CHF 8,200 | 33 x 150 = CHF 4,950 (market assumption; Kolonell maintenance after the 3 included months on quote) | CHF 13,150 |
Local ranges are a 2026 ballpark based on typical agency quotes and public agency rate pages. The hosted builder looks cheapest, but it handles Italian, English and German versions, 301 redirects and heavy site photography poorly. Patching keeps a slow site and growing technical debt in place. Tier details are on the international offer page.
Which signals justify a redesign now?
- The site exists only in Italian, while enquiries about lakeside residences or hillside villas also arrive in English or German.
- Restoration pages show before and after in galleries of 30 uncompressed images.
- No page explains how the studio approaches a protected building; heritage and permit procedures, handled by the commune and the canton, deserve a general description, never advice.
- The theme breaks at every update and each fix costs 2 to 4 freelancer hours.
Phases, risks and safeguards
With Kolonell, the schedule fits in 3 to 4 weeks once content is ready: week 1, URL inventory and structure per language; week 2, design and native copy; week 3, build, migration and images; week 4, testing, compliance review, go-live. Translation into German or Italian is handled by an independent translator, a third-party cost, unless the Premium quote includes it.
| Risk | Likelihood without a plan | Safeguard |
|---|---|---|
| Traffic loss on Italian project pages | high | URL inventory, 301 map, Search Console monitoring for 6 weeks |
| Wrong hreflang between Italian, English and German | medium | tags checked page by page before go-live |
| Heavy before/after galleries | high | WebP or AVIF, responsive sizes, lazy loading |
| Missing photo credits and owner permissions | medium | rights register per project, villas without addresses |
| Broken extranet or BIM viewer | low to medium | separate lines on quote, linked or embedded, never rebuilt |
| Downtime during the DNS switch | low | TTL lowered 48 hours ahead, off-peak switch |
| Inaccurate titles or registrations | medium | review: titles, REG or SIA only if held |
Ticino has its own rules on who may practise; they are described here in general terms only. On data, the nLPD applies, and the GDPR as soon as you target EU residents, for instance clients from Lombardy. The form collects the minimum (name, contact, project type, area, rough budget); plans go through a separate secure channel, on quote. This is not legal advice.
Questions to ask, and when a local agency is the better choice
Ask every provider: how many languages are included and who translates? Who writes the 301 map? Does the price include gallery migration? What does maintenance cost after delivery? A Lugano agency remains the better choice if you want weekly in-person meetings in Italian, a visual identity created from scratch or a custom client portal built from day one.
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Mini case study
Illustrative example: Studio Corvella Restauri, a practice focused on heritage restoration and adaptive reuse, runs an Italian-only site on an old theme. Option A, patch: CHF 8,400 over 3 years, plus a freelancer adding English and German (CHF 4,000) and two independent translators, a third-party cost (2 x 1,800 = CHF 3,600), so CHF 16,000. Option B, Premium: CHF 8,200, plus the same translators (CHF 3,600) and 33 x 150 = CHF 4,950 of maintenance (market assumption; Kolonell maintenance after the 3 included months on quote), so CHF 16,750. For a CHF 750 difference over 3 years, the studio gets a new, fast site structured in three languages.
FAQ
Is patching ever the right call?
Yes, if the site is under 2 years old, still fast and needs only one language. Beyond 3 fixes a year at 2 to 4 hours each, a redesign becomes the better investment.
How many languages should a Lugano firm plan for?
Italian first, often English and German next. Premium, at CHF 8,200, is the multilingual tier, languages set in the quote.
Should restoration before/after photos be shown?
Yes, with the owner's permission and the photographer's credit. Keep each gallery to 8 to 12 optimised images.
How long should search performance be monitored after launch?
At least 6 weeks in Search Console, checking 404 errors weekly. The 301s stay in place for at least 12 months.
Is the site extranet included in the fixed price?
No. The extranet, BIM viewer and CRM are separate lines on quote, linked or embedded in the site.
Let's scope your project. Tell us your languages, the number of project pages and your deadline, and we will price the tier, the migration and the schedule. 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.
