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

The verdict in three sentences

For an Oxford architecture firm, the riskiest redesign is not the most expensive one: it is the one that goes live the day before a competition deadline, in the middle of August, or just as a journalist looks for your press kit. On budget, expect £10,000 to £40,000 with a local agency (2026 ballpark), against £2,300 (Starter), £3,900 (Growth) or £6,900 (Premium) on Kolonell's fixed grid, delivered in 3 to 4 weeks once content is ready. So choose the go-live date before the provider, with a 301 redirect map, protected email and 6 weeks of Search Console monitoring.

When is the current site no longer enough?

Four signals come up again and again in practices specialising in hospitality and restaurants. Project pages do not say who did what: building design, interior fit-out, bespoke furniture. The press kit is a 2021 PDF with no photo credits. Each project page weighs over 8 MB and drags on mobile. And the title architect, protected under the Architects Act 1997, appears next to staff who are not on the ARB register; RIBA Chartered Practice belongs on the site only if the firm holds it.

In a city shaped by colleges, the university, conservation areas and listed buildings, heritage work and planning processes are described in general terms, never as advice.

What does the redesign cost over 3 years?

2026 ballpark figures from typical agency quotes and public agency rate pages in Oxford and London. Maintenance is a market assumption; Kolonell maintenance after the 3 included months is on quote.

Every 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.

How do you choose the cutover date?

A typical Kolonell schedule: week 1 URL inventory and 301 map; week 2 copy and project selection; week 3 design and build, WebP or AVIF images with lazy loading; week 4 compliance review, testing, go-live. With a local agency, 10 to 16 weeks is common.

Which risks need managing during migration?

• Indexed project pages: exhaustive inventory, one-to-one 301 redirects, sitemap submitted on the day, weekly 404 checks for 6 weeks.
• Image rights: every migrated photo keeps its credit and licence; restaurants and hotels shown with the client's written approval. No project, award or press article is added unless real and supplied.
• Press kit: accessible PDF, downloadable images with credits, same address as before or a redirect.
• Forms: name, contact, project type, location area, rough budget. Drawings travel through a separate secure channel, on quote.
• Compliance: UK GDPR, the Data Protection Act 2018 and ICO guidance for data, PECR for cookies and marketing email, a WCAG 2.2 AA target in line with the Equality Act 2010. This is not legal advice.

On quote: project extranet, BIM viewer, client portal, tender document room and CRM integration, linked or embedded, never rebuilt inside a fixed-grid site. The recruitment page for architects and technologists is part of the site.

Which questions to ask, and when does a local agency win?

Ask who watches DNS on cutover day, who keeps the press kit address stable, and whether the go-live date is contractual. An Oxford agency fits better if you want a coordinated shoot on your sites, in-person workshops or a full rebrand. For a scoped redesign where the date matters more than anything, a fixed price in 3 to 4 weeks is easier to plan.

Mini case study

Illustrative example: Priya, director of Marlow Quill Studio, a fictional 7-person practice specialising in restaurant and hotel interiors and buildings; one partner is on the ARB register, the interior designers do not use the title. Current site: 75 URLs, including 28 project pages and 9 press PDFs.

• Content ready on 6 January, Growth tier at £3,900, delivery in 4 weeks: go-live on 3 February.
• Competition deadline: 24 February, leaving a 3-week buffer.
• New shoot of 4 projects by a local interiors photographer (third-party cost): £1,600.
• Total: £3,900 + £1,600 = £5,500, against £16,000 + £1,600 = £17,600 with the local quote, delivered in 14 weeks, so after the deadline.

FAQ

How long should the old site stay online?

Until cutover day, after which the 301 redirects take over. Keep an archived copy for at least 12 months to retrieve old text or PDFs.

Should the press kit change address?

Ideally not: a stable URL such as /press avoids broken links in existing articles. If it must change, a 301 redirect is enough, tested before cutover.

Is there a risk of losing email?

Not if MX, SPF and DKIM records stay intact and the TTL is lowered 48 hours beforehand. The DNS switch itself usually completes in under 24 hours.

Is Starter enough for a hospitality practice?

Starter at £2,300 suits 10 or 12 projects. Beyond 20 projects with filters and a press kit, Growth at £3,900 is more realistic.

Can we go live during a competition?

Better to avoid the 3 weeks before submission. Fix the date at scoping through the free quote page.

Let's scope your project. An architecture site redesign with a planned cutover date, a 301 map and a preserved press kit, from £2,300 to £6,900 in 3 to 4 weeks. See the international offer or request a free quote: detailed reply within 48 hours.