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

The verdict in three sentences

For a Quebec City practice focused on heritage restoration and adaptive reuse, patching an aging website costs almost as much over 3 years as a clean redesign, without fixing its flaws. A Kolonell redesign costs $4,900 (Growth) or $8,900 (Premium), delivered in 3 to 4 weeks once content is ready, against a 2026 ballpark of CAD 15,000 to 35,000 (roughly USD 10,800 to 25,200) with a local agency. The critical point is migrating the project pages that already bring clients in from Google.

Patch or redesign: what does each option cost over 3 years?

Many Quebec City practices run on a template bought eight or ten years ago, or on an online portfolio platform. The symptoms are familiar: slow project pages on mobile, no way to sort projects by type of intervention (restoration, addition, adaptive reuse), a shaky or missing English version, a contact form that receives drawings by email.

Local amounts below are 2026 ballparks drawn from typical agency quotes and public agency rate pages, converted approximately into USD. All monthly maintenance figures are market assumptions over 33 months; Kolonell maintenance after the 3 included months is on quote.

The portfolio platform looks unbeatable on paper, but it handles a detailed 301 redirect map and a clean bilingual journey poorly, and it eats partner time. Kolonell Starter at $2,900 exists for a very small portfolio; a heritage practice with dozens of project pages usually fits Growth. Every tier includes a project manager in your time zone, native French or English copywriting, delivery in 3 to 4 weeks and 3 months of support. Details are on our international offer page.

What needs extra care for a heritage practice?

Old Quebec is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and much of the city's older building stock falls under protection regimes. The site can explain your approach (surveys, historical studies, material choices, dialogue with the relevant bodies) in general terms, never as advice on a specific procedure.

Points specific to this kind of portfolio:

• Archive photos and old drawings: check the source and reproduction rights for each one, since an archive is not rights-free by default.
• Before and after shots: only with the owner's consent, and without the address for private homes.
• Professional title: the architect title is reserved for members of the Ordre des architectes du Québec; the site gives it only to registered people.
• Awards and publications: only if real and documented by the firm.
• Heavy images: WebP or AVIF, lazy loading, responsive sizes.
• Recruitment: an up-to-date page for architects and technologists, in French.

What timeline and which risks?

On compliance: the Charter of the French language requires French to be available, with English optional. Quebec's Law 25 notably requires publishing the contact details of the person in charge of protecting personal information and framing the use of tracking cookies. CASL governs commercial email. The form collects the minimum: name, contact details, project type, area and rough budget; drawings travel through a separate secure channel, on quote. This is not legal advice.

On quote, linked or embedded and never rebuilt: BIM viewers, project extranets, client portals, tender document rooms and CRM.

When should you pick a Quebec City agency? If you want in-person workshops, a new brand identity or a custom-built extranet. Questions to ask any provider: who produces the 301 map? Who checks archive rights? How many weeks of monitoring?

Mini case study

Illustrative example: Atelier Pierre-Grise, a fictional six-person heritage restoration and adaptive reuse practice in Quebec City. Option 1, patch: CAD 3,500 of fixes a year (market assumption), so CAD 10,500 over 3 years, roughly USD 7,560, for a site that stays slow. Option 2, redesign on Growth: $4,900 + 33 months x $150 (market assumption; Kolonell maintenance after the 3 included months on quote) = 4,900 + 4,950 = $9,850. Gap: $2,290 over 3 years for a new, fast site; a later move to Premium (the multilingual tier, languages set in the quote) remains possible.

FAQ

Does the site have to be bilingual?

French is mandatory, English optional. Growth at $4,900 covers a French site; Premium at $8,900 is the multilingual tier, languages set in the quote.

Can we publish archive photos?

Yes, if the source and reproduction rights are checked. Allow 1 to 2 days to fill in the rights table.

Will we lose our Google traffic?

Not if every old URL gets a 301 redirect and 6 weeks of Search Console monitoring.

How long does the redesign take?

3 to 4 weeks of production once content is gathered, plus 1 to 2 weeks of preparation on the firm's side.

Is maintenance included?

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

Let's scope your project. Send your current site address and we will compare patching and redesigning over 3 years, then price the tier and the migration. See the international offer or request a free quote: detailed reply within 48 hours.