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

The verdict in three sentences

For an architecture firm in Stellenbosch, a redesign becomes urgent when project pages weigh more than 5 MB on mobile, when two old websites still coexist after a merger, or when nobody has ever tested accessibility. The budget runs from USD 2,900 (Starter) to USD 8,900 (Premium) with Kolonell, against roughly ZAR 60,000 to 180,000 (about USD 3,300 to 10,000) at a local web studio, 2026 ballpark. The main risk sits in the migration: project pages losing their rankings, photo credits going missing and oversized images wrecking mobile speed.

Which signals tell you a redesign is due?

In Stellenbosch, a practice's portfolio often mixes wine estates, work within a heritage fabric shaped by Cape Dutch architecture and projects tied to life in a university town. These pages are highly visual, so they are heavy. Yet prospects mostly open them on a phone, sometimes on patchy 4G between two site visits. These are the thresholds that should worry you.

If three of these six signals apply, a visual touch-up will not be enough: the structure, the templates and the image pipeline all need rework.

What does a redesign cost in Stellenbosch in 2026?

The ranges below reflect typical quotes from agencies and freelancers in the Cape region, 2026 ballpark, converted at roughly ZAR 18 to USD 1. They are not a market survey.

Every tier of Kolonell's international offer includes a project manager reachable in your time zone, native English or French copywriting, delivery in 3 to 4 weeks once content is ready, and 3 months of support. On quote: BIM viewer, project extranet, client portal, tender document room, CRM integration and a secure channel for exchanging drawings. These tools are linked or embedded, never rebuilt inside a fixed-grid site. An independent architectural photographer remains a third-party cost, paid directly by the practice.

Which schedule and which risks should you plan for?

The Kolonell schedule assumes copy, photos and permissions are available at kick-off. Otherwise, allow one to three extra weeks on the practice's side.

The risks to handle, from the most expensive to the simplest:

• Mobile speed. Every photo is served as WebP or AVIF, in several widths (srcset), lazy loaded below the fold. Target: green Core Web Vitals on mobile, LCP under 2.5 s.
• Traffic loss. Every project and service page that already ranks gets a 301 redirect to its new address, checked in Search Console.
• Accessibility. Descriptive alt text for each project photo, contrast of at least 4.5:1 for body text, full keyboard navigation in galleries.
• Rights and credits. Photographer credit and client permission for every project shown, private houses shown without an address.
• Professional titles. Titles registered with SACAP (for example Professional Architect) appear only for people actually registered in that category.
• Regulatory content. Municipal building plan approval and heritage processes are described in general terms, never as advice. Awards and certifications appear only if real and supplied by the practice.
• Forms and POPIA. The form asks only for name, contact, project type, area and rough budget. Drawings travel through a separate channel.

This is not legal advice: compliance with POPIA, overseen by the Information Regulator, and with the Consumer Protection Act should be confirmed with your adviser.

Which questions should you ask, and when is a local agency better?

Before signing, ask: who delivers the 301 redirect map, and in what format? What maximum weight per project page is targeted? Who tests accessibility, and with which tools? In whose name are the domain and hosting registered? How are new project pages billed after the 3 months of support?

A local agency remains the better choice if you want weekly in-person workshops, if your extranet or CRM needs substantial custom development, or if you want one supplier who also handles photography and site videos. For a portfolio redesign with a clear scope, a remote fixed-price studio often fits the budget better.

Mini case study

*Illustrative example.* Lerato, a partner at Morrow & Fynn Studio, a practice formed by merging two Stellenbosch studios, runs two old websites: 40 project pages on one, 25 on the other, plus around twenty service and team pages. That makes 85 URLs to inventory and redirect.

Each project page shows 12 photos of 4 MB on average, about 48 MB. Converted to AVIF at roughly 250 KB per large image, the same page drops to around 3 MB, about 16 times lighter.

Budget: Growth at USD 4,900, plus an independent photographer (third-party cost) for 5 recent projects, about ZAR 12,000 (roughly USD 670). Total of about USD 5,570, against a hypothetical local quote of ZAR 140,000 (about USD 7,800). Difference: about USD 2,230, and one site to keep alive instead of two.

FAQ

How long does an architecture firm website redesign take?

With Kolonell, 3 to 4 weeks once content is ready, then 6 weeks of Search Console monitoring. A local studio usually quotes 8 to 14 weeks.

Do we need to reshoot the whole portfolio?

Rarely. High-resolution originals are enough once converted to WebP or AVIF; often only 3 to 5 recent projects justify a new shoot, paid to the photographer as a third-party cost.

What happens to our two old domains after the merger?

They are kept and redirected with 301s, page by page, to the new site. Keep them active for at least 12 months so existing links are not lost.

Is the USD 2,900 Starter tier enough?

For a portfolio of fewer than 10 projects and a 5-page site, yes. Beyond that, Growth at USD 4,900 adds project templates and the blog.

Is WCAG 2.2 AA accessibility checked?

Kolonell's testing covers alt text, 4.5:1 contrast and keyboard navigation. A formal external audit stays on quote.

Let's scope your project. A Stellenbosch architecture portfolio redesign, USD 2,900 to 8,900, live in 3 to 4 weeks once content is ready. See the international offer or request a free quote: detailed reply within 48 hours.