The verdict in three sentences
For an architecture firm in Victoria, a website redesign costs USD 2,900 to 8,900 with Kolonell in 2026, against a ballpark of SCR 45,000 to 140,000 (about USD 3,200 to 10,000) from local or regional agencies. The technology is rarely the problem; the cutover date matters far more, because email going down the day before a competition submission, or a press kit that vanishes during a press visit, costs more than the redesign itself. Choose the go-live window before the provider, then secure URLs, 301 redirects, DNS and email with a written calendar.
When should you cut over, and when not?
Victoria practices often work for hotels, residences and restaurants, with clients and operators based in Europe, the Gulf or South Africa. Their calendar follows tourism and foreign developers.
| Period | What is happening | Risk if you cut over | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 weeks before a competition submission | Heavy file and email traffic | Lost messages, broken links in the submission | Freeze the site, cut over after submission |
| Festive season | Reduced teams, clients on leave | Nobody to approve or fix | Avoid, except for a very simple site |
| July and August | European holidays for many clients | Slow approvals on the client side | Possible if content is frozen beforehand |
| Opening of a hotel the firm designed | Press and partners visit the site | Project page or press kit unavailable | Cut over at least 3 weeks before or after |
| Ordinary week, Tuesday or Wednesday | Normal activity | Low | Ideal window |
Competitions, awards and press coverage cited on the site must be real and supplied by the firm; nothing is invented to fill a page.
What does the redesign cost?
Local ranges are a 2026 ballpark based on typical agency quotes and public agency rate pages, converted approximately into USD. They are not a survey.
| Option | 2026 ballpark | Approximate equivalent | Often extra |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local freelancer | SCR 15,000 to 45,000 | USD 1,100 to 3,200 | Copywriting, redirects, monitoring |
| Local or regional agency, brochure site | SCR 45,000 to 90,000 | USD 3,200 to 6,400 | Second language, maintenance |
| Local or regional agency, full site | SCR 90,000 to 140,000 | USD 6,400 to 10,000 | Extranet, integrations |
| Kolonell Starter | USD 2,900 | USD 2,900 | Extra languages |
| Kolonell Growth | USD 4,900 | USD 4,900 | Extranet, CRM |
| Kolonell Premium | USD 8,900 | USD 8,900 | Portals, BIM viewer |
Premium is the multilingual tier, languages set in the quote, for example English and French; a few touches of Seychellois Creole only if the firm already uses it. Every tier 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. Details on the international offer page.
What is the cutover plan, day by day?
| Milestone | Action | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| D-30 | Inventory of every URL, list of project pages and press kit to keep | Kolonell |
| D-21 | Content frozen: copy, photos, credits, client permissions | Firm |
| D-14 | 301 redirect map signed off, new site tested on a staging address | Kolonell and firm |
| D-2 | DNS TTL lowered, MX and SPF records noted so email does not move | Kolonell |
| D0 | Cutover on a Tuesday or Wednesday morning, email send and receive test | Kolonell |
| D+1 to D+7 | Check of 301s, the form and the press kit link | Kolonell |
| D+42 | End of the six-week Search Console monitoring | Kolonell |
The press kit deserves special care: its URL must survive the redesign, because it circulates in emails and articles. If it changes, a 301 redirect sends it to the new page.
Which other risks, and what stays on quote?
- Heavy portfolio. Hotel and restaurant interior photos often weigh 8 to 15 MB; they move to WebP or AVIF, with lazy loading and responsive sizes.
- Image rights. Many photos belong to the hotel or its photographer: written licence and visible credit for every project, private villas without addresses.
- Integrations. BIM viewer, project extranet, client portal, tender document room and CRM stay on quote, linked or embedded, never rebuilt.
- Compliance. The title of architect appears only if the people concerned hold it. Procedures with the Planning Authority and the environmental constraints of the islands are described in general terms, never as advice. The form follows Seychelles data protection legislation and collects only name, contact, project type, island or district and a rough budget; drawings go through a separate secure channel, on quote. This is not legal advice.
- Recruitment. The page for architects and technologists is carried over and dated.
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Questions to ask: who handles DNS on the day? Who tests email? Is the press kit URL kept? What does maintenance cost after the included period?
When is a local agency the better choice? If you want someone on site on cutover day, a photographer sent to a project on Praslin or La Digue by the same provider, or an agency that already runs your email. For a clear scope, request a free quote.
Mini case study
Atelier Anse Lagon (illustrative example) is a Victoria firm specialised in hotel and restaurant buildings and interiors. It has a competition due on 20 March and a hotel it designed opens at the end of April.
Chosen plan: content frozen on 2 February, cutover on a Tuesday or Wednesday in the week after the submission and five weeks before the hotel opens. Budget: Growth at USD 4,900, an image licence from the hotel's photographer (third-party cost) at USD 600, and maintenance at USD 75 a month for 33 months (market assumption; Kolonell maintenance after the 3 included months on quote), or USD 2,475. Three-year total: 4,900 + 600 + 2,475 = USD 7,975, about USD 222 a month, with no promise of extra enquiries.
FAQ
How long is email down?
Normally zero minutes: only the website records change and the MX records stay the same. TTL is lowered 48 hours before to speed up propagation.
How long does the redesign take?
Three to four weeks with Kolonell once content is ready, plus 2 to 3 weeks of gathering photos and permissions on the firm's side.
Can the site be in English and French?
Yes, with Premium at USD 8,900, the multilingual tier, languages set in the quote.
What happens to our current press kit?
Its URL is kept or 301-redirected. Link monitoring runs for six weeks, that is 42 days after go-live.
Let's scope your project. A Victoria architecture firm redesign is planned around your deadlines: cutover date, pages to migrate, a budget of USD 2,900 to 8,900 and go-live in 3 to 4 weeks. 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.
