The verdict in three sentences
An architecture firm website redesign costs 9,000 to 24,000 EUR (roughly 10,000 to 26,000 USD) in 2026 for a portfolio able to convince competition juries and private developers; New York agencies often quote 1.3 to 1.6 times higher. What matters is not visual effect but the readability of references: floor area, construction cost, completion date and program, two clicks away. With AVIF images under 200 KB and an 8 to 12 week timeline, the site becomes part of the bid file.
What a jury or a client looks for on your site
Before a shortlist, a public buyer or owner's representative spends less than three minutes on the firm's site. They look for references comparable to their program: a school, a 40-unit residential building, a sports facility. A portfolio sorted only by aesthetics wastes that time.
| Project sheet item | Why it matters | Present on an average site |
|---|---|---|
| Program and building type | Juries filter by similar references | 60% |
| Floor area (sq m / sq ft) | Compares the scale of projects | 40% |
| Construction cost | Proves budget control | 20% |
| Completion date and status | Separates built, on site, competition | 50% |
| Client and scope of services | Full or partial scope, public or private | 35% |
| Performance (energy codes, labels, bio-based) | Growing scoring criterion in 2026 | 25% |
These percentages are an order of magnitude from our audits of architecture firm websites. A structured project sheet with these six fields, filterable by program, is the first gain of the redesign.
Redesign budget by level of ambition
| Package | Content | 2026 price (excl. tax) | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essential portfolio | 8 to 12 pages, 20 projects, optimized galleries | 9,000 to 12,000 EUR | 8 weeks |
| Structured portfolio | Filterable project sheets, expertise pages, news | 13,000 to 18,000 EUR | 10 weeks |
| Premium portfolio | Animations, interactive plans, drone video, second language | 19,000 to 24,000 EUR | 12 weeks |
| Additional photo shoot | Per-project photo report (outside site budget) | 800 to 1,800 EUR per project | Variable |
| Content migration | Writing project sheets and translation | 1,500 to 4,000 EUR | 2 to 3 weeks |
| Annual maintenance | Hosting, updates, backups | 900 to 2,400 EUR a year | Ongoing |
The main overrun rarely comes from development. It comes from content migration: tracking down areas, costs and photo credits for 20 to 40 projects takes the firm's time. Appoint an internal owner from day one.
Image performance: the technical point most sites miss
An architect's site loads dozens of high-resolution visuals. Unprocessed, a project page exceeds 15 MB and takes over 6 seconds to render on 4G. 2026 best practice: AVIF and WebP formats, responsive images per screen size, lazy loading and a target weight under 200 KB per displayed image.
| Metric | Unoptimized site | Redesigned site (target) |
|---|---|---|
| Project page weight | 12 to 20 MB | 1.5 to 3 MB |
| Render time (LCP) on 4G | 5 to 8 s | under 2.5 s |
| Lighthouse performance score | 30 to 55 | 90 and above |
| Average image weight | 1 to 3 MB | 120 to 200 KB |
| Project page bounce rate | 60 to 70% | 35 to 45% |
Mini case study
Camille, partner in a 14-person architecture firm, answers 25 public competitions a year and wins 2, or 8%. Each contract won brings an average of 180,000 EUR in fees. Her current site shows 30 projects with no area or cost.
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She chooses the structured portfolio at 16,000 EUR. If filterable sheets and references sorted by program help her pass one extra shortlist a year, and one in three of those is won, the expected gain is 60,000 EUR in fees. Even under a cautious assumption, the site pays for itself with the first extra contract, not counting private clients who discover the firm online.
FAQ
Should construction cost be shown on the site?
Yes when the client allows it: it is a major trust signal for a public buyer. A range (for example 2 to 3 million EUR) is enough if the exact figure is confidential.
How many projects should go online?
15 to 30 well-documented projects beat 80 projects with no sheet. Sort them by program so a jury finds its references in under a minute.
Does the site need a second language?
If the firm targets international clients or cross-border competitions, yes. A second language adds 2,000 to 4,000 EUR depending on the number of sheets.
How long does a full redesign take?
Allow 8 to 12 weeks. The timeline depends mostly on gathering photos and project data, which often takes longer than development.
Is a CMS essential?
Yes, the firm must be able to add projects on its own. A headless CMS or a well-configured WordPress lets you publish a project sheet in 20 minutes, with automatic image resizing.
Let's scope your project. Filterable portfolio, structured project sheets and AVIF galleries: we scope your redesign between 9,000 and 24,000 EUR, delivered in 8 to 12 weeks. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
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.
