The verdict in three sentences
For a 12-person architecture practice in Dublin, a premium custom website costs between 12,000 and 25,000 EUR excluding VAT in 2026, for 15 to 25 project pages and a 8 to 10 week timeline. A Squarespace template at around 300 EUR a year is enough to exist online, but it quickly hits limits on image speed, local search and qualifying private clients. If a single private commission per year comes through the site, the investment pays for itself in year one.
What you actually pay for: a quote breakdown
The price of an architect's website depends less on page count than on how well projects are staged. High-resolution project photos are heavy: without optimisation, a project page often exceeds 8 MB and takes over 5 seconds to load on mobile. A premium build converts images to AVIF, lazy-loads them and targets under 1.5 MB per page.
| Item | 2026 range Dublin (ex. VAT) | What is included |
|---|---|---|
| Art direction and mock-ups | 2,500 - 5,500 EUR | Web identity, 6 to 8 templates, mobile version |
| Next.js development | 4,500 - 9,500 EUR | Pages, restrained motion, performance |
| Headless CMS (Sanity, Strapi) | 1,500 - 3,500 EUR | Team can publish projects on its own |
| AVIF-optimised project gallery | 1,200 - 2,500 EUR | Crops, lazy loading, full-screen zoom |
| Loading 15 to 25 project pages | 1,000 - 2,000 EUR | Copy, credits, floor areas, clients |
| Local SEO and structured data | 1,300 - 2,000 EUR | Dublin and Leinster pages, schema.org |
| Project total | 12,000 - 25,000 EUR | Delivery in 8 to 10 weeks |
| Monthly maintenance | 150 - 300 EUR / month | Updates, backups, small changes |
For comparison, the same scope in a French regional city such as Rennes runs 9,000 to 18,000 EUR. The spread mostly comes from the number of templates, animation depth and how many projects the agency loads itself.
Squarespace or custom Next.js: the honest comparison
Many practices start on a template. It is a rational choice for a two-person studio, less so for a 12-person firm pitching developers and demanding private clients.
| Criterion | Squarespace template | Custom Next.js + headless CMS |
|---|---|---|
| Upfront cost | 0 - 2,000 EUR (setup) | 12,000 - 25,000 EUR |
| Annual cost | about 300 EUR / year | 1,800 - 3,600 EUR / year (maintenance) |
| Average project page weight | 4 - 8 MB | under 1.5 MB |
| Mobile load time on 4G | 3.5 - 6 s | 1 - 2 s |
| Visual identity | Close to thousands of other sites | Unique, aligned with your design language |
| Project filters (type, size, year) | Limited | Unrestricted |
| 5-year cost | 1,500 - 3,500 EUR | 21,000 - 43,000 EUR |
Custom costs about 10 times more over 5 years. It is only justified if the site becomes a measurable sales tool: a qualifying enquiry form and project pages indexed for searches such as "contemporary house architect Dublin" or "office refurbishment architect Dublin".
The pages that win private commissions
A developer or private client looking for an architect compares 3 to 5 practices. They look at comparable references, method and the ability to hold a budget. The pages that matter:
- Detailed project pages: brief, floor area, construction budget, build duration, energy rating (BER).
- Expertise pages: residential, commercial, refurbishment, public buildings.
- Method page: stages from concept design to handover.
- Qualifying enquiry form: project type, size, budget, timeline.
Mini case study
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Aoife, partner at a 12-person architecture practice in Dublin, invests 19,000 EUR in a custom site plus 220 EUR per month for maintenance, so 21,640 EUR in year one. Her average fee on a high-end one-off house is around 10% of a 600,000 EUR construction budget, or 60,000 EUR. With 2 qualified enquiries a month and an 8% conversion rate, the practice signs about 2 commissions a year from the site. At an estimated 30% margin, that is 36,000 EUR, so payback arrives within 7 to 8 months (2026 order of magnitude).
FAQ
How much does an architect's website cost in Dublin in 2026?
Budget 12,000 to 25,000 EUR excluding VAT for a premium custom site with 15 to 25 projects. A template site costs about 300 EUR a year plus internal time.
How long does delivery take?
The standard timeline is 8 to 10 weeks. Gathering photos and project copy often takes 2 to 3 weeks on the practice's side.
Why does AVIF matter for a portfolio?
AVIF cuts image weight by 40 to 50% versus JPEG at equal quality. A project page drops below 1.5 MB and loads in under 2 seconds on mobile.
Can we add projects ourselves?
Yes, the headless CMS lets the team add a project in 20 to 30 minutes without a developer. Images are cropped and compressed automatically.
What does 150-300 EUR per month of maintenance cover?
Security updates, daily backups, uptime monitoring and 1 to 3 hours of improvements per month depending on the plan.
Let's scope your project. Send us the number of projects to showcase, your target building types and your deadline, and we will price a site between 12,000 and 25,000 EUR deliverable in 8 to 10 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.
