The verdict in three sentences
For a 12-person architecture practice in Dublin, a bespoke site at EUR 15,000-30,000 pays for itself as soon as it brings in two or three extra private commissions a year. A WordPress theme at around EUR 5,000 is enough to be present online, but it nearly always fails on the one thing an architect's site must do: show 60 projects in HD photography without killing page speed. Plan for 6 to 9 weeks of production and EUR 150 to 300 per month of maintenance for a site that actually wins work.
WordPress theme or bespoke build: what you are really buying
The portfolio is an architecture practice's product. A developer, a local authority or a private client judges your studio in thirty seconds, based on image quality and the clarity of project pages. The difference between the two options comes down to presentation, speed and ease of updating.
| Criterion | Premium WordPress theme | Bespoke site (Next.js + headless CMS) |
|---|---|---|
| Initial budget | EUR 4,500 to 6,000 | EUR 15,000 to 30,000 |
| Production time | 3 to 4 weeks | 6 to 9 weeks |
| Project page templates | 1 generic | 2 to 4 (residential, commercial, civic, retrofit) |
| Portfolio filters | Simple category | Type, year, floor area, status, client |
| Measured mobile LCP | 3.5 to 5.5 s | 1.4 to 2.3 s |
| Plugins to maintain | 15 to 25 | 0 to 3 |
| Monthly maintenance | EUR 90 to 160 | EUR 150 to 300 |
| Lifespan before redesign | About 3 years | 5 to 6 years |
Over five years the gap narrows sharply: the theme costs roughly 5,000 + 60 × 125 = EUR 12,500, plus a likely redesign around year three. The bespoke site costs roughly 22,000 + 60 × 225 = EUR 35,500, with no interim rebuild. The real question becomes how many commissions each site brings you.
The 60 projects to migrate: the line item everyone underestimates
Portfolio migration often accounts for 25 to 35% of an architecture site budget. Each project averages 8 to 15 photos, a description, a technical sheet and sometimes drawings. Image processing is decisive.
| Migration item (60 projects) | Volume | Indicative 2026 cost |
|---|---|---|
| Photo sorting and selection | 600 to 900 images | EUR 1,400 to 2,000 |
| AVIF conversion + WebP fallback | 4.2 MB cut to 380 KB on average | included in pipeline |
| Project copy rewrite (150-250 words) | 60 pages | EUR 2,800 to 4,200 |
| Structured technical sheets | area, cost, completion, engineers | EUR 700 to 1,000 |
| SEO markup and structured data | 60 URLs + JSON-LD | EUR 600 to 900 |
| 301 redirects from the old site | 80 to 150 URLs | EUR 350 to 550 |
Going from 4.2 MB to 380 KB per image cuts a project page's weight by more than 90%. On an average 4G connection, that is the difference between a 4.8 s LCP and a 1.9 s LCP. Google uses this signal, and so do your visitors: beyond 3 s, around 40% of mobile visitors leave before seeing the first image.
Typical schedule and success metrics
| Week | Deliverable | Practice sign-off |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Workshop, sitemap, choice of 12 flagship projects | 2 h with the partners |
| 2 to 3 | Designs for home, portfolio, project page, studio | 2 review rounds |
| 4 to 6 | Development, CMS, image pipeline | weekly demo |
| 6 to 8 | Migration of 60 projects, copy, SEO | review in batches of 15 |
| 8 to 9 | QA, mobile testing, launch | final go/no-go |
Metrics to track from the first quarter: mobile LCP under 2.5 s on 100% of project pages, portfolio bounce rate under 45%, and above all the number of qualified enquiries (project described, budget or floor area given). The +35% target is a 2026 order of magnitude seen on comparable redesigns, not a guarantee.
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Aoife, partner in a 12-person practice in Dublin, currently receives 20 qualified enquiries a year through her site. She converts 15% into commissions, with average fees of EUR 32,000. With +35% enquiries she reaches 27, which means roughly 1 extra commission a year (7 × 15% = 1.05). Her additional fees come to about EUR 33,600 a year, against a bespoke premium of around EUR 17,000 over the theme. Payback comes within about six months of launch, if the conversion assumption holds.
FAQ
How much does an architecture firm website redesign cost in Dublin in 2026?
Expect EUR 4,500 to 6,000 for a customised WordPress theme and EUR 15,000 to 30,000 for a bespoke site with a CMS. Migrating a 60-project portfolio alone represents EUR 5,800 to 8,600.
How long does a bespoke architect website take?
Allow 6 to 9 weeks, of which 2 to 3 weeks go into migrating and rewriting project pages. The bottleneck is almost always partner availability to approve copy.
Why convert photos to AVIF?
AVIF shrinks a 4.2 MB HD photo to about 380 KB with no visible loss. That is what keeps LCP under 2.5 s on mobile, even on a 12-image project page.
What does EUR 150-300 per month of maintenance cover?
Security updates, daily backups, uptime monitoring and 1 to 3 hours of monthly changes (new project, news page). Beyond that, work is billed at EUR 75 to 100 per hour.
Can we keep our current URLs to protect search rankings?
Yes, or redirect them one by one with 301s. A plan of 80 to 150 redirects limits the traffic dip to a few days instead of several weeks.
Let's scope your project. Send us the number of projects to migrate and your budget range, and we will price a bespoke site delivered in 6 to 9 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.
