The verdict in three sentences
For a sustainable or passive house architecture practice in Andorra la Vella, the right provider is the one that can show energy performance and mountain landscapes in four languages, not necessarily the one with an office on Avinguda Meritxell. An Andorran agency has the edge when you need native Catalan copy, frequent meetings and seasonal shoots coordinated for you; a remote studio is enough when the content exists and you want a fixed price and a short timeline. Kolonell's international grid (EUR 2,700 / 4,500 / 8,200, delivered in 3 to 4 weeks) compares well with usual Andorran quotes, provided you budget photography and Catalan proofreading separately.
How do you score the two options objectively?
The Andorran market is small and built on relationships. Your clients are Andorran families, new residents from Spain, France or Northern Europe, and chalet owners who live part of the year elsewhere. They read in Catalan, Spanish, French and English. If you are an English-speaking entrepreneur running a practice here, English may be your strongest sales language. Rather than comparing prices alone, score each option from 1 to 5 on the criteria that matter for a practice focused on passive houses and the renovation of traditional bordes.
| Criterion | Andorran agency | Remote studio (e.g. Kolonell) | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Time-zone overlap (CET) | 5/5 | 4/5 | 1 to 2 hour gap with the Kolonell team, wide shared day |
| Catalan copywriting | 5/5 | 3/5 | Kolonell writes native English and French; Catalan and Spanish via translator and review |
| In-person meetings | 5/5 | 2/5 | Scheduled video workshops on the remote side |
| Summer and winter photo coordination | 4/5 | 3/5 | Remotely, you hire the photographer yourself |
| Build price (8 to 12 pages) | 3/5: EUR 4,000 to 14,000 | 4/5: EUR 2,700 to 8,200 fixed | 2026 ballpark |
| Timeline | 3/5: 6 to 10 weeks | 5/5: 3 to 4 weeks | Excluding photo production |
| Domain, code and CMS ownership | To check | In the client's name, written in the contract | Require it in both cases |
These ranges reflect typical agency quotes and public rate pages in Andorra and nearby cities (Barcelona, Toulouse, Perpignan); a local freelancer often quotes EUR 1,500 to 4,500 for a template portfolio. Treat them as orders of magnitude and confirm with your own quotes.
What should a passive or bioclimatic practice's site show?
Your selling point is measurable, so the site should be too:
- Project pages with numbers: heating demand in kWh/m² per year, airtightness, altitude, orientation, materials (stone, local timber, bio-based insulation), any certification.
- A filterable portfolio by type (new build, borda renovation, extension, interior), by parish and by status (completed, on site, competition).
- Photos from both seasons: a chalet under snow and the same house in summer tell the performance story better than text. Plan two shoots per flagship project.
- Optimised images: AVIF or WebP, lazy loading, LCP under 2.5 seconds on mobile, even on an average valley connection.
- A qualifying form: parish, plot or existing building, floor area, budget, start horizon, need for permit support.
- Awards, competitions and press, with photographer credits.
On regulation, Andorra is not an EU member but has its own qualified personal data protection law (Law 29/2021), supervised by the Andorran Data Protection Agency (APDA), and benefits from a European Commission adequacy decision. In practice: a privacy notice in Catalan at least, cookie consent, a retention period for enquiries. For accessibility, target WCAG 2.2 AA. Drone flights for your videos fall under Andorran civil aviation authorisations: ask the pilot to provide them. For use of the architect title and advertising rules, check with the Andorran professional college. This is not legal advice.
What does each option cost, year by year?
| Item (EUR, 2026 ballpark) | Year 1 agency | Year 1 remote | Years 2 and 3 agency | Years 2 and 3 remote |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Build | 9,000 | 4,500 (Growth) | 0 | 0 |
| Summer and winter photos, 6 projects | 2,400 to 3,600 | 2,400 to 3,600 | 800 to 1,500 | 800 to 1,500 |
| Catalan and Spanish translation and review | Often included | 900 to 1,400 | 300 to 600 | 300 to 600 |
| Hosting and maintenance | 1,200 to 1,800 | 300 to 600 (after 3 included months) | 2,400 to 3,600 | 1,200 to 2,400 |
| Total | 12,600 to 14,400 | 8,100 to 10,100 | 3,500 to 5,700 | 2,300 to 4,500 |
Over three years, the local route runs at about EUR 16,100 to 20,100 and the remote route at about EUR 10,400 to 14,600. Remote maintenance after the three included months is a market estimate, quoted on request.
When is an Andorran agency genuinely the better choice?
If your clients are mainly Andorran and expect flawless Catalan in every text, if you answer public consultations from the comuns, or if the site is part of a full identity overhaul with site hoardings and brochures, a local agency is simpler and fairer. The same applies if you want someone who can drop by the studio every month.
A remote studio fits when your photos exist, your target clients are international (new residents, foreign owners), the scope fits in about ten pages and you prefer a fixed price. The packages are detailed on our international offer page.
Before signing, ask each provider: will the .ad domain and hosting be in your name? Who proofreads the Catalan? What LCP on a project page with 25 photos? How do you add a project without a developer? What happens if you switch provider in two years?
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Mini case study
*Illustrative example, fictional persona.* Núria Vidal is a partner in a four-person practice in Andorra la Vella specialising in passive houses and borda renovations. A local agency quotes EUR 9,500 plus EUR 120 a month. She compares it with a remote Growth package at EUR 4,500, EUR 1,100 of reviewed Catalan and Spanish translation, and maintenance estimated at EUR 70 a month after the three included months.
- Local over 3 years: 9,500 + (36 × 120) = EUR 13,820
- Remote over 3 years: 4,500 + 1,100 + (33 × 70) = EUR 7,910
Photography, identical in both cases, is left out of the calculation. The EUR 5,910 gap is less than the fee on a single borda renovation. Núria goes remote for the site and books a photographer from La Massana for two shoots a year.
FAQ
Can a remote studio publish a site in proper Catalan?
Yes, with a professional translator and a native review, for about EUR 400 to 700 for 10 pages. If most of your clients are Andorran, prefer copy written in Catalan from the start.
Does the GDPR apply to an Andorran practice?
Andorra has its own data protection law aligned with European principles. If you actively target clients in the EU, the GDPR may also come into play: have your privacy notice reviewed, budgeting EUR 300 to 800 for a legal check.
How long does it take to launch the site?
Remotely, 3 to 4 weeks once photos and texts are ready. Allow a full season if you are waiting for snow to photograph a chalet.
Can the site display the energy performance of projects?
Yes, as CMS fields (kWh/m² per year, altitude, floor area) shown on each project page. This usually adds 1 to 2 days of development.
What about photos supplied by developers?
Check the licence: a developer is not always entitled to pass on usage rights. A new shoot often costs EUR 400 to 600 per project.
Let's scope your project. Tell us how many projects to publish, in which languages and for which season, and we will propose a fixed Starter, Growth or Premium scope in euros. 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.