The verdict in three sentences
For a small two-partner atelier in Bath designing high-end homes and refurbishing Georgian townhouses, the website's main job is to filter enquiries: budget, address, heritage constraints and timeline. A local agency makes sense if you want to hand over the site, photography and communications entirely to a partner you see every month. If you can give a few hours to content, a remote studio at a fixed price delivers a faster site for a budget that suits a two-person practice.
What should a residential atelier website do in Bath?
Bath is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and much of the city sits in a conservation area. Your clients, townhouse owners, buyers moving from London and families building in the surrounding countryside, are looking for an architect who can secure consent without spoiling their house.
| Site function | What it involves | Content effort for the atelier |
|---|---|---|
| Reassure on heritage | 3 to 5 projects in protected areas, explaining the consents obtained | 2 hours per project |
| Filter enquiries | Form with budget band, address, listed or not, timeline | 1 hour to scope |
| Show a realistic threshold | A line such as projects from £250,000 construction value | 15 minutes to decide |
| Show finish quality | High resolution interior photos, optimised as AVIF or WebP | 1 to 2 days of shooting |
| Introduce the partners | Two portraits, background, ARB registration | 1 hour |
| Prove recognition | Regional awards, publications, interiors press | 30 minutes |
On the partners page, state your ARB registration: in the UK the title architect is protected by the Architects Act 1997. An unregistered colleague should be described differently.
Local agency or remote studio: which criteria matter for a two-partner atelier?
Partner time is the scarce resource. The right provider is the one that takes the least of it for an equivalent result.
- Meetings: a Bath or Bristol agency will come to your studio; a remote studio works through 45-minute video calls, with a project manager reachable on UK hours at Kolonell.
- Photography: either way, a local interiors photographer does the shoot, around £900 to £1,800 a day as a 2026 ballpark. The agency books them; with a remote studio, you do.
- Copy: residential clients read house stories. Kolonell includes native English or French copywriting, useful if part of your clientele is French-speaking.
- Ownership: domain, hosting and code in the atelier's name, whoever you hire.
- Scalability: a simple CMS to add a project without calling anyone.
When the local agency is clearly better: if you want one partner for the site, social media, press packs and award entries with a monthly meeting, or if your visual identity has to be created from scratch. In that case, the premium buys back partner time.
What is the three-year cost?
| Cost line | Bath or Bristol agency | Freelancer | Kolonell Starter | Kolonell Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Design and build | £10,000 to £25,000 | £3,000 to £7,000 | £2,300 | £3,900 |
| Interior photography (1.5 days) | £1,350 to £2,700 | £1,350 to £2,700 | £1,350 to £2,700 | £1,350 to £2,700 |
| Maintenance over 33 months | £4,950 to £9,900 | £2,640 to £6,600 | Assumption £120 a month: £3,960 | Assumption £150 a month: £4,950 |
| Time to launch | 8 to 14 weeks | 6 to 12 weeks | 3 weeks | 3 to 4 weeks |
| Three-year total | £16,300 to £37,600 | £6,990 to £16,300 | £7,610 to £8,960 | £10,200 to £11,550 |
Agency and freelancer ranges are a 2026 ballpark from typical quotes and published rates in the region. The Kolonell maintenance lines are budget assumptions: beyond the 3 included months, maintenance is on quote. Package details are on the international offer page.
A seven-point decision checklist
- Can our visual identity be used as it is? If not, the local agency has the edge.
- Do we have 6 to 10 properly photographed projects? If not, budget the shoot before the site.
- Does the form ask for budget, address and timeline?
- Does the contract put domain, hosting and code in the atelier's name?
- Does the photo licence cover the website, press and awards? Under UK law the photographer generally keeps copyright.
- Will the provider sign a processing agreement that meets UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, with cookies compliant with PECR?
- Is the WCAG 2.2 AA accessibility target written down, with an accessibility statement? The Equality Act 2010 requires reasonable adjustments.
This is not legal advice.
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Illustrative example: Ed and Sophie Carver, partners in a two-architect atelier in Bath, are torn between a local agency at £14,000 plus £200 a month and Kolonell Growth at £3,900.
- Agency over 3 years: 14,000 + (200 × 33) = £20,600.
- Remote studio: 3,900 + (150 × 33 as an assumption) = £8,850.
- Difference: £11,750, roughly 18 billable days for an atelier charging £650 a day.
As an assumption, a single Georgian townhouse refurbishment with £650,000 of works and 10% fees brings in £65,000: the site pays for itself with the first project it helps to win.
FAQ
Should we show a minimum budget?
Yes, if you do not take small projects: a line such as from £250,000 construction value can halve off-target enquiries. It does not stop good prospects from writing to you.
How many projects should a small atelier show?
6 to 10 well photographed projects are enough. Eight carefully made pages beat 25 pages with phone photos.
Can we show private clients' homes?
With their written consent and without the exact address. Blur house numbers and avoid views that identify an occupied home, especially on the city's best known listed streets.
Should the site be in French?
If 10% or more of your enquiries come from French speakers, buyers or expats, translate the home page, 3 projects and the contact page. Native French copywriting is included at Kolonell.
Starter or Growth for a two-partner atelier?
Starter at £2,300 suits 5 pages and a short portfolio. Growth at £3,900 adds room for a filterable portfolio and a project journal.
To compare with your local quote, request a free quote.
Let's scope your project. A residential atelier site with a portfolio and an enquiry form that filters leads, from £2,300 to £3,900, delivered 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.