It starts so innocently. “Can we add a members area?” Then, “Oh, and a shop?” Then, “While you’re in there, could it also book appointments, send a newsletter and make the coffee?” Sound familiar? Good ideas don’t wait politely for the next project.
Here’s the short version. Your price covers what’s in your agreed scope. When you want something that isn’t, we’ll set out what it involves and what it costs before any work starts, and you decide. Nothing is ever added to your bill without your yes.
What your price covers
Before we start, you get a written scope with your quote. It sets out:
- The pages and features we’re building, and what each one does
- The words, if copywriting is part of your package
- The rounds of feedback at each stage, one round each, written into your agreement
- The groundwork: page titles and descriptions, schema, image alt text, a clean heading structure, an HTML sitemap, Google Search Console at launch, redirects from your old site if we’re replacing one, and email authentication so your contact form enquiries reach you
- Support after launch, with 30 days of help once your site is live
Our Turn Key websites are a set package at $11,500 + GST, so the scope is fixed, and that’s the point: you know exactly what you’re getting. Bigger, more custom builds are our Full Tilt work, and they start with a paid Discovery phase, so your scope is built on a proper plan rather than a guess.
Keep your agreement handy
Your agreement is your map. When you’re wondering whether something’s included, it’s the first place to look. If it isn’t clear, ask us. We’d much rather answer a question at the start than untangle a misunderstanding at the end.
It works both ways, too. Your agreement tells you what we’ve committed to, and you’re welcome to hold us to it.
When plans change
Plans change. A new board member arrives with fresh ideas, funding shifts, or you see the site taking shape and realise you need something you didn’t know to ask for. That’s normal, and it’s not a problem. It does change the work, though, so here’s how we handle it.
The one thing we ask: tell us as soon as anything changes. A new launch date, a change of ownership, a new product, or something that’s quietly become essential because it’s now how your business runs. If we know, we can plan for it. If it arrives as a surprise the week before launch, it costs everyone more.
Changes inside your round
Feedback on the work we’ve agreed to build is part of your round. Tweaking the words, adjusting a layout, swapping an image: that’s what the round is for. (Here’s how to give feedback that moves your website forward.)
Something new or extra
If you’d like something that isn’t in your scope, like an extra page, a new feature or another round of changes, we’ll write you a mini scope before we start. It’s short, and it covers three things:
- What it’s addressing
- What its limits are
- When it’s finished
Extra rounds of changes start from $500. You’ll see the price on the mini scope, and nothing starts until you’ve signed it.
A change of direction
Sometimes the change isn’t an extra, it’s a different direction: going a different way from the brief we agreed, or asking for something we’ve advised against.
We’ll always give you our professional opinion in writing first, with the reasons, before anything starts. Then it’s your call. You can take our advice, or you can go your own way. If you go your own way, that’s a change of direction rather than a round of feedback, so we set it out in a mini scope for you to sign, with its own price.
And if a change would compromise the quality of your site, go beyond the agreed scope and brief, or need more time than was planned, we may say no. If we do, you’ll hear it early and plainly, with the reasons.
Why we work this way
It protects the things you care about: your budget, your timeline, and the strategy we built your site on. Everyone knows where they stand, there are no surprise invoices, and the site you launch is the one we planned together.
It also keeps changes small where they can be. A change that sounds tiny can ripple: a new page needs words, a place in the menu, a link from somewhere, and a check that it all still works on a phone. Scoping it first means you see the whole job before you commit to it.
What you can expect from us
When plans change, we’ll:
- Tell you early if something you’ve asked for is outside your scope
- Put it in writing, with what it involves and what it costs
- Explain the thinking if we think a change would work against your goals, and suggest another way
- Never start extra work until you’ve said yes
- Help you stage it if the budget’s tight, so the most important part comes first and the rest can follow
Ready to start with a clear scope?
Every project we take on starts with a written scope, so you know what you’re getting before you commit. Have a look at our process, see how to compare website quotes if you’re still choosing, or talk to us about your project.
