Custom builds
Custom websites
We design and code your website ourselves. There is no page builder underneath and no plugins to update. It loads fast, it is hard to break, and every page is built to bring in the work you want.
What custom means
Most websites run on a builder, like Squarespace, Wix, or WordPress. You rent the builder and fill in its boxes. The builder decides what your pages can do.
A custom build has no builder in the middle. We write the code for your site and nothing else. The finished site is a set of plain pages that load fast and do what your business needs.
Why custom
What you get that a builder cannot give you.
- Fast on any phone
- A custom site loads only what the page uses. Pages open fast, even on a phone with two bars of signal.
- Hard to break into
- There is no login page on the live site and no plugins to attack. Your site is a set of plain pages, so a hacker has little to work with.
- Built around your services
- We start with the services you want more calls for. Then we design the pages around them, not around a theme.
- Features a builder will not add
- Member directories, event listings, and booking that fits how you work. The Chamber directory we built gives 116 member businesses a page of their own.
- Fewer moving parts
- A builder site needs plugin and theme updates every month, and one bad update can take it down. A custom build has no plugins, so there is less to go wrong.
- Yours to keep
- You own the site once the build is paid for. The domain stays in your name. The code is kept in GitHub, with every change tracked.
Is custom right for you?
Custom fits a business that wants its website to bring in work, and would rather text us a change than log in and make it. Most of our clients move a serious site to custom in the end.
Two cases where we will point you somewhere else:
The work
Custom sites we have built.
Armstrong Spallumcheen Chamber of Commerce
Association. Member directory rebuilt: 116 businesses, each with its own page instead of one long list.
Wild Antho
Beekeeping farm. Back online after its Webflow site went offline. Built from five years of customer questions.
Wild & Wise by Pam Dhillon
Retreats and wellness. WordPress rebuilt as a fast static site. 54 pages, nine offerings, and booking through Jane.
Armstrong and District Garden Club
Nonprofit garden club. WordPress and Divi rebuilt as a fast static site. Every post, newsletter, and agenda came across.
Vernon Performing Arts Festival
Nonprofit arts festival. Moved off Wix with a new brand. Festival info, student results, and donations on one site.
Mama’s Must Haves
Our own brand: parenting. Moved from WordPress to a fast static site. 218 posts came across and every old address still works.
Select-A-Plant
Our own brand: plant finder. 60,000 plants. Three quick rounds, and it suggests plants that suit your garden.
Questions
What people ask us.
- Can I make changes myself?
- Not the way you would in a builder. You text or email us the change, and we make it. Hosting & Maintenance Plus covers up to two change requests a month, and Pro covers up to six. If you want to edit your own pages every week, a WordPress site is the better fit, and we build those too.
- What does a custom build cost?
- Custom builds start at $5,940 for up to 10 pages. Flagship builds start at $12,000 for 20 or more pages. You get a fixed scope and a fixed price, in writing, before you pay a deposit.
- How long does it take?
- Three to four weeks for a Custom build. Six to eight weeks for Flagship, with the dates set in your quote. The launch date goes in writing.
- Who hosts it?
- We do, on your Hosting & Maintenance plan. Your site runs on Cloudflare, so pages load from servers close to your visitors. Backups, updates, and uptime checks are part of the plan.
- What if I want to leave?
- The domain stays in your name, and the site is yours once the build is paid for. Thirty days notice hands all of it back. It is in our terms.
- What is it built with?
- For the curious, we build custom sites with Astro, a free, open-source tool for fast websites, and we host them on Cloudflare. You never need to know either name to own the site.
Ready to talk?
A 20 minute call. No pitch. What you need and what it costs.
Or text 778-692-5555 or email hello@acornwebsites.com. We reply within two business days.