About
How we work
Plain answers, fixed prices where we can give them, and no retainer you cannot leave. This page is the short version of what that means in practice.
None of it is unusual. It is written down because a surprising number of suppliers do the opposite, and because it is easier to hold us to something you can read.
We will tell you if we are wrong for the job
Before we quote, we say whether we are the right fit. Sometimes the honest answer is that what you have works and the money is better spent elsewhere, or that a template site does the job and a bespoke build would be waste.
That costs us the occasional project. It also means the ones we do take on start without anybody pretending.
Fixed price once the brief is locked
Most build work is quoted as a fixed price. The number you approve is the number you pay. Change requests are itemised and approved before they land, so nothing appears on an invoice that you have not seen first.
Small fixes, audits and one-off consulting are hourly, in 15 minute blocks, because scoping a fixed price for two hours of work costs more than the work.
- Pricing
What things actually cost, and how we cost them.
No bloated retainers
Support and growth run monthly, and you can cancel any month. There is no annual lock-in and no minimum term.
You see the time log every month. If we did four hours, the log says four hours, and you are not paying for a padded twelve.
A retainer that only survives because leaving it is difficult is not a retainer worth having. If the work stops being worth the money, we would rather you said so.
You own it
Source code, design files and brand assets transfer to you on final payment. There is no licence fee to keep using what you paid us to build, and no lock-in.
Hosting, domains and SSL are passed through at cost with no markup. If you want to take the whole thing elsewhere, we hand over the logins and help you move it.
Built in the UK, by the people you spoke to
Everything is designed, built and supported in the UK. No offshore subcontracting, and no account manager relaying your brief to somebody you have never met.
We are a studio of three at Abbey Hall in Great Finborough. That has obvious limits, and one real advantage: the person who answers the phone knows your project by name.
How a project runs
Four stages, whatever the discipline. The names change, the shape does not.
- Understand. We work out what the business actually does before we design anything for it. For AI work that means timing the repetitive jobs; for SEO it means an audit; for a build it means discovery.
- Agree. Scope, price and dates in writing. This is the point where we say no to the parts that are not worth doing.
- Build. In stages, with something you can look at early rather than a reveal at the end.
- Hand over. Logins, source, documentation, and a walk through it with whoever is going to live with it.
Questions people ask before signing anything
Can you work to a fixed budget?
Almost always. Tell us your number first and we will tell you honestly what we can build inside it. If it does not add up we will say so rather than ship something that will not work.
Do you take a deposit?
Typically 50% on signature and the balance on delivery for fixed-price projects. Larger projects split into milestone payments, usually 30% / 40% / 30%.
Are there ongoing costs after a build?
Hosting, domains and SSL renew yearly and we pass them through at cost with no markup. If you take a support retainer we cover the lot. Otherwise we hand over the login details and you own everything.
Can you take over something someone else built?
Usually yes. We audit what is there first and tell you honestly whether it is worth fixing or worth rebuilding.
What size businesses do you work with?
Mostly UK small businesses, from sole traders up to teams of around fifty.
Start with a conversation
Call 01449 541255 or email info@signalredstudio.com. Or send a brief and we will come back within one working day.
01449 541255, or info@signalredstudio.com.