At some point, almost every remodeling company ends up asking:
“Do we just tweak our current website, or do we need to rebuild the whole thing?”
You know something isn’t quite right. Maybe leads are slower than they should be, the site feels dated, or it’s a pain to update. But the idea of another full-blown website project (and the price tag that comes with it) isn’t exactly exciting.
The good news: you don’t always need a full redesign.
The flip side: sometimes you really do—and patching won’t fix the deeper issues.
This guide walks through how to decide whether your remodeling website needs a repair (targeted improvements) or a redesign (start over with a better structure and technology).
When a “Repair” Is Enough
A website repair is like a well-planned renovation: you’re working with the bones you already have, improving the parts that matter most for performance.
You’re probably in “repair” territory if:
- The site still generally reflects your brand and services.
- It’s built on a platform you can reasonably keep using (for example, WordPress with a modern theme or visual builder).
- It works on mobile, even if it’s not perfect.
- The main issue is that it isn’t converting visitors into leads or clearly supporting your current offerings.
Common symptoms:
- Homeowners say your site looks “nice,” but you don’t get many inquiries from it.
- You’ve added services (like design-build or additions) that aren’t clearly featured.
- Your contact options are confusing or hidden.
- Portfolio and testimonials exist—but they’re thin or unorganized.
In this case, your site likely needs strategic updates, not a full teardown.
When It’s Time for a Full Redesign
A redesign is more like tearing a kitchen down to the studs and rethinking the layout.
You’re probably in “redesign” territory if:
- The design feels obviously outdated compared to other remodelers in your market.
- The site runs on an old theme or outdated technology that’s slow, glitchy on mobile, or hard to keep secure and updated.
- It’s not truly mobile-friendly (pinch-and-zoom, broken layouts, tiny text).
- The structure was never built with your current services, locations, or ideal projects in mind.
- You’re embarrassed to send potential clients to it.
Older themes and tech stacks aren’t a problem just because they’re old—but when they create slow load times, poor mobile layouts, or constant update issues, they start working against both user experience and how easily search engines can understand and serve your site.
Common symptoms:
- You’ve outgrown the site completely: different niches, new service area, new positioning.
- Every small change turns into a headache or a bill from a developer.
- You’ve bolted page after page onto an old structure, and now it’s a maze.
- You’ve already tried “patches” (new copy, swapped photos) and it still feels wrong.
In that case, it’s usually more cost-effective long term to rebuild with the right structure and technology instead of endlessly patching over deeper problems.
Key Questions to Help You Decide
If you’re on the fence, these questions can help you quickly feel which side you’re leaning toward:
- Does the site still look and feel like your brand?
- Yes, it still feels “like us,” just underperforming → lean toward repair.
- No, it looks nothing like who we are now → lean toward redesign.
- Can your team update it without pain?
- Yes, you can edit pages, add projects, and adjust text → repair is possible.
- No, everything is rigid or breaks easily → redesign is usually smarter.
- Is the structure close to what you need?
- You have at least the right basic pages (services, portfolio, about, contact, service areas) → repair.
- The structure doesn’t match how you actually sell (no clear service pages, no process, poor navigation) → redesign.
- Are there technical limitations holding you back?
- Small issues: slow load times, some messy layouts → repair.
- Big issues: outdated theme, not responsive, hard to secure, doesn’t play well with current tools → redesign.
- If you fixed the obvious stuff, would you be comfortable sending traffic there?
- Yes, if we tightened a handful of key pages, we’d feel confident → repair.
- Even with fixes, we’d still be apologizing for it → redesign.
You don’t need perfect answers to all of these. You’re just trying to see whether your site’s bones are worth keeping.
What a “Repair” Usually Includes for Remodelers
A repair isn’t about changing everything. It’s about fixing the pieces that affect leads and trust the most.
Common repair work for a remodeling website:
- Homepage refresh
- Clear headline: what you do and where you work.
- Strong hero image that reflects your core project types.
- Simple navigation and one primary call-to-action.
- Service page upgrades
- Dedicated pages for kitchens, baths, basements, additions, etc.
- Clear, local headlines (“Kitchen Remodeling in {{City}}”).
- Photos, short descriptions of scope, and a clear next step.
- Portfolio reorganization
- Turn random images into labeled projects with location and a brief story.
- Highlight the types of projects you want more of.
- Contact and CTA improvements
- Simplified forms with clear expectations.
- Tap-to-call phone numbers on mobile.
- Calls-to-action added to the bottom of key pages.
- Trust signals added
- Google review rating and a handful of specific testimonials.
- Association logos and any relevant certifications.
- A short line about your experience or history in the area.
- Basic technical clean-up
- Compressing large images.
- Fixing obvious layout problems on mobile.
- Cleaning up any broken links or 404s.
Think of this as a 90–120 day tune-up that can meaningfully improve results without ripping everything apart.
What a Full Redesign Usually Includes
A redesign is a chance to step back and ask, “If we were starting from scratch today, how would our website support the business we’re building now?”
Common pieces of a full redesign for remodelers:
- Positioning and messaging reset
- Clarifying your core services, ideal projects, and unique angle in your market.
- Rewriting copy to match how you actually talk to homeowners now.
- New site structure (information architecture)
- Reworking navigation and page hierarchy around how people buy: services, locations, portfolio, process, about, FAQs.
- Planning for future growth (new service areas, new project types).
- Visual design overhaul
- Updated look and feel that matches your brand and the quality of your work.
- Consistent typography, colors, and layout patterns.
- Rebuilt templates
- New layouts for service pages, project pages, and blogs that are easy to reuse.
- Designed with mobile in mind first, not as an afterthought.
- Content refresh
- Updated copy across the site to match your current process and offerings.
- Stronger calls-to-action and clearer expectations for homeowners.
- Foundation for ongoing SEO and content
- Pages built with search and usability in mind from the start.
- Clear spots for ongoing blogs, resources, or city/service pages.
This is a bigger investment — but if your current site is far off from where you need to be, it’s often the cleaner, more effective move than trying to endlessly retrofit.
How to Prioritize When You Can’t Do Everything at Once
Even if you know a full redesign is in your future, you might not be ready to jump in right away.
In that case, you can take a hybrid approach:
- Fix the worst leaks now.
- Update your contact page and CTAs.
- Make your homepage headline clear.
- Add or tighten copy on your most important service page.
- Plan the larger redesign deliberately.
- Map out the structure you actually need.
- Gather photos, testimonials, and project stories in advance.
- Decide what content is worth carrying over—and what should be left behind.
- Time your redesign around your seasonality.
- Tackle it during a slightly slower period so it doesn’t compete with your busiest months.
- Use the redesign launch as a good reason to revisit your marketing as a whole.
The key is to avoid getting stuck in an in-between phase where you keep patching a site you already know you’ll replace.
The Bottom Line: Repair When You Can, Redesign When You Must
For most remodeling companies:
- If your site’s structure and platform are solid, and the main issues are clarity, content, and conversion → start with a repair.
- If your site feels old, misaligned with your business, runs on outdated tech, or is painful to use on mobile and maintain → plan for a redesign.
The goal isn’t a “perfect” website. It’s a site that:
- Reflects who you are today
- Supports the types of projects you want next
- Makes it easy for good-fit homeowners to move from “I’m interested” to “Let’s talk”
Want a Clear Recommendation for Your Own Site?
If you’re staring at your current website wondering whether to patch it or scrap it, you don’t have to guess.
Our team can:
- Review your existing site from both a homeowner and marketing perspective
- Flag what’s worth keeping and what’s holding you back
- Give you a straightforward recommendation—repair or redesign—and what that would look like in practical terms
Reach out to us, and we’ll take a look at your site and put together a clear, prioritized plan so you can move forward confidently instead of second-guessing your next step.
