Pricing · Terms
What 50/50 website pricing really means
Porch Light Desk bills website projects 50% up front and 50% on completion. That sentence shows up on the homepage for a reason. This post is the honest version of what those halves buy — and what they do not.
Full ranges and package notes live on pricing.html. Here is the human reading.
What the first 50% starts
Up-front payment reserves the desk and begins intake: goals, offer, towns, assets, domain access, and voice. We do not start a uniquely built site on a handshake alone. The deposit is how both sides signal seriousness.
It is not a mystery retainer that renews forever. It is half of an agreed project price after we quote the scope.
What the second 50% finishes
Completion means the agreed site is launched on your domain (or handed over ready to point), with the pages and functions in the quote. Final invoice clears when that happens. You are not paying the second half for a Figma that never ships.
If scope grows — extra city landers, a second brand, e-commerce you did not mention — we re-quote. We do not silently inflate the second half.
Simple terms. Nashville studio. No card charged on this marketing site.
What we do not do
- Charge your card on porchlightdesk.com checkout theater
- Hide hosting upsells inside the project price without saying so
- Pretend monthly rank-and-desk is required to “keep the site alive”
- Use 50/50 as a way to avoid writing a clear scope
Optional ongoing desk work exists. It is optional. Stay only if the site is earning the fee — same line as the homepage FAQ.
Starting numbers (not a bait switch)
New shop sites start around $2,400. Rebuilds start around $3,200. Rank-and-desk around $400 per month when you want it. Final quote after intake. Those are starting points, not coupons.
Compare packages on services and the steps on process.
Why owners like 50/50
Cash-flow sensible for a small studio. Risk-balanced for a small shop. You are not wiring 100% to a stranger, and we are not building a full site on faith. Mid-project ghosting hurts both sides; clear halves reduce that drama.
Nationwide, same terms
Whether you are in Nashville or across the country, terms match. Remote intake by phone, video, and email. Mailing address stays in the footer for paperwork — Santa Fe, TN — while the studio identity remains Nashville-based service-area.
Questions before you send a deposit? Call (615) 952-0246 or contact. Read terms for the legal layer.
Working with Porch Light Desk
Porch Light Desk is a Nashville-based website design studio with 15+ years of web design experience behind the chair. Every website is uniquely built for your business — not a copy-and-paste template. Billing is fifty percent up front and fifty percent on completion. The studio serves clients nationwide by remote, with in-person options when a Nashville-area project benefits from it.
Phone (615) 952-0246 — email hello@porchlightdesk.com. Explore tools, industries, and the rest of the desk blog for more practical writing without the agency fog.
If you made it this far, you already care more about your site than most owners who click away after a stock hero. That is the right instinct. Send the URL when you are ready for a teardown that ends in a number, not a slide deck. We will leave a light on for the next customer — including yours.
A simple timeline example
Day 0: you send a URL and goals. Day 1–2: we reply with fold notes and a fixed price for an agreed pack. You accept. Invoice one (50%) clears. Intake assets arrive. About a week later a draft is ready for a standard shop site. You mark edits. We launch. Invoice two (50%) clears. Optional rank-and-desk is a separate conversation.
Rebuilds that keep domains, emails, and reviews may take longer depending on redirects and content salvage. We say so up front instead of surprising you at the second half.
What “completion” includes
Pages in the quote, mobile layout, click-to-call/text as scoped, protected form, basic on-page SEO, and launch on your domain or a ready-to-point pack. Training for common edits is short and practical — not a 90-minute webinar selling a retainer.
Change orders without drama
Want three extra city landers mid-build? We price them. Want a second logo exploration week? We price it. 50/50 is not a blank check either direction. Scope is written so both sides can point at it.
How this compares to agency retainers
Some agencies bill monthly forever with vague “optimization.” We prefer a project that ends, then optional desk work you can cancel when it stops earning. That matches how small shops actually buy.
Starting ranges again: new sites ~$2,400+, rebuilds ~$3,200+, rank-and-desk ~$400/mo. Exact quote after intake — pricing.
Payment logistics
No card form on the marketing site. Invoices go to the email you designate. Phone support for billing questions: (615) 952-0246. Legal backdrop on terms and privacy.
If you have been burned by unclear web pricing before, read this twice, then ask the questions you still have on contact. We would rather clarify before deposit than argue after.
Ready for a uniquely built site?
Nashville studio. Nationwide remote. 50% up front, 50% on completion. Call (615) 952-0246.