Custom web development in React and Next.js
Custom web development means your website is written as real code in React and Next.js rather than assembled from a purchased theme and a stack of plugins. Every page, form, and integration is built around how your business actually operates, so nothing loads that you do not use and nothing is missing because a template did not support it. The finished codebase is handed to you in a repository you own.
What is included
- Next.js codebase you own
- TypeScript components
- Real-device responsive
- Accessible markup
Who this is for
- 01
Businesses that outgrew a page builder
You started on WordPress, Wix, or Squarespace and it worked until it did not. Now every change fights the template, and the workarounds cost more than a proper build would.
- 02
Companies with a process no template covers
Multi-step quoting, membership areas, gated pricing, inventory that syncs from somewhere else. Off-the-shelf plugins get you eighty percent there and stall on the part that matters.
- 03
Teams where the site carries real weight
When the website is how buyers judge you before a sales call, load speed, polish, and reliability are not cosmetic. A custom build lets those be engineering decisions rather than theme limitations.
- 04
Owners who want to own their site
You want the code in your own repository, hosting you control, and the freedom to hire anyone to work on it later. Custom development is the version of that answer with no lock-in.
Problems this solves
- Your site is slow on phones because the theme loads scripts, fonts, and stylesheets for features you never turned on.
- Every new capability means another plugin, and the plugins now conflict, break on updates, or quietly stop being maintained.
- What your designer drew and what the template could actually render are two different websites.
- A customer request that should take an afternoon takes a week, because the change has to be forced through a builder that was not designed for it.
- Keyboard and screen reader users cannot complete your forms or open your navigation, and nobody caught it before launch.
- You are paying annual license renewals for a theme and a plugin bundle, and you still cannot get the one feature you asked for.
What you get
- Scope
- Set in a written proposal, delivered within 48 hours.
- Who builds it
- Sahil Sandhu, start to finish — one developer, no hand-offs.
- 01A complete Next.js and React codebase in a Git repository under your account, with full commit history.
- 02Every page, layout, and component built to your design in TypeScript and Tailwind CSS, with no purchased theme or page builder underneath.
- 03Responsive layouts checked at real phone, tablet, and desktop widths rather than only at breakpoint boundaries.
- 04Accessible markup: semantic HTML, keyboard-operable navigation and forms, visible focus states, labeled inputs, and color contrast checked against WCAG AA.
- 05Performance work built in during the build, including image optimization, font loading strategy, code splitting, and server rendering where it earns its place.
- 06Forms, payments, CRM handoffs, email notifications, and analytics wired up and tested end to end, not left as placeholders.
- 07Editable content wherever your team needs to change copy or images without a developer, with the rest kept in code where it belongs.
- 08Deployment on Vercel with a preview URL for every change, SSL, and redirects mapped from your old URLs so existing rankings and links survive the move.
How the work runs
- 01
Scope the actual requirements
We map the pages, the workflows behind them, the systems that need to connect, and the content that changes often. That conversation produces a written scope, so the build is priced against something specific rather than a guess.
- 02
Design the interface and the structure
Layouts and a reusable component set are designed together, then reviewed as working pages in a browser. You judge the real thing on your own phone instead of approving a flat image and hoping it translates.
- 03
Build against a live preview
The site is written in Next.js and TypeScript and deployed to a private preview URL from the first week. You review progress continuously, and accessibility and performance are checked as pages are built, not audited afterward.
- 04
Launch and hand over
Content goes in, redirects and analytics are verified, and DNS is cut over at a time that suits you. Then you get repository access and a walkthrough of how the site is structured, deployed, and updated.
Technology and timeline
Technology
- Next.js
- React
- TypeScript
- Tailwind CSS
- Framer Motion
- Node.js
- Neon Postgres
- Vercel
Timeline
A Starter Site takes about 5-8 weeks, a Business Site about 12-16 weeks and a Custom Build about 16-22 weeks from your start date, and builds that start between May and August run faster. Builds with accounts, dashboards, or deeper integrations typically run longer. The schedule is usually set less by development than by how quickly content, photography, and feedback come back from your side. We agree on review dates at the start so both sides know what the calendar depends on.
What it costs
Custom development is quoted as a fixed project price after the scope conversation, so you approve a number before anything is built. The estimate is driven by how many distinct page templates the design needs, how much custom functionality sits behind them, and how many outside systems have to connect. There are no theme or plugin licenses to renew afterward, and ongoing maintenance is a separate arrangement you choose rather than a requirement.
Starting prices cover the scope each package describes. After a free call, your written proposal fixes the price within 48 hours; for web apps, the build price is fixed in the paid discovery step.
Website Builds
Full details: Website Builds- Starting priceLaunch PageFrom $1,750One hand-coded page, with the words written for you. It is live in weeks, and the code is yours.
- Starting priceStarter SiteFrom $3,900A custom five-page site that looks like your business, not a template.
- Starting priceBusiness SiteFrom $7,900The full small-business site: written with you, coded by hand, and set up to be found on Google and in AI answers.
- Starting priceCustom BuildFrom $11,900A larger custom site with real functionality behind the pages.
- Starting priceSignature InteractiveFrom $13,900A Business Site with scroll-driven motion and one signature interactive moment. It is tested on real phones first.
Custom Software & Web Apps
Full details: Custom Software & Web AppsRelated work
- Events / Hospitality
Kalamazoo City Centre
An event venue site with a fast booking flow out front and a full admin dashboard behind it, both running off one shared calendar.
Next.js · Admin Dashboard · Booking
- Government / Community
Texas Corners
A community site for Texas Corners — an interactive map, a local business directory, and township resources in one place.
Next.js · Community · Interactive Map
- Real Estate
5 Rivers Development
A full-service real estate site carrying sales, rentals, brokerage and investment without any one audience getting lost in the others.
Real Estate · Property Management · Full-Service
Frequently asked questions
Last reviewed
01How is this different from a WordPress or Squarespace site?
Those platforms start with a template and a plugin for each feature, which means you inherit code you did not ask for and depend on updates you do not control. A custom build starts with your requirements and includes only what serves them. That usually shows up first as speed, then as how easily the site handles a request nobody anticipated.
02Do I actually own the code?
Yes. The repository lives under your account, the hosting account is yours, and the domain stays with you. Nothing in the build depends on a proprietary system only we can log into. If you ever want a different developer to take over, they clone the repository and start work with no permission needed from us.
03Can my team update the site without calling a developer?
For the parts that change regularly, yes. During scoping we identify what your team edits often, such as pages, posts, staff, listings, or menus, and that content gets an editing interface. Structural things like layouts and navigation stay in code, which is what prevents a routine copy edit from breaking a page.
04Will a custom site really load faster than what I have now?
Usually, and the reason is unglamorous: a custom build ships less. There is no theme framework, no plugin scripts for unused features, and no render-blocking stack you inherited. Next.js also lets pages render on the server and split their code, so a visitor downloads what that page needs and nothing else.
05Can you rebuild my current site, or does everything start over?
Either works. Plenty of projects keep the existing brand, structure, and copy and rebuild the underlying site properly, which is the fastest route when the design is fine and the platform is the problem. If the design is also holding you back, we handle that in the same engagement rather than as a separate project.
06Do you work with businesses outside Kalamazoo?
Yes. The studio is based in Kalamazoo and works regularly with companies across Southwest Michigan, including Portage and Battle Creek, where meeting in person is genuinely useful. Plenty of custom builds are also delivered for clients elsewhere in the country, since scoping calls, preview URLs, and shared repositories work the same either way.
Related services
Ready to talk about custom web development?
You will hear back within one business day, with a written proposal — timeline, approach and a fixed price — inside 48 hours.