What you pay, and for what.
Every price the studio charges is on this page and nowhere else. The shortest look at a system starts at $500; nothing larger is quoted before the code is read.
The health check, at three depths
Start at the depth of access you are comfortable giving. Each depth ends in a written report you keep whether or not you continue.
| Depth | Duration | Access | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 · Triage | 1 day | None. A conversation and what is publicly visible. | $500 – $1,500 |
| 02 · Health check | 1–5 days | Read access to one system. | $1,500 – $3,000 |
| 03 · Deep assessment | 2–4 weeks | Read access to several systems. | Quoted |
Triage
$500 – $1,500- What you get
- A three-to-four page findings note and a judgment on whether a full check is warranted.
- Access
- None. A conversation and what is publicly visible.
- Duration
- 1 day
- What moves the price
- The size and complexity of the system.
- Credited against
- In full, against a health check booked within 30 days.
Health check
$1,500 – $3,000- What you get
- The full report — risk register, system map, verdict and a priced roadmap.
- Access
- Read access to one system.
- Duration
- 1–5 days
- What moves the price
- The size and complexity of the system.
- Credited against
- The core engagement. Everything after it is priced in its report.
Deep assessment
Quoted- What you get
- The full report, an integration map, and migration or consolidation feasibility.
- Access
- Read access to several systems.
- Duration
- 2–4 weeks
- What moves the price
- How many systems there are, and how much they disagree.
- Credited against
- Quoted after a conversation; the quote is fixed once given.
The four ways out, and how each is priced
The health check is always first. The other three are answers to what it finds, and a system needs one or two of them, rarely all three.
Software Health Check
Fixed scopeOne to five days · a report you keep whether or not you continue
The price is known before you say yes, because the scope is.
Software Rescue
Scoped from the health checkPriced item by item in the report · stop after any item
Nobody can price repair work on code they have not read. The report is where it is read, and each item carries its own price.
Bypass
Fixed priceCommitted before starting · a new build against a known seam
A bypass is a new build with a known interface, so its scope can be fixed — and so can its price.
Modernization
Quoted per phaseEach phase independently valuable and independently stoppable
Replacing a system piece by piece cannot be priced as a whole. Each phase is quoted when the one before it is done, and you can stop between any two.
How pricing works
Nothing is quoted before the code is read. Any number offered before the diagnosis is invented, and you would pay for the invention one way or the other — in a padded quote or in a change order six weeks in.
Every price is fixed once quoted. A fixed price assumes the fixed scope is reachable, so the engagement is scheduled from the day the access checklist is complete — not the day the invoice is paid.
The report is yours whichever way you go. Hand it to your own IT, another supplier, or a drawer. No follow-up call unless you ask.
Triage is credited against a health check. In full, when the health check is booked within thirty days of the triage.
An engagement begins when both sides sign. The agreement names the system, the access, the deliverable and the fee. A price on this page is where the conversation starts, not a contract.
The sample report's figures
The sample report prices a fictional rescue at $6,400 over four weeks and mentions a rewrite quoted elsewhere at five figures. Both belong to the specimen client. They show what a priced roadmap looks like; they are not our prices. Read the sample report.
Start at the shallow end. Triage is one day, needs no access, and is credited in full against a health check booked within thirty days.
Book a health check →