Every question, direct answers.
No salesy fluff. If you have a question that isn’t here, email faris@uppersidestudio.com and we’ll add it.
Pricing & payment
How much does this cost?
$2,499 one-time for a custom website, plus $99 / month for Site Care (Global CDN hosting, support, and one batched content update per week).
Is the monthly fee required?
No. The first month of hosting is included in the one-time fee. After that, the $99 plan is opt-in. If you skip it you can host the site anywhere — we hand over the files and the domain.
What happens if I want to cancel?
The monthly plan cancels any time, no notice required. You keep the site, the files, and the domain. If you want to walk away inside the first fourteen days, you get the one-time fee back too.
Do you offer refunds?
14-day money-back guarantee on the one-time fee. If the site is not what you wanted and we cannot make it right, full refund within fourteen days of launch.
The work
How is a site built so quickly?
Because we only build websites — we have a refined process, sensible defaults, and we do not waste days on discovery decks. AI handles the heavy lifting on first drafts; everything is reviewed and finished personally before it goes to you.
Will it look like every other small business website?
No. Every site is drawn for the business — type, colour, structure, copy. No template kits. The work page shows real examples; nothing on this site is a stock template with the brand swapped.
How many revisions can I request?
Unlimited during the build week. Most projects need two or three rounds. If we cannot get it right in five rounds, we usually reset rather than keep iterating — that is on us, not on you.
What if I want changes after the site is live?
One content update per week is included with the $99 plan — swap a photo, change a price, add a section. Larger redesigns are quoted separately at a fair hourly rate.
Can I add new pages later?
Yes. Extra pages are $199 each. We can also build out a blog, a booking page, or a small online store as add-ons.
Trust & ownership
Who is Upperside Studio?
A small boutique web studio based in Hamburg, Germany, operated as a registered German business. Founder: Faris Brni. The registered entity name appears on every Stripe receipt and in the site footer.
Where are you based?
Hamburg, Germany — in the Winterhude district. We work remotely with small businesses across the US, UK, EU, and Canada. Most communication is by email; calls happen on Calendly when needed.
Do you have references I can talk to?
Yes — ask. We are happy to put you in touch with current customers. We do not paste a "trusted by" logo wall on the site because half of those, on any agency site, are companies that never paid for anything.
Will I own the site?
Yes — fully. The code, the design files, the domain, the analytics, the CMS. We hand over keys after launch. If you ever want to move the site to another host or another developer, you can.
What happens if Upperside goes away?
The site keeps working — it is hosted in your name, on your domain. The monthly plan is opt-in maintenance; it is not the only thing keeping the site online.
Technical
Do I need to know anything technical?
No. You tell us about your business in plain English; we handle hosting, domains, SSL, analytics, SEO, and the rest. You only touch the site if you want to.
What if I already have a domain?
We point your domain at the new site for you. If your current host is on a long contract we cannot break, we wait — the new site sits on a staging URL until your old hosting ends.
What if I do not have a domain yet?
We can register one for you and add it to the invoice (registrar cost, no markup). Most domains are around $12 / year.
Will my site work on mobile?
Yes. Every site is built mobile-first and tested at 320, 375, 414, and 768 px before launch. About two-thirds of small business traffic is mobile.
Will my site show up on Google?
Yes — meta tags, sitemap, indexing, schema.org structured data. The SEO starter add-on covers keyword research and local-business SEO if you need it.
Logistics
How long does the whole process take?
Most projects go from first message to live site in under a week. Brief on Monday, draft Tuesday, revisions Wednesday, live by Friday. Larger scopes (online store, multi-page sites) take a little longer.
How do I communicate with you?
Email is the default — fastest, leaves a paper trail. Calendly for calls when something is hard to explain in text. WhatsApp for short urgent things if you prefer.
Do you work weekends?
Not by default. Replies are within a few hours during European working hours (Mon–Fri, 9–18 CET). For overnight messages, expect a reply by 9 am CET the next working day.
What time zone are you in?
Central European Time (CET / CEST). When it is 9 am in New York, it is 3 pm here.
For US clients, this means we are usually ahead of you on the build — you wake up to overnight progress.