How we work, what it costs
Flat project pricing. Clear scope. No surprises.
Most Bluestone projects are priced as fixed-scope engagements, agreed before we start. You know what we'll build, how long it will take, and what it will cost.
How we scope and price
We don't do hourly billing, we don't sell blended-rate retainers, and we don't pad estimates with vague buffer. The process is the same for every project we take on.
- 1
Short discovery call
Free, 30 minutes, directly with Eric. We talk through what you're trying to build, what's already in place, and what success looks like. If we're not the right fit, we'll say so on the call and point you elsewhere.
- 2
Written scope and fixed quote
Usually within three working days. You get a plain-English scope document: what's in, what's out, the milestones, the stack, and the total price. If the project is genuinely uncertain, we propose a short paid discovery instead of guessing.
- 3
Deposit and milestone payments
A 30–50% deposit to start, then milestone payments tied to demonstrable progress — not hours logged. Final payment is due on handover. No hidden change orders; if scope shifts, we write a short amendment and you approve it before we move.
What projects typically cost
Every project is different, so we don't publish exact prices — they'd be wrong for most people. Here are honest ranges based on work we've done, so you can tell in five seconds whether we're in your ballpark.
Small engagements
$5k–$15k
2–3 weeks
A focused automation, a single dashboard, an integration, or a technical audit. Small in scope, but still built properly.
Example: “Turn a messy Airtable into a proper internal tool.”
MVP / core build
$15k–$50k
6–10 weeks
A working first version of a product, launched to real users. Most of our work sits in this band.
Example: “Build a web app that lets your customers self-serve something they currently email you about.”
Larger builds and product partnerships
$50k+
10+ weeks or rolling
A substantial custom product, or a multi-quarter engagement where we effectively become your engineering team.
Example: “Build and maintain the software that runs a growing 20-person business.”
Ongoing retainer
$3k–$8k / month
Monthly, cancel with 30 days notice
Part-time engineering support after a project ships. Bug fixes, small features, ops work.
Not required — most clients don't need one after handover.
What's included, always
Regardless of the tier, every Bluestone engagement comes with the same baseline. These aren't upsells. They're the default.
- Direct access to Eric throughout the project
- Weekly written update plus a Loom walkthrough
- Code shipped to your GitHub, infra in your cloud account
- Documentation and a runbook, written inside the repo
- Handover call plus 90 days of direct support after launch
- No proprietary frameworks, no platform fees, no licensing traps
What's not included
A few things people sometimes assume are in a software engagement. They're not, and we'd rather say so up front.
- Third-party service fees (Stripe, Supabase, Vercel, and so on) — billed to your accounts, not through us
- Ongoing hosting costs after launch, which go directly to your provider
- Paid marketing, SEO, or ads
- Design-heavy brand work — we can recommend partners who do this well
When we're not the right fit
We'd rather send you somewhere better than take a project we can't do well. A few common mismatches:
Your budget is under $5k.
A trusted freelancer is a better match. We're happy to suggest names.
You need a team of six or more engineers.
You need a proper product organisation, not a studio. We can point you toward firms that staff at that scale.
“AI agent” features are the core value proposition.
We're skeptical of that category by default. We use AI where it earns its place — not as the product.
You want us to take equity in place of cash.
We don't. Good engineering costs money, and equity deals get messy fast.
Want a real quote for your project?
Tell us what you're building. Eric will reply with either a number, or a reason it's not a fit.