Rebuilding a Home Builder Website After Vendor Lock-In: What We Could and Could Not Recover

A custom home builder owned its web address but not its old website, and that difference decided what we could bring over. The photos and media from the old site sat in the previous vendor's private storage, where we could not reach them. Only what existed in the last published state of the site could be republished.

The client is the owner of a custom home building company in the Midwest. We walked through the rebuild with him on a live call and set things up so he can change it himself. If you run one of the home service businesses that has changed website vendors, the ownership lesson matters before the design does.

The situation

The builder had moved to a new site, and we walked through the rebuild together: the communities pages, the 3D walkthroughs and the model pages.

The gaps were about content, not design. Some model assets were missing, because the previous vendor had held the media privately and never handed it over. The builder's shared drive held older files, but it was disorganized, and finding them was described as looking for a needle in a haystack.

What was broken

Four issues came up as we scrolled through the pages.

• The communities page had no pricing. It also relied on a complex interactive HTML element that we judged fancy but stiff.
• The 3D walkthroughs page needed too much scrolling. Older visitors on tablets were the concern.
• The homepage rotating module for the portfolio and reviews only works when it is connected to a Google account with owner or admin permission.
• Two pages, custom homes and models, were the most likely to have missing media or text.

What we built

We made the changes live and agreed the rest.

• We replaced the interactive lot map with a simple image plus text. The image shows the lots, the pricing sits beside it and a short line tells visitors to select a lot. The builder needs only pricing and which lots are still available, not 3D or interactivity.
• The builder updates the lot image with an AI image tool. On the call we ran a test: mark a lot as no longer available and show it as sold. The tool keeps a project with the saved lot data, so the history of changes stays in one place.
• We connected an AI assistant to the website builder on the call, so he can ask for edits in plain language and keep the site on brand when he adds a page.
• We moved the 3D walkthrough grid higher on the page to cut scrolling, which the builder asked for on accessibility grounds.
• We added exterior photos, updated main images to the front elevation, moved the 3D tours higher and simplified the walkthrough page into titles.

What changed

No result was reported, since the site had not been published at the time of the call. What changed was who controls it. The builder logged in during the call and connected the assistant, so small edits no longer have to wait on us.

The remaining gap is honest and specific. Media that lives only in the old vendor's storage cannot be recovered by us. If the builder has the file, we can place it. A request that names the missing piece and where it belongs is easy to fix. A request based on a feeling is hard.

Protect your own site from lock-in

This section is advice for your own business. Ask three questions of any vendor who builds or hosts your site. Who owns the account that holds the site? Where are the original photos and videos stored? Can I log in and publish without you?

Then keep your own copy of every photo and video in a drive you control. If a vendor disappears, a site with a copy of its media in your drive can be rebuilt in days. A site without one stays incomplete.

Frequently asked questions

Why could the old website's photos not be recovered?

The builder owned the domain but not the site. The previous vendor stored the media in its own private storage, so once the old site went down we could only republish what existed in its last published state.

Why replace an interactive lot map with a simple image?

An interactive element is harder to keep current. A plain image with pricing text is easy to update when a lot sells, and the builder can edit it himself. The builder said he needed only pricing and which lots are available.

Can an AI assistant edit a website safely?

It can make routine edits, such as adding a page or updating text, when you connect it to your site builder. Changes can be reversed, so a mistake is not permanent. Clear, specific requests work best and vague ones do not.

What should I ask a website vendor before signing?

Ask who owns the account the site lives in, where the original media is stored and whether you can log in and publish without them. If any answer is unclear, resolve it first, because it decides what you can recover if you ever leave.

If you are not sure who owns your website, your photos or your ad accounts, book a 30-minute AI follow-up and reporting audit. We list what you own, what you only rent and what to move this week.