Services & pricing
Northwinds builds practical websites, hosting, and small-business software for local businesses that want things clear, fast, and easy to manage.
Essential websites start at $1,000. Most business websites start at $2,500. Custom software starts at $5,000.
Based in International Falls. Direct communication, a clear scope, and clear ownership from quote to launch.
Builds and prices
Starts at $1,000
For a business that needs to look real online and be easy to contact.
Good fit if
What you getPeople can see who you are, what you do, and how to reach you.
Starts at $2,500
For a business that needs a fuller site with services, photos, and real lead flow.
Good fit if
What you getA better first impression and a clear path to calls, messages, bookings, or quotes.
See Falls License Bureau →Starts at $5,000
For a business that needs the website or software to actually do work.
Good fit if
What you getLess manual work and a system built around how your business runs.
See Laser Job Manager →Every price is a starting point. The exact quote follows a short conversation about what you actually need, and comes back in writing within two business days.
What changes the price
The starting prices cover a normal project in each category. The number moves if the work needs more:
A regular website mostly shows information and helps people reach you. Once a site stores data, handles accounts, or runs part of the business, it gets scoped as custom software, starting at $5,000.
Not a fit: Email marketing campaigns · Ongoing SEO-only retainers · Social media management · Branding-only work (logos as part of a build are fine). Happy to point you somewhere good.
Care plans
A website is software. Software that isn't maintained breaks. The care plan is how the site stays watched, updated, and fixable instead of going stale a month after launch. Every build includes a 30-day warranty -- if something I built breaks, I fix it free. The care plan starts at launch (your site is hosted and live from day one), month-to-month, cancel any time. Prepay a year and save 10%.
Kept running. Peace of mind.
$99/mo
For a site that needs keeping alive. I watch it, update it, and fix it when something breaks. No growth work -- that's what Standard is for.
Kept fresh. The one most builds attach.
$179/mo
Everything in Foundation, plus active work to keep the site current. Send me your content -- fishing reports, events, specials, photos -- and I keep it posted and polished. For a site that should stay current, not go stale a month after launch.
I help create. For revenue-driven sites.
$349/mo
For e-commerce, Stripe, and booking-driven sites where the site itself brings in the money. Everything in Standard, plus I help create the content, not just post it, and keep an eye on the parts that handle money.
Want to self-host instead?
That works. Handoff docs are available on request. You take the build, handle your own hosting, security, and updates. Any change later is hourly. Most clients pick a care plan instead because the headache isn't worth the savings, but the door stays open.
Beyond the plan
Work past your care plan's monthly bucket, or any change to a site that isn't on a plan, is $100/hr. Billed in 15-minute blocks, with a real quote up front for anything substantial. Genuinely small fixes -- a typo, a phone number, a price -- don't get billed. That part's on me; a quick change shouldn't come with an invoice.
Add-ons
These are starting points, not a rigid menu. Anything unusual gets a written quote before work begins.
Common questions
Northwinds has three starting points. An Essential Website starts at $1,000. A Business Website starts at $2,500. Custom Website or Software work starts at $5,000. Those are real floors, not teaser prices. The exact quote follows a short conversation about what you actually need, because scope, content, timelines, databases, accounts, payments, and integrations can all change the final number.
A template site costs less upfront because the shape is already decided. Custom work costs more because the site is built around your business, your services, and the way customers need to reach you. The point is not fancy tech. The point is a better first impression, clearer information, faster loading, easier updates, and fewer workarounds later.
An Essential Website can usually go up in about a week once the content is ready. A Business Website is usually a few weeks, depending on pages, photos, copy, and feedback. Custom Website or Software work takes longer because the details matter more. Timelines are measured in weeks, not days, but the trade-off is work that is done locally and supported after launch.
No, but most builds attach one. The care plan starts at launch, because your site is hosted and live on my infrastructure from day one. It runs month-to-month, cancel anytime, no lock-in. Every build also includes a 30-day warranty: if something I built breaks, I fix it free, plan or no plan. Most clients keep a plan because the site stays maintained and current instead of going stale. If you'd rather host it yourself and go without, that option stays open.
Yes. Care plans run month-to-month from launch -- cancel any time, no penalty, no lock-in. If you prepay a year you save 10%, but that's entirely voluntary. No 12-month contracts, no automatic renewal traps.
That works. Handoff documentation is available on request. You take the build, handle your own hosting, security, and updates after launch. Any change later is billed hourly at $100/hr. Most clients pick a care plan instead because the headache of running their own hosting isn't worth the savings, but the option stays open from day one.
Yes, as part of a build. Logo design or a brand mark starts at $149 added to your build scope. I don't do logo-only work as a standalone offering -- the moat is in the websites and the software, and logos make more sense bundled with the build they're going on.
Yes, case by case. The brand and the marketing are focused on Northern Minnesota because that's where the heritage and the local trust are strongest, but if a project from elsewhere fits well, we talk. Geography isn't the disqualifier -- scope, complexity, and fit are the real questions.
The three offers are starting points, not a rigid menu. If your project is mostly public pages and contact paths, it is probably an Essential or Business Website. If it needs a database, customer accounts, saved records, a staff dashboard, payments, file uploads, reports, or a custom workflow, it gets scoped as Custom Website or Software or as an add-on. The conversation sorts out which one your project actually is.
Yes. The /work page has the case studies. The Falls License Bureau site (fallsdmv.org) is the anchor -- the deputy registrar office for International Falls, built in Next.js with service guides, downloadable forms, and an office-traffic guide showing the best times to visit. Aurora Waters and Tours is a custom site for a tour boat, water taxi, and fishing guide service on the lakes of Voyageurs National Park. Laser Job Manager is a native Windows desktop app for laser engraving shops. Powell's Lawn Care is a clean, mobile-first site for a family-run lawn care and home repair business in International Falls. More projects are in the pipeline.
How it works
Not sure what you need?