Who takes on the smaller, unglamorous work like bug fixing, dependency updates and monitoring setup?

That is explicitly part of this offering, not just a bonus attached to a large project. This is exactly the work that decides whether an application still runs in three years. It is billed by effort at the published hourly rate, including at a few hours a month. There is no minimum size a project has to reach before it becomes interesting.

What do you do when my web project is stuck?

First find out what is actually blocking it. Surprisingly often that is not the technology but an unclear scope, a dependency being waited on, or a budget that does not match the feature list. The result is a written assessment with three things: what is finished, what is missing, and what it realistically takes. On that basis you can decide whether to continue, cut scope, or start differently.

Can I get honest feedback on whether my budget matches the planned feature list?

Yes, and that is a small engagement in its own right, not a disguised sales conversation. You get an assessment of which parts of the list are realistic within the budget, which are not, and in what order they should sensibly be built. If the answer is that the list cannot be built within that budget, it says exactly that.

Will you take the project on even if the code is in poor shape?

As a rule yes. Code that grew without tests and with outdated dependencies is the normal case for a takeover, not a disqualifier. The line sits elsewhere: when essential parts are missing, when there is no access to the repository, or when the core is in a technology I do not work in productively. That shows up at the first look and is said immediately.

What happens to live operation during the takeover?

It keeps running. The takeover starts read-only — repository, hosting, dependencies, deployment path — and only then are changes made, with a preview environment ahead of every step that touches production.

Contact de

Contact

Web app maintenance and takeover in Basel

Take over, repair and keep developing an existing website or web application — including when the previous developer is no longer reachable.

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Web application maintenance and takeover

The previous developer is gone, the site has slowed to a crawl, or nobody dares touch the code. I take over existing websites and web applications in Basel and north-western Switzerland, bring them to a clean and maintainable state, and keep developing them. The first step is always an assessment, and it is honest — including when the conclusion is that a rebuild costs less than a repair. You have that answer in writing before you put money in the wrong direction.

Hourly rate from CHF 115.–/h · Fixed price for clearly scoped projects on request

CH1 · PROFIL

Who this is for

Companies whose developer or agency is no longer available
Teams with a React or Next.js codebase that grew over years and now has nobody — reading, repairing and extending it yes; for a rebuild I would propose Vue and Nuxt
Site owners whose website has become slow or is collecting security warnings
Projects that are stuck and need someone to get them back on track
Organisations wanting to outsource the small, unglamorous work: bug fixing, dependency updates, monitoring

CH2 · UMFANG

What is included

Assessment: current state, risks and realistic effort, put in writing
Takeover of code, deployment and infrastructure without downtime
Security and dependency updates, resolution of accumulated debt
Performance optimisation and load times
Refactoring and paying down technical debt rather than selling a rebuild
Ongoing maintenance at published hourly rates, including at small volumes
Continued development of new features
Documentation, so you are not left dependent on a single person again

Technology: Vue, Nuxt, PHP-based systems, WordPress, Drupal, Prestashop, Shopify, Node.js, classic LAMP stacks. I take React and Next.js on for maintenance and extension; for a rebuild, Vue and Nuxt is what I propose.

CH1 · AUFTRÄGE

Typical engagements

Assessment of an existing codebase

State, risks, security posture, realistic effort — and a recommendation on whether to repair or rebuild. In writing, regardless of who implements afterwards.

Takeover and stabilisation

Access, deployment and operation move to you or to me, dependencies are updated, obvious risks removed. Without interrupting live operation.

Modernising a React or Next.js application

Outdated libraries, a structure that grew, missing tests. Stepwise modernisation during which the application stays usable throughout.

Ongoing maintenance

Reserved capacity for updates, small changes and incidents. Billed transparently by effort, not as a flat fee with unclear scope.

CH2 · ABLAUF

How it runs

01
Access and a first look
Reviewing repository, hosting and dependencies. This often already shows whether the project is viable or whether essential parts are missing.
02
Written assessment
State, security posture, technical debt, realistic effort — and a clear recommendation. That document is yours, even if you continue with someone else.
03
Stabilise before building
Updates, security gaps and whatever endangers operation come first. New features come after that, not before.
04
Extend and document
Growth in manageable steps, accompanied by documentation, so the dependency on a single person does not simply change hands.

CH1 · GRENZEN

When I am not the right partner

Projects where neither source code nor access exists. Without the code there is nothing to take over, only something to rebuild
Systems whose core is in a language or framework I do not work in productively — I will say so and tell you what to look for
Round-the-clock incident response with guaranteed overnight response times. That needs an operator with an on-call rota
A repair that costs more than a rebuild, purely because it was commissioned. That case is named in the assessment

Handover and what comes after

What I take over is documented so it can be handed on again — architecture, operational routines, access, and the decisions that led to the current state. The repository sits with you. The very dependency that put you in this position should not simply re-form under new management.

CH2 · BELEGE

Evidence

Over twelve years working on inherited codebases of wildly varying quality
Experience with handovers between agencies and internal teams, from both directions
Four years of agency delivery at WONDROUS with long-running client projects for enterprise clients in pharma, industry and finance

CH1 · FRAGEN

Common questions

CH2 · WEITER

Related services

CH1 · CONTACT

Discuss a project

Tell me briefly what it is about. I will get back to you shortly for a no-obligation first call.

Email: manuel@hallerpolo.com
Location: Basel
UID: CHE-216.461.477
First call: around 30 minutes, no obligation

What happens next

01You tell me what it is about.
02A no-obligation call of around thirty minutes.
03A written assessment: scope, approach, timeline, cost.

Check your project

Web app maintenance and takeover in Basel

Assessment of an existing codebase

Takeover and stabilisation

Modernising a React or Next.js application

Ongoing maintenance

Access and a first look

Written assessment

Stabilise before building

Extend and document

Handover and what comes after