Taking over an existing project
A website or a tool still runs, but nobody knows how to change it any more. Whoever built it cannot be reached, and every small request turns into an ordeal. FastSolve takes over the existing work, documents it, and hands control back to you.
The first step is always an honest assessment. If taking over costs more than rebuilding, we tell you so with both figures, before you commit to anything.
The initial assessment that opens a takeover is billed on an accepted quote. It delivers findings, not a tool: the usual rule, test before paying, then applies to the repair work itself.
The project nobody holds the key to
This situation is in no way unusual, and it always ends up costing money.
- The developer who wrote everything has changed careers. They still answered emails two years ago, not at all today.
- The agency has closed down, and nobody knows where the site, the domain name and the backups are hosted.
- A two line change has been postponed for six months because nobody dares touch the file.
- You were given an account and a password, but no document, no comment in the code, no explanation of what does what.
What the engagement covers
1. The assessment. We read the existing code, we list what it actually does, which technologies it relies on, what is still maintained and what is not. You receive a document readable without being a technician, stating what you own.
2. Handing control back. Recovering the accounts, the domain name, the hosting and the backups, transferred into your name. This is often the most urgent and the most neglected part: until it is done, you do not truly own your tool.
3. Putting it back in working order. Fixing what is broken, updating what is dangerously old, removing dead code. The aim is not to rewrite everything but to make the whole thing modifiable without risk.
4. The documentation that was missing. How to run it, how to change it, where to find what, what must not be touched and why. Written so that the next person to work on it, us or someone else, does not have to repeat this investigation.
What this service does not do
- It does not recover what no longer exists. If the hosting has been cancelled and the backups deleted, there is nothing to take over, and we establish that quickly rather than billing a fruitless search.
- It does not modernise an outdated technical choice. We make the project usable and modifiable; we do not turn it into something else unless that is decided and priced.
- It does not replace your decision. We give both figures, take over or rebuild, and you are the one who chooses.
- It does not lock you in with us. The documentation produced is yours, and it exists precisely so that you depend on nobody, including us.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a takeover cost?
The assessment is framed and priced separately, because it determines everything else. It is short and produces a firm figure for what follows. A three hundred line tool and an application with a database and user accounts are not remotely comparable. As a guide, excluding VAT, the assessment falls between 300 and 800 euros. The repair work that follows most often ranges from 1,500 to 6,000 euros, depending on the state of the code.
What if the code is genuinely bad?
It happens, and we say so plainly, with the consequences priced. Bad does not mean beyond saving: many projects hold up very well once cleaned. We do not push you towards a rebuild that would suit us.
Is the former provider's agreement required?
No, provided they delivered the work to you and you hold the accounts. We simply ask you to confirm that the project belongs to you, as for any work on something existing.
How long does the assessment take?
From a few days for a standard website to somewhat longer for an application with several modules. You have the document and the figure for what follows before committing to a single fix.
Can you then keep developing the project?
Yes, and that is often the whole point of the takeover. Once the project is documented and back in working order, further work is handled like any other development, on the same terms as our other services.
Tell us what you have and we will tell you what is left of it
See how a project runs, from framing to delivery
See all FastSolve services