5× faster delivery on a fully custom design system for a Chicago plumbing company
The Plumbing Dept Inc., a Chicago plumbing company, wanted a more professional-looking website. They didn’t have the technical expertise in-house, and they didn’t have time to master a new skill.
We came in and migrated their entire site, content and all, to a cleaner, more semantic framework and a custom design system built for future growth. Five times faster than a comparable client build, and without touching a single design tool.
Where things stood
The Plumbing Dept. had a website. It worked, but it didn’t represent the business the way the team had come to think about it, or the way customers shop for a plumber in 2026. They wanted something more professional, more on-brand, and more durable as the business grew.
The problem wasn’t ambition. It was bandwidth. The technical work was beyond what the team could take on in-house, and learning a new skill on top of running the business was a non-starter. Most service businesses in that situation either settle for what they have or kick the project down the road. The Plumbing Dept. wanted a third option.
Our approach
We came in and moved the whole site. Every page, every service, every pro tip, every project image: all migrated to a cleaner, more semantic framework with a custom 34-component design system built for The Plumbing Dept. specifically.
Two things made the math work.
The design system was authored directly in production code, sparing the client weeks of design reviews and revision cycles.
The mechanical, repetitive work that usually consumes the bulk of a custom build runs in the background, so the engagement stays focused on the strategic work that actually shapes the platform.
The result is the same custom build a comparable client engagement would deliver, in 80% less time.
Their team edits everything through the WordPress admin they already know. Forms route directly into their inbox. Analytics are wired in from day one so they can see what’s working and double down.
Results
- 34 componentsdocumented across one new design system
- 4 weekskickoff to delivery
- 5× fasterthan comparable website projects
- Designed and built in one continuous stage
- Contact form integration with existing systems
- Complete designer / developer documentation
The Plumbing Dept. came out of this with a platform, not a project. Their team edits the site directly. Their analytics show them what’s working. The component system flexes as the business grows. New services, new locations, new content all have a home ready for them, without another engagement to ship. The Plumbing Dept. couldn’t build this themselves.
With us, they didn’t have to.
Every engagement starts with a conversation.
Tell us where you are. We’ll help you figure out where to go and build the plan to get there.
Let’s talk →