Client work · Case study
A website that finally matches the work.
How CottLabs gave MJY Building & Remodeling — a 20-year Portland remodeler — his first real web home: his brand, his photos, and a form that captures every lead.
- Owner-run by Matt Yankowsky
- Portland, Maine & about 30 minutes around
- Fully insured
- Kitchens, baths, decks, whole-home remodels
01The client
Two decades on the tools — and a reputation built by word of mouth.
Matt Yankowsky has been building since he was 16, starting out in plumbing alongside his father and picking up every corner of the trade since — framing, finish carpentry, tile, and the details that separate a good job from a great one.
In 2021 he set out on his own and MJY Building & Remodeling was born: an owner-run, fully insured remodeler serving Portland, Maine and about 30 minutes around. Kitchens, baths, decks, whole-home remodels — one crew, one name on the job.
The work was excellent. The web presence didn't say so yet.
02The brief
Give a craftsman a web presence as good as his craft.
A remodeler whose reputation lives in referrals and finished rooms needed a professional home online — one that looked like his work, made it effortless for a homeowner to reach him, and made sure no inquiry ever slipped through the cracks.
- 01
Look the part
A site that matches the quality of the finish work — his real brand, his real projects, not a stock template.
- 02
Make it easy to call
Tap-to-call and text Matt directly, front and center — because a homeowner deciding on a remodel wants a person, fast.
- 03
Never lose a lead
Every form request is captured as a lead, and every call and text goes straight to his phone — so a busy builder on a job site never misses the next one.
03What CottLabs built
His brand, his photos, built mobile-first.
A fast, professional site in MJY's own look — dark, chrome, and construction-red — built around Matt's real logo and seven web-optimized photos from his own job sites. Every detail earns trust and points a homeowner toward one action: reach Matt.
-
Owner-forward from the first screen
“You work with Matt” up top, with tap-to-call and text-Matt buttons that follow you down the page.
-
His real work, shown well
A project gallery with tap-to-enlarge lightbox — kitchens, baths, decks, carpentry — his craft, not clip art.
-
One form, straight to the inbox
Name, phone, scope — a homeowner's request lands as a real lead in a single inbox, with spam protection built in.
-
Shares like a pro
Paste the link anywhere and it unfurls a clean logo card — proper link-preview, favicon, and honest title. No broken thumbnail.
-
Built for the phone
Most homeowners find a remodeler on their phone. Thumb-reachable buttons, a compact menu, fast on any connection.
-
Trust, stated plainly
Fully insured, 20+ years, owner-run, service area — the things a homeowner checks for, right where they look.
04His work, on his site
Real projects across Greater Portland.
Every photo on the site came off Matt's own phone, from his own job sites — no stock, no staging, no borrowed rooms.
Kitchen remodel 
Bathroom remodel 
Decks & porches 
Flooring & finished spaces 
Custom carpentry & trim 
Hardwood & refinishing
05More than a website
The site is the front door. Cipher is next for what’s behind it.
The website is the visible part. The point is what it's wired into: every inquiry has one obvious path — a form that captures every request, or a tap to call or text Matt’s phone. Cipher is next: the same partner that catches each lead and drafts the follow-up for his OK, so Matt can stay on the tools.
Every draft waits for your OK — nothing is sent on a client's behalf without it.
- 01
Capture
Every form request lands in one place, none dropped. Calls and texts still ring his phone.
- 02
Follow up
Fast, professional follow-up — a homeowner hears back while they're still deciding.
- 03
Get paid
From first inquiry to estimate to the finished job — the whole path, in one system.
06The build, in facts
What's actually on the page.
- 7
real job-site photos — the six above, plus the porch photo that opens his site
- 8
services, one crew, one page
These are the facts of the build — his real photos, his real brand, a live site on his own domain. It's a new storefront, so the results are honest: we won't quote numbers we haven't measured.
07Yours next
We build your website.
Cipher drafts the follow-ups, and you OK every send.
MJY was our first. If you run a trade or a small business and want a web presence that looks like your best work — and a system that never loses a lead — that's what CottLabs does.
charlie@cottlabs.comMJY Building & Remodeling · Portland, Maine
(207) 233-3768 · Fully insured
A CottLabs client case study.