It happens more than people think. A developer goes quiet. A build stalls at 80% and never quite ships. You take over a business and inherit a website nobody understands. It feels like a mess, but most of these situations are recoverable. Here's how to think about it.
First, don't panic, and don't delete anything
Even a project that feels broken usually has real value in it: work you paid for, content, a domain with history. Before you scrap it, get a clear picture of what's actually there. Deleting things in frustration is the one move that's hard to undo.
Figure out what you actually have
The most common problem in a rescue isn't the code, it's access. Track down what you can get your hands on:
- The code, and where it lives (GitHub, GitLab, a zip on someone's laptop)
- The hosting account, and who's paying for it
- The domain registrar and DNS
- Logins for anything connected: analytics, email, payments, a CMS
- Any invoices or notes that say what was built and what was left
If you can't get some of these from the previous developer, that's worth knowing early. It changes how a rescue starts.
Get an honest assessment
Once someone can actually look at it, the real question is simple: what's worth keeping, what needs fixing, and what it would take to get it live. A good developer will tell you that plainly, without dressing it up to sound worse than it is.
Salvage, partial rebuild, or fresh start
Most rescues land in one of three places. A salvage, where the foundation is fine and it mostly needs finishing and fixing. A partial rebuild, where some of it is solid and some needs replacing. Or a fresh start, where the honest answer is that rebuilding is faster and cheaper than untangling what's there. A fresh start is the rarest of the three, and it should be a last resort, not an opening pitch.
How I approach a rescue
I start by looking, not by quoting a rebuild. I get you a clear read on the state it's in, tell you what I'd keep and what I'd change, and pick up from a sensible point. Calm and honest, with the goal of getting you unstuck rather than starting your bill over.