About

I build web sites. I have been building web sites as a freelancer for close to 15 years. While not a programmer by education, I program in the most common languages/markup used in building web sites, including php, javascript, jquery, html, css, and mysql.

Most of my work is done using WordPress, which is a wonderfully simple yet flexible content management system. It is easy for me to program in WordPress and it is the easiest application I have used for the client to manage their site. I have built many sites using other tools such as Textpattern, Drupal, CodeIgniter, Joomla and a whole host of static html pages many years ago, but unless your site has specific requirements that cannot be met using WordPress, then it is probably the best tool to employ.

Many of my clients are neophytes concerning web sites, and need to be guided thru the entire process. This can start at reserving a domain name, to setting up hosting, thinking thru your web site content and organization, developing a design and layout, building the web site and taking it live, and finally, showing you how to update and manage your new web site yourself. I can take you from nothing to having a fully functioning web site with any number of features you might want including e-commerce, user feedback, integration with social media, responsive design, and search engine optimization.

However we might work together, I will always provide you with all the information you need to keep ultimately keep you in control your web site. I want you to hire me and continue to work with me because I do excellent work for you.

How I Work

In short, I am very flexible. I have shepherded clients who need a web site and helped them purchase a domain, set up hosting, design and build their site and show them how to manage and update it and make further changes as necessary. By this I mean that I can guide you thru the whole process and explain how it all works so it doesn’t seem like some black box experiment.

I have a number of long term clients for whom I built a web site and continue to work with them, upgrading and modifying their site as needed, and even rebuilding the site from scratch when a complete redesign was considered necessary.

I also work with freelance designers and design firms. They provide me with design files and I will build the web site for them. I can either work directly with the client if so desired, or I can remain in the background and work just with the designers without having client contact.

I also have clients for whom I did not design or build their site, but for various reasons they needed a new developer to help them fix or make changes to their web site.

Cost

I can work either by an hourly rate or a set fee for the project.

Project Basis:

To work with a set fee for the project, I need to have the parameters of the project. Without getting technical, you need to know what your web site needs to do. With that information, I will provide a written estimate/fee that specifies what I will produce for the price quoted. I will stick with my fee unless we significantly expand the scope of the project while we work thru the process of building it. A fee based project is suited for projects where I am either building a custom theme for a site.

Hourly Ad Hoc -Basis:

I also work on an hourly basis ($75-$125/hr) depending upon the type of work needed. Following are some scenarios on how I work with some of my clients.

I have built web site for clients that did not have a specific set up parameters defined before we started the project. In this case, I logged my time and billed on a periodic basis as we progressed thru the project. This allows for more flexibility when building the site as we can change functions and design of the site as needed without having to worry about staying with the project fee parameters.

After I have built a site, the client wants to make changes to the site, this is normal and proper, as you should not simply leave a site . This could mean adding a new section to the site, or changing the styles, or adding forms or any number of possible additions or changes. Since I have built the website, I am much more familiar with the organization and programming, which can make it easier to make changes. I can provide an estimate if requested, but I generally am not asked to provide an estimate with the clients that I work with this way. Yes, this involves some trust, but if you ask for a change that I know will be significant, I will let you know before I start the work.

For some clients, I did not build their web site, but for various reasons, they need me to make changes or upgrades, or simply help them manage the content of the site. I am happy to do this. Depending upon the complexity of your site, I may need to spend a few hours familiarizing myself with how to make changes that you need. Again, if you need an estimate of how much time I think the work will take I am happy to provide an estimate, and if I find that the task is significantly more complicated than I originally thought, I will let you know before proceeding further.

I can also build you a web site working on an ad hoc basis. This can be an inexpensive way to get you up and running. WordPress is very easy to install, and there are many thousands of free or inexpensive themes that can be applied to your site. You can find one you like, or I can make some suggestions based upon the type of site that you need. I can set everything up, and add in the content that you provide and show you how to manage the site. Depending upon how much the type of content you have, this option can take a little as a few hours to get you set up and running. Again, I can provide an estimate once I have the content and can estimate how much additional styling is necessary to format the content.