TomJenks43

35 hours is very unrealistic. This gives the impression that you were going to use lower rate people (on $10/hr) to make the site. And take your 'agency' fee. I should have made it clear an off-the shelf template was not going to be used. The theme and logo would be custom and PSD to XHTML+CSS= 15 hours of work in total. 15 hours alone would be required for testing and bugs. Php/Joomla. Can also have it with asp.net (extra 60-80 hours) but it's a better framework. I sense there are some people on this forum who are not what they appear to be. Yes I was offered reasonable prices by some people, but certain transgressions were made in order to hide the reality of their processes. I think a lot of people are hurting. The Indian/Chinese/Filipino/Nepal are doing a number on developers/designers based elsewhere. There are tons of Asian developers charging $25+. How the hell can a UK based developer survive on £20 p/h!!!! I think people are trying to artificially drive up prices here and elsewhere to keep suckers in the dark on the true worth of services. How long do you think you can keep this up? Evolve or become extinct! ----

Thanks WDF. I'm so glad I came here. I've ended up giving the contract to a team located abroad on a fixed fee structure. As jock advised, they wrote a site specification outling each module alongside a time estimate for each one. It will take approx 150 hours to complete. They've overestimated as they'd rather be early than late. They directed me to these outsourcing sites that I never knew about before to look at their scores/feedback. They've worked for years, tons of hours and excellent feedback/reviews from contractors. My total cost, get ready for this, will be approx $1000. I assume if I wanted to work directly with a developer/designer without loading off the work to a team, the cost would be approx. $800 and less. A very happy customer here. Thanks WDF, you guys are the best!!!!!!!!!

thanks. i have done that now. i know many have said. 35 to 190. big difference. i don't know.maybe some ppl work with other ppl and some work alone, so less time to finish.

is it ok if whoever want to quote me to quote me. If I can get an experienced and respected person here to do it for me quicker and cheaper that would be good. i guess time is crucial here as I will need to tell my developer to stop. thanks.

Hi guys, Just ol' Tom here. Just popped in for some advice. Not a designer or anything. Take Care.

what!! is your hourly rate by chance $100+? were you joking? There is such a big difference, I don't know how to react. he said that much time would take alone on the property listing section.

Hello guys, Im about to start a contract with a designer based in the UK. His rate is $30/hour and has a good portfolio and seems like a good guy. But I can't help but think I'm being overcharged for this. Basically he said it would take around 190 hours to complete a similar site to this. http://www.kelwaylaw.co.uk/index.html I told him I would like a site with similar features and a similar design. He mentioned customized joomla, php, plug ins, etc. I don't know what that all means but I kind of understood. So I might be charged around £3300 ($5500) for what seems to be a simple site that most. I mean it's not even flashy. Is everything fine? Is my lack of education playing a role in these doubts? Thanks in advance for any help. Tom