Shaun@Bourne

For me it depends on just how involved you want to get?
 
Are you just trying to save money by not spending on a good design?
 
Or do you actually have an interest in creating your own unique website?
 
If you have an actual interest in creating your own unique website from scratch then you need to start with the basics. I found that understanding a little about what makes things tick from the many good tutorials out there, and then what others have achieved from the many examples are a great starting point. Then apply the basics of design principles, start with sketches, add some colour, develop some functional principles such as how things will connect, what will move or animate, and what will you want viewers to do? This is the biggest question, are they to be viewing and possibly reading a few text articles, looking at a few photo's, or getting involved in an interactive experience? How will you make a profit from the viewers of your website?
 
After some brainstorming you will find you have a concept to start your design on, so no it is time to generate a design brief from the concept. This will lead you the whole way through the process and you will see what you need to learn before you start any real design work.
 
However; if this is too involved, or beyond what you perceive yourself capable of then you must think again about templates, free or paid, or even a custom design. Budgets are always tight for everybody, but the right web image will make you far more than you invest if you choose wisely.
 
For now have a browse of some of the projects posted on Codepen for an idea of some of the things that can be done.

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i have my own site hosted on one.com and have used them for another 2 sites i have made never had any problems with them great to deal with customer support always on hand 2 of my sites have Wordpress running on them and 3rd has plain html all 2nd to none. You can easily download wordpress and upload to your server and one.com support chat can help you with this.
 
It seems a bit stretched to create a website showcasing news blog etc and a massive forum to which you need with hardly any experience to how it all works its not as easy as bolt this here bolt that there, but you will find out and wish you the best of luck

Hmmm, since Twitter upgraded their API to 1.1, I think the only option now is to use Twitter embedded timelines. They don't allow much customization, though
I think there was some js Facebook timeline that allowed your own CSS, can't remember where I have seen this

thanks for the kind words guys only a few minor faults by the looks of it which i should be ironing out as we speak on my new site design
 
my name lol is not to do with the bourne series lol but i will tell you
 
i live in Bournemouth, Dorset Hense the Bourne and i have always liked Inspiration and since the birth of my daughter i have since regained a new lease of life somewhat inspiring

I would have liked to have been able to view your examples of work by clicking on the picture.

Maybe a yellow border or something around the page container, or some little bits of yellow flare here and there as a little dark at the mo. Looks great though.
 
The site seems to be running a tad slow to me. Have you optimized your images?
 
Don't listen too much to what I say though mate. You're much better than myself.