[How a build goes]
Five steps, no mystery
I am one person, not an agency, so there is no account manager between us and no phase you never hear about. Here is the whole shape of it, start to finish, with rough timing on each part.
01
We talk, and I write down what this actually is
One conversation, usually within a week of you reaching out
You tell me the problem in your own words. I ask a lot of questions about how the work runs now, who touches it, and what breaks. Then I write it back to you in plain language so we both know we mean the same thing. If what you need is smaller or bigger than you thought, this is where I say so.
02
You get a written scope and a real price
Two to four days after we talk
A list of what gets built, what does not, what it costs, and roughly how long. The price is a range, not a mystery, and the Driftline rate applies to all of it. Nothing starts until you say yes to that page.
03
I build it, and you watch it happen
Two to three weeks for a Field Kit, longer for custom work
You get a live link from the first week. Not screenshots, the real thing, updating as I go. You can poke at it, break it, and tell me what feels wrong while it is still cheap to change. I check in rather than disappearing for a month.
04
We fix what is off
About a week
A round of revisions on copy, layout, and anything that does not work the way you expected. Bugs found in the first thirty days after handoff are on me, not on your bill.
05
I hand you the keys
Half a day, together
You log into your own admin dashboard and I walk you through editing your own copy, prices, hours, and photos. You leave able to run it without me. If you would rather I keep handling updates, that is a retainer, and it is optional, never assumed.
[What it costs]
Written down before you commit
A site build starts at $850. Custom tools and platforms start at $1,500, and the exact number depends on what is in it, which we map out before I write a line of code. The full rate card, with every add-on and retainer, lives on the services page.
[Sliding scale, built into checkout]
Driftline Rate
I keep a permanent sliding scale on every build for low-income founders, disabled-led businesses, mutual-aid groups, and BIPOC/Indigenous/queer/ trans-led work — typically 40–60% off the listed range, sometimes more. No proof required, no forms, no questions. Anything you can buy on this site has the Driftline rate built right into checkout — tours, downloads, and session deposits all show the reduced amounts as selectable options when you pay. For larger project work, just ask and I'll quote at the Driftline rate.
[Real ones]
Four things I have actually shipped
CEA — Chief Executive Angel
Client portal, invoicing, scheduling, and a marketing hub for a solo coaching practice. Built and shipped as a Field Kit in under three weeks.
Brackish Course
A full course platform with nineteen modules, editable templates, graded checkpoints, payments, and certificates.
TideEx — Tide Explorer
A map-first tide explorer: 162 mapped spots across three states, exposure windows built from 402 NOAA gauges, and a community field log.
Small Talk
A public science site that turns quorum sensing research into a readable, citable map of themes, papers, claims, and open gaps.
[Before day one]
What I need from you to start
- ·A sentence or two on what the thing is for, and who uses it.
- ·Whatever you already have: a logo, photos, old site, price list, menu, forms you fill out by hand.
- ·The names of any tools you are paying for now, so I can tell you which ones you can stop paying for.
- ·One person who can make decisions. Committees make builds slow and expensive.
- ·A rough deadline, if you have one, and what it is tied to.
If you do not have all of that, come anyway. Half of my projects start with a phone photo of a handwritten price list.
Ready when you are
Tell me what you are trying to build and I will tell you honestly whether I am the right person for it.
Get in touch