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Custom WordPress development, built from a blank editor, not a bought theme.
Most "custom" WordPress sites are a $60 theme with the demo content swapped out. They ship 2 MB of unused CSS, break when a plugin updates, and lock you into someone else's markup. I build the other kind: hand-coded themes where every template, block and query exists because your project needs it.
- Starting at
- $600
- Typical timeline
- 3–6 weeks for most builds
- Support
- 30 days included
The approach
Filed under Build. Design and construction of the site itself, from blank canvas to launch.
You get a clean PHP 8 codebase, Advanced Custom Fields or native blocks structured around your content model, and an admin panel your team can actually use. No page-builder lock-in unless you choose it, no license stack to babysit.
One senior developer, no hand-offs · Remote, all US timezones
What the engagement includes
05 deliverables · all in the quoted price
01The headline deliverable
Hand-coded theme
Built from a starter of my own, semantic markup, BEM or Tailwind, zero template bloat.
Structured content model
Custom post types and fields designed around how your team edits, not around a demo.
Third-party integrations
CRMs, payment gateways, booking systems, REST or GraphQL APIs, wired in and documented.
Performance baked in
90+ Lighthouse scores are the starting spec, not a paid add-on later.
Editor training video
A recorded walkthrough of your admin so anyone you hire later can learn it in an hour.
How it runs
Same four beats on every engagement, this one included. No discovery-call theater.
01
Brief in plain language
Describe the project the way you'd say it out loud. Links, deadlines and a rough budget all help.
02
Written quote in one business day
A fixed range and a recommendation, plus an honest note if this service isn't the right fit for it.
03
Build on a private staging link
You watch progress live and give feedback in plain words. No ticket system required.
04
Launch, then 30 days of support
Fixes and tweaks are included while the site settles in. After that, you choose what ongoing care looks like.
Honest answers first
Anything missing? Ask directly and get a reply within 24 hours.
Q1How is this different from buying a premium theme?
A purchased theme is written for 10,000 possible customers, so 90% of its code does nothing for you, except slow the site down and widen the attack surface. A custom theme contains only what your site uses, which is why it loads faster, ranks better and survives plugin updates.
Q2Can my team edit the site without touching code?
Yes, that is the whole point of the content modeling phase. Every editable region is a labeled field or block. If you can fill in a form, you can update the site.
Q3Do you work with existing sites or only new builds?
Both. Roughly half my projects are rebuilds where I keep the content and URLs, and replace the theme underneath with a redirect-safe migration plan.
Related services
Adjacent work that often pairs with custom wordpress, same public pricing.