I take your Sketch designs and code them into a bespoke WordPress theme using Advanced Custom Fields to manage your client’s content in a clean and simple page block structure.
The resulting theme is coded with clean and structured HTML, SCSS and JavaScript utilising the latest and best libraries and technologies.
WordPress was released in 2003. I started coding WordPress themes in 2007, releasing some of the first premium WordPress themes onto the market. I’ve built themes, plugins, tools and even a SaaS application on WordPress.
I live in the beautiful historic city of York with my wife Emily and our dog Compo. I never outsource any coding, it’s all done by me and any demos are hosted on UK servers.
I write code that is structured well and built to not only deliver fast loading and SEO optimised code but to ensure that the environmental impact is minimised as much as possible.
I’ve worked on thousands of projects, from tiny jobs to massive projects with ongoing commitments and manage all clients fairly in my schedule. I’m clear about when projects can be completed by and stick to those timeframes.
I don’t include any references to me in the code and I don’t include your work in my portfolio. I’m happy to sign an NDA and even if I don’t, I treat every project as if I have signed one.
I have extensive experience in using WordPress for not just building themes but for more advanced tasks including as booking systems, SaaS applications and more.
“Simon has worked with us for many years on multiple projects, particularly WordPress developments.
Seen as a key team member on all projects he’s involved in, Simon’s ability to produce effective results, with speed and quality is a huge asset to our wider development team, enhancing our offering to all clients.”
I tend to use Advanced Custom Fields to manage the content within pages and options pages for site-wide content. This allows you to keep client added content within the constraints of your design and layout. However, I do have experience with most page builders so can code for them if required.
Luckily we’re not coding for Internet Explorer 6 anymore but cross-browser compatibility is still important, especially across the many different handheld devices we now have. I ensure all code is compatible with modern browsers.
AI is coming and will eventually be able to do the coding behind most websites, that day isn’t here yet so my code is all hand-coded and hand-crafted to ensure a clean well-structured and fast WordPress theme. My code hits all up-to-date coding standards including coding in Sass compiled CSS, valid HTML and passing WordPress coding standards.
Meeting your accessibility obligations is extremely important and requires a partnership between design and code. I do a lot of work in the public sector so am aware of what needs to happen to pass compliance, including aria labels, alt tagging, structured layout and screen-reading compatibility.
Promising first page of Google isn’t in the remit of a developer, however as a developer I ensure that the code is structured in such a way that it doesn’t stand in the way of your SEO optimisation goals. I can also enhance it by adding schema code or structuring headings and content in a specific order.
Although I can’t promise to hit specific PageSpeed targets as that is very reliant on content, plugins and server technology. The code I produce will be well-structured and clean to ensure that it doesn’t stand in the way of your targets.
Simply send me an email to simon@devupnorth.co.uk with the design and any information I need to know about functionality and I’ll get back to you if I have any questions.
* Please note, I only work with UK based individuals and organisations.
No instant quotes here! I’ll take a look over your design bit by bit and ask any questions to ensure there’s no ambiguity and can provide you with an accurate no-obligation quote for the work to be carried out.
If you’re happy with the quote and want to proceed, I’ll get coding your design. Typically builds take between 2 – 4 weeks depending on the complexity.
* At this stage, a 50% deposit is required before work starts.
Once the theme has been built, I’ll upload it to your staging area ready for testing it out. No project is 100% perfect at this stage and to say it will be would be a lie, this is the period that we fix any issues or make changes.
Once testing has been completed and content has been added, I’ll work with you to get the website live and be around to fix any issues going forward.
* Final payment is required once testing is completed, not when site launches.
As a Yorkshire man, I know how important price factors into a decision!
All projects are quoted prior to starting work based on how many hours I think it’ll take to complete. My hourly rate is £60/hour and typically standard builds cost from £1k – £2k. As an example, if I was charging to build this site (which has about 20 component blocks and WooCommerce integration), it would be middle of the range at about £1.5k.
Once I have enough information to be able to quote, I’ll provide you with a price for the build and you can choose if you’d like to go ahead or not.
This will be dependent on my current workload but normally builds are completed within 2 – 4 weeks from when I get the go ahead. Regular clients can give me forewarning of upcoming projects so that I can pencil them in prior to design completion and ensure that they hit their client’s turnaround expectations.
For web builds, yes I only work with individuals or companies from the creative industries.
For plugins and API integrations, I do occasionally work for companies outside of the creative industries but only if it’s customising one of my plugins, providing a specific service advertised on this website or if you’ve come to me recommended by someone I trust, normally a client of mine.
Yes, all projects require a 50% deposit before any work starts and the final 50% balance must be paid before the project goes online.
Bugs within my projects are fixed for free up to 6 months after handover. Any bugs after that are normally related to changes out of my control (WordPress plugin updates etc.), I am happy to provide support in fixing these but they get charged at my standard hourly rate.
As I am below the threshold for charging and remitting VAT, no VAT is added to your invoices.
I’m happy to sign an NDA. For contracts, I’ll take a look over any contract and if it’s fair then I’m happy to sign.
ACF or Advanced Custom Fields is the standard that all of my clients use to manage content, it allows you to be in control of the layout and design of your website and it’s the content manager I recommend. However, I have experience with most page builders in WordPress and can code for them if you wish, just make that clear when enquiring as it may affect the quoted price.
Absolutely not! I have a basic starter theme that I’ve coded which aids in faster development but I never use pre-built themes from other developers. I was actually one of the first WordPress developers to release premium WordPress themes back in 2007 but the market has moved on massively over the years and these premium themes are now so bloated that they are never a good idea to use as a basis of a website.
I can only provide finalised quotes if I have all the information including the final design and any functionality notes. However, if you’re in the later stages of design then please still get in touch and I’ll see if I can give you a guide of how much it will likely be.
I mostly work with Sketch, Figma and Photoshop but if you have designs in another format then feel free to send them across and I’ll see if it’s something I’m able to work with.
Fantastic! Shoot me over an email to simon@devupnorth.co.uk with a link or attachment of the design and any notes about functionality you think I need to know and I’ll get back to you asap.
Please note, I only work with UK based individuals and organisations.
