Saturday, February 26, 2011

Zellar Homes Website Complete!




















I'm very happy to announce that the Zellar Homes site is complete!

Zellar Homes came to me by the way of Jaime Brooks, a previous client and friend of mine.  David and Robin of Zellar Homes had some high expectations stemming from their experiences with previous web developers.  I believe that the design and functionality of the website has exceeded their expectations.

I started off from scratch with a completely custom design that remains consistent throughout the site with flowing curves and rounded corners this site is both elegant and modern.  The home page features one main photograph that can be updated by the client automatically.  On either side of the main photo there are two 'wings' as we have come to call them that are animated.  Each wing disappears behind the main photo then reappears with a new image.

I also provided a simple blog/news section for Zellar homes which allows them to post any announcements easily.  The bio section of the site continues to use rounded corners for the images, each of which can be changed at will by the client.  I also provided a form that would email David, Robin or Kristen depending on who the visitor wanted to contact.

Each page can be updated by the client using an easy to use WYSIWYG editor built into the site so they don't have to log into a control panel, they need to simply log into their website.

The locations section provides a place for Zellar Homes to showcase the multiple developments that they currently have built.  The client can add new locations, update their descriptions as well as the pictures and order them on the fly.  The location pictures feature a nice, light, overlay with the name of the development.

The gallery is a custom piece of work that initially shows the visitor a grid of thumbnails and names of the different models that Zellar Homes builds.  Once a user clicks on a picture that are brought to the models individual page that provides the visitor with more pictures as well as a description, and if available a floor plan.  By clicking on the main photo there is a 'lightbox' like popup that displays the additional pictures.

The client needed a way to add/delete and update their models frequently so I provided a management system for them to do just that.  Once logged in the client could update every aspect of a model, while looking at the grid view of the gallery they could drag and drop the models into the order they wish, and once looking at an individual model they could manage the photos using an AJAX uploader, from there they can order the photos and indicate whether the photo should be included on the home page in the 'wings'.  They can also update the description and manage the floor plans.

Due to the complexity of the site I spent about a month and a half working on all the functionality.  I'm very happy with how the site has turned out.  Robin and David have also expressed their satisfaction in the project and we are already planning their next online project!

The site is live here: http://www.zellarhomes.com