started doing another website.

[Hardscaping]

www.scenicexcellence.com

I own and operate Scenic excellence landscaping, out of Kitchener / waterloo ontario. I do retaining walls interlocking brick and other hardscaping, i just started building another website thought i would post it up for people to see. The website software is new to me so bare with me as i get it right.

[Hardscaping]

I have added a blog to my website. It is for how to's to do with landscaping and construction. i would love to have some writers join and give some articles on how to do certain things. check it out how-to-landscaping.scenicexcellence.com

[Cloud9Landscapes]

What design software are you using? I was looking around in your photos and that software looks like you can really produce accurate designs. Your site looks great.

[steveparrott]

Sorry, Hardscaping. If I were a high-end homeowner, I wouldn't perceive your site as great. I hate black backgrounds and blocks of images and text that seem misplaced and mis-sized.

Do you advise your potential customers to do-it-themselves? Would they be able to create a hardscape anywhere near what you could do?

Why would you think that you could create your most important marketing tool yourself, that somehow you could create a site that matches the quality of your competitors' sites that were designed by web design experts?

Not trying to be a hard-*ss, but as a marketing consultant to contractors like yourself, and as a web designer with 10 years experience, I advise you to invest in hiring a pro and stop scaring away your best potential clients.

[Hardscaping]

I would love to hire a pro. Right now it is not in the budget, possible through this year it will be. This is only my 4th year in business, but i know that my website i s great marketing tool. I am going to have it upgraded to something better sometime through out the year. I do agree that i could be potentially scaring customers away like the higher end customers. I will either get more practice over the year and then create a better one.

[Hardscaping]

thank you to everybody else fort eh comments on the website. appreciate them.

[Hardscaping]

I update my site, the photo gallery still isn't that great, but i revamped the whole layout and the look. I think it looks more of a closer match to a professional compared to my last one i posted. Still www.scenicexcellence.com

[mdvaden]

My preference is centered web pages rather than left or right aligned causing me to look sideways.

In Ontario, I'm surprised that you are not doing interlocking ice cubes.

My mother grew up in Kenora area.

:)

[Hardscaping]

My preference is centered web pages rather than left or right aligned causing me to look sideways.

In Ontario, I'm surprised that you are not doing interlocking ice cubes.

My mother grew up in Kenora area.

:)


I don't understand what you mean interlock ice cubes. it is not all that cold here, it is only cold here for like 4 months of the year, the rest of the time we can do landscaping. for example, last spring my first job started march 15 i believe it was. and it start snowing or get cold enough not to work until almost decemeber. that is just over 3 months that i couldn't do landscaping. The centered pages i understand, i am still learning how to use the software i am using. I have a widescreen monitor on my computer i don't have to scroll left or right.

[Hardscaping]

Photo Gallery update now looks much much better.

[steveparrott]

My preference is centered web pages rather than left or right aligned causing me to look sideways.

In Ontario, I'm surprised that you are not doing interlocking ice cubes.

My mother grew up in Kenora area.

:)

I agree with the centered layout - a simple css style fix to center the content.

But more important - you don't display a logo! A logo is essential to establish a brand.

Also, there are cross-browser problems with your site. Your left-hand and top navigation is all out of whack in Firefox (a popular browser).

It's also a bit strange that your left-hand navigation disappears when you click on the top navigation. The left-hand navigation should remain throughout the site with the current page highlighted in some way.