Stratified Solutions - Website for a Design-Build Contractor
A contractor site with a zoning guide, a wall explorer, and a client who edits it himself
Top outcome
Live and indexed since October 2026, replacing a Squarespace site, with the owner editing his own pages.
Stack
Next.js 16 · React 19 · TypeScript · Decap CMS
Overview
What could I build?
A zoning guide by address or by zone for Portland, Oregon City, Clackamas County, Vancouver and Clark County. Every rule is sourced and dated, so a homeowner can see where the answer came from.
Inside the wall
A layer-by-layer explorer of a high-performance wall assembly on the building-science page, turning the contractor's specialty into something a homeowner can click through.
The owner runs it
A sign-in editor with Google login for words, photos, projects and the share preview, a plain-English handbook, and a private review page where each answer he gives is saved straight into the site.
Domains, email and leads
A new main domain, a short domain bought for email and set up in Google Workspace, the old domains forwarded, branded auto-reply emails, and every enquiry logged to a Google Sheet.
A website designed and built through my independent practice for Stratified Solutions, a Portland design-build contractor. It replaced a Squarespace site with a custom Next.js build that answers what homeowners actually ask: a zoning guide by address or zone across five Portland-area jurisdictions, with every rule sourced and dated, and a layer-by-layer wall explorer that shows what high-performance construction means. The owner edits words, photos and projects himself through a Google sign-in editor, follows a plain-English handbook, and answers open questions on a private review page that saves each answer into the site. Around the site I set up the parts a small business needs: a new main domain, a short domain for email added to Google Workspace, the old domains forwarded, branded automatic replies, a lead log, spam protection, structured data, a sitemap, Search Console and permanent redirects for every old page. It went live and indexable on October 12, 2026.
The Problem
A Portland design-build contractor had a Squarespace site that looked like every other builder's: a gallery, a services list and a contact form. It did not explain what sets his work apart, it gave homeowners and Realtors no reason to come back, and every change went through someone else.
The Solution
Designed and built a new site from scratch on his brief, in his own words, with nothing invented. Two interactive tools answer the questions his clients actually ask: what they are allowed to build on their lot, and what goes inside a well-built wall. Behind the public site sits a private editing and review setup, so the owner changes words, photos and projects himself and answers open questions in place. Then the plumbing a small business needs but rarely gets done properly: domains, business email, branded automatic replies, a lead log and a clean move from the old site.
Impact
- 1Live and indexable at stratified.solutions since October 12, 2026, with the old domain forwarding to it
- 2Every path from the old Squarespace site permanently redirected, checked on both old hosts, so no search ranking or shared link was lost
- 3Structured data for the business, its projects and breadcrumbs, a 33-page sitemap and a verified Search Console property from day one
- 4A project case study with the contractor's own hand drawing and construction details, and a Behind the Build timeline with a sign-up door for Realtors
- 5A growth research brief of 15 ranked ideas for the next stage of the business, delivered alongside the site
Key Decisions
- Designed, built and launched end to end: content strategy, design, interactive tools, editing setup, email, domains, SEO and the move from Squarespace
- The client's words verbatim: every claim on the site came from him or from a cited source, and nothing was written to fill space
- Interactive tools instead of more pages: the zoning guide and wall explorer give visitors a reason to stay and a reason to call
- Editing without a developer: a sign-in editor and handbook so the owner never needs a GitHub account or a support ticket
- Reviews answered in place: open questions sit on one private page, and each answer is saved as a change to the site, so nothing gets lost in email
- DNS left with the registrar and only the web records pointed at Vercel, so business email never moved during the launch
- A short email domain as a Workspace alias, so the team has easy addresses without a second mailbox to manage
- Spam held off with a signed form token, a time trap and a honeypot rather than a puzzle visitors have to solve
- A launch gate kept the preview out of search until the owner signed off
Lessons Learned
A contractor site earns its keep by answering the question a homeowner has before they call, not by listing services
The handoff decides whether a site stays current. An editor the client actually uses beats a perfect site only a developer can change.
Domains and email are where small-business launches go wrong. Planning the records first made the switch a non-event.
Screens
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