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If it lives in a browser,
I build it.

I'm Melanie Arnold, a web developer. I build custom websites and web apps for small businesses, startups, individuals, and nonprofits. Once it's live I can keep looking after it too, if that's what you want. Either way you work with me directly the whole way through. No account manager, nobody you've never met taking over halfway, and no template you're renting by the month.

See what I've built Tell me about your project
I work with Small businesses / Startups / Individuals / Nonprofits / Agencies who need an extra dev / Fully remote, anywhere

What you own

The code is yours. Every file, on day one. If you ever want it moved somewhere else, I hand it over. No questions, no exit fee.

What you're not locked into

Maintenance is a service, not a leash. I offer monthly hosting and upkeep, and most clients take it, because it's genuinely easier. But it's a choice you make, and the site is still yours either way.

Who you talk to

Me, every time. The person who writes your code is the person who answers your email when something needs changing.

Client work

Sites I've built for clients

Every project starts somewhere different. Here's what each client came to me with, and what we ended up with.

Cup Check Classic hockey tournament website homepage

A four day hockey tournament, run annually.

Visit the site ↗

Cup Check Classic

Ongoing client

What they came with

The organizers took the tournament on at the last minute, so there was no time to get a website up before it happened. By the time I got involved the tournament had already been played. What they had was a logo, some basic information, and a lot of pieces that needed a home.

What I built

Rather than wait a full year, we got the foundation in place. I designed the site off their logo, pulling the color scheme and the feel of the event into the whole thing, and built out the pages the tournament needed to have in place. It's custom built rather than dropped into a page builder, which means there's room to keep growing it.

Where it stands

Live and in use, and still growing. It gave them a real foundation going into next season, and I handle the updates every year as the tournament comes back around, adding pages and features as they work out what they want next.

Hornstein Solutions financial services website homepage

A financial services firm.

Visit the site ↗

Hornstein Solutions

Ongoing client

What they came with

They came to me with a logo, a brand guide, and one very clear instruction: keep it simple. The firm was already up and running, there just wasn't anything online for a prospective client to look at first. Simple, effective, professional is how the business works, and they wanted the site to work the same way.

What I built

I leaned all the way into simple, because that was the brief and it suits them. Nothing on the site is there to show off. It's quick to load, quick to read, and it gets a prospective client from "what do they do" to "how do I reach them" without anything in the way. Built to their brand guide rather than assembled in a page builder, so the type and color are theirs, not a theme's.

Where it stands

A client since launch. I handle the site maintenance, and I build private internal applications for the business alongside it.

Services

Four ways people usually hire me

Not sure which one you need? That's normal. Tell me the problem and I'll tell you which of these it is.

Custom websites

A New Website

Designed around what you actually do, instead of bent to fit a template.

  • Designed and built for you, not picked off a theme shelf
  • Responsive on phones, tablets and desktops
  • SEO fundamentals in place so people can find you

Custom software

A Web App or Internal Tool

For the jobs a website alone can't do, whether you're replacing a spreadsheet or starting fresh.

  • Booking systems, portals, dashboards
  • Forms that talk to the software you already use
  • Scoped in conversation before anything is built

Rescue work

Fixes and Improvements

Not every project needs to start over. I take on work other people started.

  • Sites that are broken, outdated or half finished
  • I look first, then tell you what's really wrong
  • If rebuilding is cheaper, I say so up front

After launch

Ongoing Maintenance

A monthly package so your site stays looked after and off your to do list.

  • Hosting, SSL, backups, uptime checks and updates
  • Small changes handled by email, not tickets
  • Everything backed up, so a bad day is a same day fix

For agencies and studios

Need an extra pair of hands on a build?

I take overflow and white label development work, front end or full build. You keep the client relationship and the credit. I work to your designs, your stack and your deadlines, and I don't go around you. Comfortable in a larger team, in someone else's codebase, and on someone else's process.

Build out from designs. Figma to a responsive, accessible, working site.

Contract sprints. Booked by the week or the project, with a clear scope.

Maintenance retainers. The client work you'd rather not staff internally.

About me

Hi, I'm Melanie

Melanie Arnold

My favorite part of this job is the bit where someone explains what they're trying to do and I get to work out how it should behave on a screen. Most of the people I work with aren't technical and don't want to be, which is fine, because that's what they're hiring me for. You tell me what you're trying to do, I ask a lot of questions, and then I go build it.

What I care about is doing it properly. Clean, fast, easy for your customers to use, and built to last, without the bloat or the monthly fees for features you'll never touch. I work directly with the people I build for, from the first conversation through launch, and I'm still around afterward if you want me looking after it.

Small businesses, startups, individuals and nonprofits are my bread and butter, and I take contract and overflow work alongside agency teams too. I work remotely, so where you are isn't really the point. If you've got something that needs building, fixing, or looking after, I'd like to hear about it.

What I build with

HTML5 / CSS3 JavaScript TypeScript React Material UI Tailwind CSS Vite Node.js REST APIs Git / GitHub Responsive design Accessibility (WCAG 2.1 AA)
GitHub ↗ LinkedIn ↗ Email

Questions people ask first

The awkward ones, answered up front

What's this going to cost me?

It depends on what you need, and I won't pretend otherwise. We talk first, I scope it, and you get a fixed price in writing before any work starts. No hourly meter running and no invoice that surprises you. If your budget and the project don't match, I'll say so in the first conversation instead of the fifth.

How long does it take?

Depends on the scope, but you'll have a target date before we start, along with a short list of what I need from you to hit it. Most of the delay on projects like this comes from waiting on content, so I'll tell you early exactly what to get together.

I don't really know what I want yet. Is that a problem?

No, that's most first conversations. You explain the business and what isn't working, and I'll turn it into a plan you can say yes or no to. Working out what to build is part of the job, not something you have to hand me finished.

What if I want to work with someone else later?

You take everything with you. The code is yours, it lives in accounts you own wherever possible, and I hand it over cleanly whenever you ask. No exit fee and nothing held back. If you ever move on, you shouldn't have to start over from nothing.

I already have a site. Can you just fix it?

Often, yes. I'll look at what's actually there and give you a straight answer on what's wrong and what it would take. If patching it costs more than starting over, I'll say so rather than quietly billing you to keep it upright.

Do you work with clients outside the country?

Yes. I work remotely, so I'm happy to take on clients in Canada or anywhere else, as long as we can find a couple of hours in the day that overlap. Everything else happens over email anyway.

Let's talk

Tell me what you're trying to build

A first conversation costs you nothing and commits you to nothing. Describe the problem in your own words. You don't need to know the technical answer, that's my end of it. If I'm not the right person for the job, I'll tell you and point you somewhere better.

What happens next: I read it, come back with questions or a time to talk, and if it's a fit you get a written scope and a fixed price before anything begins.

melanie.w.arnold@gmail.com LinkedIn ↗ GitHub ↗

Got a budget in mind? Say so and I'll tell you straight away whether it fits.

Message sent! I'll get back to you soon.