New Website

Hello, I'm 'putting my toe in the water' - first time on Freelancer. I'd love to be more tech savvy yet I'm conscious of the time its taking me to get up to speed here versus what I hope a Freelancer could do. I've been trying to teach myself WordPress and build a new website for our custom construction building business using a template (have installed UDesign), yet with a baby and farm to look after I don't seem to be able to get a good enough run on it to really get my head around it. We are a small custom building business with a very limited budget at this stage yet need a professional looking website that I can fill with great content about the building process, investment ideas, products etc, gallery of our past projects. I see the website as a way of generating future work which will in turn enable me (financially) to engage the services of Freelancers further as we grow our business. I want the site to be professional in nature but our clients choose us because of us and our personal relationship with them so the image is not to be sterile but friendly with us / our personalities infused througout. I can supply photos, logos, basic content etc., Obviously I'll be wishing to add more pages as we go so it should be easy for me to do this and adjust menu etc., I'd like to set up a subscribe to newsletter &/or autoreponsder in right hand sidebar. Main Menu across the top right. SlideBar for photos (I really like UDesign's demo as an example) Pull out contact us / feedback (as per above). The colour palate should be based around our logo with a light background (I've heard the SEO doesn't like black). However I'd like at least one page (ie., the contact us) something other than plain white background - the purpose of this is the third party software that our clients log-in to is going to get branded with the same look as the website. I have a domain, happily hosted with BlueHost, have installed WordPress & uploaded and installed U-Design. Site needs to work multiplatform - pc, ipad, iphone etc., Footer should be shaded (could be one of our logo colours or grey/black) and standard across the bottom of all pages. Client sign in (we subscribe to third party software for this) included in footer. I need to be easily add youtube videos (can these then be seen on mobile devices as I know when looking at some other websites that video footage doesn't always work on iphone/ipad?) Client sign in bottom footer as well as its own page (see Halsellbuilders page for example of in footer). 'Sign up’ top right hand corner under main menu banner – with ‘ebook’ or similar (to be produced & format to be put tog to match website look) BSA License details to be in footer along with contact details (again see Halsellbuilders page for example) Our own logo and Master Builders Logo to be in footer No website by details to be public on site just © Blue Ridge Homes Pty Ltd Modern Share icons (facebook, twitter, linked in etc., ) to be in footer – medium size (ie., same size as [login to view URL] but inside the actual footer) Photo of Carl & Meg bottom left of footer with ‘building questions? Ask Carl & Meg’ – similar to Halsells footer but actually inside the footer. Greenlist as per [login to view URL] Some examples of sites (of other building businesses but not neccarily the look I'm after - want something clean): [login to view URL] (for content but not look) [login to view URL] (general look I like but would prefer more right or left alignment or columns, rather than everything centred) Proposed Initial Menu (Main Menu & drop downs) About BRH: Who We Are, What We Do, How We Do It Services: Custom Homes, Renovations, Unit & Townhouse Developments Gallery: Video Contact Us: Client Login, Trade & Supplier Login Blog: Conscious this will always be a work in progress - the key thing I'm after at the moment is the look & basic function of the site.