A website, for how much..?

[ibneko]

Ouqi (a friend from high school) and some business partner of hers is asking me to build a website for them. I don't know much more, other than the fact that it'll involve a database (and server side code for said database).

She's offering $1000, more or less, for everything I'd expect a site of mine to have (what she said: "the basic website, but a database, a very user friendly and attractive GUI, etc"). Obviously, data security as well.

And if she gets revenue from ads (ew...), she'll pay me "upwards of $3000 to $5000".

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So now, aside from the fact that I have no information whatsoever, (she refuses to tell me anything. ::annoyed:: at least until I sign the the non-disclosure form and confidentiality agreement.) I'm wondering if that's low, or high, for a website.

(Senpai said professionals ask $50/hr. I don't really count myself as a professional though, since I haven't been through any formal training, and while I probably have the knowledge, I may not be as refined as a professional might be. Still, some of the thedailywtf posts might suggest otherwise...)

My current estimates are, breaking a design down by parts:
10-20 hours for the layout, depending on how fancy they desire. Includes basic graphics/art manipulation.
3-8 hours per page, depending on debugging, and desired features. (averaged 5 hours x 20 pages = 100 hours max)
3-8 hours per additional javascript/client side spiffyness.
4-12 hours to design and set up a good database scheme.
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Total of 80-140 hours? for $1000, more or less?

Maybe I should demand a minimum, so I'll know I'll have something, at the very least. Can I demand a down payment? >.> they're both students though, I think, so I'm not too sure where they're getting the money, truth be told. Granted, $1000, Ouqi should have. Maybe not $5000.....



To those of you who know how to code, or design websites, any thoughts?

Comments

Database

[itsdarek.livejournal.com]

You won't really know how long the database will take until she reveals how much stuff needs to be manipulated. I had an internship this summer where we dealt with a massive sql database of medical records / patient information. It definitely took a long time to think the database out, hammer out all the relations between the tables, etc.

A secure database could take anywhere from 4-12 hours like you estimate here, to much more than that, depending on what the work entails. :D

Not trying to freak you out or anything, just a heads up.

Re: Database

[ibneko.livejournal.com]

Mmm, true. I'm assuming it won't be too massive though, unless she goes for some large community site, like livejournal or facebook, in which case, I'll probably run away.