Full-Stack Website Developer / Web Systems Engineer (Hand Car Wash & Auto Detail Business)

Hi there, You're not looking for a website. You're building the operating system for how customers find you, book with you, pay you, and come back. That changes the build entirely. When I read through your requirements, what stands out is that this isn't a brochure site with a booking plugin bolted on. This is a platform. Customers need to compare packages, schedule in-shop or mobile appointments, manage memberships, buy gift cards, shop products, and do all of it without calling you. That means the backend architecture matters as much as what people see. Here's how I'd build this: 1. Foundation and structure first. WordPress with WooCommerce as the engine. WooCommerce will handle memberships, gift cards, product sales, and payment processing. The booking system gets built on top of that using a scheduling plugin that integrates tightly with WooCommerce so appointments, add-ons, and deposits flow through the same checkout. Everything lives in one connected system, not three plugins fighting each other. 2. Customer accounts done properly. A unified dashboard where people see their upcoming appointments, membership status, order history, and past invoices. This is where most builds fall apart. I'd map out the account structure before touching design so customers actually use it instead of calling you to ask what they already bought. 3. Booking flow tuned for conversion. Service selection, vehicle type, location choice (in-shop or mobile), add-ons, available time slots, payment (deposit or full), confirmation, and reminders. Mobile detailing gets its own flow with service area validation. Fleet accounts get custom pricing and bulk scheduling. I've done similar builds for service businesses where the calendar IS the product. 4. Post-launch support built in. You mentioned wanting a long-term developer. I work with several clients on retained support after launch. We'd establish a clear communication rhythm, prioritize improvements based on what customers actually do, and keep the system stable as you grow. I've built marketplace and service booking platforms on WooCommerce before, including a directory and MVP marketplace for Pink Robin Inc. and an ecommerce build for Radios that handled complex product configurations and checkout customization. Both required the same kind of connected system thinking this project needs. One question before we go further: do you have a preference on how booking deposits should work? Some clients want a flat deposit per appointment type, others want a percentage of total service cost. That decision shapes how we configure WooCommerce and the booking integration. Trust, Tai What We're Building? You're building a complete customer platform that handles discovery, comparison, booking, payment, membership management, and repeat engagement from one connected system. It's not just pages. It's the infrastructure that lets Faevaa run digitally without requiring customers to call, email, or show up to handle what should happen online. The website is the interface. The real build is the backend that makes all those customer actions possible and trackable.