Craft CMS enquiries from Newcastle generally mean the install's in one of two states: stable but neglected, or genuinely broken with whoever built it long gone.
Karl works with Newcastle and North East businesses directly, every time. Craft CMS and ExpressionEngine are the only platforms Expression 37's ever worked in, since 2007. No account manager in between.
He reads the actual codebase before proposing anything. A defined first project regularly becomes a standing monthly retainer.
Where this typically applies:
- Newcastle and North East businesses where downtime carries a direct cost, not just an inconvenience.
- Installs passed through account managers at an agency, none of whom properly understood the underlying build.
- Plugins and Composer dependencies several major versions behind, needing a genuine audit before any upgrade is safe.
- Sites with Stripe, Salesforce, or HubSpot wired in by someone no longer around to explain it.
Common questions from Newcastle clients:
Given how limited local Craft expertise can be, does remote support cover the gap?
Yes, and it's often the more practical option. Businesses across Newcastle and the wider North East get access to the right specialist skills without being limited by what's available locally, and on-site visits are rarely needed.
Can you take over an install built by a developer we've lost contact with?
Yes, this comes up regularly. Whatever the state of the templates or the plugin choices, the setup gets properly understood before any changes happen.
Is a badly out-of-date Craft version a major problem?
Usually less than assumed. The real work sits in auditing plugin compatibility and resolving Composer conflicts, not the core software upgrade itself.
Do you also maintain Stripe, Salesforce, or HubSpot connections?
Yes, that's standard. Those integrations are usually built directly into the templates, so they're maintained as one system rather than handled separately.
What does pricing typically look like?
Fixed price for a defined job, an audit or upgrade. A monthly retainer for anything ongoing. Either way, agreed before work starts.
What happens if something breaks urgently?
Priority goes to retainer clients first. Without one, urgent issues are still generally handled quickly, but consistent priority is specifically what the retainer buys.
Ready to get started?
If your website is business-critical and needs a specialist who will take proper long-term ownership of it, get in touch. Karl will respond personally and give you an honest view of how we can help.
