FAQ

No. Fixed-scope projects only. Hourly billing creates bad incentives. I'd rather agree on what gets built, quote a price, and deliver. Faster than expected? Good for me. Takes longer? My problem. You know the cost upfront.

Probably not. I build new stuff. Getting into someone else's codebase takes forever. The architecture, the quirks, those undocumented decisions from three years ago. Rarely worth it for either of us. If you need ongoing maintenance, a dedicated team dev is a better fit.

Depends what I'm working on. Sometimes a week, sometimes 3-4 weeks out. I don't overbook myself. If timing matters, reach out early so we can plan.

Based in Germany (CET). I work business hours, sometimes late evenings. I check messages daily but don't promise instant responses. Client projects get regular updates. Urgent? We figure something out.

Yes. About half my clients are outside Germany. Remote is the norm. I've worked with folks in the US, UK, Canada, Netherlands, Austria. Time zones need some planning but it works. English or German, equally comfortable.

Rails apps from scratch. Claude AI integration. Hosting and server setup. SEO and content pipelines. If it involves Rails or AI automation, I can probably help. I build things. I don't just advise.

Not native ones. I build web apps that work great on mobile. PWAs, responsive design, all that. If you need something in the App Store, I'm not your guy. But honestly, most projects don't need a native app.

Depends on what you mean. If you want a fresh build from scratch in Rails, yes. If you want me to rework your WordPress theme or tinker with your existing codebase, probably not. I prefer clean slates.

For projects I build, yes. Hosting, updates, small tweaks. For codebases built by someone else, generally no. The exception is if there's a clear path to taking over ownership properly.

Claude integration is what I'm doing a lot right now. AI workflows for teams, content pipelines, connecting Claude to existing systems. I've been automating stuff for over a decade. LLMs are just the latest tool.

Fixed quotes for defined scope. We discuss what you need, I estimate the work, give you a number. No hourly billing. No surprises. Scope changes significantly? We renegotiate.

Depends what you're building. Simple MVP? Few thousand euros. Complex platform with real-time features, auth, admin panels, integrations? More. Only way to know is to tell me what you need.

Yes. Usually 50% upfront, 50% on delivery. Bigger projects can split into milestones. Protects both of us. I don't start without commitment, you don't pay full until you have something working.

Bank transfer (SEPA for EU, wire for others). Proper invoices. I'm a Kleinunternehmer under German tax law, so no VAT. Keeps it simple.

Rails backend. Hotwire for interactivity. Tailwind for styling. MySQL or Postgres. Sidekiq for background jobs. Redis for caching. Claude API when AI is involved. 10+ years of Rails. I know it inside out.

Rails? Probably. Python, Java, PHP? Done them before, but Rails is where I'm fastest. Starting fresh? I'd push for Rails. Battle-tested, quick to build with, and I know it cold.

I deploy to Hetzner servers (good price/performance). Set up the whole stack myself. Puma, Nginx, SSL, database, backups, monitoring. Not managed PaaS like Heroku. Real servers you control.

When they make sense. Critical paths, payment flows, authentication. I don't chase 100% coverage for the sake of metrics. But I don't ship code that breaks either. It's about judgment, not dogma.

Your code is yours. Git (GitHub or GitLab) for version control. Project ends, you own everything. Full repo access, no lock-in. I don't hold code hostage.