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SOAL House - Shepards of Abundant Living

··455 words·3 mins
Ryan Horricks
Author
Ryan Horricks
Engineer and Storyteller | I create solutions that bridge software, hardware, and human experience. With a passion for learning and a knack for problem-solving, I turn ideas into reality, driven by curiosity and a love for innovation.
Table of Contents

Project: SOAL House - Shepards of Abundant Living
Role: Volunteer Developer

Overview
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SOAL House was a unique blend of community, art, and hospitality. As a volunteer developer, I built a static site using Jekyll to support its mission, featuring a custom-designed online storefront, admin panel, room booking functionality, and artist profiles. This project utilized Liquid templates, hand-written CSS, and third-party integrations to create a cost-effective and functional platform. While the house itself is no longer operational, this project served as an early exploration into JAMstack development and community-driven web solutions.

Challenges and Objectives
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  • Static Site Development: Building a fully custom theme from scratch using Jekyll and Liquid templates.
  • Feature Integration: Enabling e-commerce, room bookings, and artist profiles via third-party integrations.
  • Cost Efficiency: Delivering robust functionality within a $10/month budget for hosting and e-commerce tools.
  • Administrative Simplicity: Creating an admin panel to streamline management for non-technical users.

My Contributions
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1. Custom Theme and Static Site Development
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  • Designed and implemented a responsive, fully custom theme using Liquid, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
  • Built the site from the ground up without relying on pre-existing templates, ensuring a unique and tailored design.

2. E-Commerce and Integrations
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  • Integrated an affordable e-commerce solution to facilitate art sales, keeping costs under $10/month.
  • Enabled seamless integration with third-party tools for room bookings and artist profile management.

3. Artist Profiles and Community Features
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  • Developed a dynamic artist directory, allowing each artist to showcase their work and provide links to external sites or social media.
  • Linked artist profiles to the storefront, enabling a cohesive browsing and purchasing experience for visitors.

4. Admin Panel Implementation
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  • Created an intuitive admin panel for managing content, including art listings, room availability, and artist profiles.
  • Focused on simplicity and usability to accommodate non-technical users.

Outcomes and Results
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  • Functional Community Platform: Delivered a static site with integrated e-commerce, room booking, and artist profile features.
  • Cost-Effective Design: Achieved full functionality while adhering to strict budget constraints.
  • Skill Development: Expanded my expertise in JAMstack development, third-party integrations, and responsive design.

Reflection
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SOAL House was more than just a technical project—it was a personal chapter and a creative outlet. This experience taught me the value of designing for diverse needs within tight constraints and laid the groundwork for future projects, such as my work with the Sculptors Association of Alberta. The challenges of building a unique platform on a limited budget deepened my understanding of static site architecture and community-driven web development.

Technical Summary
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  • Skills: Static Site Development, JAMstack, Responsive Design, Third-Party Integration, E-Commerce
  • Tools: Jekyll, Liquid, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Netlify
  • Specialized Tasks: Custom Theme Development, E-Commerce Integration, Artist Directory Creation, Admin Panel Design

Gallery #

codekane/soalhouse

Source Code for S.O.A.L. House

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