June 18, 2026

This update covers the work completed to move the website from a staging URL to its production domain, redirect traffic from the alternative consulting domain, add public uptime visibility, bring client documentation into the same project as the site, rebuild the homepage projects section with photography from the Superb Surfaces project archive, set up business email routing through Cloudflare, publish real contact details, refresh the Services and About pages with bundled photography, share early logo concepts for client feedback, update the Team page with real leadership profiles, and outline what remains before launch — chiefly contact form wiring.

Production domain is live

The public website now runs at agradeservices.com as the primary address.

The earlier staging URL (agrade.iiicoast.tech) was used while the site was being built and reviewed. That environment has been retired in favor of the final production domain.

Clean www handling

www.agradeservices.com permanently redirects to the non-www version at agradeservices.com. That keeps one canonical URL for search engines, bookmarks, and printed materials.

Legacy consulting domain forwarding

The older agradeconsulting.com domain now permanently redirects to agradeservices.com through Cloudflare rules. Visitors who still type or bookmark the consulting URL land on the current site without seeing a broken page or duplicate content.

This is a standard 301 redirect, which tells browsers and search engines that the services site is the authoritative destination going forward.

Public uptime monitoring

A dedicated status page is available at status.agradeservices.com. It provides a quick at-a-glance view of whether the website is up and responding normally.

This is useful for peace of mind before launches, during DNS changes, or any time you want to confirm the site is reachable without opening the full homepage.

Website and documentation in one place

The website and this documentation site now live in a single maintained project instead of separate repositories. That makes it easier to:

• Keep the client guide aligned with what is actually on the site.
• Publish updates like this one as work ships.
• Maintain a consistent release process for both the public site and internal notes.

You will see more entries here as design, content, and launch-readiness work continues.

Homepage projects section

The first section after the video hero — where visitors scroll into project imagery — has been rebuilt.

A-Grade Services is a spin-off of Superb Surfaces, an existing client whose project library was used as a starting point for photography. Relevant high-resolution images were pulled from that project's catalog and paired with short descriptions written to match each space.

Before

The earlier version was a full-screen, centered slideshow with no section headline, no project names, and a fast autoplay cycle. It worked as a motion prototype but did not explain what visitors were looking at or connect to real work.

After

The updated section uses a split editorial layout: copy and calls-to-action on the left, a featured project image on the right, and manual controls with a slower autoplay on desktop. Six curated photos are in rotation, sourced from the Superb Surfaces project archive where available, with high-quality stock imagery filling gaps when needed.

What changed

• Added section framing: Selected Work / Spaces We've Renewed with supporting copy and links to Services and Contact.
• Replaced anonymous stock rotation with named project slides and short descriptions.
• Imported project photography from the Superb Surfaces codebase for a more relevant, on-brand gallery.
• Slowed carousel pacing and added previous/next controls, dot pagination, and a slide counter.

Business email with Cloudflare routing

The public contact address on the site is now [email protected].

Email is handled through Cloudflare Email Routing on the agradeservices.com domain. This is a straightforward setup when you only need a professional address that forwards to an inbox you already use.

Why this approach

• Professional presence — Visitors see a branded @agradeservices.com address on the Contact page, navigation, and footer.
• No mailbox overhead — Cloudflare routing forwards mail to an existing inbox. There is no need for Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, or a separate hosted mailbox if forwarding is all you need.
• Simple and generous — Routing rules are easy to manage in Cloudflare, and the free tier is more than enough for a small business forwarding setup.
• Low maintenance — DNS and routing stay with Cloudflare alongside the domain, redirects, and other infrastructure already in place.

During initial setup, [email protected] forwards to a temporary inbox while the routing rules are tested. When you are ready to receive mail directly, the destination can be switched to your own email in a few minutes.

How to switch forwarding to your inbox

When you want mail to land in your personal or business inbox instead:

1. Share the destination address — Provide the email where you want messages delivered (for example, your Gmail or Outlook address).
2. Register it in Cloudflare — Under Email Routing → Destination addresses, add that inbox. Cloudflare sends a one-time verification email.
3. Verify — Open the verification message from Cloudflare and confirm the address.
4. Update the route — Point the [email protected] rule to the verified destination. Forwarding usually starts working within a few minutes.

No website changes are required after that — the public address stays [email protected]; only the behind-the-scenes destination changes.

Contact details and Services page

Updated contact information

Placeholder phone and location details have been replaced with the company's invoice information across the Contact page, navigation menu, and footer:

• Phone: (630) 973-0766
• Office: 1886 Clover Dr. Inverness, IL 60067
• Email: [email protected] (unchanged)

Phone and email are clickable where supported so visitors can call or write directly from the site.

Services page refresh

The Services page received two updates:

• Better service photography — Each service card now uses a bundled, high-resolution image chosen to match the work described (tile installation, cabinet refacing, design/drafting, deep cleaning, punch-list finishing, and property turnovers). Images are stored with the site rather than loaded dynamically at runtime.
• Initial inquiry CTA — A Get started section at the bottom of the page includes a project inquiry form and a link to the full Contact page. The form matches the Contact page layout; wiring it to send submissions is still on the roadmap.

CEO copy updates are also reflected on the page — Design Services (including drafting support) replaces the former Surface Renewal offering.

Early branding concepts (preview)

The client asked for initial branding direction. These four quick concepts were generated in Microsoft Designer as a starting point for reaction and feedback — not final assets. They still use placeholder Consulting naming in a few renders; a future pass would align wordmark and lockup with A-Grade Services.

Take a look and note which direction feels closest (house mark, color, typography, overall tone). Full branding work can follow from there.

Team page update

The Team page moved from placeholder profiles to the company's actual leadership, with a layout adjusted so two members still fill the section comfortably.

Before

Four generic team cards used stock portrait imagery and fictional names (Alex Sterling, Sarah Chen, and others). The layout was built as a placeholder until real people and photos were ready.

After

The page now highlights Gina Linze (Founder & Lead Architect) and Gary Linze (Head of Interior Design). Gary's photo is in place; Gina's profile uses a temporary placeholder until a headshot is added. Each card keeps a similar portrait size with name, role, and bio on the right.

What changed

• Replaced placeholder team members with Gina and Gary Linze.
• Added Gary's headshot from the project photo set (/team/1727191077104.jpg).
• Removed the two extra placeholder roles for now.
• Reworked the card layout to a two-column row with copy beside each portrait.

Title note: In a recent meeting, alternate titles came up — President & CEO for Gina and Executive Sales for Gary. The current labels (Founder & Lead Architect / Head of Interior Design) are placeholders for now and may read a bit better on the site, but worth confirming which titles you want to publish. Happy to swap them in once you decide.

Contact form — layout done, wiring still ahead

Inquiry forms are now in place on the Contact page and at the bottom of Services. They match the site design and collect the right fields (name, email, project type, and message), but they do not send submissions anywhere yet.

That wiring is one of the remaining major integrations before the site shifts from foundation work into polish:

• Today — Forms are presentational. Visitors can fill them out, but nothing is delivered to [email protected] or a CRM yet.
• Next step — Connect submission to a real destination. Common options include email delivery through the existing Cloudflare-routed address, a form service (e.g. Formspree, Resend, or similar), or a lightweight server endpoint in the project.
• After that — Remaining work is mostly UI and content refinement: mobile navigation, final branding decisions, Gina's team photo, any title updates, and small visual tune-ups across the pages updated in this pass.

The public contact details (phone, address, and email) are already live and clickable. Form wiring is the main functional gap left before launch-readiness review.

What is next

The production foundation is in place. The priority integration ahead is contact form submission. After that, remaining work is mainly UI polish — mobile navigation, branding finalization, and launch-readiness touch-ups.