Robin Birney, seasoned web developer with 20+ years of experience.With Durable, I went from a half-hour conversation with the client to a fully functioning website in an hour or two.
Robin Birney builds websites for small businesses and startups across BC's Lower Mainland. He hand-coded his first site in 2004 and has worked in nearly every tool since: Dreamweaver, Flash, WordPress, Squarespace, Webflow. For custom code he reaches for VS Code and, lately, Claude Code.
As somebody with a technical background, a degree in Internet Technologies and roles across financial services, commodities trading, cybersecurity, and consulting, Robin wasn't fully sure if an AI website builder was the best way to launch a new business site.
The Challenge
A former client came back with a new project: a business that needed a website, and it needed online bookings.
Robin's plan was a familiar one; Webflow paired with a separate booking tool. Then the timeline tightened. Wiring a Webflow build to a third-party booking platform takes time he no longer had.
Robin had spent most of his career building sites from scratch, integrating plugins and hard-coding specific requirements, so when his partner recommended using the Durable AI Website Builder, he was a bit skeptical.
Robin Birney.I went in expecting something gimmicky and basic, but came out wondering why I've been spending months of my life doing this the hard way.
Why Robin Used Durable to Build Bowen Island Boat Charters
Speed changed his mind first.
The work that normally eats weeks, design systems, reusable components, copywriting, SEO setup, development, was handled up front. That left him refining a result instead of assembling one from nothing.
Then there was what came built in:
- Bookings
- Payments
- Invoicing
- Local SEO and GEO management
- Analytics
These were all tools he'd normally add on through several third-party services in Webflow or WordPress, each with its own setup and cost. With Durable, they were standard and readily available at no extra cost.
The part that surprised him the most was the output itself: a responsive, modern marketing site on a consistent design system, simple enough for anyone to run yet solid enough to satisfy an experienced developer.
The Results
- Website development times reduced from four weeks to two days
- What would've cost $1,000+ was completed in under $300
- Full website launch in under 2 hours, with booking forms
Robin BirneyAny small business owner who approaches me now gets pointed to Durable first
