Is this for you?
- You're stuck on a specific technical decision and need to talk it through.
- You want a second set of eyes on a codebase before a launch, acquisition, or rearchitecture.
- No in-house senior engineer is available to do the review.
- You've got a small team and no principal-level engineer to bounce the question off.
- You're handing a subsystem to a new team and want a clean baseline.
Architecture Office Hours
A 90-minute video session on one specific architecture question you're weighing.
What you get
- 90-minute video call with screen share.
- Written context review beforehand.
- Brief follow-up notes with decisions and recommendations, delivered within 48 hours.
- Pointers to reading or further work if relevant.
Good fit: one focused decision, a small team without a principal-level voice in the room, or a quick sanity check before committing to a direction. Not a fit: sprawling questions that need a written artifact — those are better served by the Codebase Review or a full audit.
Codebase Review
A written review of a specific codebase or subsystem, up to ~10,000 LOC.
What you get
- Written review with findings grouped by severity.
- File and line references for critical issues.
- Architectural and pattern feedback.
- 30–60 minute follow-up call.
Good fit: second set of eyes before a launch, acquisition, or rearchitecture; establishing a clean baseline before handing a subsystem to a new team. Larger scopes are quoted separately; security-specific depth is a separate engagement.
Scope
What's in
- Architecture office-hours session on one decision
- Written codebase review, up to ~10,000 LOC
- Written follow-up notes
- Architecture and pattern feedback
What's out
- Ongoing advisory (see Fractional CTO)
- Implementing the fixes
- Legal or IP review
- Dedicated security audits at depth (separate engagement)
Process
Intake
Day 1For office hours: book the session and send context. For codebase review: kickoff call, repo access, confirm scope and specific questions.
Session or review
90 minutes – 4 daysOffice hours run as a single 90-minute video call with screen share. Codebase reviews run across ~4 days of focused reading with findings capture and severity assessment.
Follow-up
Within 48 hours (office hours) or days 6–7 (review)Office hours: written notes with decisions, recommendations, and reading pointers. Codebase Review: written report with prioritized findings plus a 30–60 minute walkthrough call.
Pricing
Office Hours paid upfront. Codebase Review: 50% to start, 50% on delivery. If the intake call shows we're not a fit, no engagement, no charge.
One fixed price. No surprises, no “starting at” language. If we agree on scope and you pay the deposit, the engagement is locked in.
Questions
Which scope should I pick?
If the question is decision-shaped and can be answered in a focused conversation, take Office Hours. If the question is codebase-shaped and benefits from written findings your team can act on later, take the Codebase Review.
Can I book multiple Office Hours sessions?
Yes — they can be standalone or sequenced. If you're running more than 2–3, consider the Fractional CTO engagement instead.
What languages and frameworks does the Codebase Review cover?
PHP/Laravel, JavaScript/TypeScript (React, Vue, Node), Python. Others on request.
What if my codebase is larger than 10,000 LOC?
Scope in a specific subsystem, or quote the larger scope separately.
Will you sign an NDA?
Yes.
About
26+ years of full-stack experience across PHP, JavaScript, and Python. I ship production systems for teams that need senior technical work they can trust, from the founding engineer's perspective.
More about Paper Scissors & GlueReady to start?
Book an intro call. If we're not a fit, I'll tell you on the call.