I have bought a lot of HTML templates over the years, so when I started building WP sites I went back to the same places to buy themes. I have been basing my selection criteria on how good the themes looked overall – I am a coder who can  get into the CSS and change the details, so I purchase based on the overall look for a particular client

I have been re-reading through older posts in this clubs and I am seeing  recommendations for Genesis or Thesis. I have to say,  that compared to some of what I have been buying and editing, they look. IMHO, a little cookie cutter and flat. (Not that I want to be rude or anything…)

But I am very open to hearing more… given that customization is not an issue for me, but coming up with an overall design is a problem, please advise me on why I would want leave what I consider to be  the “stunning good looks’ of some of the TemplateMonster themes for the ‘bland but reliable’ that I see when I look at Genesis.

Thanks!

@abigailgorton The thing is about frameworks such as Genesis or Thesis is the coding. As you know WP is using HTML5 and these frameworks have built that into their core. As with any theme especially the free ones you need to do a certain amount of customization.
My web site is built using the Thesis framework and use a customized skin. I would not go that route again as it was allot of work.
Check out themeforest.net for some really nice themes I usually go there cause the support from the developers is first rate. Always take that into consideration when selecting a theme from anywhere. Save you some big headaches if something goes wrong.

@michellefontaine Thanks – it sounds as though we have been taking a similar approach

   Thanks Paul…. so you are saying that the coding within the files is cleaner and more optimized. I can certainly believe that – having bought many templates (not just themes and not just from Template Monster) . We do see code that is not clean. Over time we tend to tidy it up. Sometimes we build / develop custom themes – the client might have an existing HTML design they want converted to WP or they might commission a custom design form a designer. Yes it is more work and we need to charge for the extra work but we can do it. What we can’t do is dream up that design without a designer or buying a theme 
@ptwylie 

@sonia Thanks – Yes – I am preferring WP now, but in the past we built more HTML sites. Please could you expand on ‘more functionality’? This may be the heart of my question as to what is better about different sources. I have never really understood the cost issue – with themes costing $65 to $75, that seems to me to be such a small part of the overall time and investment that goes into building and maintaining any site, be it WP or HTML. If the only issue was $75 to get the look I wanted, I would pay it happily. My question is more about hidden costs – are there other issues that I do not yet understand?
@sonia

@abigailgorton From a design perspective, I can see why you like the Template Monster stuff.  I like to run the demo URL through http://validator.w3.org/ to make sure the theme is coded properly, and the one I tested from that site worked well.  If you’ve used them before and haven’t had issues, I’d say go for it.

The only thing I’ve run into with WordPress themes from sources that create themes for any platform is functionality.  Themeforest, for example, has the most beautiful themes for WordPress.  But out of the 5 I have bought, I ran into issues with missing instructions, bad instructions, no support (one theme creator had an autoresponder that said he was too busy to handle any support inquiries), etc.  For the ones with instructions, if you want to use them exactly the way they are, that is fine, but if you want to customize anything – good luck.  

The nice part about StudioPress, Thesis, or other themes on a framework is that once you understand the framework, you can customize the templates / designs built on top of them.  If a site sells designs by different developers, you’ll have to get to know each theme.

My first choice for templates is http://themeforest.net (as others have mentioned) If the template has the layout I’m looking for then the customization is rather simple if you have a full understanding of how Wordpress themes are built. The themes you find at Themeforest are so much better than the ones at TemplateMonster and they’re cheaper

As for Thesis, I know there are a lot of people who swear by it but from a development side, Thesis is extremely difficult to customize unless you’re used to using em’s for your dimensions. I can understand using em’s vs px’s for text, but when it comes to sizing your columns, wrappers, div’s etc. it’s just wrong and such a headache. Forget using Firebug for any troubleshooting on Thesis. That’s probably why the majority of Thesis powered sites have a similar look and feel. In order to really customize it to not look like every other Thesis site, you’re in for a challenge.

… Scott

Thanks for this information. I have been considering the use of a Themeforest design. I will take @kristi-hines  advice and test it with http://validator.w3.org/  first.