My Site vs. SiteBuilder

[tsguitar2004]

<sigh>
I didn't want to post here for a little while yet (still working on the site and wanted to show it off with a bang), but I'm in a situation.

Current Site (bad): www.nhprops.com
My Site (good): http://www.toddseal.com/review/nhprops/home.html
Yahoo! Site: http://webhosting.yahoo.com/ps/sb/templates/busi/i.html?r=1

Story:
Client has a site already, but isn't happy with the execution. To save on cost (so we wouldn't go into a brand new design round), I told him I'd just clean up the current site a bit, make the design more sophisticated and elegant, smooth things over. Now I come to find out that the original design is actually a SiteBuilder template from Yahoo! (I didn't look at the code of the current site carefully; it was a cosmetic thing).

Question: If you knew about the Yahoo! template and saw my site in my portfolio, would you consider me a hack? Did I change enough that it's a different design? Any suggestions?

I'm really excited about this site and I like the design and can't wait to add it to my portfolio (the actual site uses Open-Realty to drive it and it's got a super cool back-end for the owner -- *that* came out wrong!). But now that I see it's all based on a template (a few generations ago), I'm crushed. My dreams have been smashed. I'll never be the same again. Where's my beer!? I'm gonna go cry in it...

"Is this an ethical or a moral dellima? What's the difference between morals and ethics anyway?" Yikes!! What should I do? Maybe this is not so bad?
-ts

[bnovc]

I would put it in with a note that it was a revision.

You did a great job revising the code.

[tsguitar2004]

So you don't think the design is changed enough to avoid mentioning the other design? I take your meaning about saying it was a revision, but I'm hoping that I changed things enough (or *can* change things enough) so that I don't even have to mention that.
-ts

[KeZZeR]

I'm liking that, it's been re-done very well. Although, on the nav bar, as a personal preference i wouldn't have the underlining on the text but that's nothing major, just a personal opinion.

[Basscyst]

Honestly I'd say you are in the clear, except now we all know. :p

But really, it does not bare even the slightest resemblence. Unless you mean the actual layout of where links are and stuff, but if that's immoral / unethical, I think everyone with a two or three column layout is up a creek. Really I wouldn't even say you took a template and modified it, it looks more like you redesigned the site with the intention of minimizing the shock to returning visitors, which I would say is more then acceptable.

Basscyst

[tsguitar2004]

Ok. I feel better now. I just hope the client doesn't freak out about the new header graphic...
-ts