DIY Dream Site Themes vs. Templates: Which Is Right for You?

What is a Theme?

Theme vs. Template

What’s Included

How It Works

Requirements

FAQ

Confused? Let’s Clear Things Up.

DIY Dream Site is a Kadence child theme shop and boutique web design agency founded by Katy Boykin, former Senior Product Marketing Manager at KadenceWP.

Since 2021, DIY Dream Site has helped thousands of content creators and online business owners build professional WordPress websites.

The terms “theme” and “template” get used interchangeably all the time, and it can be confusing. Here’s exactly how they’re different at DIY Dream Site…

Theme vs. Template: What’s the Difference?

Both options are built on Kadence and designed by our team. But they serve different purposes depending on where you are in your website journey.

Most Popular

Kadence Child Theme

Starting at $219

A complete website design package including multiple page templates, global styles, and custom settings. One purchase gives you everything to build a cohesive, professional website.

Customizable WordPress themes by DIY Dream Site featuring Kadence child theme designs
  • Complete, cohesive design system
  • Pre-designed pages ready to customize
  • Global style settings included
  • One purchase = everything you need

Choose a Kadence child theme if you’re starting a new site or doing a full redesign. It’s the complete package.

Flexible Option

Kadence Blocks Templates

Starting at $149

A library of pre-designed page sections and layouts built with Kadence Blocks. Drop them into any existing WordPress site without changing your theme.

  • Mix and match sections from different collections
  • Add to your existing website without changing themes
  • Maximum creative flexibility
  • Perfect for refreshing specific pages

Choose a Kadence Blocks template collection if you already have a WordPress site you like and just want to refresh certain pages, a template collection gives you that flexibility.

Why Choose DIY Dream Site?

There are other places to buy Kadence themes. Here’s what’s different about buying from us.

We know Kadence from the inside.

Our themes aren’t built by someone who learned Kadence from YouTube tutorials. They’re built by someone who helped shape how Kadence was marketed and explained to the world.

Every purchase comes with real support.

You’re not just downloading files. You get access to Training Central, our complete video library walking you through setup and customization. And when you have a question, our team actually answers it.

Our themes are built with performance in mind.

Every DIY Dream Site Kadence child theme scores 90+ on Google PageSpeed Insights. That matters for your search rankings, your visitor experience, and your credibility.

We teach you, not just sell to you.

Most template shops hand over files and call it done. We’re different. We’ve helped thousands of creators build and maintain their own websites with confidence. That’s the whole point.

What’s Included With Your Theme Purchase

Every Kadence child theme from DIY Dream Site comes with everything you need to launch a professional website… no hidden costs or surprise upsells.

Complete Theme Files

All the design files ready to upload to your WordPress site.

Pre-Designed Pages

Home, about, services, contact, and more—ready to customize.

Video Tutorials

All the design files ready to upload to your WordPress site.

Training Central Access

Our complete library of setup guides and customization tutorials.

Global Style Settings

Pre-configured colors, fonts, and design elements.

Email Support

Questions? Our team is here to help you get launched.

What you’ll need separately

Our themes require a few things to work properly. The good news? Most are free:

  • WordPress hosting — Any quality hosting provider works (we love SiteGround and BigScoots)
  • Kadence theme (free version) — The parent theme that makes our child themes work
  • Kadence Blocks plugin (free version) — For the page builder functionality
  • Your content — Photos, copy, and information about your business

How It Works

From Purchase To Launch

Most of our customers go from purchase to live website in one to two weeks. Some have launched in a single weekend!

1

Purchase & Download

After checkout, you’ll receive instant access to your theme files and get added to Training Central where all your tutorials live.

2

Install Your Theme

Follow our video tutorial to upload & activate your child theme. Most people complete this step in under 30 minutes—no tech experience required.

3

Import the Demo Content

With one click, import all the pre-designed pages, menus, and settings. Your site will look just like the demo—ready for your customizations.

4

Customize & Launch

Swap in your photos, update the text with your content, tweak the colors to match your brand, and go live. Our tutorials guide you through every detail.

Technical Requirements

Before purchasing, make sure you have (or can set up) the following:

  • Self-hosted WordPress site — You’ll need a WordPress.org installation (not WordPress.com unless you have the Business plan)
  • Kadence theme installed — The free version from the WordPress theme repository
  • Kadence Blocks plugin — The free version from the plugin repository
  • PHP 7.4 or higher — Most modern hosts have this by default
  • Admin access to your WordPress dashboard — You’ll need to be able to install themes and plugins

Recommended (not required)

These premium Kadence products aren’t required, but they’re what we use when designing for clients. If you want access to every customization option our team uses, they’re worth considering.

Kadence Pro

Unlocks advanced customization options

Kadence Blocks Pro

Additional block types and features

Frequently Asked Questions

Quite a bit, honestly. Every DIY Dream Site Kadence child theme is built with customization in mind. You can change colors, fonts, spacing, and layouts directly inside the Kadence customizer and block editor without touching any code. If you want to go deeper, the themes are also developer-friendly. Most of our customers are non-technical and do all their customization through the WordPress dashboard. The included video tutorials walk you through every common customization so you’re never guessing what to click.

Our themes work for a wide range of businesses, including coaches, consultants, bloggers, service providers, and local businesses. Each theme in our shop is tagged with the types of businesses it’s best suited for, so you can filter by your niche. That said, every theme is fully customizable, which means even if the demo doesn’t look exactly like your industry, you can make it yours. If you’re unsure whether a specific theme is the right fit, reach out before purchasing. We’d rather you make the right decision than a refund request later.

No. Our themes are designed for people who want a professional website without learning to code. Everything is handled through the Kadence visual editor and the WordPress customizer. You point, click, and type your content in. That said, if you do know code, there’s plenty of room to go deeper. Our themes don’t lock you out of any customization. But the baseline experience is designed to be accessible to complete beginners. If you get stuck, our tutorials cover every common scenario, and our support team is available by email.

You have two options. If you want a completely fresh design, a Kadence child theme will replace your current theme and give you a full redesign. If you want to keep your existing theme and just update specific pages, a Kadence Blocks Template Collection lets you drop in pre-designed page layouts without changing your theme. The template collection is specifically designed for this scenario: refresh your homepage, add a new sales page, or redesign your about page without touching the rest of your site. Just note that template collections require the Kadence Blocks plugin to be active.

Each theme purchase covers a single website. If you’re a web designer or agency building sites for clients, you’ll need a separate license per site. We do have options for designers who want to use our themes across multiple client projects. Reach out and we can walk you through what makes sense for your workflow. We work with a lot of web designers who use our themes as the foundation for their client work, and we’re happy to support that use case.

Because our products are digital downloads, we don’t offer refunds after the files have been downloaded. If you run into a technical issue that prevents the theme from working on your site, contact us before giving up and we’ll work with you to fix it. We want you to succeed with this purchase, not just take your money. If you’re unsure which product is right for you, email us before you buy. We’d rather spend 5 minutes helping you choose correctly than have you purchase the wrong thing.

Your access to Training Central doesn’t expire. Once you purchase a theme, you have ongoing access to all the setup and customization tutorials for that theme. We update tutorials when Kadence releases significant changes, so you’re always working from current instructions. If you want access to tutorials beyond your specific theme purchase (broader WordPress training, SEO basics, content strategy), that’s what Site Success Academy is for. Members get access to the full training library plus our additional Kadence Blocks template collection, coaching and community.

Email support is included with every theme purchase. When you run into a question (and you will, that’s totally normal), you can reach our team directly. We answer questions about installation, customization, and troubleshooting. We’re not a big faceless company, so you’ll hear back from someone who actually knows the product. If you want more hands-on support, Site Success Academy members get access to our community and additional resources for working through site challenges. And if you’d rather just have someone build it for you, we offer done-for-you website design services as well.

Ready to Find Your Perfect Theme?

Browse our collection of strategically designed Kadence child themes and find the one that fits your vision. If you’re not into DIY, we also have website design services to help.

Shop All Themes Design my site