Agree, but if you're non-technical and you write up a complete spec and have mockups and head to elance, you're likely to be disappointed in the technical execution you end up with.

But if you have a complete spec, then you can take it to a really reputable firm. The way the top web design firms make their money is by charging a relatively low upfront fee (~30k) for a website, but by charging you again every time you change the spec. The reason the firms make money is because 99% of people end up changing the spec, so clients end up spending 150k or so. As long as you never change the spec then you can afford to take it to one of the best design firms in the world, as opposed to hiring some guy off elance.

It takes discipline and a willingness to sit down and have all your fights upfront, but it is possible, and the results make the process well worth it.

The better contractors on elance will guarantee you an hourly rate for changes too. In my limited experience, they seem pretty reasonable about it. It's of course impossible to say whether they're over-billing, but it sure never felt like they were, and the rating system gives them a vested interesting in ensuring that.

That wasn't my experience. Pretty much they'll deliver it, you'll test it to make sure it performs appropriately. There will be some cases where it won't, and they'll fix it.

The only time you'll care about the code quality is when you scale, and if you have that problem you can afford to hire in house.

And for you to suffer the consequences when they deliver you something exactly fitting your functional requirements - in COBOL.