BuddyPress.org

hi @scribbleben,

thought there is no theme who fit a project to 100%. It’s only a tool to show a project. And BuddyPress is only a plugin, which let you handle a user community in a certain way.

You don’t need a page builder. BP is fully dynamic and WP publishes posts like a champ, so you probably won’t need more than 2 or 3 pages over those effectivly required by BP.

You don’t need a framework theme if the project is for one client or if you use BP 2 times a year for other clients.

You don’t need a theme full of bells and whistles, but an utility tool which let your client earn money or live with his community, without spending tons of hours to learn how his bells plant is working or returning to university to doctorate for a whistle diploma.

I would suggest use 2012 or 2015 during the period you build the project. Find an acceptable compromise between client desire, needed plugins and eventually some custom functions to add. Once that structure is built, you will incorporate it to a theme.

Your 4 points.

1) WordPress
2) BuddyPress
3) BuddyPress
4) WordPress and BuddyPress

So i’ve probably resumed your needs or even what you already did.

Which theme is the closest ? Almost any, but with 30 000 themes under the hand, it’s not an answer.

The important thing to know would be your client’s opinion about internet, web sites, ergonomy, personnal surf interrests. Equally, the specifics about hosting, bandwith, maintenance budget, supported device, target usage, and a few other little details which you haven’t listed yet.

Is this your first BuddyPress experience ?
If so, perhaps visiting some BP sites online will help you to come nearer about what can be done – independantly of any layout consideration in a first step.

See Your BuddyPress forum
or my own showcases here and here (french, european and word site examples).

Hey, that’s a digit geeking speech ! Twenty Twelve and Twenty Fifteen are respectively WordPress default theme. 2015 and 2012 are even faster to write, specially for me.

Does it make sense ?

While (i wrote period – but i’m french – it’s not the punctuation, sorry. During the time is more US english) building your project (discussing with your client, your team, dog and what ever…) and WordPress, you need a theme. Default theme has the avantage to “work” with WP and… BuddyPress.
While struggling with a third party theme is another story which can be handled quietly AFTER your project is near to be completed. Growing step by step.

Once the foundation is solid enough, in other terms !

Does it make more sense ?