I would say it depends on the complexity of the design and your abilities at coding… but in general more time is needed up front for the flexible layout simply because more scenarios have to be catered too.
The problems I've run into tend to be A.) Creating graphics that will still look decent while the browser is flexing, B.) Dealing with min-max'es cross browser C.) Taking the time to convert standard widths etc to % so you can make sure your 300 pixel image still fits in your 20% column at 1024 resolution etc.
Just adds time, not difficulty - but the little bit of extra time ups the amount you have to charge to make a profit on your project.
I would say it depends on the complexity of the design and your abilities at coding… but in general more time is needed up front for the flexible layout simply because more scenarios have to be catered too.
It can be more expensive. But in theory if coded properly it should be a wash.
The problems I've run into tend to be A.) Creating graphics that will still look decent while the browser is flexing, B.) Dealing with min-max'es cross browser C.) Taking the time to convert standard widths etc to % so you can make sure your 300 pixel image still fits in your 20% column at 1024 resolution etc.
Just adds time, not difficulty - but the little bit of extra time ups the amount you have to charge to make a profit on your project.