diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 4bac615..1df89d6 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -1,3 +1,36 @@
 # codeforphilly.org
 
-Code for Philly's customizations to laddr
+## Overview
+
+Code for Philly's website repository built as an extension of [laddr](https://github.com/CodeForPhilly/laddr), a website building tool designed specifically for civic hacking groups.
+
+## Developing
+
+The following is directly taken from the [Getting started guide on laddr's README](https://github.com/CodeForPhilly/laddr#getting-started).
+
+### Dependencies
+
+Install recent versions of [Habitat](http://habitat.sh) and [Docker](https://www.docker.com/) on your Linux, Mac, or Windows workstation.
+
+### Clone Laddr
+
+```bash
+cd ~/Repositories/laddr # or wherever you cloned this rep
+
+# expose port 7080 (http) and 3306 (mysql) from any Docker container started by Habitat
+export HAB_DOCKER_OPTS="-p 7080:7080 -p 3306:3306"
+
+# launch and enter a Habitat studio
+hab studio enter
+
+# once the studio has finished loading, start all services with a local database
+start-all
+
+# clone a production instance's database
+load-sql https://codeforphilly.org
+
+# build and load the site, then wait for file changes
+watch-site
+```
+
+At that point you should be able to see an instance at http://localhost:7080 and any edits should be reflected live