Ever wondered if AI can truly turn you into a programmer? I decided to find out by using 'vibe coding' to build a better version of Zillow, and the results were both eye-opening and surprisingly controversial. Here’s the full story—and why it might just challenge everything you think about AI and coding.
As someone who’s written extensively about AI’s potential to democratize programming, I felt it was time to put my money where my mouth is. I turned to Claude Code, a tool I’d been curious about since interviewing its founder and tracking its meteoric rise. Anthropic, the company behind it, boldly claims it’s “the best coding model in the world.” But here’s where it gets controversial: Can any AI tool truly live up to such hype? And more importantly, can a non-programmer like me use it to build something meaningful?
I reached out to Anthropic and asked to use Claude Code for a personal project. They were enthusiastic but warned it might be a stretch. Why? Because there’s no beginner-friendly guide for non-programmers. Anthropic created one just for me, complete with FAQs like, “What is a Terminal?”—a question no programmer would ever ask, but one I desperately needed answered.
And this is the part most people miss: Within three days and a few hours, I’d coded a custom website with minimal issues. The goal? Solve a real-world problem I faced while house hunting in the New York City metro area: determining the walking distance to public transit stops. Instead of manually copying addresses from Zillow or Redfin into Google Maps, my Claude-Coded website pulls listings from Redfin and automatically calculates the walk time to the nearest train stop. The interface is simple, with a map and key details about each home. But the journey to get there was anything but straightforward.
Choosing the Right Vibe Coding Tool
While virtually all AI chatbots can generate code snippets, vibe coding tools like Claude Code, OpenAI’s Codex, GitHub Copilot, and Replit take it a step further. They can access your computer’s files and interact with your entire codebase—a feature that’s both powerful and intimidating. Here’s the catch: These tools still require some technical know-how to set up. For instance, Claude Code needs a subscription (either $17/month or $100/month), and you can’t access it through the free web-based chatbot.
Installing Claude Code on Your PC
I opted for the $100/month Max plan (probably overkill for my project), but the setup process was surprisingly straightforward. On my Mac, I opened the Terminal app—essentially a command-line interface for interacting with your computer. Anthropic’s guide explains it as “a different way to ‘talk’ to your computer to control it more directly.” After copying and pasting a command into the Terminal, I was up and running—though not without a few hiccups. A small note in yellow font prompted additional commands, which I initially missed. Lesson learned: Always read the fine print.
Picking a Project: What’s Truly Useful?
With Claude Code at my fingertips, the next question was: What should I build? A custom Wordle clone? An event invitation generator? Neither felt impactful. Instead, I focused on a problem I’d faced: the lack of walking distance data on Zillow. My prompt was simple yet specific: “Create a website where I can see real estate listings in Montclair, NJ, within a 15-minute walk of a NJ Transit train station, with 4 bedrooms and at least 1.5 bathrooms.”
‘Code’ (or Chat) Your Heart Out
From there, it was a natural conversation with Claude. I brought basic technical knowledge to the table, like understanding the need for publicly available data. Claude quickly identified Zillow’s free API and recommended an alternative to Google Maps’ paid API. But here’s the kicker: While Claude asks for permission and offers suggestions, a novice like me might blindly say “yes”—a risky move. For example, Claude missed a critical detail: Zillow’s free API had been discontinued, which caused major issues later.
Claude proactively found NJ Transit train stops, designed the website, and even sent instructions for API sign-ups. Within 10 minutes, I had a basic website framework running locally on my machine. But the real challenges began when I tried to connect the APIs. Despite following Claude’s instructions, the Zillow API consistently returned a 404 error. After multiple attempts, I switched to Redfin data, which finally worked—but not without UI glitches and walk time discrepancies.
Troubleshooting and Refining
Claude recalibrated the map to show correct transit stop locations, but the walk time was consistently shorter than Google Maps. It explained that the mapping API calculated distances “as the crow flies,” not actual walking routes. After adjusting the “circuity factor,” the times matched—but only two listings met my criteria, down from five. I added a walk time filter for flexibility, effectively creating a personalized house-hunting tool.
Claude Code’s Unexpected Bonus
Beyond coding, Claude helped organize my files for this article. It searched, renamed, and sorted screenshots on my desktop—a task that would’ve taken hours manually. While not perfect, it was a huge time-saver.
The Verdict: Is Vibe Coding Worth the Hype?
In the end, it was a miraculous experience. I built a functional website in just a few hours, without writing a single line of code. But it wasn’t without flaws. The discontinued Zillow API and UI glitches highlighted AI’s limitations. Here’s the thought-provoking question: Can AI tools like Claude Code truly replace human programmers, or are they best used as assistants? I can see why software engineers rely on them daily—they’re incredibly powerful, but not infallible.
What do you think? Is vibe coding the future of programming, or just another overhyped tool? Let me know in the comments—I’m eager to hear your take!
