A quick question: Approximately what level of HTML knowledge would one need for building one's own website from scratch? I mean, I'm sure you could make most of working in ignorant-proof applications that don't really require any HTML as such, but at some point you will need to have some degree of proficiency, or you'll be forced to look for external help? Is there a grading system for this? Are there any beginner tutorials you would recommend? Thanks,
Regarding a grading system, I don't think there is one for what you're asking here. But check out this site, it has an intuitive division in levels of HTML expertise: http://www.456bereastreet.com/archive/200605/levels_of_html_knowledge/
But how much you might really need, I guess it depends on what kind of site you're looking for. Most simple personal pages can be done without ever touching code. Here's a useful tutorial: http://www.w3schools.com/html/html_intro.asp