[notauser]

I'm good enough at SQL to know about normal forms and how to write recursive queries.

I also know that there is very little value in me writing a new set of CRUD queries for a low-load site when someone else has written a well-debugged interface for me.

[artsrc]

Are both a full featured object model, and an SQL database really essential for that kind of site?

I essentially share the same SQL, OO, ORM hammer, as you, so I would likely use the same solution.

It may be that all 3 complex technologies, the database, the object model, and the ORM are unwarranted by the low load/crud problem.