CSS: Menu Bar and content styling issues - css

Question

I am currently adding a navigation bar to a web page. But I am running into some css styling issues. The navigation menu bar is pushing the content below, leaving a huge gap in between and making it uneven. I took the precaution in leaving out anything that will mess with the bottom like margin bottom-padding but I am still getting the same result. How can I get the menu bar to not affect the content below? EXAMPLE
With the Navigation bar added:
Without navigation bar the contents below are even:
I have added the specific css rules that are causing the issue to devgrow.css:
<style>
#navigation {
position:relative;
top:-45px;
left:450px;
}
#au_title {
color: #FC821D;
font-size: 120%;
font-weight: bold;
left: 515px;
letter-spacing: 2px;
position: relative;
text-transform: uppercase;
top: -105px;
}
#searchInput {
left: 700px;
position: relative;
top: -180px;
}
#contentNav { color: #cfdae3; }
/* Dark Button CSS */
.buttonNav {
outline: 0;
padding: 5px 12px;
display: block;
color: #EBEBEB;
font-weight: bold;
text-shadow: 1px 1px #1f272b;
border: 1px solid #1c252b;
border-radius: 3px;
-moz-border-radius: 3px;
-webkit-border-radius: 3px;
background: #232B30; /* old browsers */
background: -moz-linear-gradient(top, #3D4850 3%, #313d45 4%, #232B30 100%); /* firefox */
background: -webkit-gradient(linear, left top, left bottom, color-stop(3%,#3D4850), color-stop(4%,#313d45), color-stop(100%,#232B30)); /* webkit */
filter: progid:DXImageTransform.Microsoft.gradient( startColorstr='#3D4850', endColorstr='#232B30',GradientType=0 ); /* ie */
box-shadow: 1px 1px 1px rgba(0,0,0,0.2); /* CSS3 */
-moz-box-shadow: 1px 1px 1px rgba(0,0,0,0.2); /* Firefox */
-webkit-box-shadow: 1px 1px 1px rgba(0,0,0,0.2); /* Safari, Chrome */
}
.buttonNav:hover {
color: #fff;
background: #4C5A64; /* old browsers */
background: -moz-linear-gradient(top, #4C5A64 3%, #404F5A 4%, #2E3940 100%); /* firefox */
background: -webkit-gradient(linear, left top, left bottom, color-stop(3%,#4C5A64), color-stop(4%,#404F5A), color-stop(100%,#2E3940)); /* webkit */
filter: progid:DXImageTransform.Microsoft.gradient( startColorstr='#4C5A64', endColorstr='#2E3940',GradientType=0 ); /* ie */
}
.buttonNav:active {
background-position: 0 top;
position: relative;
top: 1px;
color: #fff;
padding: 6px 12px 4px;
background: #20282D; /* old browsers */
background: -moz-linear-gradient(top, #20282D 3%, #252E34 51%, #222A30 100%); /* firefox */
background: -webkit-gradient(linear, left top, left bottom, color-stop(3%,#20282D), color-stop(51%,#252E34), color-stop(100%,#222A30)); /* webkit */
filter: progid:DXImageTransform.Microsoft.gradient( startColorstr='#20282D', endColorstr='#222A30',GradientType=0 ); /* ie */
-moz-box-shadow: 1px 1px 1px rgba(255,255,255,0.1); /* Firefox */
-webkit-box-shadow: 1px 1px 1px rgba(255,255,255,0.1); /* Safari, Chrome */
box-shadow: 1px 1px 1px rgba(255,255,255,0.1); /* CSS3 */
}
/* Other stuff: */
.button-list { list-style: none; width: 100%; float: left; display: block; }
.button-list li { float: left; margin: 0 5px 0 0; }
.button-list li.search { padding-left: 18px; margin-left: 10px; position: relative; }
/* Search CSS: */
.search-input {
padding: 0 5px 0 22px;
border: 2px solid #DADADA;
height: 30px;
font-size: 12px;
line-height: 30px;
border-radius: 25px;
-moz-border-radius: 25px;
-webkit-border-radius: 25px;
background: #FFF; /* old browsers */
}
.search-input:focus {outline: none;}
.search-submit {
width: 13px;
height: 13px;
border: none;
background: url(images/mag-glass.png) no-repeat;
display: block;
position: absolute;
left: 26px;
top: 10px;
text-indent: -9999em;
}
</style>

Answer 1

First i have say that the coding is really bad. For fixed that issue remove float from you button-list. Write like this :
.button-list {
list-style: none outside none;
overflow: hidden;
}

Answer 2

Hey now define overflow hidden in your css #contentArea id
as like this
#contentArea {
overflow: hidden;
}

Answer 3

Add style clear both in css of first content area
<div id="contentArea" style="clear:both">