Architecture Designed to be Built
Not designed, then handed off
Most architects design in a vacuum. We design with construction in every decision — because we build too. When you hire us for architecture, you get drawings that are fully resolved, constructability-tested, and built to be executed exactly as designed.
The Difference
An Architect Who Also Builds
That changes everything about how we design
Architecture produced by someone who has never built anything tends to look beautiful on paper and reveal its problems on site. Details that can't be executed cleanly. Specifications that conflict with standard practice. Drawings that leave too much to interpretation — and the contractor fills that interpretation with cost savings, not design intent.
We have built what we design. That means our drawings are different: more complete, more constructible, and more protective of the design intent through every phase of construction. Whether you bring your own contractor or come back to us for build, the drawings you receive from Longleaf are built to be executed without compromise.
What We Offer
Full Architectural Services
From first sketch to final sign-off
Schematic Design
The concept phase — where we develop the big idea. We study your site or existing structure, develop the organizational logic of the project, and produce schematic drawings that show how the spaces are arranged, how the building sits on the land, and how the design responds to your vision. You'll see the project before we go deeper.
For new construction, this includes a full lot study — orientation, topography, views, setbacks, and how the home wants to sit on the property. For renovations, we document your existing conditions thoroughly before drawing a single new line.
Design Development
Schematics become a building. We work through materials, systems, structural approach, and all the decisions that turn a concept into a fully resolved design. Every room, every detail, every exterior element developed to a level of precision that eliminates ambiguity before documents begin.
Because we build, our design development phase includes a running constructability review. Problems that show up in construction on other projects get resolved here — before they cost anything to fix.
Construction Documents
The complete technical record of your project — every dimension, material, system, and detail drawn to buildable precision. Our construction documents are unusually complete. We don't leave details to be figured out in the field, because we've already figured them out.
Detailed, complete construction documents protect everyone involved in the project. They reduce ambiguity at bid time, give contractors a clear basis for accurate pricing, and minimize the field decisions that quietly erode a design during construction. The more resolved the documents, the less room there is for interpretation — and the closer the finished building is to what was designed.
Construction Administration
We stay involved through construction — reviewing submittals and shop drawings, responding to RFIs, conducting site observations, and serving as the design authority throughout the build. Your contractor has a direct line to the architect who drew the project.
CA is where most architectural relationships fall apart. We stay. Regular site visits, prompt responses, and a commitment to seeing the design intent realized — not just documented.
Permitting
We manage the permitting process — preparing and submitting the full permit package, responding to plan review comments, and coordinating with the jurisdiction until permits are issued. One point of contact throughout.
Our knowledge of local building codes, Pensacola zoning requirements, and Florida Building Code means fewer review cycles and faster approvals.
Project Types
What We Design
Residential, accessory, and small commercial
New Construction
Custom Residential
Architect-designed custom homes for clients with land and a vision. We design around how you live — your site, your routines, your aesthetic — and produce documents that can be built by a contractor of your choosing.
Existing Homes
Renovations & Additions
Additions and renovations that feel like they were always part of the original home. We understand existing structures — how to work with them, how to document them, and how to design something new that belongs.
Accessory Structures
ADUs & Accessory Buildings
Accessory dwelling units, guest houses, garages, studios, and pool houses. We navigate the regulatory complexity of ADU design in Florida and produce drawings that get permitted and built without drama.
Mixed-Use
Small Commercial
Small commercial and mixed-use projects where design quality matters. Restaurants, boutique retail, professional offices, and live-work spaces that need an architect who understands both the design and the build.
Not Sure What You Need?
Start With A Conversation
Many of our clients come to us with a project but aren't sure whether they need architecture only, design-build, or something in between. We'll give you a frank assessment of what your project actually requires — and what working with us would look like either way. No obligation.
Construction Administration
We Don't Hand Off the Drawings and Walk Away.
CA is where your design gets protected — or lost.
Construction administration is the phase of architecture most clients don't think about until something goes wrong. The contractor makes a substitution. A detail gets simplified in the field. A material gets swapped for something cheaper. By the time it's built, the design has quietly eroded.
We stay involved. Not as an occasional reviewer, but as an active participant in the construction process — making sure the building being built matches the building that was designed.
Submittal & Shop Drawing Review
We review every submittal and shop drawing for conformance with the design intent — catching substitutions and deviations before they become built-in problems.
RFI Response
Field questions get prompt, clear answers from the architect who drew the project. No interpretation required — just a direct answer from someone who knows the design inside out.
Site Observations
Regular site visits at critical milestones — not just a final walkthrough. We observe the work in progress and identify issues while there's still time and budget to address them.
Substantial Completion & Closeout
We issue a certificate of substantial completion, manage the punch list process, and confirm that the project is complete as designed before the project is officially closed.
Some clients start with architecture — and end up with us for construction too.
If at any point in the design process you'd like to explore having us build as well, that conversation is always available. Our design-build process is built around exactly this kind of continuity — the same team that designs, builds. No handoff, no translation loss.
Tell us about your project.
Whether you have drawings already started or you're beginning from scratch, we'd welcome the chance to talk about what your project needs — and whether we're the right team for it.