Meet the team.

Steven Shelley

Steven was born and raised in Pensacola. He attended Catholic and Washington high schools. After high school, he attended Pensacola Junior College, earning his Associates of Arts degree in 1991. In 1994 he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in education from the University of West Florida. Steven spent ten years at Montessori School of Pensacola, assisting in the creation of its middle school as head teacher. During his tenure at Montessori he received his secondary 12-15 credentials from the American Montessori Society. In addition, Steven spent twenty years in the United States Naval Reserve, retiring in 2006.

Although Steven has been working in carpentry, construction, and renovation for the last thirty years, he has been doing it exclusively since 2004. In 2004, Steven started KMS Investment Properties. In 2007, Steven partnered with long time friend and associate, Taylor Longsworth, to start East Hill Building and Design with the idea of providing quality, hands-on craftsmanship at a reasonable cost. Steven has been on the board of the East Hill Neighborhood Association since 2008 and has served as President for 4 years.  He has also served on the City of Pensacola Zoning Board of Adjustment since 2016.

Steven has lived in East Hill as a resident since 1965. He has been happily married twice, and is currently enjoying life as a bachelor with his cat Max.

Taylor Longsworth

Taylor Longsworth brings a rare combination of formal design training, hands-on craftsmanship, and construction management expertise to every project he builds. A State Certified General Contractor, Taylor holds both a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a Bachelor’s degree in Construction Management from the University of West Florida, a dual foundation that shapes how he approaches new home construction: with an eye for design and proportion, backed by rigorous technical and project management skill.

Taylor’s path to building began not with a hammer, but with an apprenticeship in fine woodworking and cabinetry in Smithville, Tennessee, where within a year he was named principal builder for Middle Tennessee Cabinets, crafting work for some of the area’s premier homes. During this time, he also studied permaculture and sustainable construction methods with The Designers at Sun Valley, an early influence that continues to inform his thoughtful approach to site and materials.

Returning to Pensacola in 1998, Taylor spent years refining his craft across a range of demanding, detail-driven roles: as adjunct professor, master carpenter, and theater manager at UWF’s Center for Fine and Performing Arts, and as principal fabricator in the metal shop at Renaissance Man. Alongside this work, he ran his own business building custom homes, additions, and bespoke furniture and cabinetry, hands-on experience that gave him a builder’s fluency in materials, structure, and fine finish work.

In 2004, Taylor partnered with Steven Shelley at KMS Investment Properties, and in 2008 the two founded East Hill Building and Design. What began with a focus on historic renovation has grown, over nearly two decades, into a full-service custom home building practice, one grounded in the same craftsmanship and design sensibility Taylor has carried since his earliest days as a woodworker. East Hill Building and Design has been a member of the Home Builders Association of West Florida since 2012, and Taylor served on its board from 2014 to 2020, including a term as President in 2018, reflecting his standing and leadership within the regional building community.

Taylor has called East Hill home since 1998. He and his wife Elizabeth, a psychotherapist, are the proud parents of three sons, Liam, Zane, and Eamon.