Local agency or remote studio for an architecture firm website in Palm Beach: how to choose (2026)

The verdict in three sentences

For a Palm Beach firm restoring Mediterranean Revival estates, 1920s villas and landmarked homes, the website has to demonstrate heritage expertise while protecting the discretion of very high-profile owners. A remote studio is enough when your archives, photography and publication permissions are already in order; a local agency adds more if it knows the island's architectural photographers, archive holdings and network of interior designers. In every case, the contract must settle domain and code ownership and how rights to each image are managed.

What makes a heritage website different in Palm Beach?

On the island, the legacy of Addison Mizner, Maurice Fatio or Marion Sims Wyeth is a selling point, and projects on designated properties go before the town's Landmarks Preservation Commission. Your prospects, often advised by a family office or a decorator, look for proof that you can run a restoration without delays or conflict. The site therefore has to tell before and after stories, document your method and stay silent on whatever your clients do not want published. Here are the risks specific to this kind of content.

How much do both options cost over three years?

2026 ballpark, based on typical quotes and public rate pages from Palm Beach County agencies.

The Kolonell grid is public: Starter $2,900, Growth $4,900, Premium $8,900, with a project manager reachable in Eastern Time, native copywriting, delivery in 3 to 4 weeks and 3 months of support. See the international offer page.

When is the local agency clearly preferable?

If you are honest with yourself, three situations lean clearly toward a county agency:

• you restore several homes a year and want to document each project, from survey to completion, with the same photographer;
• your business development runs through dinners, private tours and partnerships with Worth Avenue decorators that the agency can orchestrate;
• you are preparing a monograph or an exhibition and want one team for the book, the website and the film.

A remote studio, on the other hand, suits a 4 to 12 person firm that already has catalogued images and archives, and wants a portfolio filterable by period and style, method pages and a qualification form (designated property or not, square footage, timeline, budget).

Which questions should you ask, and which rules should you check?

• Are domain, hosting and code repository in our name?
• How will heavy galleries be optimized (AVIF or WebP, lazy loading, Core Web Vitals)?
• Who keeps the register of image rights and owner permissions?
• Do the bios respect the title architect, regulated in Florida by the Board of Architecture and Interior Design? Distinguish licensed architects, designers and architectural historians.
• Does accessibility target WCAG 2.1 AA? ADA complaints against websites are frequent in Florida.
• Does the privacy notice cover the form, cookies and European clients? The Florida Digital Bill of Rights mainly targets very large companies, which does not remove the need for a clear notice.

This is not legal advice.

Mini case study

Illustrative example: Harriet Cole runs an 8-person firm in West Palm Beach specializing in the restoration of 1920s estates. Local agency quote: $40,000 and $450 per month, so 40,000 + 36 × 450 = $56,200 over 3 years. Alternative: Kolonell Premium at $8,900, $7,000 of photography, $2,500 of archive licenses and maintenance estimated at $200 per month after the 3 included months: 8,900 + 7,000 + 2,500 + 33 × 200 = $25,000. Gap: $31,200, roughly 140 billable hours at $225. Harriet starts with a free quote and an inventory of image rights.

FAQ

Can we publish a landmarked home without the owner's consent?

Don't: get written consent for each project. Allow 2 to 4 weeks to collect consents for 15 projects.

Can a remote studio tell a restoration story accurately?

Yes, if you give it 1 to 2 hours of interview per flagship project. Quality depends on your surveys and site notes.

How many projects should go live at launch?

Ten to fifteen strong projects beat forty thin pages. Then add 1 project a month through the CMS.

Should some projects be hidden?

Yes for clients who require it, with password-protected pages sent to qualified prospects. It adds 1 to 2 days of work.

How long does a full heritage website take?

Plan 3 to 4 weeks with a studio once archives and images are ready. A local agency usually quotes 10 to 16 weeks.

Let's scope your project. A heritage portfolio, method pages and protected confidential projects for a Palm Beach firm, from USD 2,900 to 8,900 in 3 to 4 weeks. See the international offer or request a free quote: detailed reply within 48 hours.