JF Carlson Architects Inc.

We hired Jim Carlson to design a remodel of a duplex in Corona Del Mar. This was a challenging project because we had to stay within the footprint of the existing foundation, and we didn’t want to disrupt the back unit. We chose Jim based on a recommendation from our real estate agent, and we were not disappointed. Jim was reasonably-priced, super fast, enthusiastic and gave us a lot of good ideas. He listened to and considered all of our input, and it was very much a collaborative process. We especially liked that he seemed to know many of the people at the city, which made many of the approval processes go more smoothly. The project is almost done, and we’re really pleased with the flow and layout of the house. The front unit was originally a very-dated single story with 3 bedrooms and garage. It has now become a 3 story home, with a bedroom, bonus room, laundry, living room, kitchen, two car garage and carport on the first floor, a master suite, huge master closet and second bedroom with en suite bath on the second floor, and a rooftop deck with views of the ocean on a clear day. We’re very happy with the end result and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Jim.

I interviewed a half dozen architects before hiring J.F. Carlson Architects Inc. From the start i thought he he was a conscientious, results oriented professional who would get the job done right. I was correct. He has the character, knowledge, expertise, and is fair on the cost. He is a gentlemen who to work with and a pleasure to know. I highly recommend this architect for your project.

I recently built a home in Newport Beach using Jim as my architect. He was responsive to my ideas and fast in completing the plans and getting them to the city for approval. Jim was also very helpful during construction when I requested some design changes. He worked with my contractor and engineer to modify the plans and get city approval quickly. All in all, working with Jim was a very pleasurable experience.

We hired Jim Carlson for some architecture work and had a very good experience. We had planned a remodel of our whole first floor, and although there weren’t many features that actually required an architect, there were a few areas that did, and we wanted to have drawings so that a) we’d be able to visualize our project, and b) we could get accurate bids from contractors. We had struck out after calling several other architects because they were unwilling to take on a “small job”, but in the end, it wasn’t so small and I don’t know how we would’ve managed without an architect, so we really appreciated Jim’s willingness to work with us. The first thing you’ll notice about Jim is that he is a very high-energy individual, which is positive when time is money—we felt he was really making the most of our time by thinking and responding quickly. When it came to designing the plans, we liked the fact that Jim was always very receptive to input—he is not egotistical or attached to his own ideas, rather he made every effort to visualize what we wanted, and often made the comment that “it’s your house, not mine”. We’ve known other architects who could not leave their personal taste at the door…. He did make practical suggestions for example a granite yard recommendation, and a type of stip-LED lighting for under-counter lighting, not strictly architectural advice, but appreciated all the same! Once he’d done the first pass on our plans we decided to make a number of changes, and we felt that this is where the process really paid off. It was only after we’d seen it on paper that we realized that some of our ideas were unworkable, so the process was very worthwhile (i.e. we were able to come to our senses and reconfigure prior to starting the actual construction) .The changes did cause our costs to climb due to printing and reprinting the plans with each change. This is something we were aware of in advance, but only because I’d asked specifically if there would be any additional charges over and above the quote, and at that point Jim mentioned the plan printing charges. This is not a trivial amount—for us it amounted to several hundred dollars, so do bear this in mind as you make changes. There were a few places where the plans were not perfect, and we were never sure whether this was a) due to the initial measurements (these were taken by another architect prior to Jim coming on the scene), OR b) due to details being overlooked when Jim delegated some of the drawing to a draftsman in the Philippines. In our case the imperfections were caught by our contractor so there was no fall out, but it did lead to a bit of apprehension. Once our project was underway we made a decision (to move our furnace to the roof) that required a change in plans, structural engineering and another visit to the permit office. We were very pleased that Jim was able to mobilize quickly to make that happen. Overall our experience was positive, and we would not hesitate to recommend Jim to our friends, or to take on another job with him in the future.

Jim was prompt, experienced, professional, imaginative, and communicated well with me, the owner. The project was the design of a kitchen remodel, room addition (master bedroom, bath, small office), deck, and window replacement.

Jim did a great job walking us through the design process and then executed as promised. We had preliminary sketches to review within a week and had preliminary CAD drawings shortly after. Jim also took care of the drawing reviews and permitting process with the city. When he was done all we had to do was select a contractor and we were on our way. We highly recommend using Jim. He is Honest, hard working and in addition to getting us through the permit process, he helped with construction support to address unanticipated issues that came up in the middle of construction. Excellent Architect!