James V Coane & Associates - Pasadena, California

Raj S.

Me & my wife wanted to do this review for Jim on how wonderful of a job he has done on our fire rebuild in Napa, California. Jim was instrumental in getting our permits quickly, flying out numerous times to Napa from his office in Pasadena to attend meetings with the various building officials to get our plan approved faster than we could have done ourselves. We were so pleased with the design that he has done for our new home. Jim continues to be part of the build and makes himself available to us, the contractors, and suppliers if there are any questions on the home. This personal attention to his clients and his problem solving abilities truly sets Jim apart from others. We were so leased with Jim's service that we have signed him onto another project that we are in the process of building.

John R.

My wife and I worked with Jim over a four year period to design and build our dream home. From the outset, Jim was creative and responsive to our requests. Jim had great ideas and suggestions while recognizing that this would be our home and had to meet our vision. He is smart and creative but sets his ego aside. He is a good listener and it only took two concept drawings to capture the look we were after. It was a difficult process to get City approvals, particularly since we lived out of state during construction. Jim was diligent and persistent in getting the necesary approvals and when we hit sticking points, we appreciated his experience - and sense of humor - to see us through. At the end of the four year process, we love our new home and we consider Jim to be a good friend. Perhaps that's the highest form of praise.

Phillip B.

I have used James Coane for architecture and strategic planning and design services for more than 20 years with complete satisfaction on each of our five engagements. James helped us with the design of two substantial remodels of our San Marino home handling all technical architectural aspects as well as several successful presentations required by the city council Design Review Board. When James helped us in support of strategic planning engagements that we have conducted in our technology infrastructure consulting business, James illustrated the impact of various plans involving several hundred buildings in major campus settings. I would highly recommend James for architectural and planning design services.

Vinh H.

We hired James V. Coane and Associates to design our dream home in a city known for being notoriously difficult to get projects passed. Fast forward a few years and our home is complete and we couldn’t be happier with the end result. Folks walking around the neighborhood always stop to let us know how beautifully the house fits into the neighborhood!

James and his team combine deep knowledge in a wide range of architectural styles with experience navigating the increasingly challenging local jurisdictions. Throughout our process, he listened to our wants and was open and honest about what would be possible and what would not. His construction documents are accurate and thorough, which made bidding and construction as easy as could be. We’d highly recommend hiring James for your next project!

Mark H.

I first met James Coane about 6 years ago when he was designing a new Transitional Style house in San Marino for my nephew. My nephew and his wife were very happy with James’ work and how their project was proceeding, so I called James to come look at my house, which is also in San Marino.

James is a very patient man. Over the course of about two years, we had him first design an extensive renovation and addition to our house, which he then got approved by the City. We loved his ideas so much that we asked him to come up with ideas for a totally new 9,000 square foot house. He did that and got that approved by the City as well. Finally, as time to build the new house got close, my husband and I became sentimental about some of the parts of our existing house and wanted to keep some parts of the original house that were important to us. So James patiently came up with a third set of plans which incorporated all of the ideas from our original remodeling plans and the ideas from our new house plans, which he got approved at the City as well.

He and his team are very professional, creative, and easy to work with and there was no drama. He was very attentive to our desire to save money where possible in certain parts of the house. It is a large house and some rooms are used always and some rooms are seldom used.

We had a lot of positive feedback that he worked very well with the City of San Marino and attended the many hearings and special meetings necessary for our project, interacted with our neighbors, and handled all of those things on our behalf.

He helped guide us through the selection of contractors and reviewing construction bids, and was at the construction site often to answer questions and make sure things were getting built correctly. He is very professional and worked really well with our contractor and his guys.

We loved everything he had done for us so much that once we started construction we also hired him to do all of the interior design for our house. He and his team selected our tiles, paint colors, fabrics, hardware, and other similar interior design items. They were also on site often making sure the materials were installed properly.

In addition to giving us everything we asked for, there were many nice unexpected surprises he had designed into the project which we did not fully understand until they were built. But we are very glad he included them.

We love our new house and would be happy to refer James and his team to anyone needing an architect or interior designer. As a matter of fact, when my niece and her family recently moved back into town, I told her to call James and he went and looked at several houses with them that they were looking to buy and advised them on what could be done with each one. Now, he is currently preparing plans for them for the large remodel they will be doing to their new Pasadena home.

We would highly recommend James to anyone.

Jeff L.

If you’re looking for an architect with experience, look no further. As a general contractor, it is critical that we receive a set of plans that are buildable with details. James and his team do a great job in giving us a clean set of plans which makes the entire process much easier. He’s also available for any questions that we have and is quick to respond. Since his team also includes interior designs, the plans are fully integrated and turnaround times for client design requests are quick. We enjoy working with James Coane and would be happy to build on his projects again in the future.

Rob L.

It’s with pleasure to recommend James Coane and Associates. First and foremost, James listened to our needs and ideas and then developed concepts and plans around our thoughts that were imaginative, thoughtful, creative and practical. Secondly, we felt we receive a lot of value for his work as he was fair and reasonable in delivering top quality. James guided us through a complete remodel of our Lake Home and we have now engaged in additional projects. He is a pleasure to work with and recommended without reservation.

Danielle P. H.

It is with great pleasure that I write this long overdue review of James V. Coane and Associates . We met with Jim ten years ago to start work on our small Mid-Century home in Pasadena. My husband and I did not know what to expect, as this was the first time either of us worked with an architect to create our dream home. Jim is smart, creative, and very detail-oriented with respect to all phases of the building process. I forgot to mention that Jim's sense of humor and kindness are also greatly appreciated 🙂 Our home is a view home, which overlooks the Pasadena Rosebowl and San Gabriel mountains, so we wanted to be sure the view remained center-stage in our designs. Jim listened to all of our concerns, and was open to any new idea that we came up with. It is ten years since our complete remodel. We continue to love our home , as it brings us both great joy and comfort.

Ten years ago, budget constraints would not allow for interior design services. I recently got in contact with Jim (Feb. 2020) to discuss interior options for the house and met with his colleague, Zaire Garcia. From paint choices, to furniture and fabrics, Zaire has a creative eye for details!! Working with Zaire has been an education for me, as I have learned about high quality furniture with a focus on construction. Zaire recently took us to the design district in order to choose pieces, and I honestly felt like a kid in a candy store!!!! I didn't know this kind of high quality furniture existed, as I was very used to buying in Pottery Barn and Crate and Barrel (I am not trying to be disparaging towards either of these companies, but there truly is a difference when sitting on high quality furniture. ) On another note, Zaire is PATIENT, kind, and she truly helps you make the right decisions for your home furnishing with respect to budget, and architectural style of the house.
Do not hesitate to contact James V. Coane and associates. You will not be disappointed.
Danielle and Cliff Houser

We will be updating photos of our interiors shortly after completion