Reviews of James V Coane & Associates, Architects (Architect)

Marty Trainor

We met Jin Coane in 1989 when he designed our home in Burbank. Since then he designed our vacation home in Santa Barbara. Both homes are unique in style and reflect exactly what we were trying to achieve-lots of openness and space. His professional manner was extremely helpful in dealing with building officials and, at the same time, remaining courteous and friendly. Over all, we were extremely pleased with all areas of our building projects - from the design to the services during construction to the end products. Most importantly, Roger and I consider Jim to be a friend and would highly recommend him and his associates for any design project you might have.

Mark Hamilton

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.

ali o'brien

I have used Architect James Coane over the last 12 years for a variety of projects and building issues. Every single time he has addressed my architectural needs and building issues in a professional, diligent and intelligent manner. I usually do not write reviews or make recommendations to friends, because I feel that I am putting my own reputation on the line if the referred person doesn't live up to my friend's expectations. Thus, I have a very short list of people who I feel I can refer without reservation, because I know they will perform their task wonderfully. Architect James Coane is one of those professionals I would recommend or refer to friends without hesitation. The first time I used his services, he was hired to add to and remodel a home my family had just bought in Southwest Pasadena. The home was very unique and had some creative challenges because we needed to change the floor plan to suit our lifestyle. Not only did he exceed that challenge, by designing and coming up with a set of plans which suited our family’s needs, but when only a few months after the plans were completed we found a different home nearby that didn’t require so many changes, we decided to sell and I believe his plans helped us obtain several offers over asking price and we closed escrow with a $500,000. profit. This was after owning the home for less than 2 years and making no improvements! Additionally, the new owners used his plans and his services to build their existing dream home. Our next home, the same one we have been living in for the last 9 years, is one of the original 100+ year old mansions of West Pasadena. Although, the home did not need any additional square footage, it desperately needed to be restored and a new kitchen and family area needed to be incorporated into the existing footprint. It was important that the new area feel as if it was part of the original design of the house, but also would work with our growing 21st century family’s needs. He was able to capture exactly what we needed within the existing footprint. We got a beautiful state of the art kitchen, new breakfast area and family area. After the project and restoration of the home was completed, it has been used in film and print work and virtually every single person from that industry comments that they can’t tell which part of the home is the original footprint and which is the 21st century one. It is a truly seamless design job. The last quality I want to mention about Jim, which I value the most and which makes him superior to others in his profession, is the attention to service he provides to his clients. I have called him numerous times in dealing with issues that have come up during the restoration of our home and he always has called me right back and usually would show up within hours at the house with an engineer or contractor to help him solve the problem immediately. I also appreciate his positive attitude and confidence in tackling any issue whether it is getting a permit from the city or figuring out a complicated design issue. Lastly, anytime I have referred him to a friend, I have always heard positive feedback and received a thank you for the referral.

Dana Cioffi

I have known James Coane since 1998 since he designed our first house, a 5500 sq ft contemporary glass and steel in La Canada, which we adored. The experience was flawless and fun. The second project in 2017 was an elevated creekside contemporary house in PA James took over from a NY architect and made a splash with his multi roof twist on a country post and beam. It’s an awe-inspiring compound. And this year James will be designing a two story Rec building to complement a three unit house in the Silverlake area of Los Angeles We have missed working with James and look forward to enjoying his design and fun and easy personality in 2019!

Dawn Murphy

Our project was not for the meek! We touched every inch of our 1917 Reginald Johnson home - 6000+ square feet in San Marino. Our goal was to renovate the classic Italian Revival home to keep it period correct but subtle, with the most compelling and high-end conveniences. Our initial review included the usual checkpoints on quality, timeliness, staying on budget, experience with homes from the same era, style, etc. Jim and his team received flying colors from his references, and ultimately from our own experience on all of these. However, the biggest pluses of working with Jim were not apparent from the start and went beyond those initial criteria. Our work with him became iterative mid-project as we opened walls and made discoveries impacting large areas. Throughout the entire process Jim remained incredibly adaptive and creative with clever cost-saving alternatives to achieve the same design principles. Jim and his team gave us context and provided thoughtful considerations on how different designs would impact usability, appearance, and marketability in the near term, and just as important, they would propose infrastructure choices that would allow flexible development in future years. These are things you just don't know you need from an architect until you are there. Also a positive...on the relationship side, we came to learn that Jim's experience led to an easy rapport with his peers--whether a general contractor, their subs, an interior designer, design review board staff, or inspectors. The project benefitted greatly from his disposition in working easily with others, clipping along a bit faster that it might have otherwise. Within his own company his team and staff were nothing short of timely, upbeat and professional. The bottom line is that we felt we were lucky to have such a creative, smart, progressive and capable architectural team on our side during the long project. If/when I have a future project I would absolutely return to Jim.

John Reddy

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.

Jeff Lee

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.

Robin Williamson

In 1994 we hired Jim to add onto & remodel our Craftsman Bungalow in South Pasadena. Jim was always very responsive & easy to work with. He is very detail oriented & very particular about matching the old with the new in a seamless fashion. Our home was built in 1906 & no one could tell where the old work ended and the new work began. About ten years later we decided to add a second story and of course called Jim. Once again Jim's attention to detail came through, our home looks like an original 2 story 1906 craftsman home. Jim was involved with not only the design, drawing, and permitting of our projects, but also helped us with getting the contractors bids and assisted in watching over the construction to ensure that things got done right. We have recommended Jim to all of our friends & will gladly work with him again the next time we do any architectural work.

Morgan King

The first step in building your DREAM HOUSE is finding your DREAM ARCHITECT! James Coane is your guy! He sure was ours! We called his office the same day we saw our potential home. James spoke to us for over an hour on the phone discussing and hearing what we liked about his past projects and our thoughts on them. He was very generous with his time and didn't seem impatient to get off the phone. I mean, he wasn't even getting paid yet at this point. When we told him the home we were potentially going to purchase, he immediately knew the house and offered to come and take a look since he had some down time. We got along immediately and you could tell he was a fan of MCM. He genuinely seemed excited about hearing our thoughts about the house and he also added some excellent thoughts on the property. Mind you, this was before we even bought the house. I don't know many architects who would be so willing to just show up to discuss about a potential project without getting paid. Fortunately, the stars were aligned and after a week, the house was ours. We called James to immediately set up an appointment. On the first day, he did measurements and brought ideas he had for the house from our previous phone conversation.....I mean, he took notes before agreeing to our project???? WHO DOES THAT?. We were totally blown away! Either James is a supercomputer or he was just reading our minds! The ideas he presented were amazing! Some ideas that James thought of that I'm forever grateful for was: 1. Increasing the height of the roof from 10 feet to 14 feet. 2. Giving us the famous Neutra Kaufmann House look and adding a stairway to our roof create a pavilion. 3. Making the house with floor to ceiling glass windows.....I mean WOW! 4. Giving us a themed wall that really ties the whole house together. Throughout the whole process, he was there with his artistic insight. Obviously, he did have the help of his associates when he couldn't physically be there. We expected nothing less since I'm sure he had tons of clients who needed his expert services. James is in demand! Could you blame him? However, he was always available on his phone or would drop by to discuss ideas after his meetings with other clients. He ALWAYS MADE TIME FOR US and actually cared about our project. HE understood our woes and fears. One of the things he said will always stick with me: "Guys, listen, this is your house, your haven.....your sanctuary. This is where you'll be creating memories.....this is HOME....I want to make it happen for you". Wow! Talk about a guy who's on your side! James provided us with detailed CGI images of what the house will ultimately look like with exact measurement and even with furniture suggestions to help decorate the place. We actually were so impressed that we used him for our decorating choices too....yes, he has a decorating division too!. After it was all said and done....we were thoroughly impressed and so happy we found James. I know you won't be disappointed if you go with James Coane...we sure weren't. I'll post some pics to show how happy we are with James for making a house, OUR MCM DREAM HOME! Thank you James!

Sherry Mcbride

We hired Mr. Coane to design a home in San Marino in March 2016. We had the Design Review Committee(DRC) meeting on February 1st, 2017. Mr. Coane's design was completely denied because of massing, scale, exterior finish materials and potential privacy. Neighbors were upset with the whole design. Who is the one supposed to know city's design guide line, home owner or professional architect? We went to talk to him on 03/06/2017 try to work with him. He said he is not working on it at all. Mr. Coane not only blames his failure to the homeowner, but also demands $14,000 extra fee to be paid. He insisted he would not work on our project unless we made that extra payment. He further stated that contract does not guarantee the design. If we pay this $14,000, who knows what happen next? San Marino is a city that requires a DRC meeting. Mr. Coane repeatedly said he guarantees his design will pass the DRC approval, that he has been working in Pasadena and San Marino area for many years, that it is his job to make sure his design gets approved. We had several discussion with Mr. Coane before the contract was signed. We told Mr. Coane that we like a home with pool, outdoor living space and balcony. Mr. Coane agreed on all of those. But now Mr. Coane said it is completely the homeowner's fault the design got denied. We have been paying him on time per the contract we signed, we paid him about $18,000 so far for one single family home design. Unfortunately, we signed two contracts with him at same time. So, we paid him total about $36,000 on two projects. Mr. Coane also demands $14,000 more on second project which he had missed submittal dealine of DRC meeting on Feb 28th, 2017. We will file complaint against him to the State Architect License Board of California first. What Mr. Coane is doing to us is clearly 'Bait and Switch". Please be aware!

Eliany shie

We came across James Coane’s name completely by accident. When we were house hunting in San Marino area in 2010, we saw a gorgeous historic house. The listing agent mentioned it had been expanded. The work was so seamless, that we could not tell where the original house started and where the new construction began. Many times, with expansions, you can totally tell it is an “add on”. From that day on, I swore to myself that if we found our dream home, we would want Jim to do it. And boy, are we glad we did!!! In 2012, we found a beautiful mid century modern home in Pasadena, but it looked like it was stuck in the 50’s. We had a vision of A LOT of glass and a very open concept. Jim was able to fulfill our vision, while keeping to the classic Mid Century Modern vibe. He, along with his wonderful team, walked us through every phase, from design to completion. We went through many changes along the way, and he happily met with us to hear our concerns and make the changes to help us achieve the perfect home. The other big advantage of working with Jim, is that he seems to know EVERYONE! So when we needed a pool added, he knew just who to work with. They worked in tandem and articulated exactly what our vision was. When we wanted to do landscaping, boom, done! His team would communicate directly with my landscaper to make sure the look jived with the house. We even used Jim’s Team for interior design! They helped us source the furniture and accessories, coordinate the look and make sure everything was perfect! This is my dream home, and I love that he helped us get to it. Thank you Jim and team, we are forever grateful!

Stu Weiss

JIM COANE is the single, most-trusted, most relied upon name in my every real estate holding. I have been fortunate to be able to call upon Jim since 1993 for every one of my real estate ventures, residential and commercial. The environmental enjoyment of space is vital to my employee's creativity and success, my company's growth and our personal happiness. My collaboration with him has achieved enormous and unexpected benefits. Jim's designs and insights have brought balance, logic and extraordinary comfort to my completely out-of-balance life. It is incalculable how many compliments I get from clients, potential employees and celebrities who visit our offices. His home design has also proven to be a timeless masterpiece, still garnering unsolicited compliments 25 years after the last wood plank was set. Jim Coane is a treasure and his genius and craftsmanship are gifts that impact almost every hour of my every day. I could not be more blessed.

James Hodson

I've been using James Coane for eight years now... From a major kitchen remodel to redesigning my home office James and his team have been outstanding in every way. That's why when ever I make a structural or design change to my home.. my first call is to James Coane.

Rob Lyddon

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.

John Simpson

Have worked with Coane and Associates on 4 large projects. Jim's creativity and respect for function is quite exceptional. Each project exceeded my expectations.

Mel Blaney

James Coane has been my architect of choice on over a half dozen major projects, both commercial and residential, He has always impressed me with his amazing design skills which is why I keep hiring him. He and his associates are consummate professionals who have continually delivered a creative product that has always exceeded my expectations.

cindy lam

The reason we initially chose James Coane was because he was able to see our vision of a home as well as designed it precisely as we had envisioned. He was familiar with the city code and was able to work with the design planning committee to get the plan approved. James is professional and delivered what he had promised us.