JE Caldwell Architect

JE Caldwell has provided architetural services to me in building two residential projects. In both of these projects i am very happy with his professionalism in providing quality work, especially in designng the home with good natural lighing, suitable for indoor/outdoor living in California. He meets deadlines and has been able to work within my budget. I have no hesitation in recommending him to the person who is looking for an architect to design the next home.

Our family enjoys window shopping in Woodside- your big landscapes are my favorite. And the indoor water feature in the Woodside home you designed is something!

Jim designed and supervised the gut remodel of my circa 1906 home in Woodside nearly 20 years ago and subsequently helped me with the new construction of a two bedroom guest house, a pool house and a 4 car garage and full landscape renovations. With the original remodel, Jim did an excellent job maintaining the integrity of the existing design while expanding the home and creating an ideal environment for today's family living. The new structures integrate perfectly with the original home for a cohesive, classically elegant estate compound. Jim was a delight to work with. He is a creative problem-solver while welcoming owner input. He is extremely organized and professional, and is particularly adept at dealing with community planning departments. I have the highest for regard for Jim as a professional and he has become a good friend over the years as well.

Jim is not only a great designer, he's very detailed and diligent. His follow through and supervision is excellent. He also does something very unusual for an architect: he listens to the client. He has a way of taking your ideas and improving upon them. Our house is not a particular style (eg Italian villa). Jim made it unique. We built our house out of Nudura, an alternative building material. Jim had never used it but was totally open to trying something new. Jim also works by himself so you're not getting passed around from person to person in an architectural office. Highest recommendation.

The house in Woodside is on Hooper Lane, an old and beautiful property and Jim Caldwell created one of the best contemporary houses in the Woodside, Atherton, Portola Valley area. I have looked at many houses in that area, and there is no contemporary house that is comparable. Jim Caldwell’s creative process began the project by asking, “What kind of a house do you want?” I replied, "…wood and glass and very open with a flat roof.” He returned with strong initial design with a flat foam roof. We worked together in a team effort led by his artful design sense and calm demeanor. Jim followed some of my suggestions when they made sense and was wise where they would not work well and redrew the house plan, always conscious of time and expense. The house is a modern masterpiece with long, straight lines that are joined by the gentle curves of circular windows and the rounded screened porch and the bar that overlooks the back garden. The foyer opens into a long, 16-foot tall, light filled gallery, perfect for our large contemporary art canvasses that adorn the walls. The open and airy floor plan epitomizes California Living, and the lightly colored beech wood and limestone flooring flow throughout the house tying the entire 5500 square foot home together. Windows bank cathedral ceilings ranging and skylights bathe the interior in natural light. Large picture windows line the exterior walls and frame outside views of the many majestic live oaks and woodsy natural beauty surrounding three-acre property. Jim Caldwell managed a skilled team that included, Contractor, R.J. Dailey, who fully executed his plans, and Interior Designer, Gailie Hopf, ensured that the décor was consistent and complementary to his design. The house was completed on time and on budget, and Jim was often present to oversee its construction and great attention to detail. The house is a gem, wonderful for living and entertaining, totally contemporary, and everything works beautifully. What more can I say of perfection in design and architectural beauty that makes living in Woodside a joy. Jim Caldwell has a painter’s artistic eye for color, light, and texture with the attention to detail, vision, and skill of an extraordinary architect, whose talents culminate in the creation of beautiful living spaces.

Jim worked with us on building our Bay Area house, finished 9 years ago. This was after we had started planning with a famous architect from New York and decided we were not getting the house that we wanted. Jim correctly insisted on a complete restart of the process. We worked for a year on plans and then two years of construction and produced a fabulous house. Jim listened to what we wanted, found a way to incorporate it all into the plans and stayed with us throughout the construction process. It was a large project of almost 8000 square feet and he did a great job. The expected overruns on the project were due to our material and finish changes and not his plans. His aesthetic was clean, as we wanted, and we give him our highest references. He is also a superb artist and one of his paintings hangs in my study!

We have used Jim as our architect for two houses now. I love working with Jim and cannot imagine a better experience with an architect. Jim listened to our requirements both times and translated them into two very different houses (one for a busy family with children, and one for an older couple that needed ADA compliance). Jim's designs are functional and beautiful. Jim was with us through the whole process, from idea and property selection, to town design reviews and permitting, to choosing a GC, to the building process. He works with a great team of contractors, interior designers and landscape architects to deliver a completed house of amazing quality and craftmanship.