Design Philosophy and Process

Architectural Style

Jim believes that the essence of a good house lies in the site design, the flow or the floor plan and the transition of spaces. The design should respond to the topography, the views, the sun, and energy conservation concerns. And it should respond to the particular lifestyle of the client. This has little to do with the Architectural Style, He has designed a classical stucco, tile-roofed house for Hillsborough, a glass and steel contemporary house for Woodside, and a log house for Sun Valley. He believes that the Architectural Style should reflect the taste of the owner as well as the community in which it is placed.

Process

The experience of designing and building a house should be an enjoyable one. One key is good communication. During the design process, Jim has frequent meetings with his clients, followed by meeting minutes, to insure that all of his client's ideas are incorporated in the design.
For the Construction Phase, his services include the selection of a good contractor, weekly construction conferences (followed by minutes), and a careful tracking of project costs. See discussion on Construction Costs below.

Experience

Jim designed and built his first house almost 35 years ago; since then, He has completed over 50 residential projects, including 30 new houses, including his own house in Woodside, which won an AIA design award and appeared in Architectural Record Houses. It was subsequently published internationally. He has designed residences in Woodside, Palo Alto, Atherton, Hillsborough, Los Altos, and Portola Valley, as well as Santa Rosa, Sonoma, Santa Cruz, and Sun Valley.

Personal Service

18 years ago, after being a Team Leader for large Institutional Projects, Jim became a sole practitioner again, doing what he loves the most … residential design. As he is the only one listening to the client, the architectural program is directly translated into lines on paper, thereby eliminating possible misunderstandings or ideas lost in translation.

3D Simulation

Jim works with his son to develop three-dimensional computer models of every project. These models can accurately depict materials, shadows and architectural details, and can be manipulated by the client on his or her own computer. These simulations are also very useful for presentations to Design Review Boards.

Construction Costs

Jim’s record of cost control is excellent. First of all, he takes the clients' budget very seriously. As soon as he develops a schematic design, he reviews it one or more contractors to establish a realistic construction budget. A Contactor is selected early in the process so that he can help to value engineer the design as it progresses through working drawings and maintain control over the budget.

Architectural Fee

Jim prefers to work on a fixed fee based on a percentage of the Construction Budget, usually between 8% and 12%, depending on the size of the project. This includes engineering, energy calculations, and construction supervision.

Design Review

As chairman of the Architectural Review Board for the town of Woodside for many years, Jim is very familiar with the Design Review process which is now required in many communities.

Artistic Background

As a Landscape painter (www.jimcaldwellart.com), Jim brings a certain extra artistic sensibility to his Architectural Projects.