James McDonald Associate Architects, PC

5.09 Reviews

Architects

6x Best of Houzz winner

Award winning

Custom work

About Us

DC Metro Architect | Best of Houzz 2014-2018

James has been designing award-winning and best-selling homes for nearly 20 years. He has provided a range of services to clients throughout Washington, DC, Virginia and Maryland, as well as Delaware, Pennsylvania and North Carolina. The custom homes James has designed range in size, scope and style. Some of the smaller homes are highly detailed jewel boxes full of light, space, detail and charm. The larger homes range from grand manor homes to homes of understated elegance. These homes are filled with light, space and detail while keeping a balance of proportion, scale and livability. Remodeling projects provide the chance to enhance the living environment within the unique budget and project constrains of each home. We focus the energy of the project on the locations of the home that will provide the largest impact on future living. With this focus we strive to solve the unique design requirements with innovative solutions

Services Provided

Architectural Drawings, Building Design, Custom Home, Home Additions, Home Remodeling, Home Restoration, House Plans, 3D Home Design

Areas Served

Arlington, Ashburn, Bethesda, Cabin John, Chantilly, Countryside, Darnestown, Derwood, Dranesville, Dulles, Dulles Town Center, Dunn Loring, Fairfax, Falls Church, Floris, Gaithersburg, Germantown, Glen Echo, Glen Echo Heights, Great Falls, Greenbriar, Greenway, Herndon, Idylwood, Jefferson, Kensington, Lowes Island, North Bethesda, North Potomac, Pimmit Hills, Potomac, Reston, Sterling, Tysons Corner, Vienna, West Mclean, Wolf Trap, Mc Lean

Awards

2015 GALA Awards, Custom Home 3,000-5,000 S,f,2015 GALA Awards, Remodeling $500K-$1,000,000MNCBIA 2014 GOLD Custom Home, MNCBIA 2014MNCBIA 2014 BRONZE Whole house renovation

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68 Projects

McLean, VA

Credentials

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Write a Review

9 Reviews for James McDonald Associate Architects, PC

5.0|9 reviews

Work Quality

5.0

Communication

5.0

Value

5.0

Joy Design + Build

Relationship

Colleague

As a custom home builder, it's important that every partner that we bring to the client experience shares the same dedication to excellence that we do. At Joy Design + Build we know that when we work with James McDonald, we are absolutely bringing our A-team! James is patient, thoughtful, creative and innovative. He's responsive and considerate both to our needs and timelines, as well as the client's vision and budget. He has magical powers with his pad of paper and pen and can bring a vision to life- literally right in front of your eyes! Together we've created dozens of homes for families throughout the Northern Virginia area so I can speak from experience when I say that you will never regret making the decision to choose James McDonald as your residential architect. John Joy President, CEO and Builder Joy Design + Build

December 7, 2020

taraxeller

Relationship

Client

My husband and I have been working with JMA for the last 6 months on a full home remodel in Reston. From day one, James and his staff have been a pleasure to work with. James led the design and after 2 short visit with my husband and I, he came back with exactly what we were looking for. As we have worked through additional details for the project, he has continued to be very timely and reliable in delivering on our requests. He even came to a Reston Association meeting and helped us present the project to the Design board - and we got it approved in the meeting. I would highly recommend James and his firm for anyone looking to build or remodel their home. He is creative, very professional, and has always gone the extra mile for us.

August 24, 2016Last modified:August 24, 2016

Allyson Geber

Relationship

Client

My husband and I have been working with James and his team to build our custom home, and to say that they've exceeded our expectations is an understatement! We came to James with a vision of the interior flow. He listened to everything that was important to us and was able to use his expertise to make our vision work perfectly on the lot. He also creatively designed the exterior to beautifully suit the neighborhood. We are beyond delighted!

December 14, 2015

Mike Mafi

Relationship

Client

James McDonald Associates is my architect for the custom homes that I build in Northern Virginia. I have been doing business with Mr. McDonald for the last 12 years. He has designed from 5,500 sf to 25,000 sf houses for my company “The Building Group Inc.”. His design has received GALA and Monument awards for the last 10 years. His designs are unique and very welcoming to my clients. He is a talented individual and very creative designer.

May 12, 2015

bets5283

Relationship

Client

James McDonald and his team exceeded our highest expectations in designing our custom home! James did a great job of putting our vision on paper and guiding us to a design that met our needs both aesthetically and functionally, while keeping within our budget. We are getting ready to begin construction and are very happy that James and Lynne met every deadline. A huge thanks to a team that was knowledgeable and personable so that our overall experience was totally positive. We look forward to working with James again in the future!

February 4, 2014

Architectural Construction

Relationship

Client

James McDonald, Lynn McDonald, and staff designed a wonderful Craftsman spec house for our construction company in Great Falls, VA. Because of the fine architecture, the home sold before we even began construction. We've worked with James on other custom residential projects as well, and our clients have all had the highest level of satisfaction with the architectural process and end product. I highly recommend James McDonald Associate Architects for new home design & major additions/renovation projects. Robert McCormick, Managing Director, Architectural Construction LLC.

January 29, 2014Last modified:January 29, 2014

joyeusaz

Relationship

Colleague

James listens to what my clients want. Asks the right questions. And delivers exactly what they are looking for every time. The right square footage, full of light, their special look or elevation and the perfect flow. I would recommend him to any client who is looking for a great Architect but not to my competitors! Enjoy!

May 28, 2013Last modified:May 28, 2013

westine

Relationship

Client

My husband and I in the process of building our dream home in McLean, VA. Throughout the building experience, I'd have to say James McDonald is definitely one of the highlights. From our first conversation, he understood what we want and was able to translate our thoughts onto paper. He's approachable and he listens, he's able to give input when needed. His experience contributed so much to our project. Overall, working with James has been an amazing experience, I would highly recommend him to anyone whose in need of a wonderful experienced architect to design their dream home.

May 22, 2013Last modified:May 22, 2013

Sujata Avasthi

Relationship

Client

James was the third architect we interviewed when we made a decision to build our dream home. After meeting him we cancelled all the rest. I am a real estate professional and I have come across some great works of art in the form of houses and have met their creators. What impressed me about James McDonald was his ability to listen carefully and understand our needs, It's like we told him our dream and he put it on paper even better than we had dreamt it. Throughout the building process he was available and willing to make any changes big or small, if practically possible. We trusted him completely and he never let us down. He has the highest work ethics and a stellar team to help him through extremely busy periods too. We would highly recommend him to anyone thinking of building a custom home or even remodeling an existing one.

May 10, 2013Last modified:May 28, 2013

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43 Comments

Commented: How high is the ceiling in this garage?When working on specialty garages like this, we do ask the question what type of vehicles are likely to be stacked. We will typically set the minimum height of 13' in the garage like what is shown. ...

February 10, 2021

Commented: Light fixtureI believe the Fixture was selected from Ferguson showroom in the Washington DC area.

October 20, 2019

Commented: RefrigeratorYes, you are correct. A counter depth refridge/freezer built into the cabinets.

October 5, 2019

Commented: Nice paint color! Can you share?This was a cementitious coating on the brick referred to as Pastel coat. I do not have the specific color from the clients selection. the coating can be found from Boral Brick and is painted on over...

January 23, 2019

Commented: who was the architect?Hi, Thank you for your question. James McDonald Associate Architects was the Architect for this project. let me know if you have any additional questions.

March 19, 2018

Commented: Vanity chairI am sorry I do not know where the homeowner purchased the vanity chair.

February 12, 2017

James McDonald Associate Architects, PC