Jeanne Liem Architecture + Design

We intended to add an ADU to the second floor and a bathroom to the first floor of our house in La Jolla. Our goal was to keep as many features of the existing house and garden as possible. Jeanne managed to translate these wishes into a beautiful and practical design that would also stay within our budget. Throughout the process Jeanne was a good listener, always attentive to the countless ideas, concerns and questions we had. She was quick to offer creative and professional solutions and patiently walked us through the various steps of the project. Thanks to her foresight and the thoroughness of her plans, the result now is as close to our vision as it can be. We are very grateful and happy to have trusted the realization of our projects into Jeanne's competent hands.

We have had an extremely positive experience working with Jeanne and highly recommend her. She went through many rounds of revisions for us with a good attitude and demonstrated professionalism throughout the whole process.

I enjoyed working with Jeanne. She is very detailed with her work and I felt like I could really trust her.

We had the pleasure of working with Jeanne on our home renovation, and we couldn’t be happier with the experience. From design to securing city permits, Jeanne was professional, skilled, and supportive every step of the way. She took the time to understand our vision and ensured our plans stayed within budget, making thoughtful, practical suggestions throughout. Her deep knowledge of city regulations helped us navigate restrictions with ease, and her responsiveness made the process stress-free. Jeanne also made the permit process seamless, providing clear steps so we always knew what to expect. Her expertise and friendly demeanor made our renovation journey enjoyable, and we’re excited to start construction! We highly recommend Jeanne to anyone looking for a talented, detail-oriented architect who truly puts clients first.

Jeanne is very professional. Her communication is prompt and excellent. She has great architectural ideas and has been very helpful in guiding me through the remodel process so far.

Jeanne is super punctual and easy to work with. She listens to your ideas and helps to make them better. I am also impressed by her attention to detail over the course of the entire project (whereas we noticed other architects submitted proposals with obvious errors). She certainly maximized our square footage to its fullest potential. We are thankful to have had Jeanne’s expertise on our project.

We absolutely loved working with Jeanne. She is responsive, thoughtful, and kind. We are demolishing our tiny old home in Pacific Beach and rebuilding it. Technically it's a "remodel" so the process can go through permitting without dealing with the coastal commission. Jeanne is an expert with all of the technicalities of building near the beach in San Diego. There are so many rules and regulations and Jeanne guided us through that entire process. Her team got our plans through permitting with the City of San Diego with no issue. We reached out to Jeanne initially because she had a project going in our neighborhood. When we looked at her online portfolio, we saw that she had done similar projects to ours. Our house is on a "skinny lot" where every inch counts. While interviewing other architects, many gave us the impression that the space constraints were going to be a problem for them. For Jeanne, it was no problem at all! Her designs were creative and clever and use every inch wisely. Jeanne was not the first architect we spoke to, but our initial meeting with her was quite different than the other architects we met with. She *listened*. She observed everything and took a lot of notes. She looked closely at our lot, our neighbors' houses and where their windows and homes were compared to ours -- all in our first meeting. It was obvious to us that she was focused and looking closely at everything. Your architect needs this level of attention to detail! Not to mention the fact that we asked about three million questions along the way and Jeanne answered everything and was extremely helpful and patient. Jeanne is a gem. Total professional.

Jeanne Liem is a great architect. She is smart and is a great communicator. Questions regarding plans or changes were mostly answered the same day. She work with a runner that keeps permits moving through the city. I highly recommend Jeanne. Chuck B

It was a pleasure to work with Jeanne on our home addition in La Jolla. Jeanne came up with a plan that was both creative and clearly well thought through that blended the existing home and addition seamlessly. She was fun to work with, very responsive, and has helped turn our dream addition into a reality. We couldn't speak highly enough of our experience from start to finish!

We are happy to write a review on behalf of Jeanne Liem Architecture + Design. In June of 2023 we purchased a home in Ocean Beach, San Diego, CA. It was our intention to build a small ADU on the property. A contractor friend highly recommended Jeanne as the architect to help us with our project. We are so grateful for the referral. Jeanne has been professional and attentive to our every need throughout the design and planning stage. Our project was challenging as our ADU had to fit onto a small footprint. Fortunately, Jeanne has expertise in working with small spaces. She created a few designs that allowed us to make choices as to what would best suit our needs. After we decided on a design, Jeanne moved our project through the structural engineering phase and then through the City Permit process. To anyone considering undertaking a similar project, we highly recommend Jeanne Liem Architecture + Design.

Jeanne provided all my architectural needs! From being creative, solving design challenges, to communicating efficiently, Jeanne delivered on all fronts! I highly recommend her. Thank you Jeanne!

We had the pleasure of working with Jeanne Liem, an exceptional architect, on a significant remodel and extension of our house. We are immensely satisfied with both the process and the design. Jeanne was outstanding throughout the project. She attentively listened to our vision and needs, translating them into a stunning and functional design that exceeded our expectations. She was incredibly patient with our many questions and changes, consistently providing creative solutions and guidance. Jeanne is highly thorough and pays meticulous attention to details. She is flexible and does not hesitate to provide guidance when necessary. Jeanne's communication skills are exceptional; she was always responsive, quick to solve problems, and propose innovative solutions. We highly recommend Jeanne to anyone seeking a talented and professional architect. She made the entire design and permitting process seamless and enjoyable. We are thrilled to see her vision for our dream home come to life.

We cannot speak highly enough about Jeanne. It was clear from day one, that she is a great listener who takes notes of her clients' needs. We have a cottage in La Jolla, and Jeanne did a great job of guiding us through a design process that met our needs and dreams as well as our budget and the challenging zoning requirements when close to the ocean. We have renovated other homes and appreciate an architect who can both incorporate our ideas AND help us see other new ideas and solutions--Jeanne was all that and more. She was able to hear and see what works for our lifestyle and then incorporate into our house plans. She works carefully but quickly, so the design process is not overly drawn out. Our final plans incorporate much more than we had dreamed we would be able to do. Finally, we just got our building permits today (hooray!), and I have to give Jeanne one last shoutout for making that process incredibly easy. Will add photos once the construction is done!

Although our construction has not yet started, our plans are finalized. Jeanne has been creative with ideas, prompt in turn around work, responsive with our questions within 1-2 days, cost conscious and flexible to modify plans based on our specific needs. She encouraged us to get sdge and city permit process started, and guided us with the steps to do so, and had her permit runner get the city permit within a month. She is honest and hard working. Even my dog and cat liked Jeanne!

Jeanne was absolutely fabulous to work with. I went into the project with certain ideas and she opened my eyes up to so much more. I added a bathroom and laundry room - then turned the laundry room (original) in to a walk in pantry. On the exterior, with the addition, the wall would have been very high, she added a trellis to break up the lines. I get so many compliments on how the exterior of the house looks. Jeanne was punctual, always ready to listen and share ideas, and she helped submit everything through the city. I would use her again, and I would recommend her to anyone.

Jeanne was really great. She understood what we were looking for and really provided a great design. Then when engineering required some modifications she was very fast and accurate with those. All at a great price. We highly recommend and would definitely use her again.

A few years ago I was looking for an architect and started to search on Houzz. I stumbled upon Jeanne Liem. She had great reviews and I picked her. Detailed, responsive and responsible. Ever since she filled the gap in architectural design my company had. Even though we are not affiliated I think we are making a great team that make our customer happy. Thank you Jeanne!

Jeanne has been wonderful to work with! From the design and planning all the way through submitting permits and getting approval. She has been very responsive addressing my questions and made me feel comfortable communicating my needs. Her knowledge and experience are very reassuring and I really felt taken care of. I truly enjoyed working with her and hope to work in future projects again. Thanks Jeanne for creating my dreamy ADU!

Jeanne was amazing to work with. Instead of simply saying yes or pushing to expand the scope, she really listens to the problems that you are trying to solve by doing work and then comes up with brilliant solutions to solve those while doing the least amount of work possible, thus helping from a budget perspective on the overall project. Jeanne is responsive, accessible, and reliable. She coordinates with the various parties on your behalf, making life super simple for you. It was such a pleasure to work with Jeanne.

Jeanne helped us visualize our remodel and put that visualization into a plan that was perfect for us. We couldn't be happier. She is patient, extremely knowledgeable, and very amenable to our many changes. I would recommend her to anyone who wants a great experience to go along with great work. Thanks Jeanne!

Jeanne designed my master bath and sun room addition. She made the whole design so easy by helping me decide what I wanted, I wholeheartedly recommend Jeanne as an architect. Jeanne went above-and-beyond during every step of the process. She was patient and understanding when I was giving her my ideas for the project. I would highly recommend her and look forward to working with her in the future on other house projects.

Jeanne came highly recommended to us by a friend and now we can appreciate why. We brought Jeanne on to help us integrate an outdoor space into the house and creating a new living space as well as renovate our kitchen. We opted to have her take the process through to obtaining SD city permits. She was methodical and patient in helping us flesh out our ideas. My husband and I thought we knew what we wanted but realized in our first meeting with Jeanne that we hadn't thought through all of the practical details. She asked us the right questions and provided experience-based suggestions (without pushing too hard on any of them) ultimately getting us to a design that ticked off all of the things we were looking to do and layered on a level of aesthetic design and real-life practicality that my husband and I wouldn't have gotten to without her. Jeanne was also very responsive from the beginning to the end of the process. After receiving her initial draft, she worked efficiently with us to make revisions and get to the next iteration. She also responded to emails and calls quickly as we pushed that plan through the permitting process. One last note - Jeanne is also just pleasant and friendly offering suggestions but never pushing her own thoughts on us. We highly recommend her to anyone considering a home improvement/new design project! Photos to follow ;)

Jeanne is the ultimate professional. She walked us through making choices for the exterior of our home, listening to our goals, and then working to make them happen. She is thorough, kind, and sharp—also a pleasure to work with. I recommend Jeanne Liem to anyone in need of someone you can trust who will go out of her way to make your ideas come to light. Susan and Kurt S.

Our experience with Jeanne has been nothing but wonderful. We came to her with a pretty complex project (complete home remodel and extensive addition) with a long list of “must haves” and she somehow made it all happen - plus some! We are just getting our permit issued now and cannot wait to see her design come to life.

My husband and I were so appreciative and happily surprised at how easy it was to work with Jeanne. She's bright, easygoing, and a perfectionist. She was on top of every idea and worked it into the plans we used on our home. I could go on and on, but if you want an honest, hardworking architect who works ethically and artistically, we suggest you call Jeanne Liem. If we ever do anything to our home again, it is Jeanne we will call and who we would suggest to any family and friends. Thank you, Jeanne! Dr. Kurt and Susan Stormberg

Jeanne Liem is the most professional, knowledgeable, quick, detailed oriented, affordable, and friendly architect in San Diego! She has worked on two projects for me and I highly recommend her services! Jeanne visited my house the day after I called her and gave me so many good ideas for my ADU. She got my garage conversion approved by the city and permitted into a one bedroom unit within 1.5 months of starting the project! This is almost unheard of because the city approval usually takes so much more time. She recommended me on many different angles of the project that I didn’t even consider. On my neighborhood street alone, Jeanne has proudly done atleast 5 of my neighbor’s architectural plans for their homes. I am so very happy to have partnered with Jeanne for my architectural needs.

Working with Jeanne has been wonderful. In the course of our whole-house remodeling project, I've spoken to a few of her other current and past clients, and every conversation starts with, "Isn't Jeanne great?" We have a previously remodeled and enlarged bungalow with some wasted space, some DIY repairs, and a lot of deferred maintenance. Jeanne came up with an idea to reorient the space that unlocked a new vision for the house that we believe will be the best return on our construction investment. She is prompt, thorough, and amenable to changes and ideas but ready to advise about potential pitfalls. She worked with the structural engineer on some important but finicky details to get our plans through permitting. Jeanne doesn't waste words or time, and she's remarkably efficient with email communication, though she was always available if we needed to talk through something on the phone. On top of everything, her fees are very reasonable. We highly recommend her and would gladly work with her again. Update Aug 2024: Our house remodel is now complete, and we could not be happier with the results. People remark on how well the house flows and comparing it to the pre-remodel version, one guest said, "It just makes so much more sense now." We accomplished all of our major goals--a revamped home office, a dedicated dining area, a media room that converts easily for overnight guests, an updated primary suite, and elimination of wasted space. Jeanne managed to work through a tricky problem on our outdoor deck and staircase that exceeded our expectations. None of this would have been possible without her vision, patience with our questions and decision-making process, and tenacity to see the project through permitting and into construction.

Jeanne did a fantastic and outstanding job of architecting my multi-room remodel and addition. I would work with her again on any project and I would recommend her work without hesitation. My project was to update the layout of a 1960s-era house: invent a hallway, reframe a few rooms, move the bathrooms around, and add some space to the master suite. She iterated a few rough-draft ideas with me by e-mail and this process was smooth and brisk. She then layered in the detailed plans and presented me with a few focused questions about important details such as location and style of windows. I had questions and she patiently, clearly, and concisely helped me understand the options and rationale for her suggestions. I felt very well-supported along the way. She handled all the work with the structural engineer and the building department. My plans were approved with a startling zero revisions requested by the city! Again, I would work with Jeanne again and would recommend her services to anyone in the market for an excellent architect.

We would highly recommend Jeanne Liem. We are about 60% through construction on our home addition remodel and Jeanne has been very supportive and great to work with. The plans she developed were appropriately detailed, and the design was well thought out. Jeanne helped us select the Structural Engineer and they worked hand in glove together. Jeanne has facilitated responding to questions as they have occurred and provided very timely responses! Thank you Jeanne for all your support!

We have had a very positive experience working Jeanne Liem as an architect for our home remodel and highly recommend her for multiple reasons. Since we first reached out to her, Jeanne has been very communicative and responsive to our questions and requests. Her design incorporated all of the feedback we provided, including several new ideas we had not considered before. Jeanne has delivered on everything she laid out before we got started and delivered iterations in a timely manner. We cannot wait to complete our remodel so that we can experience the new space Jeanne helped create in our home.

Jeanne has been phenomenal to work with. She made our dreams come true for both an ADU build out and a home reno and addition. She listened to us closely and was quick to respond, follow-up, and provide recommendations. We are over the moon with how the plans turned out. We already have a permit pulled on the first project and it’s underway. The second project is in permitting and working it’s way through approvals. So happy we found her and could not recommend her more!

Jeanne excellent! She planned our add on room and it turned out very nice. I would use her again for sure. She always answered emails promptly and kept me updated every step of the way.

Jeanne has been wonderful to work with. She helped us put together plans that met all our objectives but also stayed close to our budget. In addition, she ensured the permitting process was incredibly smooth. We are several months in to our renovation and Jeanne has been responsive and supportive as the project progresses.

Jeanne has been great to work with. We are remodeling our entire house while keeping within the existing footprint. Jeanne had good ideas on how to improve the usage. She is very quick to respond to our comments and provide updated design ideas. We were impressed with how smoothly the process went. I highly recommend her.

Jeanne has been an amazing partner to work with throughout the entire design, permitting and construction phase of our whole home remodel. While we are still 6 months away from completion, Jeanne was hands on at every milestone to ensure we had as smooth of a remodel process as possible.

I'm a home builder and have built a number of homes designed by Jeanne Liem. Her designs are always very thoughtful and reflect well the needs and desires of the clients. We've worked on various styles of homes (from beach cottages to contemporary designs). Clients have been thrilled with the final product as they've seen the design become a reality. In addition, Jeanne is always very responsive and is easy to work with. I highly recommend her!!

Jeanne is an amazing Architect. Her knowledge, creativity and attention to detail has provided us with a beautiful design for our second level to our home. She has always been available whenever we have a question. I would recommend her highly on any building project you might be thinking of doing. She is the best, cream of the crop, for top notch creativity and knowledge. Thank you Jeanne! Jane and Jim

From our first meeting to our last wrap up, all of our interactions were positive. Jeanne gave us very helpful suggestions and did make changes we requested to her original drawings. Her response time was quick and very good. Her experience with the various department of the City of San Diego was most beneficial in getting final approval of our plans. I would recommend Jeanne without reservation.

We've done many small renovation projects, but this one is our biggest. The home was purchased as an investment before the kids came and the intent was always to sell, but buying in this market didn't seem to make sense and our neighborhood is quiet, friendly, and in a good school district. The home had wasted small spaces, no storage, and little functionality. We engaged Jeanne to turn our 80's 1550sf track home into a functional space with 553sf of addition and a significant layout change. However, it was still an older suburban neighborhood, not Rancho Santa Fe, so we did not want to over invest in a home that would not retain the value. Jeanne, understood our needs and our cost consciousness, as well as our need for data and information to make thoughtful decisions. She always took the time to answer our questions and concerns thoughtfully and in detail. When needed, she brought in the right people to answer questions not in her scope. We had many questions, lots of back and forth, numerous revisions, and Jeanne always responded promptly, patiently, and with clarity. In the end, there was nothing about our design that we felt uneasy about. We're currently in the construction phase and there have been questions arising once the build started. Jeanne's contract has been fulfilled and concluded, but she still takes the time to answer questions from us and our GC. We're in the thick of it now and its been an arduous journey, but we are immensely grateful to Jeanne for starting off the process professionally and to impeccable standards with a great design. I only write reviews if something really sticks in my mind, negative or positive and me taking the time out of our hectic, mid-renovation, life to rave about Jeanne is a testament to her professionalism and quality as an architect. We hope you consider her for your next project, if we ever survive the construction phase and have mild amnesia around the upheaval of a renovation of this scope, we would choose Jeanne again.

We have worked with Jeanne on our second story addition and remodel in the Bay Area and now working on a complete build up in La Jolla Hermosa area (3000 sqr ft, two story farm house style home). There are many things we love about Jeanne from her creative eye, her precision, her design sensibility, her network, her wealth of knowledge, her promptness and quality of work but one thing she stand above the rest is her constant and never changing attitude towards professionalism. Jeanne strives to ensure the customer is beyond satisfied and she is more of a collaborator and partner than anything. She is honest, fair in her assessment, provides options and trade offs. Even during stressful times, Jeanne is a calming presence, easing and uncertainty and effective in her work with other collaborators. Jeanne goes above and beyond and on top, she is kind, brilliant and just talented. Highly recommend.

Jeanne was very responsive and listened to what we wanted. We had the planner from hell and she continued to push even after the structural engineer quit. I appreciated her tenacity and hard work in getting the permit for our project.

Jeanne did the major remodel on our house in Coronado. She was extremely easy to work with, very efficient and attended to our family’s needs like no other architect we had worked with. We are very satisfied with her work and would work again with her on future projects.

Jeanne provided Architectural design services for a major kitchen remodel we completed for our home in San Diego in 2021. This included creating a larger kitchen by moving an exterior wall and stripping the kitchen down to studs. We added an island, new cabinets, appliances, flooring, and more. Moving the outside wall required modifying the front façade of the home. The compliment often we hear from our neighbors is the new design blends well with the existing house and it doesn't look like a remodel. We had many very specific ideas that we brought to Jeanne. She listened well and not only included our ideas but made suggestions to improve upon them. The final construction drawings were detailed well and the plans received building permit approval with minimal comments from the City. There were no change orders based on any missing or inaccurate information on the plans that Jeanne produced. Jeanne was great to work with and we are very pleased with the result. We highly recommending Jeanne as a talented and technically competent Architect that is very easy to work with.

This was our first time working with an architect and we couldn't be happier! We worked with Jeanne Liem to design plans for a home addition project. She listened to our needs and budget and worked with us to create a design we love. Jeanne was always prompt with meetings and communication through email and phone. She was clear in guiding us through the design and approval process and was very helpful in responding to all of our questions and concerns. She provided several versions and design choices that would work with our existing structure and style. We were very happy with the process and highly recommend Jeanne Liem's services.

Jeanne was excellent to work with - calm, professional, fast turnaround. She is very sharp, including about building code. She delivered what we asked for, and we would definitely work with her again. People we don’t even know approach us on the street all the time to tell us how good the house looks.

Jeanne is an absolute professional who clearly understands her roles and responsibilities. Jean is intelligent, sharp, and very clear in her communication. I have been very impressed with the thoroughness of Jeanne's work and her follow through to make sure the job is done in a timely manner. Jeanne is also a gem of a person and an absolute pleasure to work with. I also like that Jeanne makes helpful recommendations that I need for my house. Jeanne worked closely with the city to do preliminary historic review of my home and did it exceptionally well. Jeanne also worked closely with the drafter of my home renovation plans and worked very well with him. Overall I am very impressed with Jeanne and I not only recommend her strongly but also plan to use her services again in the near future. We are very fortunate to have Jeanne in SD.

Jeanne was referred to me by my general contractor for my ADU. I was immediately impressed with her proactivity and her attention to detail. I wanted a few specific designs in my ADU project, and Jeanne ensured those details is with the design. Since this is my first time dealing with a significant renovation project such as ADU, Jeanne answered all of my questions and gave me all possible options to make sure I make the best decision. Bottom line, if you want someone professional and will be by your side every step of the process, you will enjoy the help of Jeanne Liem.

Jeanne is thoughtful, knowledgeable, and really listens to what her clients want. We had such a fantastic experience working with her. She helped us get a full set of plans done and approved in record time. And she put up with our litany of questions and requests for modifications. A true professional!

Jeanne did an excellent job to help us obtain needed permits to expand our family room. She personally visited our home, took time to understand our needs, and provided sound advice on different options we were exploring. Her communication and follow up skills were top-notch and made the process less stressful. Despite COVID related delays, we now have approved plans and look forward to begin the construction process to expand our room. So thankful we found someone trustworthy and knowledge! Rick P

Jeanne was so wonderful to work with! She was very attentive and worked very quickly, working around the clock to get our plans done for our major house remodel. Thanks to her, we were able to work together on our plans to have them submitted to the city for permit approval...all during the pandemic. We are so thankful for her skills and wonderful ideas to help make our dreams a reality. She has gone above and beyond a number of times to help us. Her commitment to helping her clients and professionalism made the whole process from start to finish so smooth. She is also a great team player, working and communicating well with our GC and interior designer. We highly recommend Jeanne!

We hired Jeanne for a complete home remodel and had a great experience. We would have no problems recommending her to any friends. Originally, we interviewed quite a few architects for our project (about $500,000 remodel). I used both Yelp and Houzz to find architects and set up interviews with about 5. We ultimately chose Jeanne based on her resume, her portfolio and her price. Her being local was a bonus. Our project involved redesign of the master suite, addition of a bathroom and entry closet, redesign of laundry room, and the largest change which was addition of a rooftop deck. We greatly appreciated her advice on all design decisions we made and her experience gave us confidence and trust in the advice she gave us. She accommodated multiple design decisions, and reworked the deck solution multiple times to factor in permitting issues. Overall I would say she’s easy to work with, prompt with responses, knowledgeable and good at what she does. Have confidence if you decide to hire her for your project. (I would take photos but we moved in recently and we have stuff everywhere lol)

We hired Jeanne to imagine the best way to add two bedrooms and a bathroom to our 3 bedroom 2 bath house, to accommodate our growing family. She really listens and shares insight without being pushy at all. It was a real pleasure working with her. The plans were sent quickly, revised promptly when we had comments and processed as soon as feasible through her permit runner (it still takes a while at the City). She is exceptionally responsive by email and phone and we are thrilled with her work and can hardly wait to see it realized when we finally are done with construction. We are happy to recommend her to anyone!

As one of the contractors that works with Jeanne, I appreciate how clean and concise her plans are. Ease of building is how I judge plans and Jeanne's plans are always a pleasure to work from. Remodeling always comes with some unknowns (existing conditions) Jeanne is always very responsive to any questions that come up throughout the construction process. I have and will continue to recommend her to future clients. Raymond Peterson Peterson Remodeling, Inc.

I have had the opportunity to work with Jeanne on a number of projects with her designs in place. Her plans are always thorough and well thought out. Along with her excellent detail in design, she is always available for any questions or guidance when needed. She is a pleasure to work with and I hope to be able to work with her in the future.

We loved our experience working with Jeanne. This is our first home renovation project and Jeanne did a wonderful job laying out an optimal vision for our space, as well as explaining to us how the process would work, and what to expect. She was extremely patient answering all of our questions and making our barrage of changes without complaint. A pleasant surprise was how quickly Jeanne responded and returned with something for us to react to. We would definitely recommend her and would welcome her services with any of our future projects.

Jeanne was awesome to work with on our downstairs design and permit process. She was always on time and was on top of the whole process. We would definitely work with her again!

Jeanne is very conscientious and thorough. We appreciated excellent communication and attention to detail. She was referred by a friend who is a developer of unique projects and was very happy with her services. Thanks Jeanne.

Jeannie is a very attentive and friendly architect to work with! She came up with design ideas that were aesthetically nice and economically sound. Our house has historical elements that needed to be considered. She was great in paying attention to details to make sure we were up to code. I was impressed with her work ethic, as she was responsive and had a quick turnaround time!

We had the opportunity to collaborate with Jeanne on a couple of projects and would HIGHLY recommend her services and skills. We interviewed over 10 architects prior to selecting her and we are very happy we did. The final product turned out to be very creative and truly amazing. She brought great ideas to the table that have real meaning. You will not be disappointed.

I was looking for a perfect match for my "Forever Home" project. I experienced prior small and large house renovations and by experience I learned this special partner should translate our dreams and envisioned a successful product without breaking our budget. Jeanne Liem was the one who brought perspective and experience. She listens to our ideals and brings a concise plan. She is prompt and responsive even during the COVID's peak when we were overwhelmed with work and family, she helped us push the permit thru. Her easy personalized access approach brings an open channel that it is vital when so much is at stake. I should add this is not unique to me, I share this contact with my friends and others and I know they are pleased with her work as well

Jeanne listened to our wishes and worked with our ideas. She effectively drew the plans we needed to get the permit to proceed with our project. She communicates mostly via email, which worked for us. Her services were clearly explained ahead of time in writing. When we made changes, Jeanne was willing to adjust the plans accordingly. The best part was her referring us to Ray Peterson, a superb general contractor.

After talking to a remodeling company, we realized their Architect, who was super nice, was conflicted since he works for the company rather than us. So we decided to look for an Independent Architect and after reading a lot of reviews we met with Jeanne and realized there was no need to look further. Jeanne was very meticulous and listened very calmly to our ideas and thoughts and gave honest, constructive feedback on each one. We had bought a 1980 house on a hill, and wanted to update the basics like bathroom, etc... But we needed a good Architect in order to convert the leaky tiled roof over the kitchen and dining room extension in the back to a deck to enjoy the views. We also needed to make the front entrance ADA friendly and fix the stairs in the process to be compatible with a chair lift in the future. Jeanne recommended opening up the Foyer into the porch to get more space and a central door. And offered very good pointers on what to expect from the updates of the rooms and bathrooms. Jeanne came up with an initial plan and gave us a list of Contractors so we could get a realistic picture of the issues involved, costs, etc... We asked to revise the plan since we did not want to make extensive changes to the structure of the old house, and we realized we had gotten used to the layout over the 2 years we had lived there. Jeanne was very patient, she had already gotten the permit approved for the original plan. We redid the plans so there would be minimal change in the interior, but we would still update the bathrooms, and get the front entrance and rear deck sorted out. We ended up working with Carlos Madrazo, a Contractor recommended by Jeanne, and got the work completed recently, just before Covid and lockdowns. These projects tend to be tough in the best of circumstances, and we think ours went off very well. Jeanne was great to work with. She is a professional and very competent. We strongly recommend her to anyone who is looking for a calm and professional Architect. I have included some pictures to show the Before and After so you can see the results for yourselves. Good luck.

Jeanne is an absolute gem! 10 out of 10. This is my first construction project so I am pretty clueless about the design process, permitting, etc. Jeanne has patiently and thoroughly guided me through it all. She completed the construction documents in record time and always responded quickly to my emails. She is a great listener and provides invaluable guidance to the design. The quality of her work is outstanding. I highly recommend her and would use her again in the future. She's the best!

Jeanne is very professional, efficient , and prompt to work with! She has a great team that quickly put together a complete permit package for my project and got it approved by the city. I will definitely use her services again!

My son and daughter-in-law purchased a home in San Diego and asked me to help convert a carport to enclosed garage. I live in Los Angeles and know nothing about converting a carport, let alone permit requirements and procedures. I was extremely lucky to have found Jeanne Liem Architecture and design. I was very cautious, since I did not know anything about Jeanne Liem. I found everything I could about her on the internet. I sent her numerous emails and many phone calls before signing the contract. With each correspondence or phone call Jeanne Liem was extremely responsive. She answered each and every question, and all my concerns, with straight forwardness and preciseness. She guided me through each step of the permit process, preparing me in advance with all required forms and procedures. She took great diligences in gathering all the pertinent property information, both measurements and legal information for the permit plans. Her plans were so detailed that when I went through plan check there were no changes. She made what I thought was going to be a very stressful situation a wonderful learning experience. Again, all I can say is I am very lucky to have found Jeanne Liem.

I hired Jeanne to do a complete remodel and addition in North Pacific Beach. This required demo to most of my home, steel beam installation to raise the ceiling height and complete redesign. My husband passed away unexpectedly during the permit process and Jeanne helped me get the house completed. Jeanne is easy to work with, answers questions and resolves problems very quickly. She helped me find sub-contractors and specialty contractors and is conscious of pricing. When the inspector had concerns-she took care of it. I will hire Jeanne again for my next project.

Jeanne Liem helped design our master bathroom. To say that this project was a challenge is an understatement. Ms. Liem came, assessed the bathroom and immediately came up with multiple sketches for us and the contractor. Jeanne is highly intelligent and gifted. She articulated her ideas to the contractor with precision and clarity. I love my bathroom and highly recommend Jeanne Liem.

We interviewed 2 other architects for a total remodel of our beach house with underground parking and we thought Jeanne was the one who could best deliver and would be the easiest to work with. She was upfront with the scope of work and cost so that there are no surprises. She explained the process step by step and was honest in giving us the time frame and potential challenges with permits, etc. She listened to our ideas, gave us her recommendations, and made changes as requested. She has a very calm demeanor and very easy to talk to. She made time to meet with us based on our busy schedule. She is quick to respond to any questions we have via email or phone. It was a pleasure working with her.

I have worked with several architects & designers over the years, and Jeanne stands heads above the rest. Jeanne is an extremely talented designer and architect. She designed a residential remodel for me, adding a master suite and deck. Jeanne had vision to use the space in the best way possible, in ways that did not occur to me at first. She is very knowledgeable in building requirements and tradespeople and was able to get the project signed-off quickly. I highly recommend Jeanne and hope to work with her again on my next remodel.

Jeanne was instrumental in our extensive hotel remodel, her dedication and professionalism was highly appreciated in providing the best product for our guests, highly recommended!

Jeanne is great to work with, and I loved the concept that she provided for my dental office. She is creative and worked hard to make the office beautiful. I would highly recommend her:)

I hired Jeanne to do an extensive remodel of my house including adding on a large family room, expanding the master bedroom including a large bathroom and doing major AC/lighting changes. She was great to work with as we went back and forth between what I wanted and what was feasible. She came up with a novel solution to make the new master bath work space wise. Jeanne help me pick a contractor and make choices on many of the early design features such as lighting placement. Periodically, Jeanne came out and checked on how the construction was going. Very pleased with the final outcome and would recommend Jeanne to anyone doing a substantial remodel.

It has been a pleasure working with Jeanne on my North Poway home’s addition and remodel project. First and foremost, she is an excellent listener. She has the talent, skill, and clarity of organization to take an initial conceptual design and complete it into a set of City-approved working drawings. Hand in hand with her listening skills, she is also an excellent communicator. Her response time is quick and she promptly acknowledges and addresses all concerns. Additionally, she coordinates and works very well with engineers, consultants, and City Building Department staff. As an architect, Jeanne Liem is the ultimate professional - with an impeccable eye and sense for design. I highly recommend her services, and I look forward to working with her again on future projects!

We found Jeanne through Houzz and asked for a meeting based on her great reviews. Since our initial meeting we have been extremely impressed with Jeanne’s technical skills as an architect as well as her ability to connect with her clients. She listens to what you want and/or need, and asks questions accordingly. She guides you without being pushy and has an endless amount of patience. We are now in the beginning stages of a large home remodel, and are so appreciative of having Jeanne as part of our team. She has been someone we trust completely, and know we can count on 100% in a process that can leave you feeling out of control. We refer her constantly and will continue to do so because she is a great partner.

We love working with Jeanne for our master bedroom/bathroom project. She helped us figure out the most efficient layout for our bathroom and gave us alternative designs that would fit our space requirement. One of the challenges we faced was to figure out where we should place our two-people jacuzzi tub without taking too much space but yet making it accessible for maintenance. We love the end result of our master bathroom and have recommended her to our friends. We look forward to working with her again for our kitchen remodeling project.

We interviewed several architects before hiring Jeanne. She was referred to us by a friend who had nothing but good things to say! We feel the same. The project involves turning an existing kitchen into a bathroom and adding a new kitchen/great room to a house on a small city lot. Jeanne was knowledgeable, professional and responsive. Her quote was reasonable and there were no surprises in terms of fees or expenses. Very important to us, she was a good listener... paying attention to our feedback and ideas and incorporating those things into the final project. She consistently delivered timely, high quality, well rendered work. We recommend her to you without reservation! We have our permits and we have broken ground on the new room addition. Current pic shows the basic outline of the foundation for the new construction. Expect additional pictures to post sometime after the first of the year.

I had a great time working with Jeanne on putting new addition to our house. She is a good listener and knowledgeable and talented about what she is doing. She is patient in dealing with our changing requests and requests from the city,the historical society and etc. I highly recommend her.

Jeanne was very quick, responsive, and easy to work with. She designed a beautiful master suite with walk in closet, huge bathroom, and beautiful bathroom for guests. Even though I told her I didn't care what the front of the house looked like, she made sure the curb appeal was beautiful and tied in nice architectural elements. So happy we hired her!

After considering a kitchen remodel for several years and speaking with numerous designers and contractors, Jeanne was a breath of fresh air! By carefully listening to what we wanted rather than telling us what we needed, she was able to give us the confidence to finally move forward. Her calm demeanor and good taste made the seemingly insurmountable task of picking out the right materials and colors easy. With her help my long dreamed of mid-century kitchen nook came to life and we now have a kitchen that is both beautiful and functional. We would highly recommend Jeanne Liem for any remodel project.

Jeanne Liem, what an incredible architect and conceptualist of space. She takes the time to understand your intention, giving feedback and making changes along the way to satisfy the clients needs. What stood out most to me about Jeanne was her prompt response time to answer our questions and delivery of the rough plans, city permits, and final plans. Her detailed plans were complemented by both the general contractor and structural engineer. If we build again, Jeanne will be our preferred architect.

My wife and I wanted to expand our 2/1 720 sq ft Windansea cottage to a 3/2 without adding a second story (essentially taking the whole house to the studs and expanding to max setbacks). The challenge was that our lot is only 3500 sq ft and the setbacks were ambiguous. We chose Jeanne after meeting with more than 10 architects and ‘design build” companies. Many of the design build companies sent representatives that seemed to be salespeople rather than architects or GC’s. Jeanne was the ONLY person who actually took out a notepad and started sketching and taking measurements. She actively listened to all our ideas and I could tell she was processing the information. Everyone else we met with were either trying to sell us on other “in house” services or simply did not seem to be listening to what we wanted. I had two architects tell me to call the city myself to figure out the exact setbacks for my project (I had already made several attempts which ended in various unfavorable answers from the city). Jeanne actually went in person to the city planning department and obtained all the info we needed related to setbacks before we even officially committed to her. I’m a rather “hands on” person when it comes to home projects and had many questions and ideas. Jeanne listened and tried to accommodate all our requests. She was really responsive and often I would have an email answering my questions within an hour. In my experience it’s very rare to have that type of response rate with this type of work. We probably went through 20 designs due to my wife and I being overly ambitious with our plans. Our grand plans did not fit our realistic budget and by the time we realized it Jeanne had completed many versions of what we had told her we wanted. When we changed to the final version to fit our budget she just continued diligently giving us exactly what we asked for and was always very quick to make changes and respond by sending us design PDF’s by email. I can’t be more positive about Jeanne and the work she completed on our project. I’ve found that her incredible work eithic and timely response to all issues is rare in this industry. Additionally, her pricing for all architectural services was very fair. As of July 17th San Diego City Planning approved our plans and our 2/1 720 sq ft cottage will soon be 3/2 and almost 1400 sq ft. Thanks again Jeanne for your patience with us and your great design ideas. Mark and Rae Anne

Jeanne was patient and efficient in helping us getting the construction approval from my HOA and the City. She held our builder to the highest standards of performance. Definitely, I look will work with her for our future projects. Thank you Jeanne again for the courteous and professional service.

After working with two other designers who showed us various plans we didn’t like, our contractor recommended we contact Jeanne. In her caring and thoughtful manner, she asked us questions about our lifestyle and the plans we’d rejected. With that information, she formulated a design that we agreed was what we’d wanted all along but the previous designers didn’t deliver. I think the reason has to be that she is a good listener and gives the client what they want and need, rather than what the designer wants to see built. She managed the permit process with the city and has spent countless hours with us selecting countertop material, etc. She is prompt, readily available, courteous and professional. We highly recommend her. Update December 2017: Our kitchen is finished and we are delighted. Jeanne monitored the progress and helped us with fixtures, colors, etc. She was terrific.

Jeanne literally saved our remodel project. We needed an architect to draw up plans and help navigate our project through the permit process. Our home is over 60 years old and we really looked for someone that would appreciate the architecture, history, and preserve the overall feel of the house from the outside. On the inside we wanted to bring modern touches while preserving the historical charm. Jeanne worked tirelessly to turn around our full set of plans in an incredibly fast time. She coordinated with our structural engineers, energy consultants, and our project was approved by the city with no modifications. Lastly, she referred the builder that ultimately won our remodel contract. Her recommendation went a long way!

A few things to know about Jeanne Liem: She listens – the first time I phoned her I was babbling on and on trying to explain what I wanted and she hardly said a thing. But when we met a few days later I discovered she had understood everything I had said. And over time I came to appreciate that she never lost sight of what I was trying to accomplish with my façade remodel. Jeanne’s quick. I vaguely knew that there was something not quite right about my home, but in 18 years and a couple of other architects and designers, no one had diagnosed it. Jeanne took about a millisecond to diagnose the problem and offer a solution. When the scaffold came down last week, I was able to see that she had solved the problem. With a few small changes she had dramatically altered the feeling of the home. Jeanne understands that it’s my home. She doesn’t take it personally when I decide I want to do something differently. She’ll then offer her ideas to improve on my plans. Overall, Jeanne has been a delight to work with! I look forward to working with her again in 2017 on my interior remodel/new kitchen!

Very helpful and always punctual! We chose her after our first architect drag us for months without getting any work done. After we got Jeanne we were able to get permits in a couple of months.

We were extremely pleased with Jeanne. We had a nightmare situation with a previous architect that had dragged us for over a year, and into a direction that was not what we were looking for. Jeanne agreed to take over the project, and in a very short time, was able to redesign the existing elements to what we had been looking for. She was timely, efficient, considerate of our needs and wants, and produced a desirable project

I really like her professionalism. She is very soft spoken and knowledgeable. I don't like working with contractors that would talk over me. Her fee is reasonable. Jeanne is patience and listens to my needs. I really like her design. She also made the process of getting the permit easy for me. She took care of it all. Thank you Jeanne.

Jeanne is the consummate professional with excellent customer service, timely deliverable of construction documents with great taste and vision. She continuously provides elegant and functional design options to address my customer’s needs. I highly recommend her!

We hired Jeanne for our bathroom remodel and now we gave her again for a second floor addition. Jeanne was very easy to work with. Very detailed communicator and she definitely has eye for detail. Both our bathrooms came out better than I could ever imagine,! I definitely recommend Jeanne for any remodel and new construction project.

Jeanne was an absolute pleasure to work with! My girlfriend and I recently purchased a fixer that needed major renovations. Our first project was to convert the only bathroom in our house into two. Jeanne had great ideas and always asked for our input. We are very happy with the final results and can't recommend her enough. We can't wait to work with her again on our next project.

Jeanne Liem did the arhcitectural drawings for some bathroom remodeling and construction we are having done. She provided accurate, professional drawings, paid attention to our specific needs and was prompt in completing the work on a timely basis. She was also easy to get in touch with and added value to our project.

GDC Construction Company has recently had the pleasure of teaming with Jeanne Liem Architecture and Design in the building of a high-end, coastal property. Throughout the project, Jeanne's knowledge and experience in the field of design and architecture provided the leadership and aesthetic sensibility required in the completion of a successful building project. Jeanne is a fantastic industry partner and we look forward to working again with her in the future. We easily give Jeanne 5 stars.

We have been working with Jeanne for almost a year now. We are doing an extensive renovation and expansion of our home in La Jolla. Jeanne has been the ultimate professional in all our dealings. She is an exceptional listener and has the ability to execute our desires with foresight and vision to achieve the maximum in results, while keeping a pulse on budget and overall scope of work. We have enjoyed her positive nature and her ability to engage all aspects of required work from the beginning concepts to the execution phase. We would highly recommend Jeanne.David & Eve Fine

Creative and practical. Jeanne’s ability to turn a 2,500 sqft vacant lot into a beautiful and functional 1,730 sqft home was very impressive. As the contractor, we were impressed by both her ability to add value to the home while keeping costs down, and how open, friendly, and easy she was to work with. The end product benefits the aesthetic beauty of the area and we hope to see her name on other projects.

We completed a home remodeling project with Jeanne Liem, and could not have been more pleased with our decision to use Jeanne as our architect. She is professional, knowledgeable, courteous, personable, and amazingly quick at turning around designs. Whenever we sent an email to incorporate changes, we would always receive extremely prompt replies with the design changes, thoughtful suggestions, and viable alternatives. From the moment we met her, she seemed a lot more interested in our goals and needs instead of what “she would do for us”. Jeanne balanced our needs for an “ideal” home with a good design sense, determining what was achievable within our constraints. As the project progressed and we wanted to explore new options, Jeanne easily adapted the design to incorporate the new ideas. She consistently and patiently listened to our top home priorities, guiding and advising us on how to make it happen. Not only did Jeanne do an incredible job with our design, but she was extremely cognizant about the city planning and permitting allowance processes. The city worker who reviews projects daily for living and was responsible to issue our permit, found our architectural plans to be among the best he has come across in terms of quality and thoroughness. He went out of his way to point out the additional details our architect, Jeanne, had included in the plans, wishing other architects would include. Additionally, he pointed out that he had very pleasant interactions with Jeanne. Instead of getting defensive about points raised by the city, Jeanne worked with the city to find a solution that met the code requirement while preserving the design elements. Needless to say, this made the whole permit process a breeze. With our project near completion, we are thrilled at the results. We strongly recommend Jeanne Liem for any architectural design project, and will definitely use her for any of my future projects.

We have had the pleasure to work with Jeanne as the architect of record for over 15 of our construction projects around the west coast. Jeanne has provided architectural services including initial site consulting, design, permitting, construction observation, and creative artistic collaboration for projects ranging from single-family home remodels to major multi-unit apartment renovations to commercial interiors and restaurants. Jeanne is a model of efficiency, working hard to provide value-engineered solutions that meet the complex restraints of limited space, limited budget, and limited time. She is also talented artist and these qualities come through in her thoughtful use of space, sight-lines, and aesthetics. Fluent with local Planning/Building codes, Jeanne is also well-versed working with other professionals throughout the industry including engineers, contractors, inspectors, materials vendors, and custom fabricators - a quality that is critical to turning out stunning built products time after time. We continue to engage Jeanne's architectural services and would recommend her to anyone looking for a versatile hard-working architect.

Jeanne helped us with designing the 2nd floor of our business. She's very pleasant to work with. Very professional, responsive and knowledgable. We have since referred her to several of our clients.

I strongly recommend Jeanne Liem. My company worked with her on designing and building-out residential projects. Jeanne has a terrific aesthetic and is really hard working. She took the time to truly understand what we wanted and made our vision a reality. From beginning until the end, she has been very professional, responsive, proactive, and being able to come up with multiple solutions to simple and complex problems we encountered during construction. Their design elements are so elegant and well matched with our concept that exceeded my expectations in many ways. Also, they did all those within the budget requirements. They were flexible in all the areas we worked. She made everything so easy and smooth. I do not even want to imagine what would happen if we have taken another route instead of working with her.