Residential Design By: Jonathan Pelezzare

Jonathan is by far the best design professional I have worked with in over 30 years of building homes and remodels. I have dealt with architects before and have had issues communicating design ideas or not staying within budget. After having to let one architect go for this current project I got a recommendation for Jonathan. I discussed the design we wanted with him and all I can say is he nailed it, providing a great set of plans for a beautiful house and for a reasonable price. He puts a lot of effort in his work to please his clients and provide a well thought out design on schedule and for the agreed upon price. He is flexible in his design capabilities so am not hesitant to recommend him for any style you may have in mind. We now are very close to getting our building permit and start construction on our new home.

We hired Jonathan to design the remodel of our master bedroom and bath. He coordinated the services of the structural engineer and consultant’s review for the Title 24 requirements in order to receive the building permit from the county. He visited our house numerous times, most recently to clarify details of the plans with the contractor. He has been both responsive and professional. We would recommend his services to others.

We used Jonathan to assist us with the design drawing for our remodel of our 1957 Palm Springs mid-century modern Alexander in the Twin Palms sections of Palm Springs. He did a great job. He understood our requirements to keep the style/design of the home, but bring it into the 21st century. He redesigned the bathrooms and the kitchen, we replaced 100% of the electrical, plumbing, and HVAC systems, and added larger sidling doors. He also designed the 300 square foot casita we added on the property. The scale, design and the placement for the views make the casita amazing. He worked well with us, was prompt on deadlines and his prices were reasonable. He was finished in Fall of 2017, the home renovation and casita took almost a year and is just now being completed. We will recommend him.

Working with Jonathan was a pleasure. He did an amazing job working on my 5700 sq ft home, 14 sq ft (4) car garage, a 12-acre lot with a pool and a tennis court. He was completely professional from taking our goals in mind, creative in giving multiple design options we would not have thought of, great attention to detail, and impeccable workmanship.

Jon is a longtime colleague whose work has always been outstanding. Jon is exceptionally diligent and meticulous in his work. Recently, I was in need of additional help to undertake a large project that needed to be completed on a very compressed timeline. Jon was willing to take on the workload and accomplish every task in a timely manner.

Several months ago I was carefully reading in Houzz editions all sorts of suggestions for undergoing a Major home renovation in essential areas including (as in our case) a large kitchen, three bathrooms, a bar, and a laundry room. This was a daunting experience for us to even discuss together. It was no surprise that we had been discussing [er, avoiding] this renovation for at least 2 years without being able to make any progress towards realizing our dream. Taken altogether this mega initiative felt a lot like trying to crowbar the top off of Pandora’s box—the swirling multitude of questions and worries would inevitably, though, be squashed back down into the ‘box’ until we could face the possibilities again sometime. Frankly, I had grown weary of our inability to make momentum! “Two well educated adults who have been through ‘some’ home remodeling in the past should have been able to face this straight on,” I thought to myself. What was wrong with us this time? Fortunately I found a pathway out of this self-imposed quagmire, thanks to Houzz. With real-life examples of major home renovation projects that architects & building designers had envisioned then structured, I was able to perceive philosophies as well as tactics relatable to projects such as ours and through that the appealing example emerged of a local building designer Jonathan Pelezzare (Palm Desert) who was noted in one article that reflected upon finished projects. I was impressed and couldn’t wait to email him. In hindsight, we always needed the right architects & building designers help, particularly someone who could help us get out of our own way. I even suggested to Jonathan during our first meeting that his primary job was to keep us focused on our goal instead of observing us sink into frustration and the great, “never mind.” We needed someone whose working style was to listen actively and patiently while weaving our perspectives into an articulated set of questions and decisions back to us, the sum of which would lead him to problem solve, draft drawings and then renditions that we could scrutinize. It all sounds pretty clear in hindsight, but it hadn’t been clear to us that we were missing such an important member of our home renovation ‘team,.’ Because of the breadth of Jonathan’s attractive portfolio, coupled with his unassuming, straight-forward, genial style and likability, we took the leap-of-faith to trust that he would corral us towards real progress in a way that we hadn’t been able to do by ourselves. After six months with two “final” plans (length was a function of our indecisiveness) were our instincts right? Two days ago we turned in Jonathan’s completed plans to our city’s planning department and anticipate a building permit. Before long. That is to say, We’re finally oN our way! Oh those pesky details; yes, we will have to hire a contractor or contractors [plural], something that we’re not looking forward to. But now we know that we will have an extended member on our team in case we’re stymied by the process and want to go in hiding again. While it may not be true with every architects & building designer, Jonathan’s with us for the duration and for the first time, we can visualize our like-new and improved home; and, you know what? Thanks to Jonathan, we like what we see! In case you are interested, our early 1980’s one-level home of 2,800 square feet is located in the sunny California desert. While the style is Transitional with the renovation we expect to see it as Contemporary “with a healthy respect for history.” In my mind’s eye, I also (fore)see our new and improved home as Sublime, Timeless, and very Comfortable. I’ll write again as the progress moves forward. I expect more photographs depicting progress to follow as well. The photos included are “Before the Work.”

Jonathan was very thorough in his work. He kept me appraised of everything that was happening with the HOA. He stayed on top of all of the additional contractors that we needed to work with.

Jonathan is an excellent Residential Designer! He provides the most incredible details in the business, always keeps his commitments on time and costs, and works very well throughout the build process. Jonathan does all of our design work for new homes AND for complete remodels. Jon will take great care of you!

After contacting several building designers for my proposed home in the desert I came across Jonathan on Houzz.com. After speaking to him several times about the project I engaged his services and I have to tell you. Jonathan is not only a great guy, he exceeded all of my expectations in regards to building design. The house he came up with was absolutely stunning. I never dreamed I would be building a house that is so nice. Jonathan is very professional and you can tell he is very passionate about what he does. He is quick, detailed, always easy to get a hold of when I had questions and was usually waiting on me to provide the things he needed to get the job done. I really couldn't be happier with Jonathan and feel very fortunate to have come across him on Houzz. I highly recommend him and will be utilizing him for future design. Regards David

My husband and I hired Jonathan, on the recommendation of our builder, about 8 years ago. Jonathan redesigned the entire front portion of our rather small, dark duplex. The result of his remarkable vision is an open, bright, contemporary desert home that fits our needs perfectly. Jonathan is a joy to work with. He listens carefully, spends loads of time reviewing his concepts and is very mindful of the owners needs and way of life. I highly recommend him and would definitely use his services for any other project I do. S. Alter

Jonathan has done quite a bit of work for us over the last ten years. From designing our patio overhang in the backyard to designing my beautiful office in the front of our home. His creativity and professionalism makes him a remarkable residential designer that my wife Linda and I would highly recommend to anyone wanting work done on their home.

I hired Jonathan to design my new 5000 Square Foot Home. His performance and professionalism were light years beyond excellent. He spent numerous hours with me going over every little detail on the plans. He not only completed the design plans but also coordinated with the plumbing, electrical, structural, and HVAC engineers for a complete design package. His association with the planning and building department also contributed to smooth going when having the plans approved by the City. I would highly recommend Jonathan to anyone who wants a complete professionally designed plan that includes a personal touch.