Custom Home Builder reviews across the US

James Lepak and his team at James David Custom Homes did an amazing job on my extensive modern remodel in Newport Beach. My 2100 sq ft house was torn down to the studs and rooms were moved to different locations and an addition was added. Even when we hit a snag with the original house being old, we found a way to do Plan B. James would come up with alternative ideas in workarounds and with design. If he knew I was missing something, he was on it. Their attention to detail and responsiveness was exactly what I needed since this was my first-time remodeling something other than a bathroom. James took my project seriously and was always available if/when I needed him. To top it off, they always left my site each day clean. I would definitely recommend them to anyone considering a remodel or essentially a rebuild!

James David Custom Homes did an excellent job on our full kitchen remodel. Six months after the final walk through, the kitchen is still our dream come true. The custom cabinets are everything we had hoped for; they are durable, strong and beautiful. The execution of the job was almost perfect from demo to completion (although it did take a little longer than expected as construction can). The JDCH team were the nicest, hardest working guys that showed up when they said they would and explained everything in great detail. Their communication is 100% on point. I would definitely recommend JDCH and am beyond happy with the final turn out and quality of their craftsmanship.

James David and his entire crew is an absolute pleasure to work with. Our firm, Jeannette Architects, strongly believes that any recommendation we make to our clients is an extension of ourselves and so we don’t take it lightly. We know with absolute confidence that our clients will be taken care of by every member of the team at James David Custom Homes from start to finish. Their attention to detail, team-based mentality and excellent communication skills are just a few of the reasons our clients enjoy working with them. They dig into every detail of the numbers when putting bids together and propose cost saving measures that aren’t at the expense of good design. They use tools like ‘Builder Trend’ that allow everyone to see photos of the construction progress online and review daily reports at any time. The final product at the end of the day is a beautifully crafted, high quality build that any homeowner would be proud to call home.

James Lepak and his team at James David Custom Homes were highly recommended to me by a good friend. My home remodel and room addition project in Laguna Beach is slightly different than most construction projects. My wife and I demand a high level of customization with various one of a kind stylized details, and we like to have our personal stamp of approval on most everything. In addition, we needed to create an effective working relationship while currently living across the country in New York during the entire project. After interviewing 10 contractors, I was confident that James and James David Custom Homes had all the qualities and experience to take on our project and manage it effectively. His team accommodated our remote situation by hosting regular Skype meetings, customizing their accounting, and providing cross referencing tools for budget vs. actual analysis. James is also a very creative visionary and tuned in perfectly to our creative process, offering many aesthetic recommendations as well as cost saving solutions. James David Custom Homes does high quality work and I would recommend the team to everyone that wants their job done right!

I am an indoor wellness expert and run a company called QuantumX wellness design. I have been working with James and his team for close to four years now. They work with the top rated architects and designers, and we have had nothing but a great relationship and have completed fantastic projects together over the years. I work with most of the top builders in Orange County Coastal area and JDCH is right there at the very top. I highly recommend this fantastic company.

James builds me a custom home the way I want it and within an acceptable budget 10 years ago. Finishing is good. What's better is the ongoing services after completion. 6 years after moving in, my swimming pool pump went out of service. Pool company told me it's out of warranty. My pool service guy said that the water pump is no longer in production. I was out of luck till I called James for help. With his magic connection, the issue was resolved dramatically.
My Western company made, expensive aluminum casement window was not closing properly. A repair company I found cost me $522 each time coming to service. After consecutive 3 years, the problems were not really corrected. Again, James was able to muscle a right company to do a right job. And the cost is only $280. There is another story involving my wine cellar cooling system being burned out.
Can't thank him enough for more than building my home, for ongoing services so many years after.

We would like to take the opportunity to thank JDCH, your team and your subcontractors for the exceptional work you completed on our home. We are extremely happy with the result and have received many compliments from friends and neighbors on the high quality of the work. If anyone is in the market for a professional high-quality builder, we highly recommend JDCH. James is an excellent general contractor and home builder focused on quality, timeliness, customer satisfaction and workmanship.

I contracted with JDCH in 2017 to do a complete remodel of our 5,000 square foot Laguna Niguel home. The project involved taking the house down to the studs and completely renovating the space. James and his sub-contractors were excellent. In fact, James personally supervised the job and met with me daily for the first 4-5 months. He also answers his phone when you call and was instrumental in recommending some cost saving ideas that did not take away from the architectural feel of the house. The work was very high quality and timely. The finished product won several awards.
Unfortunately, we lost our home to the Coastal Fire of Laguna Niguel in 2022 and have contracted once again with JDCH to rebuild our custom home. The project now will be a little less than 8,000 square feet under roof with custom finishes and design throughout. The project to date has gone perfectly and ahead of schedule. Many of the same sub-contractors are on the job and their quality is exceptional.
I would recommend JDCH without hesitation. They are honest, trustworthy, service oriented, and are an exceptional quality custom home builder.

We hired James David for a full landscape project. Our dream was to turn our yard into a resort. JDCH was great to work with and executed on our dreams. They worked closely with us on the design and the build. The team they put together truly executed on our vision and were extremely easy to work with. One of the unique benefits of JDCH was having an assigned Client Liasion to hand-hold us through our project. Scott Cohen was a direct interface to our family from anything construction related all the way to billing and schedule. We enjoy our yard every day and are so thankful for the partnership we have built with JDCH. We highly recommend using JDCH for your next construction job.

I had the absolute pleasure of working with James Lepak, he is an incredibly skilled and professional constructor. His diligence, attention to detail, and unwavering sense of responsibility were truly remarkable. Our communication remained always open and transparent.

His dedication to delivering top-notch results was evident in the flawless craftsmanship displayed throughout the process.

What truly sets James apart is his responsiveness and how he cares about his clients. Even today, he helps me with any problems I have with my house by either giving me advice or connecting me with the right service provider. He is always readily available to address any concerns or questions I have, His willingness to go above and beyond exemplified his professionalism.

In summary, James is an invaluable asset to any project. His diligence, attention to detail, responsibility, and responsiveness make him and his company standout professionals in his field. I wholeheartedly recommend his services to anyone seeking excellence in construction.

James is very knowledgeable builder.
He completed remodeling my house in 1 year.
My only concern is some of the subs he hired were not up to the standard.
Otherwise he has a great team and good workers.
I recommend hiring him and his team.

James did a wonderful job remodeling our mid-century modern home on the S. Cal coast. He helped us thru every phase of the process, made insightful improvements which significantly added to the value and aesthetics of our home. His uses first rate materials, his team is highly competent and was willing to make major changes as we went along. James continued to follow up on the job and helped us make the deck more durable as well as improve on some of the subcontractor installations. We were very pleased with the entire process and would use him again.

This is the 2nd time we have used JDCH for major house work.
The first time we added new pylons, raised the house, new windows and doors, remolded 2 bathrooms, expanded the deck, exterior and new siding.
James was extremely helpful. He can “think outside of the box” to come up with solutions to problems. At the same time, he was always ready to listen to my husband and myself. Together we produced a beautiful place.
Now we had an extensive water leak in the house and need to do most of the inside.
I feel his attention to detail is another of this attributes. He does not settle for”that’s good enough”.
I am very confident and happy to have JDCH help us with this project.

Dian B

I hired James Lepak to build my residence in Newport Beach in 2008 and it was a great experience. James and his team did an amazing job and completed the project in eight months. James worked closely with my architect, and was quick to provide ideas and solutions to any issues that arose. I was in constant communication with James, and there was never a time throughout the process, where I wasn’t able to reach him or talk to him about my project. I was so pleased with the quality of construction and customer service from James David Custom Homes, that I have referred them to my good friends. I am still in contact with James after 15 years, and I will definitely use JDCH on any other construction projects that I have. Sincerely, Bill Walsh.

James David Custom Homes exceeded our expectations os a prime subcontractor on our recent projects in Beverly Hills, CA and Coastal Orange County. We integrated him from the onset of the design process to help us value engineer difficult projects and lend insight into the best way to build out the design we intended regarding his scope. He comes from a broad range of experience - having worked in almost every trade along the way in his career and his knowledge base constantly shows through.

I've been working with James David Custom Homes for the past two years - his team is excellent. We are working on a ground up project and we are looking to complete in the next 5 months, well ahead of the project target delivery. His professionalism, quality, attention to detail, and speed has been nothing short of remarkable.

We hired James David Custom Homes to fully remodel the interior of our Tuscan style home. The goal was to install the latest equipment and to transform the interior of the house to a contemporary look.

James Lepak and his team did a fantastic job to build everything to our expectations. We had high demands in terms of build quality and attention to detail. James made sure to realize exactly that.

Through the Buildertrend App we received daily updates (text and photos) of the construction site, which will also be helpful in the future to check how certain installations have been made. And even when challenges arose (which is inevitable for a remodel of that scale), James and his team kept on communicating very closely and we could resolve them quickly and move forward.

The build quality, attention to detail and responsiveness of James David Custom Homes are top notch. We are very happy with the result and are looking forward to living many happy years in our newly remodeled home.

James and his team did the construction on my property in Orange County. The entire process was easy with them- very good communication and updates. I was happy with our experience. Even post construction, they have had solid communication and added value for me. Highly recommend them for any project.

After three long years, I’m finally able to enjoy my dream backyard—and it’s all thanks to James David Custom Homes and his amazing team!

The project didn’t start off easy. What was supposed to take a year turned into a three-year journey filled with challenges. A lot of these were caused by poor planning, mistakes from a former business partner of James's, and a lack of proper engineering plans. After two years of setbacks, that partner parted ways with the company—turning out to be a blessing in disguise for my project.

Once James and his team took the reins, everything turned around. They brought in Scott, a customer relationship partner, who was absolutely essential in getting things back on track. He created an open, fair partnership between James and me, which made a world of difference. The team also brought in Jacob Mason from Mason Pool Company, and I can honestly say he was a game-changer. Jacob was incredible to work with and played a huge role in making the pool installation process smooth and successful. His expertise and attention to detail were unmatched, and I can’t recommend him enough!

The result? A backyard that’s nothing short of spectacular. My infinity-edge pool is the showstopper, featuring two catch basins and vanishing edges on three sides. I also have an incredible outdoor kitchen with a BBQ, fridge, sink, and dishwasher, plus a sunken firepit with a recessed TV wall and LED lights under both the BBQ and firepit. It’s truly the best-looking backyard I’ve ever seen—definitely biased, but I’m in love with it!

Every project runs into its challenges, but despite the setbacks I faced, James and his team never wavered. They have high standards and genuinely care about their customers, always doing what’s right to make things right.
I couldn’t be happier with how everything turned out. Thank you, James, Scott, Jacob, and the entire team!

James and his team are a pleasure to work with. As a material supplier on his jobs Henry Company appreciates his commitment to using high-quality materials and suppliers. The Henry 1-2-3 Moisture Control System is implemented on James' projects to ensure long lasting waterproofing and energy efficiency protection. We have partnered with James on multiple projects over the past several years and look forward to many more years of collaboration.

James David Custom Homes did a fabulous job with our remodel! It was a major project, adding sq. footage. We changed our style from Spanish Mediterranean to modern. Our home was basically gutted with everything being updated. From 1986 style to the 2,000’s. We are very happy with them.
James is capable of handling any size project. The bigger and more complicated the better. I recommend James David Custom Homes if you are looking for a true Pro. Quality takes time. You must be patient.
J Grant/ Vivian Grant
Yorba Linda, CA