What Our Clients Are Saying

Jim was a pleasure to work with. He is very knowledgeable, professional, and works with great efficiency. We did not expect to complete the house plans so fast! He is quick to respond any day of the week. Building our dream home could not have happened without Jim's God given talent. We will forever be grateful!

Jim has designed an outdoor pavilion and a home addition for us in the last few years. He's super knowledgeable in design and construction, detail oriented, and so helpful in design and construction phase. He also turns out plans and revisions very quickly. Would recommend without reservation.

I want to thank Jim and his Team for a wonderful job turning our dream home into reality. We found it extremely easy to work with Jim. He listened to our desires and added in his own experience and helpful ideas to create our masterpiece. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Riverside Home Designs to my family or friends. I recommend them to you if you need a custom designed home that won't break the budget before you even get started. Thanks Jim!

Jim and his team did an outstanding job of helping us turn our vision of a home into a usable plan. We appreciated his ability to inform our decision-making and his willingness to work out details and potential concerns as many times as needed until we got the exact result we were looking for. Jim is a consummate professional, and we highly recommend Riverside for your design needs.

Jim is an outstanding architect, but he is also a great advisor. If you just want him to draw you an outstanding set of plans with minimal input he is very capable but if you want an advisor who can give you guidance and insight, Jim is your guy. Jim creates through a collaborative approach. My wife and I came to Jim with our vision and he was able to turn that into our plans. What makes Jim a great architect is his ability to listen and advise. He gives his expert opinion, with no pressure either way. He helps you focus in on what is really important to you. Jim makes sure that you understand how to balance form style and function. We did the initial plans and then delayed our build a couple years due to Covid, during that time we decided to make a few changes, even 2+ years later it was no problem for Jim. In the end he exceeded our expectations. When you are ready to make your dream home a reality Jim should be your first step.

My builder introduced me to Jim at Riverside Home Designs. We had purchased a lot and were looking for a quality designer. I am so happy to have worked with Jim through the design process! His work can be characterized by the phrase "above and beyond". He always went the extra mile and made sure we were completely happy with any edits to the drawings. The online meetings with TeamViewer are a great way to collaborate. He has a great background with both commercial and residential construction, and – consequently – is able to use that experience to develop comprehensive, well-engineered designs. We were also very happy to find out that he is a national home design award winner.

Jim knows construction and his work shows that on every level. Jim also works hard to make himself available to discuss a project. He is definitely a 5 star guy.

I am a custom home builder (Chambers Design Build, LLC) and we have worked with Jim (Riverside Design) on multiple projects and they have all been a success. Jim's availability to me and the customer to answer any questions or address any changes the client may have is key to a successful and timely project. We look forward to working with Riverside Design in the future.

I looked for awhile to find just the right firm to design my addition at my River Retreat. Jim came up with the name of my slice of heaven. He is very professional, knowledgeable, creative and talented! My vision of my retirement home turned into my dream from his recommendations and design. I highly recommend. Thank you Jim!

Jim is an outstanding architect, but he is also a great advisor. If you just want him to draw you an outstanding set of plans with minimal input he is very capable but if you want an advisor who can give you guidance and insight, Jim is your guy. Jim creates through a collaborative approach. My wife and I came to Jim with our vision and he was able to turn that into our plans. What makes Jim a great architect is his ability to listen and advise. He gives his expert opinion, with no pressure either way. He helps you focus in on what is really important to you. Jim makes sure that you understand how to balance form, style, and function. We did the initial plans and then delayed our build a couple years due to covid, during that time we decided to make a few changes, even 2+ years later it was no problem for Jim. In the end he exceeded our expectations. When you are ready to make your dream home a reality Jim should be your first step.

Wonderful! That single word best describes our experience with Riverside Home Designs. Jim Kenalty and his team were amazing, keeping us continuously in the loop as they designed our house. Every single request we had was addressed and incorporated seamlessly. Our interactions were a mix of electronic communication and in-person meetings, both of which were smooth and productive. The design for our new home was particularly complex--it had to be built on concrete piers due to being in a flood zone (our prior house was demolished due to flood damage). We are extremely thankful for Jim's and his team's skill, professionalism, and thoughtfulness during this critical project. We can't say enough great things about this company! Highly recommend.

Back in June 2010, my wife and I hired Riverside designs to come up with a unique house plan for us. We wanted something that had not been done previously, something eclectic, yet not so far off that it would not fit our taste and lifestyle. Jim came up with a great concept: Make it look as if it has been built over the centuries. He made it look as though we had bought an old German style farm house and added onto it through the years. He designed it to look old, yet it was all new construction. Yeah, we got eclectic alright. We were taken by complete surprise, and we LOVE it! Great job, very creative!!

Work Quality: 5.0 | Communication: 5.0 | Value: 5.0

Wonderful! That single word best describes our experience with Riverside Home Designs. Jim Kenalty and his team were amazing, keeping us continuously in the loop as they designed our house. Every single request we had was addressed and incorporated seamlessly. Our interactions were a mix of electronic communication and in-person meetings, both of which were smooth and productive. The design for our new home was particularly complex—it had to be built on concrete piers due to being in a flood zone (our prior house was demolished due to flood damage). We are extremely thankful for Jim's and his team's skill, professionalism, and thoughtfulness during this critical project. We can't say enough great things about this company! Highly recommend.

Work Quality: 5.0 | Communication: 5.0 | Value: 5.0

Jim is an exceptional architect and an equally valuable advisor. Whether you're looking for a beautifully executed set of plans with minimal involvement or a collaborative partner who offers thoughtful guidance and insight, Jim delivers. His approach is truly collaborative, ensuring your vision remains at the center of the design process. My wife and I came to Jim with our ideas, and he transformed them into a set of plans that perfectly reflected our goals. What sets Jim apart is his ability to truly listen while offering expert advice without pressure. He helped us focus on what mattered most and guided us in balancing style, form, and function. Although we completed our initial plans, we delayed construction for a couple of years due to COVID. During that time, we decided to make several changes, and even after more than two years, Jim handled everything seamlessly. In the end, the final design exceeded our expectations. If you're ready to turn your dream home into reality, Jim should be your first call.

Work Quality: 5.0 | Communication: 5.0 | Value: 5.0

We contracted Jim and Riverside Designs to develop a set of plans for our home renovation. Throughout the process, Jim was extremely professional and attentive. He listened to us, guided us and provided us with a first-rate set of plans for our "new" home. Great experience working with Jim and the team at Riverside Designs!

Work Quality: 5.0 | Communication: 5.0 | Value: 5.0

My builder introduced me to Jim at Riverside Home Designs when we purchased our lot and began searching for a quality designer. I couldn't be happier with the experience. Jim's work can truly be described as above and beyond. He consistently went the extra mile and made sure we were completely satisfied with every revision to the drawings. The online meetings using TeamViewer were an excellent way to collaborate efficiently and review details together. Jim's background in both commercial and residential construction clearly shows in his work. That experience allowed him to create a comprehensive, well-engineered design that gave us confidence moving forward. We were also very pleased to learn that Jim is a national home design award winner.

Work Quality: 5.0 | Communication: 5.0 | Value: 5.0

Jim did a great job on my clients plans. He was patient and responsive to their needs. I would recommend his design skills to future clients.

Work Quality: 5.0 | Communication: 5.0 | Value: 5.0

We enjoyed working with Jim on the designing of our future home. He is definitely smart, dedicated and extremely talented. And has an amazing work ethic, always returning our calls and meeting us on time. He made so many wonderful suggestions for our home and was so patient with the many ideas we had...even the not so good ones!! He really listened to what we desired and delivered!! We couldn't be happier with the finished design. If you want to work with a top notch company, we highly recommend Riverside. Jim really went the extra mile for us. We will definitely want his help with future projects. HIGHLY RECOMMEND. Thank you Jim so much for making a rather stressful process (building in general) such a great experience.

Work Quality: 5.0 | Communication: 5.0 | Value: 5.0

I looked for awhile to find just the right firm to design my addition at my River Retreat. Jim came up with the name of my slice of heaven. He is very professional, knowlegible, creative and talented! My vision of my retirement home turned into my dream from his recommendations and design. I highly recommend. Thank you Jim!

Work Quality: 5.0 | Communication: 5.0 | Value: 5.0

Jim is a professional both in standards and ethics. I really enjoyed working with him on our project. He was always willing to make changes to the designs (and we had many...) and forthcoming with relevant information about the effect of those changes on usability and resale value. We did a lot of our communications over email and Shared screen sessions and several in office sessions. This was a real plus since we were located out of town and not always available for a face to face meetings, but in the technology age Jim has met the challenges and makes it easy for clients to communicate and express there ideas without actually being there. Jim is also very straight forward with rate quotes and timelines for the completion of the work, Never a need to keep asking what the status is on our project, he always told us where we were and what was left and when expected completion date was. I was also impressed with his knowledge of building requirements and dimensioning, its easy to think a particular size room will be adequate but with Jims input he can explain what issues you might encounter and things to consider to help you choosing the final design. Great experience through and through.

Work Quality: 5.0 | Communication: 5.0 | Value: 5.0

Jim was totally professional and very easy to work with. His plans for our project breezed through the city's approval process. I recommend him and Riverside Design 100%.

Work Quality: 5.0 | Communication: 5.0 | Value: 5.0

I have worked with Jim Kenalty for over 20 years. He is well qualified, professional, timely, and knowledgable of many types of building. He has built or assisted me in designing and building gyms, school buildings, conventional structures, SIP Panel homes, camp cabins, water systems, and more. Ethically sound, and committed to making the customer happy. (And an all around good guy)

Work Quality: 4.0 | Communication: 4.0 | Value: 4.0

Jim has brought to the table his many years of experience which has greatly expedited the development of the plans for our project. It has several unique aspects that have to be addressed. His attention to detail and accuracy is a real asset.