About JDC Construction Development
EXPERIENCE, INTEGRITY, RELIABILITY AT ITS BEST
CONSTRUCTION + DEVELOPMENT
Welcome To JDC
Founded by John R. Donaldson, JDC started as a sole proprietorship in 1992 and was formally incorporated in 1998. For more than two decades JDC has been trusted by individuals, families and institutions throughout Southern and Northern California to complete a variety of residential property renovations, from custom single family homes to apartment communities ranging from 100 to 600 units. In addition JDC is now heavily involved in ground up multifamily development.
Leadership Matters
John R Donaldson is the epitome of the self-made man. Beginning in 1987 through economic times both good and bad, John built his general contracting firm on the foundations of trust and professionalism. Today, JDC is noted as one of Southern California’s premier construction companies specializing in the restoration and rehabilitation of Multifamily properties and now the development of new ground up Multifamily projects.
Born in Santa Monica, John always knew he wanted to create a career in the construction industry. He began by accepting a job as a laborer packing lumber for $5 per hour on a commercial jobsite in the San Fernando Valley. This led in short order to him becoming a carpenter driving around neighborhoods looking for work on framing crews. John soon joined a construction and development company where he served as a lead foreman on framing crews working on high-end custom homes in the Hollywood Hills, many owners by showbiz celebrities such as Richard Dreyfuss, Dan Akroyd and Martin Mull, to name a few. While with his company, John obtained his contractor’s license and began to undertake small construction projects of his own on weekends. His goal was always to run his own shop.
Leadership Matters
John R Donaldson is the epitome of the self-made man. Beginning in 1987 through economic times both good and bad, John built his general contracting firm on the foundations of trust and professionalism. Today, JDC is noted as one of Southern California’s premier construction companies specializing in the restoration and rehabilitation of Multifamily properties and now the development of new ground up Multifamily projects.
Born in Santa Monica, John always knew he wanted to create a career in the construction industry. He began by accepting a job as a laborer packing lumber for $5 per hour on a commercial jobsite in the San Fernando Valley. This led in short order to him becoming a carpenter driving around neighborhoods looking for work on framing crews. John soon joined a construction and development company where he served as a lead foreman on framing crews working on high-end custom homes in the Hollywood Hills, many owners by showbiz celebrities such as Richard Dreyfuss, Dan Akroyd and Martin Mull, to name a few. While with his company, John obtained his contractor’s license and began to undertake small construction projects of his own on weekends. His goal was always to run his own shop.
In January 1994 John and a partner struck out on their own just two weeks before the Northridge earthquake. Before they knew it they had more work than they could handle. As it turned out, much of the work involved the reconstruction of multifamily properties adversely impacted by the quake. Working on these earthquake-damaged buildings was a great learning experience in understanding how to conduct major repairs and maintain the building’s architectural integrity. In 1998 the partners decided to go their own directions.
John took some time off from building and started consulting for a masonry contractor, helping to increase its business significantly. Through this work john was introduced to an insurance adjuster who sought his help in estimating the cost of rebuilding a custom home off of Laurel canyon that had been destroyed in a fire. Although John had never done this type of insurance estimating before, John was a quick learner and soon was sought out by other insurance adjusters who began to use his services.
John soon realized that the estimating he was doing could lead to the actual reconstruction of these expensive homes. This became the focus on JDC’s work until 2003. It was at that point, through a contact he’d made, that John was asked to bid the restoration of an apartment building which had been partially destroyed by fire. Using his expertise acquired while underwriting and restoring high-end single family homes, John was able to complete the multifamily project on time and on budget. This inevitably led to other multifamily assignments, which soon overtook JDC’s single family work.
Now recognized for its expertise in the multifamily restoration and rehabilitation, John’s company has been selected for numerous Multifamily renovations. The real game changer for JDC occurred in 2005 when they were selected to undertake a two year renovation of 615 units on 19 acres in Alameda, California. JDC’s success in completing this $35 million assignment opened up the door and still continues to provide opportunities throughout the State for California, Oregon & Seattle.
John says that he finds great satisfaction in being able to help transform old dated buildings and bringing them new life. He adds value to these projects not only through his construction expertise, but through his ability to work closely with architects and others in conceptualizing the creative aspects of the redevelopment.
In 2012 John began to turn a portion of his attention to pursuing ground-up development projects. JDC has been actively building grounds up projects ever since with multiple projects currently.
In January 1994 John and a partner struck out on their own just two weeks before the Northridge earthquake. Before they knew it they had more work than they could handle. As it turned out, much of the work involved the reconstruction of multifamily properties adversely impacted by the quake. Working on these earthquake-damaged buildings was a great learning experience in understanding how to conduct major repairs and maintain the building’s architectural integrity. In 1998 the partners decided to go their own directions.
John took some time off from building and started consulting for a masonry contractor, helping to increase its business significantly. Through this work john was introduced to an insurance adjuster who sought his help in estimating the cost of rebuilding a custom home off of Laurel canyon that had been destroyed in a fire. Although John had never done this type of insurance estimating before, John was a quick learner and soon was sought out by other insurance adjusters who began to use his services.
John soon realized that the estimating he was doing could lead to the actual reconstruction of these expensive homes. This became the focus on JDC’s work until 2003. It was at that point, through a contact he’d made, that John was asked to bid the restoration of an apartment building which had been partially destroyed by fire. Using his expertise acquired while underwriting and restoring high-end single family homes, John was able to complete the multifamily project on time and on budget. This inevitably led to other multifamily assignments, which soon overtook JDC’s single family work.
Now recognized for its expertise in the multifamily restoration and rehabilitation, John’s company has been selected for numerous Multifamily renovations. The real game changer for JDC occurred in 2005 when they were selected to undertake a two year renovation of 615 units on 19 acres in Alameda, California. JDC’s success in completing this $35 million assignment opened up the door and still continues to provide opportunities throughout the State for California, Oregon & Seattle.
John says that he finds great satisfaction in being able to help transform old dated buildings and bringing them new life. He adds value to these projects not only through his construction expertise, but through his ability to work closely with architects and others in conceptualizing the creative aspects of the redevelopment.
In 2012 John began to turn a portion of his attention to pursuing ground-up development projects. JDC has been actively building grounds up projects ever since with multiple projects currently.