Custom Design By John Gower: Selected Built Projects

A beautiful building site, a complex list of dwelling requirements, or a desire to create a lasting legacy - these are some of the instances where a truly unique home design is called for.

Our custom design process balances three fundamentals: a deep respect for the building site, a thorough understanding of our clients' needs and personal vision, and a principled yet imaginative architectural palette to create homes that fit their surroundings, fit their owners and delight the senses.

We’re pleased to share a selection of images and stories from the hundreds of custom homes and renovations we've designed. If you’d like to know what our clients have to say, please visit the Testimonials page.

John designed our lovely home in 2002. We opted for the full package (highly recommended), including interior design and ongoing support throughout the construction process. We can’t say enough about how pleased we are with our home. Every square foot serves a purpose with a harmonious integration into the landscape. John spent much time with us discussing how we spend our time in our home, taking the concept of custom home to a much higher level. We have referred two of our friends to John–ther…

Crosbie & Helen W. Maple Bay, BC

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John has a unique ability to combine intricate elements of aesthetics, functional layout, resilience, and purpose into a progressive design package with minimal environmental impact both in construction and ongoing habitation. His designs are both mindful of the future and accommodating to his customers’ desires and lifestyle requirements. Such a complicated balance of considerations is not easy to achieve and John seems to do it time and time again. We have worked with John on several projects …

Island Timber Frame (Builders)Cumberland, BC

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John Gower provided the designs for a renovation to our 70 year old house. He designed a home that is energy efficient, durable, safe and beautiful. We cherish its simplicity, the connection it allows us to maintain with our community and the heritage feel that we were able to preserve. He made the process fun, thoughtful and productive. The sustainability of the design work that he provided will allow the house to be enjoyed for many more years.

Suzanne W.Comox, BC

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John Gower Design has provided me with outstanding service, time after time. I have relied on his team’s ability to recognize the scope of work that I have required, and deliver exactly the level of service which I had asked for. John Gower Design has shown a high degree of experience on my projects that required design solutions. Many of the designs had high levels of difficulty and I was always impressed with the intuitive knowledge that I could tap into. A pleasure to work with!

Dave S. (Builder)Nelson, BC

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John was our house designer for a property on a steep site on the water. We wanted something modern and a bit unusual and he provided that. He was respectful of our needs and our wishes and designed a lovely and functional home. Working with him was a pleasure. He made several site visits and as well we met with him several times at his office. As well he took part in sourcing material that was hard to find. I would recommend him to anyone. We had no problems re deadlines or budget. The house wa…

Kathryn W.Pender Harbour, BC

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We hired John Gower Design to design an energy efficient Arts & Crafts style home for us. Working with John was an enjoyable and productive experience. He took our ideas and made them a reality. We found John’s strengths to be his sense of space and proportion and his willingness to listen to our ideas. We have lived in the house for two years and are continually amazed at how well the house works and its comfort and beauty.

Ross N.Victoria, BC

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What an amazing experience to be part of designing a home to suit our lot! We had looked at house plans for months and could find nothing that we liked. Within ten minutes you had ideas for a plan that would fit the location and not destroy the natural surroundings. You are so knowledgeable about the whole building experience, not just the designing. We liked the way you interacted with our contractors. They said they thought you were very down to earth and had obviously done some building yours…

Bob & Judy P.Big Lake, BC

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We are so appreciative of John Gower’s expertise, creativity and communication skills. The process of designing our new home was very collaborative and enjoyable. His communication skills were especially valuable because we lived out-of-province and much of the planning was done with creative use of email, the internet and an interactive architectural program. He took the time to help us develop an inspired vision for what this home could be for our family. He then designed a great plan for…

Linda F.Calgary, AB

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We spent the night here last night and we absolutely LOVE our place. It is just gorgeous! Every square inch of it is well thought out, beautiful, all the views; from lying in bed, from working, from cooking, all the window views, everything is just gorgeous. Thank you so much for your work. Thanks for your help with colour choices; it looks great! You’ve done a fantastic job, I hope this piece is the highlight of your portfolio, or one of the highlights and brings you lots of work. Its a …

Sam R.Keats Island, BC

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