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Building blocks of sustainability

August 14, 2017 By John Gower Leave a Comment

(CV Collective is a beautifully-produced magazine that features people and places around the Comox Valley — you can view it online at https://cvcollective.ca/. In their most recent issue, I got to share my personal journey toward a more sustainable life and work practice. The article below was published in Volume 11 of the magazine.)

Picture a small boy sitting on a tall drafting stool, drawing rocket ships, submarines, and houses ­– sculptural, impossible, fantastical houses. That was me almost 50 years ago, enjoying the drafting board that my architect father kept at home. In the cozy living room below, my parents entertained friends from all walks of life. Among them were folks who had moved from California to B.C. to experiment with living closer to the earth and each other. It was the end of the 1960s, a time of creativity and chaos, and a time of growing awareness of the fragility of the world and our social systems. My parents felt this, and bought a quarter section of land out of town as a place to go should things get out of hand. In me a seed was planted.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Blog, Energy Efficiency, Future-Proofing, home building, Miscellany, resilient home, Sustainable Design, Sustainable Lifestyles

A Greener Shore: creating a more sustainable waterfront

December 6, 2016 By John Gower 1 Comment

As a coastal community, we’re fortunate to live in one of the most beautiful and ecologically diverse regions on the planet. The question is: how to inhabit the waterfront in a way that respects and preserves it? [Read more…]

Filed Under: Blog, Future-Proofing, home building, Miscellany, Permaculture, resilient home, Sustainable Design, Sustainable Lifestyles, Uncategorized

To Buy, or Not to Buy? When to put your iron horse out to pasture

August 29, 2016 By John Gower 2 Comments

As our car advances into old age, I find myself pondering the question of how to drive more sustainably. Ours is by no means the worst gas-guzzler on the road, but I would be happier with better mileage. Driving to client meetings and site visits will be a necessity into the foreseeable future, no doubt about it. So in terms of my carbon footprint as a driver, what makes the most sense? Do I keep and drive our aging (1999 model), 6-cylinder vehicle into the ground? Replace it with a newer, more fuel-efficient model? And if we take the latter course, should we opt for an electric car? A hybrid? I went online in search of guidance. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Blog, Energy Efficiency, Future-Proofing, Miscellany, Sustainable Lifestyles

PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES: At what cost travel?

August 10, 2016 By John Gower 3 Comments

I’m back from a weeklong driving trip to visit clients and family, and it’s made me think about the meaning and costs of travel. There’s been a radical change in how I do things in the last few years. Back in 2010, Tanis and I took a hard look at our lifestyle choices — housing, food, travel, work — and how they affected our carbon impact. We wanted to figure out the biggest and most immediate ways to make a change for the better. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Blog, Energy Efficiency, Future-Proofing, Miscellany, Sustainable Lifestyles

REAL ESTATE FRENZY: Coming Soon to Your Community

May 27, 2016 By John Gower 1 Comment

Everywhere you turn these days, there’s another story about skyrocketing house prices. To succeed in today’s superheated market, buyers need the mental and financial agility to make split-second decisions, offer more than the asking price, and waive all conditions on their offers to purchase. The current market seems to be flooded with wealthy buyers, including some from offshore, who apparently will pay anything for a place to park their money. Many dwellings are selling at tens or hundreds of thousands above the asking price. Sadly, a good number of them will probably sit empty as they wait to be resold for even more. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Blog, Future-Proofing, Miscellany, Sustainable Lifestyles

The Client: Smoothing Your Own Path When Building a Home

April 13, 2016 By John Gower Leave a Comment

A little while back, we posted some thoughts about the client-designer-builder triad, with tips on building a smooth working relationship among all parties involved in a home building project (http://johngowerdesign.com/a-matter-of-trust/). A successful collaboration can only be achieved with a clear understanding of everyone’s roles and responsibilities. In that first post, I wrote about the role of the designer in a project. Later, we shared some thoughts from Tavis Griffith about the builder’s role (http://johngowerdesign.com/in-their-own-words-the-builders-speak/).

Last, but by no means least, I’d like to focus on the client. What should you expect as your project goes forward, and what might be expected of you? [Read more…]

Filed Under: Blog, home building, Miscellany

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Our Clients Say…

Everything is the way it should be.  You designed us an amazing, perfect house which nestles into the landscape and gives us endless opportunities to enjoy this special piece of the world. Thank you!!!!
Mark S. & Laura M.Duncan, BC
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Thank you John, for working with us on this home design.  You are so nice to work with, we truly felt important and valued…You helped us solidify our vision into a beautiful home.
Kathy & David L.Saanich, BC
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I am thrilled with your work. I think the drawings look perfect.  I am very satisfied. It is, to me, a fantastic floor plan, and the exterior well achieves all of my design directives re: simplicity etc. Well done! All in all, I think the whole package is entirely excellent. Thank you for the great work.
Brian N.Procter, BC
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We’ve been living in it for a year now and are really pleased with the design and the final product. I can’t thank you enough for the extra work you did designing the downstairs living space. It is a perfect floor plan and very roomy. I can’t believe all that we are able to fit in there.  We hope that you are still designing houses when we build our next house!
Patricia B.California
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Every time someone asks me about the design for our house, I tell them how great you were to work with and how you took my attempts to change things and made them happen on paper. Thanks so much!
Constance and Lee
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Alice and I really enjoy the space we’ve created together. It didn’t take any time to know that it fits like a glove. We just love it.
Alice and Jack H.Maple Bay, BC
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Bud and I wanted to thank you for the plans for our wonderful new home. It was a pleasure to work with you. I was concerned that we might have a difficult time working together with your being so far away. I must admit you made the process very easy. You seem to have a knack for taking what I saw in my mind and making it happen, even better than I could see it.
Bud and Sandy H.Idaho
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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… Read more
Bob & Judy P.Big Lake, BC
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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 … Read more
Sam R.Keats Island, BC
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We worked with John Gower Design on a ‘contemporary craftsman’ style custom waterfront home. His drawings were thorough, well thought out and the assemblies worked well. He responded quickly to our requests for clarification and we collaborated well to refine the specifications as we built. We would be pleased to work with John Gower Designs again.
Kevin F. (Builder)Duncan, BC
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212 - 2459 Cousins Avenue | Courtenay, British Columbia, Canada | V9N 3N6

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