John Gower Design

  • Built Projects
  • Stock Plan Catalogue
  • About
  • Resources
  • Blog
  • Contact Us

WRITER-IN-RESIDENCE: Reflections on House and Home

ALL IN A DAY’S WORK, Part 4: The Energy Costs of Comfort

July 26, 2016 By Danica Leave a Comment

For a few months now, we’ve been chronicling our efforts to ‘green’ the office with the goal of achieving net-zero energy consumption. One of our first big items was the switch to LED lights, since lighting accounts for 30% of total energy use in the typical office building. Now it was time to look at the cost of staying comfortable. [Read more…]

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

Living a More Sustainable Life: a 7th Generation Perspective

July 21, 2016 By Danica Leave a Comment

As the poet wrote, “The world is too much with us” lately. It’s easy to feel despair in the face of social upheaval, natural catastrophe, and economic hardship. Many of us struggle to live a more sustainable lifestyle, but need an infusion of optimism in these troubled times. [Read more…]

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

Why Meters Matter: the struggle to conserve water

July 13, 2016 By Danica Leave a Comment

It was a shock when most of eastern Vancouver Island entered Level 4 drought conditions in the very first week of summer. This was unprecedented in BC. In Courtenay and Comox, Stage One watering restrictions had already been put into effect a month before,. The Sandwick Waterworks District in north Courtenay had moved quickly to Stage Three. It’s a certainty that the watering restrictions will remain in place through September.

Unfortunately, restrictions have a limited impact on consumption habits. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Blog, Future-Proofing, Sustainable Lifestyles

How Fire-Resilient Is Your Home?

June 21, 2016 By Danica 2 Comments

In light of the recent wildfire crisis in northern Alberta, it’s a good time to examine the fire-resilience of your home. Vancouver Island is no stranger to this type of disaster; a massive wildfire in 1938 produced heavy smoke enveloping nearly two-thirds of the Island. With drought conditions increasing in severity each summer, there’s no reason to believe that it can’t happen again. [Read more…]

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

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

ALL IN A DAY’S WORK, Part 3: The little things do add up

May 12, 2016 By Danica 1 Comment

We’re always interested in achieving a more sustainable practice in our office. To this end, we’ve found a useful infographic that quantifies office-related emissions (viewable at the link below).  This resource contains good suggestions for reducing your workplace impact. [Read more…]

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

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • …
  • 14
  • Next Page »

Our Clients Say…

Your building plans worked fine for us and there were no issues of any size… We moved in here in Dec.2013 and find the house well laid out and easy to live in. Our dealings with your company were straight forward and presented no problems. All in all a good choice for us.
HelmutChilliwack, BC
View all testimonials
Thank you John. It has been a pleasure working (by phone) with you! We do appreciate the manner in which you listen – we truly feel that our ideas have been incorporated.
Jed and Helen D.Nelson, BC
View all testimonials
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
View all testimonials
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… Read more
Kathryn W.Pender Harbour, BC
View all testimonials
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
View all testimonials
We made our final decision to go with your plans based primarily on what we perceived as your ready accessibility and ability to understand our needs. We were not disappointed.
Jim B.New York State
View all testimonials
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
View all testimonials
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
View all testimonials
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
View all testimonials
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
View all testimonials

Let’s get started on your dream home.

We have the passion and the expertise
to make it a reality.

Contact Us Today!

212 - 2459 Cousins Avenue | Courtenay, British Columbia, Canada | V9N 3N6

Tel: 250.871.8765 | Toll-free: 1.877.366.2502

  • Facebook
  • Houzz

Copyright © 2025 John Gower Design