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How Fire-Resilient Is Your Home?

June 21, 2016 By Marusha 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

Canada’s EnerGuide: the energy cost of your home

January 7, 2016 By Marusha Leave a Comment

What is the true energy cost of your home? How do you go about calculating it? If you’re trying to cut your carbon footprint in planning a building project, where do you find reliable information?

Whether you’re a prospective home buyer, planning a renovation, or work in the construction or realty sectors, here’s something you definitely should know about. Canada’s new EnerGuide system is a wide-reaching initiative by the federal government. It will provide the world’s most accurate system for determining the energy efficiency of a home. A report by a trained third-party inspector can now provide the total annual consumption and greenhouse gas emissions of any house. It’s high time that such considerations become integrated in a meaningful way to the construction and real estate industries. More info at:

http://www.nrcan.gc.ca/en…/efficiency/housing/new-homes/5035

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

‘Damn Near’ Passive House, then and now

August 25, 2015 By John Gower 1 Comment

Three years ago, Roy deVries approached us about helping him to design a future-friendly new home in Kaslo, BC. He affectionately nicknamed it the Damn Near Passive House because strictly speaking, it was not intended to be a certified PH design. However, we set out to make it come as close as we could. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Blog, Energy Efficiency, Future-Proofing, home building, Net Zero housing, Passive House, resilient home, Sustainable Design

25 Years: A Backward Glance

August 4, 2015 By John Gower 1 Comment

A quarter-century is a significant milestone in one’s working life. This year marks the 25th anniversary of my design practice, and I can’t help reflecting on the long and winding road that brought me to this time and place.

It seems natural that I’d follow in my architect dad’s footsteps, having watched his designers and draftspeople in action when I was a boy. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Blog, Miscellany, Sustainable Design

‘Greystoke Seven’ Revisited

July 10, 2015 By John Gower Leave a Comment

A few years ago before relocating to Courtenay we had the opportunity to design a larger-scale urban infill project. Greystoke Seven is a seven-unit townhouse project in a rapidly densifying part of Victoria. It has three units facing the street and four more tucked in behind with vehicle access to garages from a central courtyard. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Miscellany, Sustainable Design

Keeping Cool Naturally: Low-energy solutions

June 30, 2015 By Marusha 1 Comment

As our national holiday approaches, so do the hottest days of summer. Let’s talk about low-energy ways to keep cool without turning up the air conditioner. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Blog, Energy Efficiency, Sustainable Design, Sustainable Lifestyles

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Our Clients Say…

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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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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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 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
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I can only say that I was very content. John is a very professional fellow.
Miro M.Bowser, BC
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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
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Thank you again for a fabulous job on our home design. We absolutely love it! You were definitely able to merge our wish list with the reality of our budget. We love the space configuration.
Anni v.M-BNelson, 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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We enjoy the house very much and every day we are thankful for the design… We love the open feel and unique design. In fact, passers by are always noticing the house and we have received many compliments.
Jurgen & Shawn B.Midlothian, TX
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Rod and I are happily settled into our beautiful home… Every day we look around and say, WOW! We might possibly forfeit a trip south this winter just because we love it here so very much!
Rod and Ingrid H.Nelson, BC
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212 - 2459 Cousins Avenue | Courtenay, British Columbia, Canada | V9N 3N6

Tel: 250.871.8765 | Toll-free: 1.877.366.2502

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