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Food for thought

February 26, 2010 By John Gower Leave a Comment

Pot Luck

“Imagine that you are first in line at a potluck supper. The spread includes not just food and water, but all the materials needed for shelter, clothing, healthcare, and education. How do you know how much to take? How much must you leave for your neighbors behind you – not just the 6.8 billion human beings currently alive on the planet, but our fellow creatures and the yet-to-be-born?”


Filed Under: Sustainable Lifestyles

12 Axioms for living lightly on the earth

February 1, 2010 By John Gower 2 Comments

People often ask what I think of this or that piece of new “green” technology. It’s as if achieving sustainability in our homes is primarily a technical matter — for example, adding the right kind of heat pump or solar panels.  I won’t disagree that technology has a role to play. However, this role is relatively small and comes much later in the game, after many other less obvious but more significant steps. [Read more…]

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

Living within our Means: A sustainable living quiz

January 7, 2010 By John Gower Leave a Comment

Just about everyone on the planet by now must have a sense that things are getting a bit tight when it comes to resources and the environment. As children, most of us were taught the “Golden Rule” about sharing and not being greedy, but in this complex and interconnected world how do we know what is our fair share? [Read more…]

Filed Under: Sustainable Lifestyles

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Our Clients Say…

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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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… Read more
Bob & Judy P.Big Lake, BC
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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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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
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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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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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Everyone loves our plans and I have referred you to a number of people who are planning to build.
Zoltan & Jane K.Sakinaw Lake, BC
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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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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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