John Gower Design

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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

A call for REAL change

September 21, 2015 By John Gower 4 Comments

The other day I touched base with an architect colleague who shares my passion for sustainable design. We lamented the fact that despite the growing certainty about the very real consequences of climate change and environmental degradation, green building hasn’t taken off as we’d hoped it would in this country. As one example of this: back in December 2013, when I took my Passive House training, there were about 40 projects built or in planning in Canada. A quick online search of the PH database reveals that now, two years later, there are only 15 built Passive Houses in Canada, (while 371 have been built in the U.S.) – disappointing numbers, to be sure, and indicative of a movement that’s lost its momentum. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Uncategorized

The Winds of Change?

May 13, 2015 By Danica Leave a Comment

This month’s election in Alberta sent shockwaves through the country when the NDP took the win in a longtime conservative stronghold. That province’s recession is held up as a primary reason for the upset. While incredulous that a once-rich province could have come to such a pass, many are hopeful that the new premier will lead the way back into prosperity. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Planning For Pets

May 22, 2014 By John Gower Leave a Comment

Recently my family became the proud guardians of a lovely rescue dog from Mexico. Canela (Spanish for “cinnamon”) has undergone quite a transformation from feral to family, and in the process she has made our lives much bigger with her quiet and loving presence. As her photo suggests, she’s a big girl. Her mellow nature allowed her to integrate into our home almost effortlessly. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Blog, home building, Miscellany, Uncategorized

Our Clients Say…

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 … Read more
Island Timber Frame (Builders)Cumberland, BC
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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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We looked at many house plans over the past few years looking for the one that would fit the property, fit ourselves and had creative style as well. To be frank, your whole line of plans was appealing and our second choice for a house plan was also one in your catalog. Thank you very much for your care, your time and your input.
Mike and Beckie T.Washington
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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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It’s a beautiful home… We’ve had lots of comments and a few visitors coming to check it out and the feedback has been very positive – everyone loves it!
Brian R. & Anne S.Crescent Valley, 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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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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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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Thank you for the final drawings. I must tell you they look really nice. We are very happy with the outcome. I will certainly recommend your services with other people.
Alex G.Puebla, Mexico
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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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212 - 2459 Cousins Avenue | Courtenay, British Columbia, Canada | V9N 3N6

Tel: 250.871.8765 | Toll-free: 1.877.366.2502

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