Our Reference Links
Click here to find a selection of carefully chosen links to assist you in planning, designing, and building a home that will fit your life beautifully.
Our Reference Library
In the course of our practice we frequently encounter new ideas--or old ideas said in new ways--about how we can make our dwellings better: Houses that are planned to suit the priorities modern life, that are more affordable to build and maintain, using less material to create and and use less energy to heat. Homes that are designed to be more responsive to our needs for peace, creativity, privacy, and connection with the natural world.
We offer a collection of articles on these ideas, in the hope that they will help inspire thought and dialogue. We hope that this site will evolve into a forum for discussing house design issues and process. We welcome your input, feedback, interesting links, articles, which will be added over time.
The Small House: An Idea Worth Considering - We think that building smaller, more well-thought out homes is a timely idea. Here's some of the reasons why.
Avoiding Renovation Hell - How do you prevent that long-anticipated renovation from turning into a stressful and expensive nightmare? We offer some tips from careful selection of your contractor to having realistic expectations.
Choosing the Right Plan for You - So you've found the perfect lot piece of land. Where do you turn for your home plans? We examine the three main options: designing the house yourself, purchasing a stock plan, or hiring a design professional.
Heating Your Home With Radiant Heat - More and more people are finding that hydronic radiant heat is a comfortable, energy-efficient and healthful heating alternative. This article looks at the principles of radiant heating, with a particular focus on economical systems for compact homes.
A Business Profile of John Gower - A profile by David Carrigg of John's early work in exploring the business potential of the Internet while John was living and working in Nelson, BC.
What Makes a BC Mountain Home Stand Out? - This article offers a brief summary of BC Mountain Homes' design values.
PROPERTY SITE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS
We are pleased to
include here a series of previously-published helpful articles written by
company founder, John Gower, which take
anyone contemplating the purchase of rural property through the various
steps involved, from choosing and purchasing land, through to preparing a
development plan and obtaining house plans. Throughout, the goal is to
help people "find their place in the country".
Click on the links below to read
the articles:
Finding Your Place in the Country
Choosing the Property that is Right for you - Part I
Choosing the Property that is Right for you - Part II
Rural Site Development Phase I: The Site Inventory
Rural Site Development Phase II: The Development Plan
Finding the Plan that is Right for You
Giving New Life to Old Structures - Part I
Giving New Life to Old Structures - Part II
