Aberdeen brothers Darren and Dean Gowans have converted a historic city centre home as their latest business venture.
The Cottage – a B-listed detached house on Crown Terrace – has been restored by the the pairs’s company, City Restoration Project.
The duo are passionate about bringing unloved city centre properties back to life and have worked to turn it into a two-bedroom home.
Historic features important
Darren said: “We have a real passion for reviving formerly loved historic buildings and creating unique user-focused homes.
“There is an element of the unknown when you are refurbishing these old buildings.
“We always try and do it in a sympathetic way and retain as many of the period features as possible. We find that approach delivers a better finished project.
“The Cottage was essentially just an out-building so we had a different brief with that one.
“There wasn’t many significant historical features at all but we were able to combine the more modern elements of design with the historic out-building structure to create a striking home.”
The creation of high-quality urban homes has been earmarked as being a substantial part of the regeneration of Union Street and surrounding areas.
The Cottage, which has an asking price of £320,000, is phase two of the ‘Crown & Cottage’ development.
Phase one, on neighbouring Crown Street, is already sold.
Dean said: “The Cottage is quite different to what we’ve restored in the past.
“Our previous projects almost focus on a neoclassical interior design whereas the cottage is a bit much more modern in its design and architecture.”
Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce policy and marketing director Ryan Crighton said the development was “a taste of what Aberdeen city centre could be”.
“We need to stop living in the past. Union Street and the surrounding areas will never be fully occupied by retailers again – it’s time to look beyond and see what these streets can be in the future.
“City living is on the up, and we are blessed with some visionary developers who are turning unloved spaces in Aberdeen into the most incredible homes” he said.
It’s one of numerous schemes by the developers who have also previously renovated 148 Union Street and transformed old offices at 139 Union Street, above the Nationwide building society into six high-end apartments.
The developers have been shortlisted in the family business of the year category at the Northern Star Business Awards.
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