You can bank

Brothers strike gold with stylish conversion in heart of Granite City

Dean and Darren Gowans were banking on success from the moment they clapped eyes on a stunning period building on the Granite City’s premier street.

The former TSB bank at 148 Union Street is a stone’s throw from the city’s Music Hall and Golden Square and is flanked by some outstanding architecture.

Dean, from Edinburgh, who graduated from the University of Aberdeen with a MA degree in Property and Town Planning, tells in10: “We recognised during the very first viewing that it presented an opportunity to create three unique and stunning homes as well as a retail unit on the ground floor.”

The brothers, who have been in property development for 15 years, wasted no time in making their vision a reality.

In just five months, they delivered a bespoke, high-spec luxurious conversion which exudes understated elegance and charm.

Dean reveals: “We were eager to remove the unattractive bank shop frontage and we worked closely with Aberdeen City Heritage Trust to reinstate the shop to the original style from the 1800s, matching the traditional beauty of the surrounding buildings. “We always aim to create unique, modern, beautiful homes, which are sympathetic to the building’s historic uses and period features.

“There was a particular focus on quality from the outset on this project. Quality of design, materials and workmanship are all crucial.” But the development was not without hurdles. Darren explains: “Converting a commercial building to residential use on Union Street certainly had its challenges, not least navigating the planning, listed building consent and building warrant process.

“Logistically, it was also difficult to install new water, gas and electrical services because the building is on such a busy street. The careful incorporation of commercial grade fire detection and fire suppression sprinkler system networks into the entire existing historic fabric of the building, without damaging period features, also presented a challenge.” Entirely hands-on, the duo project managed the conversion themselves with painstaking attention to detail. Their hard work paid off with one apartment sold on the first viewing and another on the second. The retail unit was also quickly let. Dean admits they held back on releasing to the market the