At Belbowrie in Bangor, we carried out a two-stage home renovation, working through the house level by level over two carefully sequenced phases. Stage one modernised the upper level with contemporary finishes and improved functionality. Stage two then moved downstairs to the ground floor, where a new kitchen and laundry were created to suit modern family living. That staged approach meant each level was finished to the same high standard before we started on the next, which kept the disruption to the household’s day-to-day living down to a minimum. It’s now a functional, contemporary family home in Bangor, with one connected design running through both levels.

Project Snapshot

The Brief

The homeowners at Belbowrie in Bangor wanted the whole house brought up to date, progressively, so the home kept functioning throughout the renovation. So we planned the two-stage renovation as two connected phases rather than one long, disruptive build, staging the work so each level reached the same high standard before the next phase began. The first stage covered the upper level and the second covered the ground floor, and we paid careful attention to a cohesive design that would carry through from the first stage into the second. Sequencing it that way let the family get a complete transformation without sacrificing the everyday functionality of the home at any point in the process, precisely what staging the build across two phases was designed to protect.

Stage One: The Upper Level

The upper level came first: we modernised the existing spaces there with contemporary finishes and improved functionality, and put real thought into a design that would carry cleanly through to the ground floor when stage two came around. The point was for the finished home to feel consistent from the first stage to the last, rather than like two separate projects stitched together. Every finish decision we made upstairs anticipated the kitchen and laundry work still to come below, and it set the tone for the second stage of the Belbowrie renovation before that stage had even started. That forward planning is what let stage two build directly on stage one’s foundations instead of starting the design conversation over.

Stage Two: Kitchen & Laundry

The ground floor is where the biggest change happened: in stage two we created a new kitchen and laundry to better suit modern family living, and the redesigned kitchen became the heart of the home, offering improved storage, enhanced workflow and a welcoming space for cooking, entertaining and everyday life. We designed the adjoining laundry alongside it, built to maximise practicality while keeping a clean, cohesive aesthetic that matches the rest of the ground floor. Putting the laundry next to the kitchen kept the new ground-floor layout practical as well as considered, with neither space compromising the other. Together, the two rooms complete the ground-floor half of the Belbowrie renovation, carrying the same design language we established upstairs in stage one down to the level where the family spends most of its everyday time.

The Result

Belbowrie is now a functional, contemporary home for the family, with one consistent design running through both levels of the Bangor house. Staging the work across two carefully planned phases let the homeowners complete a full transformation while day-to-day living carried on as normal, with each level finished to the same standard before the next began. Upstairs, the modernised spaces set a contemporary tone. Downstairs, the new kitchen and laundry deliver the everyday practicality a family needs. We considered every detail with an eye to connecting the two stages into a single result rather than two separate updates. The project reflects Dura Group’s experience delivering staged home renovations across Bangor and the wider Sutherland Shire.

Belbowrie shows what a two-stage renovation can achieve without pausing family life along the way, delivered as one connected project. If you’re weighing up your own home renovation, kitchen renovation or laundry renovation in Bangor or the Sutherland Shire, you’ll see the same staged approach and attention to everyday practicality in Dura Group’s work.