Sunday night the front gardens are revealed and judged, then it’s on to the studio and garage building.
Who’s the front runner to win The Block this season?
Although as we know, getting the “worst” Edit on the show means you can still win (cough, Steve and Chantelle).
Will COVID affect the number of people bidding? I guess the kind of people buying $1.5 million-plus houses are not worried about money.
Thanks again to Maz for the recaps and to people like Fijane, who keep the thread ticking over.
VIC
Spend $41986
The judges take one look at the ‘let’s throw everything but the kitchen sink’ front garden and try to be somewhat diplomatic.
Neale finds it elegant and calming. Darren is oddly silent except to point out the really, really bad paintwork and Shaynna channels her inner Charlie Abalone.
Shaynna liked the white brick steps but for the size of the front yard thinks the small patch of grass is too small for the space. She hates the gravel, thinks the yard is over-planted, cluttered and the arch is disconnected from everything else.
It is for the eclectic and eccentric buyer. In other words, the buyer will need to rip everything out and hire a proper landscape architect.
NSW
Spend $40089
You got me the grass tree-Darren
You got me at the arbour (and wisteria)-Shaynna
This is engaging in its simplicity -Neale
Shaynna loves the multi-colour bricks. It is so 1940s (okay then).
This garden has more grass than next door. It is an inviting space. The garden is not overwhelming the house. There is space to breathe.
It is a simple and elegant garden expertly executed.
NSW
Spend $40089 (Dave Franklin)
You got me the grass tree-Darren
You got me at the arbour (and wisteria)-Shaynna
This is engaging in its simplicity -Neale
Shaynna loves the multi-colour bricks. It is so 1940s (okay then).
This garden has more grass than next door. It is an inviting space. The garden is not overwhelming the house. There is space to breathe.
It is a simple and elegant garden expertly executed.
SA
Spend $25811 (Inge Jabara https://www.instagram.com/ingejabaralandscapes/?hl=en)
That facade is glamours and dramatic. I adore it, declares Shaynna.
For Neale, it is exquisite. Wow, wow, wow.
It has so much impact, adds Darren. It is gorgeous.
The carpentry is incredible.
The judges finally turn their attention to the garden. The balance of plants is superb (conifers, gardenias and palms). The judges love the spotted gum catwalk. Well, Darren in particular. They love the Mayfield signage and the verandah.
The only problems are the brickwork’s lack of pressure wash and the catwalk is unfinished.
WA
Spend $32365
Shaynna takes the lead in the commentary again. This actually says home to me. How beautiful is this pathway? It has been nicely done.
They have thought about privacy in the front by planting trees beyond the brick fence to create private santuary. (Guess you don’t need a DA and public liability insurance to plant out the verge in Victoria).
They have made a feature out of the rainwater garden drainage.
The only negative note is the water feature. For Neale, it is aesthetically tired and generic. They should swap it out for a traditional birdbath.
QLD $51696
(Lily from Sabo Designs)
We are not in a different era but a different place all together.
This is fantastic. Neale is in love with it.
This is unique and self sufficient.
They love the sparness and the sense of a desert.
They love the salmon pink door colour. It is so 50s. (So not 50s Australia).
The house is very niche.
Darren, Shaynna, Neale
VIC 8.5, 8,9.5=26
NSW 10, 9.5,9.5=29
SA 9.5,9,9.5=28
WA 9.5,9.5,9=28
QLD 9.5,9.5,10=29 (That is so BS…that garden was crap)
We thought the farmers would win this week except they are beaten by a salmon pink door with some very contemporary balustrading. That would be a wretched “garden” to be in summer. Any one else get the feeling that Tam and Jimmy binged watched season after season of Desert Flippers?
House One’s house was a confused mess. The brickwork and arches was just horrid. Won’t expect that landscaper to be on the Block again.
I liked the brickwork and arches in house 1. But on another note I am so sick of jimmy and tam winning purely because they are doing something different, different doesn’t equal good. I’m not a huge fan of the interior of the house and their garden was atrocious, would be stinking hot in summer and whilst the deck area was nice there is nothing but rocks to look at. Given how much the judges have applauded them Throughout the season it will be interesting to see if it translates to a big win come auction day.
House 5 gravel garden should not have won. Palm Springs is an arid and dry climate, it makes sense that those gardens contain mostly cacti and rocks since it can go into the 40s during Summer. How is that relevant to rainy windy Melbourne weather? It’s not even an interpretation of Palm Springs gardens – there’s no allowances for the Australian climate at all. I don’t feel the judges have any integrity here and something else seems to be going on.
Jimmy’s and Tam’s garden did not deserve those high scores. There was no elegance and plants were sparse. Looked cheap to me. Dump some rocks, get a free palm tree and plant a few cacti. That garden just does not fit the area and, if I were a buyer, I would turn around immediately and exit after seeing it.
Did not like Harry’s and Tash’s garden. Where J & T didn’t put enough into their garden H & T put too much. It was the biggest front yard but it looked small because of all that “stuff” and nothing seemed to work together. However, I did think that the judges were overly harsh. Shayna kept going on and on about the flaws in house 1’s front garden. She didn’t have to keep comparing it to the others.
1950S
Suburban gardens in the 1950s featured neat garden beds around a beautiful lawn. Better lawnmowers, plus the promotion of new chemicals and fertilisers to help home gardeners grow the perfect lawn, brought a competitive element to the suburbs. Roses remained firm favourites, especially large tea roses such as ‘Queen Elizabeth’ and ‘Peace’, the latter named for the end of World War II.
Flowering shrubs such as camellias, azaleas, diosmas and hydrangeas were popular, and many households still maintained a vegetable garden. Indoors, we embraced the African violet, which thrived under newly popular fluorescent lights. And in 1957 came the creation of the ubiquitous pink flamingo lawn ornament.
https://www.homestolove.com.au/garden-and-plant-trends-6512
You’ve just described my Nanna’s garden, which was lovely.
Sans flamingo
It was interesting that none of the homes featured roses or camellias.
What struck me was how some of the features of the front yard, perhaps would have been more suited to the back (particularly where a pool is supposed to be the feature).
We are over Tam and Jimmy and their smug condescension. The scoring doesn’t reflect that some parts of their home are disastrous. The garden, the lack of dining area, the cramped living space, the laundry in the entrance, the ghastly apricot pink bathroom, the disportional kitchen. There is a lot wrong with the house. Some of it is not their fault but enough for you would think twice before buying.
We also think that parts of House 1 will need to be redone also if you were to purchase it (particulary the bathrooms) and remove the velux in the main bedroom. (Or is nobody else worried about sun fade?)
We really do think the Farmers were robbed (and we all know , we are not their biggest fan). It was supposed to be garden and front facade week. The front facade of house three should have been enough for them to win.
Given the high front fences, I’m assuming other than the pool there isn’t much back yard to speak off.
I think the velux has a shutter? althought no point putting them in if you have to have the cover on all the time.
It is probably a tribute to Jimmy and Tam’s niceness that they are only now getting on our nerves. They have made a couple of huge mistakes, ones that will devalue their house, and yet they insist they are right in everything. I am a bit over their over-confidence, and the preferential treatment because they and their house match the fashionable “midcentury modern” fad.
On the other hand, Jasmin has shown that the honeymoon of the couple’s friendship is over, by pushing it too far by asking (again) for help from them. Along with House 1, they have traded on the good nature of their neighbours to get things finished etc. I couldn’t believe that Dan gave Harry an extra tradie last week because once again Harry put on the “poor Harry, everything works against me” pout.
No, they are fairly manipulative and love using their child (and the traumatic birth story) for their woe is me story. Tam and Jimmy were lucky in the beginning that the the other Houses were creating more drama and the rolling wins gave them greater breathing space so there was less focus on them.
We hope never to see them grace the screens again after this season on the Block.
LOL. Just give QLD the Domain cover already.
Seems like a safe bet
I felt this was so unfair – on par with every challenge being winner takes all, and no second or third prizes. Why give one team the huge advantage of auction order, and then reward them again with the domain cover? Besides that, the domain cover should be decided by the estate agents or Domain reps, not the judges.
Wow how agro is the farmer? He was so rude to Forman Dan – compare his double triple swearing at Dan to Harry’s mild annoyance.
The judging was okay in the comments this week, but topsy-turvy in the scoring.
Personally I thought House 1 was very much on the right track and could have been stunning. I do agree with Shaynna that the plants were overdone, and I think it is because they made the beds too large, too protuding out from the fences. More grass and the same plants in lesser quantities would have helped. I hated the white bricks, which made the arch ugly, and considering they used the same in the 1950s house, obviously not true to the era. Timber or a warm brick would have been more logical. I was glad, though, that shoddy unfinished work was not overlooked in the scoring.
House 2 – I agree with Jimmy – meh. Nice but simple. Maybe a good neutral garden for general buyer appeal. I am not a fan of the offset large stepping stones – I prefer a decent path of some sort.
House 3 – facade perfect. Finally a gorgeous wooden path. Garden sweet and appropriate to the facade of the house. If they had put sides on the steps, I would have expected a 30 result.
House 4 – Also nice, but too much emphasis on the wagon wheel trees outside. Good idea for the bench. Should have had a higher score than 2 or 5.
House 5 – Awful garden. Verandah nice but the salmon accents not my cup of tea. Am I wrong in envisioning a palm like that as the central feature of a rainforest? The block wall made the garden poky, and the rocks were repellent. Not enough plants (if you are doing succulents, then do it!) and a sad looking cactus.
I understand Tash’s tired and frustrated breakdown, but seriously the tears are just too much for the viewer. She’s upset, we get it. Stop showing it (and humiliating her) over and over.
These have to be the nastiest and most passive aggressive contestants in the history of the Block.
How lovely it was to see Dan deflect Keith’s praise about the painting to share equally with Jade, quickly pointing out that they both did the work and that Jade is the more skilled at it. There does seem to be a general assumption this year that all the physical work is the men’s domain, which is generally true but we have seen all the women except the princess in house 1 contributing their share to the painting and other work.
I wasn’t a fan of the chair-throwing stunt. If I had been Sarah it wouldn’t have gone well, and it seemed out of character for George to play what seemed a bit of a mean trick.
VIC $29800
Its Garage and nothing else. Slow lingering shot on the Tesla battery.
Unfinished plaster in the stairwell.
Darren loves the pitched roof. Shaynna thinks the multiple veluxes are a modernist version of the exposed rafters.
Darren thinks the island bench in the studio is far too big.
Shaynna thinks the bar fridge is classless. Not the right cabinetry. No dishwasher.
There is a lot of deadspace and the lighting design is poor and does not consider the use of the space at night.
There is also planning issues in the bathroom. The toilet is in the doorway. They should have swapped the position of the vanity and the toilet and instal a sliding door. Absolute disaster.
So, how does this team plonk a bare mattress on the base (with help from another team, of course) just as tools down is called. In addition, messy bags and packaging is everywhere. Then when the judges come in, the bed is styled, no mess. In the past, the producers worked hard to pretend that this didn’t happen, now they don’t care if it is clear as day.
Too many skylights. Windows would be much better. Looking at the sky with no horizon outlook is claustrophobic. The garage floor was white and will be filthy on first use. Otherwise I agree with the judges.
There seemed to be no evidence of keeping things simple to save money.
NSW $40 000
Have proper storage via the cupboards in the garage.
Judges love the euro laundry, the bench space, wardrobe, the kitchen space, study desk. Darren is a bit sad that there is no dishwasher but it is a very flexible space. Real Estate Gold.
The lighting design is brilliant. (Hahahaha… you will be able to use the space after dark).
The colour plalette feels warm and inviting.
The bathroom is expertly laid out and the Velux is perfectly placed over the shower.
The tiler has a fantastic job.
Shaynna ‘loves it’.
Deserved winners, mainly because they had a clear vision of who would use the space (the Nanny) and stuck to what was needed for that. My only quibbles were: artwork in the garage (that’s where bad artwork goes to die, usually) and pushing the bed to the corner.
Pretty clear that contenders were needed to challenge the house 5 favouritism edit.
SA $45 400
Starts with an extended ad for the Ford Puma.
The powder room in the garage is deemed to be a clever move.
The stairwell is unfinished.
The kitchenette lacks a stovetop and the TV is overwhelming space.
With five bedrooms in the main house, they should not have staged it as a sixth bedroom rather it should have been presented as an office space.
Where they have positioned the desk there is no power point.
For Neale it has about as much personality as a serviced apartment.
Shaynna believes they should have used a cavity spacer rather than a swing door for the bathroom.
Where they have positioned the towel rack, the shower screen door may not be long for this world.
This team have suffered the last few weeks by being judged immediately after house 2 – how about the judging order changing every week, maybe based on the previous week last to first? Every time the judges say “this isn’t as good as what we just saw”.
That said, the judges were right that it didn’t hit the brief well. The judges missed the intent of making an adaptable space, but that was mainly because the office part was poorly done. And again, the palette was very neutral – just one large item with bold colour would make a big difference.
Their unfinished area was not as bad as either of the other two unfinished-ness.
WA 42700
Perfectly laid out for a garage.
Stairwell is unfinished.
The skylights (portholes) are amazing. Love the artwork.
Lovely as it is presented as a bedroom they should have emphasised it as work space.
It is the most consistent with the main house.
The bathroom is spacious but it has no door.
No caulking in the bathroom.
Another house that presented wildly different to how it looked at tools down. And overdressed, IMO. I really dislike banquette seating, so that was a fail for me, as was the lack of door. There was a clear crack behind the judges for nearly the whole time they talked – distracting. I don’t like the round windows, and again claustrophobic – more windows please.
On the positive side, the styling was quite nice, if a little overdone.
QLD 42700
Wow…Home Gym….apparently this is evidence of the a new world…okay….
Neale plays Devil’s Advocate and is unimpressed by the gym.
The judges like the gallery Style kitchen with integrated desk and a dishwasher.
The judges admire T & J’s ability to finesse the details by pointing out how the AC vents are positioned.
They are the only team not to style with a bed. Again, Neale isn’t overly impressed as the sofa bed when opened will make the space small.
The judges are happy that TJ have presented a neutral bathroom…no tagerine or mint green ….(hahahahah so the fix was in with the praise about the colours). It echoes their previous bathrooms.
Overscored, I think. A worthy second place but more like two points behind than a half. I agree with Neale about the gym – waste of money, although it may be attractive to a buyer who is happy to spend the time putting it on ebay. Unfortunately, the assumptions J&T made about everyone wanting a home gym due to the pandemic is now out of date, as people have flocked back to the gyms for the social life.
This space has an identity problem. If it wants to be an office, then the kitchen and bathroom are too big, too elaborate, and the desk space is woeful (Dani Wales thought it was a breakfast bar) and the chairs don’t move. If it wants to be guest accommodation, then the kitchen is right but the bed is wrong and there is nowhere to put the coffee table.
None of these alleged office spaces have real office equipment or space for it. No filing cabinetry, no space to put your printer or second monitor or tower. They are pretend offices, and people may as well use their laptops on the dining table (except in this house 🙂 )
D, S, N
VIC 6.5, 7, 6.5=20
NSW 9.5,10,10=29.5
SA 8.5,8.5,8.5=25.5
WA 8.5,8.5,8.5=25.5
QLD 10,9.5,9.5=29
Not a fan of a doorless bathroom in a studio space. Surely home offices would be a better use of all the spaces?
Most Block houses end up as rental properties, so it is probably smarter to present it as an AirBnB.
JT are getting the preferred winners PR…the we are going to expand our family after the Block storyline. Insert eyeroll here.
Look how well that storyline worked for Norm and Jess.
But J and T have elsewhere said that because of medical issues during pregnancy they were happy with their one child.
‘More children’ is the Block equivalent to the dead Nonna in Masterchef.
From what we have been shown, I suspect that J&T’s daughter needs a sibling to protect her from over-invested parents.
Interesting that nobody considered a sliding door (or a barn door). Clearly they are too out of fashion now. But “no door” is not an option for any defined use of the space.
Oh god. House 4. Jas scamming over $1k in vouchers off 3 houses for a stated need of $500. Luke almost crying cos HE has to ensure HIS pool fence is up to code.
And whining that he has to finish the cladding on the house (called out by a very concerned Scotty), cos he’s trying to do the right thing by everyone; delivering the best backyard evaaa; has no money; and has 50m more cladding than everyone else, boohoo.
But ‘Scotty’ has said no cladding, house can’t proceed to auction; they won’t be judged this week if it’s not done. Rightly so.
Luke feels like he’s being told off, boo hoo. ‘I knew I wouldn’t be able to leave it, but when am I gonna do it?’
Jas thinks it’s devastating that they can’t win because of the cladding!! Helloooo, the house isn’t finished.
Like every week, Luke’s tried to get away with dodgey finishings. Push come to shove from Scotty though and he’s suddenly got $1200 hipages credit and getting it done.
Seriously dislike this pair.
Great summary, PollyB. I was wondering why Luke and Jasmin seem this way, and still appear ‘nice’ on the surface. I think it comes down to being very hardworking, but entitled. The essence is that they expect that the rules won’t entirely apply to them. They will comply to a point, but if it gets a bit difficult, then a shortcut is okay because the ‘rulemakers’ will understand and let them off.
And I think they should be learning that having ‘options’ is an expensive business. The reason they have run out of money is twofold: all their zones are overdressed, with too many features, and secondly, the policy of buying extra options, just in case. Even if you return those things, it costs you money. Jasmin, in particular, needs some discipline here.