Ah, curling up on the couch and watching episode after episode of The Block. These days it seems like an age-old Australian pastime, and who can blame us, with the magnetism of beautiful home renovations, heritage facades and on-screen drama luring us in and fuelling our national obsession with all things property. We're in for another round of fast-track reno madness, with The Block 2017 coming back to our screens this Sunday July 30th at 7pm on Channel 9. This year five family homes have been rescued from demolition and transported to the 2017 Block location to be renovated. Read:
- 20 renovation trends inspired by The Block: ideas you can use in your own home
- 10 value-adding reno ideas from Selling Houses Australia
- 6 ways to add instant value to your home in one weekend
So where is The Block based this season?
The trendy Melbourne suburb of Elsternwick, which is a mere 9km southwest of the city's CBD. With its tree-lined streets and proximity to lifestyle hotspots like Chapel St and St Kilda, the area retains an upmarket appeal. It's a favoured area for many families, being situated close to the city, beach and a range of great schools. Most of the homes in the area are established period homes with gorgeous facades and gardens, so it will be interesting to see how the teams on The Block can transform and modernise five old homes while maintaining their historical elements.
What kinds of properties will the team be working on this year?
This year there'll be no need to drag heavy materials and equipment up multiple flights of stairs, because contestants will be working on one to two level level interwar period homes. In early 2017 five of these homes were cut down the middle and transported to Elsternwick on the back of a truck. All foundations were re-set, making the homes ready for contestants to start working on. Scott Cam told 9Now, "what's really great about this year's competition is that in the process we'll be saving these five beautiful old homes. They're all in their 90s now, relics from a bygone era, and sure, they need some TLC, but it would have been heartbreaking to see them all bulldozed."
The Block 2017 contestants
Jason 46 and Sarah 45 from Victoria
Josh 28 and Elyse 24, from Victoria
Ronnie 41 and Georgia 33 from Western Australia
Sticks 31 and Wombat 38 from New South Wales
Hannah 31 and Clint 33 from Queensland
What makes season 13 of The Block different from past seasons?
- A far cry from renovating warehouse apartments, each home will be set on a 470 square metre block, meaning each home will undergo an expansive extension,
- Each home has a large outdoor area, meaning plenty of fierce competition when it comes to landscaping and creating a useful, yet beautiful entertainment area
- We've heard whispers that some homes will feature three car garages which could be transformed into self-contained studio apartments
- Each property features five bedrooms that need to be overhauled
What's the layout of the homes?
The layout of each home is comprised of a master suite, two guest bedrooms, a kid's bedroom, one main bathroom, ensuites, kitchen, dining, living, laundry and a secondary living space. To top it all off there's the three car garage situation, with the opportunity to overhaul the space above the garage into a studio space/granny flat with ensuite. This season is going to be absolutely massive.