The Block New Zealand was cancelled this year due to the unexpected arrival of a global pandemic, but thankfully fans can enjoy the current Australian series of this fast-paced TV reality show where ordinary couples, siblings and friends form teams of two - undertaking major renovations, or in some cases, even building homes from scratch.
The blood, sweat, tears and drama that come with such complex challenges guarantee riveting viewing - for sure, but how do the Block projects stack up when they’re measured against real life, in terms of cost, time and expertise?
Calvin Clapperton, of Samurai Builders, says that people are likely to have unrealistic expectations if they plan their own projects based on The Block – partly because whatever you see on TV has been tightly edited and then sped up.
This means that that renovating a kitchen, for example, appears to take a couple of days, yet in reality it could be several weeks or more.
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“They have their own dedicated professionals who can sign things off, and progress the build quickly,” he says. “An example would be minor variations – as long as they’re not structural, and somebody there is able to draw them and write them up.”
Emotions run high in this season of The Block Australia. Photo / Nine
He says that cost-wise it’s hard to comment on The Block Australia, because building materials are cheaper across the Tasman.
“I did raise my eyebrows when a very luxury bathroom on the show quite recently, came out at just $18,000, – especially because they’d changed their minds, pulled it apart and rebuilt it along the way!”
Clapperton says that in general a quality-build in New Zealand would cost at least $2500 -$3000, per square metre: “But the sky’s the limit when it comes to top-end housing.”
Laura Heynike, of Pocketspace interiors, is also concerned that The Block can lead to false expectations, because it’s so different from a real-life project.
“I get clients who are Block fans and expect that a new bathroom can be completed in a couple of weeks instead of the usual six to eight weeks.
“And the costs can fool my clients too, when budgets on The Block seem low because free materials have been used as part of product sponsorship deals!”
The Block New Zealand 2018: Kiwi fans have had to wait for their fix. Photo / Supplied
Builder Charlie Bailey, whose seven-year-long refurbishment of a 1970s Meadowbank home led to a remarkable $4 million sale that was more than $1.5 million above its CV, feels that what you don’t see on The Block are the mistakes that have been hurriedly covered over.
“I’m just not sure about the quality of the teams’ work on their properties, when everything has to be done so fast and the fact that the last New Zealand Block homes proved hard to sell was a bit of a worry!”
Bailey, whose incredible attention to detail was a huge factor in his home’s appeal, thinks he has found a new project – a mid-century home in Remuera.
Bailey's renovated house at 26A Rutherford Terrace, in Meadowbank, Auckland, sold for more than $1.5 million above its CV. Photo / Supplied
He jokes that after the stunning result of the recent auction, with everybody keen to see what he does next, there’s a little bit of pressure on him.
“But I’m up for it and I can’t wait to get started!”
Karen Warman, from Resene, says that the largest cost of the painting is the painter, so obviously Block contestants save money by doing their own.
“If you can’t afford a painter for your whole home, a good idea can be to tackle the parts you feel confident with and leave the trickier parts – such as the roof – which may require special access and safety equipment, to professional painters.”
She says that a 100-square-metre home will need around 120 litres of paint and depending on the colours you choose it will cost around $3000 for a quality paint.
“If you are choosing bolder colours, with different colours in every room, this adds a bit more to the cost as you will be tending to buy smaller cans," she says.
“When you’re hiring a professional painter, the paint cost is usually only 10-15% of the cost of the project, so it really pays to choose quality paint for a good-looking finish that will last.”
