The Block 2026 main bedroom and walk-in robe reveal delivered a $7373 spending contradiction, with the cheaper House 3 ultimately taking the win. Picture: Nine/9NOW
Chantel and Wyatt threw an extra $7373 at their main suite, but a former Block winner says you would struggle to tell.
The pair spent $35,933.52 on their main bedroom and walk-in robe, while Lisa and Rosco spent $28,560.50 and won the week.
House 2 tied for second with 25 points despite spending $7373 more than House 3, which topped the judges’ scores with 27.
SJO Architects director and The Block 2023 winner Steph Ottavio said the difference was difficult to identify when she compared the two rooms.
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“It doesn’t even look like it. You can’t tell,” Ms Ottavio told News Corp Australia.
She said a discrepancy like that on one of her projects would prompt her to question her builder and trades about where costs were being absorbed and whether savings could be made.
“Where are we leaking money, how can we be saving?” she said.
Ms Ottavio agreed with judge Shaynna Blaze’s criticism that Chantel and Wyatt’s predominantly white room felt “clinical”, despite joking that she was a “beige queen”.
She said successful neutral interiors still needed depth through different undertones, textures and materials.
“You can be beige, but you have to be complex in your tone and texture,” she said.
The Block 2023 winners Gian and Steph Ottavio, with Steph warning this year’s contestants their homes will eventually need to stand apart from four auction-day rivals. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Josie Hayden
Ms Ottavio said spending on expensive finishes did not automatically make a room more luxurious.
She would use Venetian plaster, for example, but said she would not necessarily cover an entire room with it.
The same applied to features such as fireplaces, which needed to work with a room’s layout rather than simply being added to tick a luxury box.
“It’s not about just ticking the box of, ‘I’ve got a fireplace in my room’,” Ms Ottavio said.
“It’s actually about having the spatial layout that actually complements it and works.
“Otherwise, you may as well not spend the money if you haven’t executed it correctly.”
SJO Architects director and The Block 2023 winner Steph Ottavio said House 2’s extra $7373 spend was difficult to see in the finished room.
She said increasingly elaborate walk-in robes also needed to remain proportionate to the rest of a home.
“You have to be able to justify the size of your wardrobe to the size of your house,” Ms Ottavio said.
“If it’s disproportionate, then you’ve overcapitalised in that room.”
Her bigger warning for contestants was to think beyond individual room reveals and consider how five homes would eventually compete for buyers at the same time.
“Why are we forgetting that there’s gonna be five houses that are gonna be on the market on the same date?” she said.
“Why is yours gonna stand out?”
The Block 2026 House 3 contestants Rosco Wilson and Lisa Dunbar deliberately avoided following other teams’ arch designs in a bid to make their home different. Picture: Nine/9NOW
House 3’s winning walk-in robe featured an island bench, dedicated makeup station and curved detailing, with its listing agent describing the space as a genuine selling point. Picture: Dylan James Lark
Ms Ottavio said contestants could follow the judges’ push for light and bright interiors without allowing all five homes to become indistinguishable.
During her season, she challenged the supplied plans by moving walls, relocating the laundry and reconfiguring the kitchen, living and dining area.
“You’ve gotta back yourself,” she said.
Lisa Dunbar and Rosco Wilson won the main bedroom and walk-in robe reveal with 27 points after spending $28,560.50 on the space. Picture: Nine/9NOW
House 3 winner Rosco Wilson said he and Lisa Dunbar had deliberately tried to differentiate their cheaper, winning room.
“Everyone else on The Block went with an arch, but we wanted something different,” Wilson said.
“The curved shape ended up reflecting both the Dandenongs and the ocean outlook, which felt right for the home.”
Buxton listing agent Mark Nunn said House 3’s walk-in robe was a “genuine selling point” for eventual buyers.
The Block 2026 contestants Adam and Jolene were among five teams tackling their main bedrooms and walk-in robes as the Mt Eliza homes moved another step closer to auction. Picture: Nine/9NOW
House 1’s walk-in robe required its skylight positioning to work around a structural roof truss, highlighting one of the hidden constraints renovators can encounter above the ceiling. Picture: Dylan James Lark
Mr Nunn said the island bench and dedicated makeup station gave the robe exceptional storage.
“Buyers walking through can immediately picture where everything goes,” he said.
“It presents as high-end luxury.”
The cause of House 2’s higher spend has not been established.
House 2’s main bedroom and walk-in robe cost $35,933.52, $7373 more than the winning House 3 space despite finishing two points behind it. Picture: Nine/9NOW
Wyatt and Chantel spent $35,933.52 on their main bedroom and walk-in robe, with the House 2 pair ultimately tying for second on 25 points. Picture: Nine/9NOW
But Velux skylight expert Carl Swanson said skylight installations could encounter costs homeowners had not anticipated in the roof space.
Solar panels could affect available roof space, while airconditioning ductwork, waterlines and electrical cables could complicate an installation.
House 1 provided another example, with a structural roof truss restricting where its skylights could be placed.
House 4 used overhead natural light to preserve valuable wall space for cabinetry in its narrower walk-in robe. Picture: Dylan James Lark
Courtney and Sev tackled one of the narrower walk-in robe layouts, with Steph Ottavio questioning whether contestants should challenge supplied floorplans more aggressively. Picture: Nine/9NOW
Mr Swanson said a straightforward skylight installation generally cost about $600-$800, although flashing, shaft depth and plaster work could push associated costs to about $1200.
The skylight itself was additional.
House 2 used two Velux FCM 2246 skylights, priced at $550 each, putting their supply-only cost at $1100 before installation and finishing.
Tayla and Rick’s main suite was among the five competing designs, with Steph Ottavio warning contestants that every home will eventually need a point of difference on auction day. Picture: Nine/9NOW
House 5’s narrower walk-in robe showed how natural light from above can free up walls for storage rather than conventional windows. Picture: Dylan James Lark
Mr Swanson said overhead natural light made particular sense in walk-in robes because it allowed walls that might otherwise contain windows to be used for cabinetry.
And while renovators might be tempted to save by choosing the smallest option, his advice was considerably simpler.
“Go large, or go home,” Mr Swanson said.
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