What we’re watching: Renovate or Rebuild

Renovate or Rebuild is an all-new show with an all-star cast. Watch your favourite former contestants from Channel 9’s ‘The Block’ compete to convince a family that they have the best solution to providing more space, comfort and reduced energy bills in their homes.

“Should we renovate or rebuild? – it can be a daunting question. No matter what your style is, in each episode the teams will take you through the four key steps you should think about for any renovation or rebuild to make sure your home is healthy, efficient and comfortable.

In the season premier last night, we met a couple from Queensland who have young kids and know they need to upgrade their family home, but have no idea how to do it. Sound familiar? I hear this question from so many homeowners so you’re not alone. The existing home of this lovely couple has stunning views of the city, but only from the laundry! Their block and home are both really badly laid out and the rooms are also dark – so each team came up a new design to give them the lifestyle they wanted and also made the most of the views. When each team pitched their designs to the homeowners, they walked them through life-size floor plans. It was very cool! Can you imagine how much that would help you to visualise your new home?! I wish I could do that for my upcoming new build.

Team Renovate believed the family should renovate their existing home, while Team Rebuild thought the family should knock down and rebuild. So who won last night? Well, I don’t want to spoil it for you so make sure you watch it yourself, but I really didn’t expect the winning team to take home the trophy. The architect working with each team came up with some fantastic designs so it was a really close call, but a surprise win I thought.

Did you miss the show last night and want to catch up? Here’s the link

I’m looking forward to seeing what the teams come up with next week! I hope they continue to reuse lots of materials from the existing homes in upcoming episodes.

Make sure you put this on your ‘to watch’ list.