The power tools have seemingly ground to a halt on Charming Street aka the home of The Block for 2023.
After pushing through production, filming wrapped on the brand new season following two months of late nights, stressful deadlines, design challenges and renovation rumbles for our cast and crew.
WATCH NOW: The Block 2023 Trailer. Article continues after video.
And whilst the new season is still days away from its premiere, we’ve been given the inside scoop in real time thanks to a Facebook page run by a resident of Charming Street itself!
RELATED || When does The Block 2023 premiere?
In 2022, the network purchased five classic 1950s-style brick homes- numbers 14 through 22 – on the street, located in the affluent Melbourne suburb of Hampton East for a total sum of $14.3 million.
And now, thanks to the sneaky snaps captured by the local resident running the page, fans have now been given a sneak peek of how our contestants have renovated these old-school homes, before the new season of The Block even hits the air!
The Front Yards
After what the admin of the 2023 Charming Street “The Block” described as “four months of non-stop noise and activity”, the bulk of filming seemed to wrap up with the completion of the front yards on June 20th.
In the high-definition images of each garden, everything from leafy green fronds to water features, garden benches, and even a pool in one front yard was depicted.
The Exterior
Thanks to some sneaky snaps taken from the streets, fans were treated to an insider look at just how drastically the exteriors of these homes have changed since our contestants got to work.
From what we can tell the old-school brick exteriors have been replaced in favour of a more modern design, ranging from stonework, black and white tiling, to curved wooden rooflines.
It also seems like our contestants have built up and out from the original house plans, some even maintaining the brick exterior for statement “walls” within the homes.
The Interior
Unfortunately, local residents have been unable to see as much of the interiors of the five houses given that they are private property, with members of the public unable to walk in.
Given this, for now, it looks like much of the interior renovations will be kept a surprise.
Appliances, fittings, and furniture however have been spotted being brought into each of the homes by contestants as they prepare for their weekly room reveals to judges Shaynna Blaze, Darren Palmer, Neal Whitaker, and new addition Marty Fox.
Whilst this is a tad frustrating, we sure are looking forward to tuning in and not having all of the homes spoiled before the season airs!
The Auction
Speaking with RealEstate.com serial bidder Adrian Portelli said that he would be “causing a ruckus” at the auction.
“I’m happy to bid on all of them and I’m happy to buy all of them, but I’m not going to overpay on any of them. At least people know I’m a serious bidder this time.”
As well as being a presumed bidder, the 34-year-old multimillionaire is also involved in the upcoming season, taking part in a yet-to-be-revealed challenge involving prospective buyers of the properties.
With the average price for a four-bedroom house in the area sitting around $1,648.000 (according to Domain), we are sure our Blockheads will have a much easier time come auction day than their 2022 counterparts.
Additionally, when chatting about the upcoming season with TV Tonight, Executive Producer Julian Cress encouraged members of the public to place bids due to the more “attainable” price point in comparison to 2022.
“Viewers are encouraged to bid on the homes,” he said.
“The houses that we’re doing this year are probably around the $3m mark, at best, in the market. That used to seem like a lot of money, but it’s not anymore in the capital cities for aspirational hones.”
Despite this, Julian added that “the more people that are there with the more money in their pocket on auction day, the better.”
A Sneak Peak From Channel Nine Themselves
Ahead of the new season premiere on Sunday, August 6th judges and hosts added in their two cents as to what viewers can expect from the season ahead.
Scotty Cam revealed that this year was “a little bit less stressful” than the mammoth country renovations we saw in regional Victoria in 2022.
Despite this Shelley Craft has hinted at some big surprises ahead.
“This series’ houses may seem charming on the surface, but our contestants will be in for a shock as they uncover a host of pitfalls not evident upon first inspection,” she said.
She added: “I think this season in particular we have seen things on The Block that we haven’t seen before, which is surprising our judges.”
The network has also revealed that the five teams will be tasked with building a secondary dwelling on their property, on top of their existing renovation of the main house.
And with cast able to see the planned outside of their homes for the first time ever, the competition is sure to heat up to a whole new level.
“This series is guaranteed to be a dead-set blockbuster,” Scotty says.
