The Block NZ: New faves nail family bathroom week

REVIEW: It’s the return of the Wolf on the Block this week, and he’s back with a vengeance.

Now, in family bathroom week, we’re starting to see the first signs of real annoyance and anger on site (it had to come sooner or later). And it’s all because tradies can’t keep their boots on, and sometimes stand on the top step of ladders.

It’s Quinn and Ben, the couple with the most work to do, who pay the price. Having been docked two lots of 10 minutes for their tradies not wearing boots, a day later their very own builder – supposedly the man in charge – does the very same thing and the Wolf, site manager Peter Wolfkamp is as angry as we’ve ever seen him. Ben tries to negotiate the added 10-minute penalty to no avail.

Maree and James lose 10 minutes for a tradie standing on the top step of a ladder, but they are pretty chilled and finish in plenty of time. And, as it happens, everyone finishes, which might just be a first for family bathroom week on the Block.

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And it’s time for the judging. But we’re in for a disappointment. The producers decide we can only see half the scores (from judge Shelley Ferguson). We are going to have to wait to see who actually won.

Chloe and Ben

These two are nailing it. They have become the favourites, bar none (who saw this coming?) Last week’s win was not just a blip – they’re doing it again.

Ben promises to shave off his ‘tache this week if they get a 10, and they do, so they’re in the lead.

They had a pretty tough week, with Ben forgetting to order a heater to dry the walls. That caused a lot of headache, but they managed to finish.

We have beautiful terrazzo-style tiles on the walls and floor, a fluted tile on the vanity and a gloss tile in the shower. There is gold tapware and accessories, which seem a little chintzy, and the first of two curved walls we see this week. Judge Jason Bonham is speechless after saying “fantastic”. “Are we actually on the Block?” he asks.

“It’s like a high-end hotel,” says Ferguson. “They’ve mastered neutrals.”

We have to give them top marks for their freestanding tub – it is beautifully styled and very inviting. As Ferguson points out, they’ve made the room look bigger. And thank goodness they weren’t docked points for not having bright towels.

Stacy and Adam

This is another week in which Stacy goes shopping (it seems to be all she does), and Adam rolls his ankle. There’s a lovely clip of Stacy reeling off all her shopping chores to Adam who appears to go into a trance while soft music plays.

She’s good at it, mind you, and she’s making this Block look like a walk in the park (or the mall in this case).

Last time round, this couple got a big fat zero out of 10 for their family bathroom because they didn’t finish – they were nowhere near finishing. This week, they pull out all the stops with a lovely wet-area bathroom.

“Small tiles aren’t your friend, so we’ve decided to stick to a reasonably large format,” Adam says. That was a good decision. Their tile choice is praised by Ferguson who loves the combination of the fluted tile with the light terrazzo-look tiles, but Bonham isn’t sure about the colour match.

It’s all very light and bright and non-confrontational, and the reeded glass screen is wonderful. We love their stainless steel tapware.

The tiles work well on the front of the vanity, and the judges like the artwork. However, Bonham doesn’t like the light fitting for a bathroom, despite the fact it is compliant, which seems mean.

Both judges notice the shower opening is not as wide as it needs to be, so points are docked there. It does look a bit tight and functionality is critical. But they end up in a tied second place with a score of nine out of 10.

Maree and James

And it’s Maree and James who end up in the tie with them with a half-time score of nine.

This couple finish early, which is a real bonus. And they win the plank challenge this week, getting a +1 card they can use to raise their total.

They also have large terrazzo-style tiles on the walls. They team these with a white vanity, gold tapware and accessories – the gold seems a little over the top because there is so much of it.

But their green wall tiles behind the bathtub that go right up to the skylight enliven the space. This is a lovely bathroom and even Bonham admits he’s having trouble finding fault. They deserve that nine.

Quinn and Ben

These two attempted the most complicated bathroom – a curved wall, three new skylights and thousands of tiny finger tiles all over the walls. It all seems a bit too much, but the judges swoon.

They love the slightly Japanese aesthetic, the skylights, the curves, all the tiling and the wall-to-wall shower recess for shampoo and soap.

And there’s no doubt, there’s plenty to like about this bathroom. But the gold-coloured tapware looks a little cheap. Why do people keep going for this? And arched mirrors are clearly a “thing” again this year (I knew there was a reason I hadn’t updated my 90s bathroom.)

Judge Jason Bonham feels they could have added some art. So that’s probably half a point gone. And he doesn’t like the white timber Venetian blind, plus the judges notice the finishing looks a little rushed.

But it’s impressive Quinn and Ben managed to get it finished to the standard they did, especially since they were docked 30 minutes. The judges take this into account. Ferguson gives them an 8.5.

In summary

• This is the best family bathroom week we have seen on the Block
• More variety in materials would have been welcome
• You can never discount the underdog
• Confidence shouldn’t be at the expense of functionality
• Beware the Wolf