02 What’s In From left to right: Jesse and Kirsty, Michael and Paul Taouk, working on House 5, in Hampton, Vic.
What is “The Block”? In case you’ve been living under a rock, “The Block” sees couples compete to design and build high-end homes then sell them at auction for the highest price. The current, ‘Fans versus Faves’ themed series offers an around-the-clock view of what happens when you take five determined couples (or twin brothers, as is the case in this series) and five properties (this year in Bronte Court, Hampton, in Melbourne’s south-east), give them equal-sized budgets, and just weeks to out-design and out-build each other to see who becomes the ultimate winner and walks away with their prize of $100,000.
Your clients on “The Block” are Jesse and Kirsty, on House Five. Can you share how, as a building designer, you added value to their project? House Five is a large, double-storey home and, compared with a single-storey building, the extra storey adds another level of complexity. Being a building designer has allowed me to provide valuable advice on not only the structural elements but also what potential buyers will be looking for, and design to their specifications. Are there any Michael Taouk ‘signature’ features in House Five? Definitely! I can’t give too much away before each week airs, however, it will be impressive. Was the experience of being on “The Block” what you were expecting? The experience was much more difficult than I had expected. It was daunting having to assist designing a whole house layout without notice and meeting short deadlines. Having several cameras recording your every move knowing that an error could be nationally televised was unnerving. Why do you think your house will win “The Block”? I think House Five will win because it had a building designer assisting with the design process. Collaboratively working with my brother Paul, the builder and the tradies allowed for innovation and synergy.
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