It was time for the first room reveals on Sunday night’s episode of Dream Home, hosted by Chris Brown, and six couples were vying for the judges’ praise after being tasked with renovating rooms at Brad and Mel’s house.
Brad and Mel bought an old 3-bedroom home in the northern Melbourne suburb of Northcote, but 17 years later it’s bursting at the seams.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Dream Home contestants Brad and Mel on TMS.
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With four kids, and a total of six people in the house, there is stuff everywhere — and very little room to move.
Things are so crammed that Brad and Mel had to move their bedroom into the old dining room, space is at an absolute premium, and things are beginning to fall apart.
The couple haven’t been able to afford to do anything about it, and it’s got to the point where their kids are saying they won’t bring their friends back to the house.
Brad and Mel handed over their home to six total strangers to do the renovation, with Queensland couple Hannah and Jonny creating the first rooms to go under the judges’ microscope.
The living room they were working on was quite literally stuck in the mud for days while the other stresses kept piling up, including a central fireplace not arriving until two days before the room reveal.
“If we lose any more control, we’re not even going to have a room finished,” Johnny said.
So, what can the judges expect when they rock up to the Northcote home to assess the work?
What lies within has been utterly transformed from a crowded, worn-down space to a spacious, light-filled room that is both elegant and family-friendly.
In a word? Wow.
“Without it being the same address, I wouldn’t believe this is the same home,” judge Lana Taylor from Three Birds Renovations said.
“We were looking at dump holes a split second ago,” added interior designer Rosie Morley.
“This is quite incredible.”
“Remembering this is a house of six people,” added buyer’s agent Simon Cohen.
“It’s gotta have that hang out liveability.”
All agreed that the sofa was a fantastic choice for a big family but Lana was less sold on two heavy black leather chairs, saying they reminded her of a “masculine bachelor pad”.
Overall, however, the judges felt a “phenomenal” living space had been created.
“From a value-add perspective, creating this space and creating a proper living room that leads onto the garden, that’s game-changing for this house and I think from what we saw to what this house is now worth, you’re looking at a double value add in terms of what these guys have done.”
“I think the family are going to be so excited,” Lana added.
“I don’t know how six people lived in this house,” Simon said.
“They’re not going to know themselves now.”
The other room Hannah and Johnny had to renovate was 18-year-old music lover Bennett’s room.
It had all the essentials — a bed, a desk — but where was the rock star personality?
Again, all the judges were vibing with the changes the couple had made, with Simon declaring it was an “epic” transformation and definitely had “the wow factor”.
The only styling issue they had was with an airplane-style drinks holder affixed to the wall, which Simon described as “just weird”.
So where did Hannah and Jonny fare at the end of the night as each renovator’s efforts were tallied up?
They’re sitting pretty in third place with 23.5 points – behind Taeler and Elle (24.5), and Rhys and Liam (26).
Falling behind them are Jacinta and Jordan (23 points), Lara and Peter (22.5), and Brad and Mel themselves (20).
Watch Dream Home on Channel 7 and 7plus.