The Block 2026 backyards and garages have been revealed, and it was certainly a mixed bag as we approach the finish line for the season.
Many teams didn’t finish their zones, some delivered epic moments, and others created designated paths that led you to…. a giant ball? I have so many thoughts to share this week, and I’ll pre-warn you that a lot of them are not positive.
From wine cellars that made no sense to branded fireplaces you can’t actually gather around, we have a lot to discuss – including the big pool privacy blunder of 2026. I’m about to go full Karen and ask to speak to whoever authorised this.
As always, drop me a comment at the end of the post or jump over to Facebook and Instagram to let me know your take. I always enjoy getting your thoughts on the zones.
Adam and Jolene Tied for First Place
I have to sit in my truth here; this backyard is not at all visually appealing. There’s a randomness to it, a lack of finesse. It makes for quite a bad first impression. I’m actually rather surprised that Adam and Jolene won given that this is the first thing you see when you arrive at the property. I would not be keen to go inside.
The materials don’t feel harmonious side by side. The upper and lower level facades are somewhat complementary, but the timber doesn’t work with them, nor does the sculpture. There’s a sense of contemporary in some choices, and then a rustic approach in others. It has made for a very confused zone.
The upper alfresco protruding out like that is so dominant. I know this was not Adam and Jolene’s decision, but I want to call it out anyway because more thought needed to be put into how these homes present to the street.
It (and the others with this perspective) currently read as thrown-together party houses from the outside, which is such a shame because the teams have done some amazing work internally.
The Garage Was Also Not Overly Successful
Things I never want to say in my multi-million dollar home, part 984: “Would you go down to the garage and grab a bottle of wine”. I don’t understand the notion of squeezing what people consider to be a luxury inclusion into the back of a garage. I don’t want car fumes and engine oil next to my ’96 Shiraz.
If you can’t build a cellar, have your wine storage in a passageway upstairs so the wine is within reach and it can be seen by you and guests all the time. The work that went into the storage is evident, and it looks quite impressive. I just can’t get my head around why you’d place it in this location.
The garage itself wasn’t great functionally either, given you can’t get two cars in side by side.
Courtney and Sev Tied for First Place
Courtney and Sev’s backyard certainly presents better than Adam and Jolene’s. The high fencing, the layout of plants, the water feature and the concept of the fireplace zone are all great. I give them many ticks for those inclusions.
Sadly though, the fireplace zone is not great in execution. They’ve created a half circle of seating that faces the fence with no ability to sit down at talk to one another. And then the fire is off to the side with no seating in front of it.
People will just stand in front of the fire all the time wishing they could sit down. The zone needs some outdoor armchairs immediately it not sooner. It all presents like an amphitheater at the moment. Great for when the kids want to put on a show (or was that just me a kid?), but not so much when the adults want to chat.
It seems they chose looks over function, because I don’t see this area getting used for the purpose they intend. The pavers are also very white in colour. A grey tone would have worked better here as the look is too high contrast at present.
In the Garage, the Cellar Issue Returned
Things I never want to say in my multi-million dollar home, part 985: “Come down and sit in the cellar and look at the view of my wall-mounted shovels”. Though the design and execution of the wine storage in Courtney and Sev’s garage was phenomenal (I take my hat off to whoever created it), I cannot get my head around having it in this location.
Like with Adam and Jolene’s; this wine storage is an art installation in its own right. For it to be hidden down in the garage is just criminal.
Outside of that, the garage itself was pretty good. Though I do find the concept of making the garage dark and moody only works if the rest of your home is dark and moody.
Courtney and Sev went for light neutrals almost everywhere in their property. To go from that to a black garage seems an odd jump. I would have loved to have seen their take on a light-neutral garage with rich caramel, tan, beige and mocha tones.
Lisa and Rosco Came Third
The more I see this backyard layout the more I’m scratching my head wondering who wants to buy a home that presents to the street like this.
How much better would a wide lap pool have been down the side of the house? Instead, you have one that faces the street where creepy Bob from across the road is eyeing you off in your bikini all the time. I CAN SEE YOUR BINOCULARS BOB!
Again, I understand that the architecture is not their decision, but a higher fence at the very least where you couldn’t see right into the yard would have given the feel of a more private area.
The fire zone, like with Courtney and Sev, was a nice idea. But similarly to the girls, it doesn’t feel oriented correctly. You’re rather far away from the fire. You can’t have a gather-around conversation. It also needs some armchairs. It feels very under-filled and not soft enough.
Lastly, the path that leads to the giant ball confuses me greatly. But on the positive side, below you’ll see the sauna is to the side of the house where it should be. Adam and Jolene, take note: this is where yours needs to be moved to.
The Garage Was Incomplete
There’s not much one can say about a space that wasn’t completed in time, except that the artworks on the wall are too small and placed in random locations that don’t work.
Rick and Tayla Came Fourth
What can I say? When I’m right, I’m right. Last week I declared that Rick and Tayla were going to have the best backyard and they do! OK, so it wasn’t fully completed, but what they managed to achieve was exceptional.
The clever thing they did that the other teams failed to do is to give the yard some quiet moments. It’s the same rule I apply when I design interiors; you have to give your heroes some negative space. Your wow moments are only wow because they have room to breathe.
While the other teams overstuffed their yards with too many inclusions, Rick and Tayla edited so well. It’s resulted in my fave yard of the lot. You really can do less and have it result in more.
And the fireplace zone – hallelujah! We finally have some outdoor armchairs, a sense of gathering around, and some base cushions to sit on. Sure, I want more armchairs. Sure, the base cushions are a touch underwhelming. But at least there is a dream being sold here and a zone where you can actually sit and relax in.
Sadly the Garage Was a Dud
A car, some sconces, and some wallpaper; sadly this does not a garage make. It’s such a shame because their backyard really was delightful in every way.
Chantel and Wyatt Came Last
Granted, their front yard is pretty simple, but it does seem more harmonious from a colour and material perspective than some of the others. Bob is still at his window as you apply sunscreen by the pool (I’M CALLING THE POLICE BOB!), but at least the authorities are arriving at a well-balanced facade.
Their side alfresco makes up for the lack of wow-factor in the backyard. It’s a nice outdoor entertaining space. It also provides some method behind their madness regarding a lack of barbecue in the other alfresco areas. Though I still argue that if you’re going to sit down and eat anywhere, you’d rather do it with a view to look at instead of two walls and a side fence.
I feel like these properties have a lot of outdoor zones but they don’t all have distinct enough functions.
The Garage Was a Nothing-Burger
I really do believe that your garage can be a design destination. You don’t have to spend a lot on it, and by no means are you hanging out there (wine cellar or no wine cellar). But that doesn’t mean you can’t experiment with paint colour, wallpaper, lighting, and more.
Chantel and Wyatt did none of that, and it made for a very boring space (and a boring way to end what was mostly a pretty boring reveal).
What did you make of The Block 2026 backyard and garage reveals? Drop me a comment below or jump over on over to Facebook and Instagram to let me know your thoughts there.
