Former Block contestants Dan Reilly and Dani Wales list their Blairgowrie beach pad

• Who: Dan Reilly and Dani Wales, former contestants on The Block and owners of design and construction practice Manna Made. 
• Address: 3 Sinclair St, Blairgowrie, Victoria
• Type of home: Newly built four-bedroom property

For Dan Reilly and Dani Wales, the Mornington Peninsula is the spot to invest in. “After renovating properties in inner-west Melbourne, we were being outbid at auctions,” Dan recalls. “We fell in love with the Peninsula five years ago and found this block in Blairgowrie just 400 metres from the ocean. After researching the area, we knew we could make as much money here as in Melbourne.”

And they would know. When the couple first appeared on The Block in 2012, their renovated South Melbourne property sold at auction for $1,440,000 – an astounding $448,000 above the reserve price. After appearing in the all-star series in 2013, Dan, an established carpenter, became a Certified Master Builder and, with Dani, started Manna Made, an interior design and construction business.

SOLD - $3,250,000

3 Sinclair Street, Blairgowrie VIC 3942

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The couple worked with an architectural building designer to design their beach home. Built during COVID and set on a sand dune with a five-metre incline, the project presented challenges. Still, the result is an elegant and liveable home tucked comfortably into the landscape. “We wanted a sustainable home with low environmental impact and an above 6-star rating,” Dan says. “We feel immersed in nature with abundant birdlife. At night, we can hear the roaring ocean from our bedroom.”

The H-shaped home comprises two wings with their own clear purpose bound together by a staircase and landing with large floor-to-ceiling windows that breathe in nature. On one side are the bedrooms and on the other are the living areas, including a kitchen, lounge, dining room and second sunken lounge. Downstairs is a home office, powder room, garage and laundry. Liveable outdoor spaces include a deck and a fully equipped al fresco area that connects to native landscaping and an electric-heated plunge pool, one of the first in the country to be made from planet-friendly, cement-free concrete. 

The strength and beauty of the house lie in the epic contrast between the linear nature of the living spaces and the lush garden outlooks that soften and enhance it. Glass is everywhere, creating transparent facades on all sides that allow the gardens to seep inside. 

Sophisticated simplicity carries throughout the house, emphasising texture, unadorned finishes and considered detailing. Panelled ceilings, burnished concrete and French oak engineered flooring give the generous spaces an organic warmth. Sustainable natural-timber wood-veneer wraps selected joinery, and rugs in muted colours add warmth and lightly delineate the zones.  

Interiors are minimal and considered yet luxurious and indulgent, with an emphasis on comfort and warmth that is enhanced by the natural light. Dani’s all-natural palette allows the beauty of well-crafted surfaces and finishes to shine. These include handmade Krause bricks inside and out and Arabesque grigio marble that forms the kitchen’s island bench and splashback, bringing the space to life. 

“The marble was the first material I selected,” Dani says. “Because everything is pared back, I felt we could be crazier here.” Dan wasn’t so sure and says he panicked when he saw eight slabs of stone being taken up the stairs. “It looked very loud!” he laughs. “It pays to trust the expert, and Dani was right. It was a perfect choice.” 

The stone’s colouring informs other elements, like the muted handmade Moroccan tiles in the bathroom that change with the light, whose peachy glow relates to the marble’s undertones.

In the sunken lounge, near a slow-combustion fireplace, a forest-green sofa has been designed to fit the large space. The main suite features a custom bed, and the children’s room is fitted with white timber bunk beds crafted by Dan. The couple’s dining table is the result of a collaboration with Melbourne designer Joel Elliott. It features four timber slabs and a concealed steel plate for a clean, streamlined appearance. 

Sustainability, Dan says, is always front-of-mind for the couple. “The building industry struggles with it due to lead times and budgets,” he says. “Regardless, we know it can be achieved and we passionately guide our clients’ choices.” 

Highly insulated and filled with low-toxicity finishes and materials, the home features underfloor hydronic heating, filtered Airsmart heating and cooling and a battery-ready 13-kilowatt solar system. Intuitive automated devices like climate control, home audio and window coverings ensure it runs efficiently.  

With the home on the market, Dani says they will be sad to leave. “I don’t usually get emotionally attached to a house, more the location,” she says. “This home has been a big project over recent years; we have even created a soon-to-be-released web series and podcast about it. Its sale will be the end of an era.” 

The couple plan to stay in the area and are looking for a home to “sit on for a while”.

“I want some land!” Dan says. “Building can be stressful and highly detailed, but just like being on The Block, you say yes. Just because you love it.”