7 golden rules of The Block that all contestants must abide by

The 20th season of The Block is underway, with this year’s contestants descending on Victoria’s Phillip Island, about a 90-minute drive south-east of Melbourne.

As they begin the process of turning five rundown holiday homes into modern marvels, here’s a refresher on the golden rules all teams must follow throughout the competition.

1. Contestants must do their own painting

Much to their dismay, and often to the detriment of their sleep and sanity, contestants can’t outsource the painting of their homes, they must do it all – every last coat – themselves.

2. No working ahead

If it’s bathroom week, it’s only bathroom week; getting a head start on future rooms is a big no no.

3. No noisy building work after hours

When Scott Cam yells “tools down” at the end of the day, he really means it. However eager they may be, teams can’t do any noisy work before 7am or after 6pm.

“They can do things that are very quiet, but they can’t make any noise before or after those times,” says Keith Schleiger, who has overseen The Block builds since season four, but will not be handing over foreman duties to Dan Reilly this season.

“[They can do things like] painting, plastering; anything that’s not going to be heard by the neighbours, basically.”

4. No external interior designers

When it comes to the look of their homes, contestants can’t consult the experts, they need to rely on their own design prowess – for better or worse.

5. No discounts over 50 per cent

Teams can run into trouble if they accept discounts of more than 50 per cent on goods. This is something  2022 winners Omar and Oz found out the hard way when they were punished for paying a heavily reduced rate for a baby grand piano.

“If they get too much of a discount, we’re all over that,” says Schleiger.

“We have our people behind the scenes looking over everyone’s accounts and what they spend – all receipts, all invoices are looked over. We make sure they get paid, so it’s all legitimate.”

And there are no mates rates when it comes to tradies either. “We make sure everyone gets paid the award rate.”

6. Everyone must be inducted before going on site

For Schleiger, safety is the top priority on site, so all tradies must be inducted prior to starting work.

“We’ve got a very good record on The Block and we want to maintain it, so we’re very militant with our safety procedures,” he says.

“We also have a pre-start [meeting] every morning at 7am. We expect the contestants and their builders to attend so they know what we have going on on the site.”

7. The building must be compliant

As tempting as it may be to cut corners when deadlines loom, it’s essential all building work is up to scratch and compliant with regulations.

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