In pictures: Rick and Tayla’s Completed House
Father-daughter duo Rick and Tayla ended The Block 2026 in the best possible way, with a win for their impressive front yard.
It wasn’t always an easy journey to get there, though.
Rick and Tayla definitely had a rollercoaster Block experience! Nine
The pair struggled to complete their rooms throughout the season and faced plenty of criticism over their styling.
But the vision all came together in the end, with outdoor areas that left a big impact on the judges and earned them $50,000 off their Auction Day reserve.
Keep reading to see their work in full.
House 5’s Guest Bedroom | Week 1
Rick and Tayla’s Block experience got off to a rough start, with everything from delayed insulation to a missing piece of artwork contributing to a room that left the judges underwhelmed.
Tayla was confident they had a chance to win Week 1 – that was, until the judges’ feedback began. Nine
In fact, Marty Fox said there were just three things he liked about it: “The carpet, the wardrobes and the door to leave.”
The judges were critical of the bed, which was off-centre to the lights above it, and the chair in the corner which was much too large for the space.
It wasn’t the best start for the House 5 pair. Nine
Shaynna Blaze pointed out that the room had an echo. She said it was devoid of textures and, even worse, “void of emotion”.
On the bright side, she loved the wardrobes!
See Rick and Tayla’s full Guest Bedroom right here
House 5’s Family Bathroom | Week 2
In their first bathroom of the year, Rick and Tayla’s tiling choices were praised as “absolutely stunning”.
Although Shaynna appreciated how much effort had gone into the styling, she offered advice on where Tayla had gone wrong.
Shayna said she appreciated the effort to style the bathroom, but she had notes. Nine
She felt the towels were too busy and said the dried flowers, placed next to the bath, were impractical as they could go mouldy.
She also said a bathmat should never be included in a presentation!
While they had their critiques, this space was where the judges started to see Rick and Tayla’s potential.
However, they said the wall tiles behind the vanity were “absolutely stunning.” Nine
“House five has shown us that they have an approach that isn’t the same to everybody else,” Darren Palmer said.
See Rick and Tayla’s full Family Bathroom right here
House 5’s Main Bedroom and Walk-in Robe | Week 3
Marty was totally blown away by the soaring ceiling heights and beautiful herringbone flooring in Rick and Tayla’s Main Bedroom.
However, the judges couldn’t help but notice a few strange details.
Shaynna thought it “was very odd” to have a sheer curtain tucked behind a mirror, until they saw the very obvious reason why …
Take a look at the curtain. Nine
They had accidentally ordered curtains too short for the space, so they didn’t reach the ground. Oops.
Shaynna praised the architectural details, including the ceiling, skirting and curved wall, but she felt the styling let the room down.
In the robe, the judges were wowed by an “unbelievable” row of skylights.
While the walk-in robe area was smaller in House 5 than most other houses, the judges felt the team made use of every nook.
Shaynna advised to take the doors off on one side of the wardrobe to create exposed shelves, and to install a door at the entrance of the robe to block the light spill from the skylights. Nine
Shaynna did advise them to take the doors off one side of the wardrobes, however, to create exposed shelving.
See Rick and Tayla’s full Main Bedroom and Walk-in Robe right here
House 5’s Main Ensuite | Week 4
Four weeks into The Block and Rick and Tayla finally found the winning formula with their main ensuite.
From the amount of storage to the tiles and styling choices, the judges loved it all.
Marty Fox immediately let out a “woah” when he walked through the door. Nine
It wasn’t perfect, however.
Darren pointed out that the basins were far too high and Marty thought the artwork was far too “real estate agent 101”.
The trio didn’t love the artwork either, which felt like it was something you’d find in a staged home for sale. Nine
But it was by far the best room of House 5 so far, with major buyer appeal.
See Rick and Tayla’s full Main Ensuite right here
House 5’s Living, Dining and Alfresco | Week 5
From the moment the judges entered House 5’s living and dining space, they had questions about how they had used the space – which is exactly why the living room was assigned as their ‘redo room’ in Week 9.
Rick and Tayla made some smart changes the second time around, including swapping out a green couch for two camel-coloured ones.
The judges were pleasantly surprised by the updated House 5 living room. Nine
Shaynna loved the revised colour palette and while the judges liked the room a lot better, they still felt a little underwhelmed.
They had similar feelings about the dining space, which disappointed with a six-seater table that felt too small.
The judges wondered why they’d gone with a six-seater table when a house has four bedrooms. Nine
Outside, the judges were again baffled by the lack of seating.
The bar area took up most of the space, complete with a barbecue and fridge.
Well... not exactly. At first, Darren was excited by the slushie machine in the bar area of the terrace. Nine
But they felt Rick and Tayla’s decisions had failed to create a space where you could sit back, relax and enjoy the view.
See Rick and Tayla’s full Living, Dining and Alfresco right here
House 5’s Guest Suite | Week 6
While Tayla was very confident in her styling, there was a lot that puzzled the judges in the Guest Suite.
From the study area dressed up like a kitchenette, to the outdoor chair placed near the wardrobe and potted plant hidden under the desk and the now-infamous air-fryer recipe book, Shaynna found herself in a fit of laughter.
The judges were concerned the House 5 duo “don’t know who their buyer is”. Nine
Marty also hated the barn door separating the bedroom from the ensuite, but thankfully approved of what he saw once they walked through it.
Luckily, the judges had a better reaction to the ensuite. Nine
Darren loved the green marble basin, while Marty adored the tile choice.
See Rick and Tayla’s full Guest Suite right here
House 5’s Kitchen, Butler’s Pantry and Powder Room | Week 7
The backlit stone splashback made a big impression as the judges entered House 5’s kitchen for the first time.
The trio was in disbelief that this was Rick and Tayla’s house, with Shaynna saying it was their best room so far.
The trio were in disbelief that this was Rick and Taylor’s house. Nine
Shaynna loved the curved benchtop detail and thought they had created an incredibly functional room with a perfect layout.
They continued the praise in the butler’s pantry, where they loved the shelving and storage options – as well as Tayla’s styling for once.
They also adored the curved woodwork surrounding the vanity. “That’s insane!” Shaynna said. Nine
The judges also loved the bold choices in their powder room, including the green tiles and the curved woodwork surrounding the vanity.
See Rick and Tayla’s full Kitchen, Butler’s Pantry and Powder Room right here
House 5’s Rumpus and Laundry | Week 8
The first thing the judges noticed was the sheer size of the rumpus room, but they quickly found themselves uncomfortable because of the “funny layout” of the room.
Rick and Tayla turned their large wall into a feature panelled wall, but unfortunately, the judges didn’t quite understand the vision.
That is one big rumpus room! Nine
Darren said the rumpus felt more like that of a holiday home than someone’s permanent house.
It was like chalk and cheese when they saw the laundry though, where the raised washer and dryer, splashback and benchtop had Marty describing the room as “perfect”.
The judges loved the cabinetry and the styling of the laundry, but the question is whether it was enough to save Rick and Tayla from the disappointment of their rumpus room. Nine
Much to their delight, every cupboard was cleaned out and styled to perfection as well.
See Rick and Tayla’s full Rumpus and Laundry right here
House 5’s Kids Bedroom | Week 9
Rick and Tayla finished their house with a room for an older child, but in the judges’ minds they didn’t quite pull it off.
The trio thought that in trying to find a balance between young and old, they presented a room that was a bit forgettable.
Like several other teams, Rick and Tayla decided to design a room for an older child. Nine
There was nothing offensive here, but the judges were underwhelmed.
The room needed more “oomph”. Nine
“They’ve executed it, they’ve finished everything, the bed’s made. But style it, celebrate it, this is the ribbon on the house and I just sort of feel like it’s a bit ‘eh’.”
See Rick and Tayla’s full Kids Bedroom right here
House 5’s Outdoor Terrace and Pool | Week 10
Rick and Tayla scored one of the largest outdoor spaces on The Block, which gave them a huge advantage.
Outside, Darren was impressed by the colour palette, saying the stone and wood combined with the tiles and benches created a real “harmonious” feel.
The outdoor terrace was an entertainer’s dream. Nine
Marty initially thought the TV was too big, but came around to it when Shaynna pointed out it would be perfect for watching the footy while lounging in the pool.
She loved the heater and the sound system, and that the lighting and the fan matched the ceiling.
According to the judges, the entertaining area was completely decked out.
It was a little too squishy for the judges’ liking. Nine
Down by the pool, the judges labelled the sunlounges jammed in among the couches to be “weird” and suggested a change to the furniture placement.
See Rick and Tayla’s full Outdoor Terrace and Pool right here
House 5’s Backyard and Garage | Week 11
Rick and Tayla’s home exterior was the judges’ favourite of the bunch, but the inside of their garage was less impressive.
They couldn’t understand using wallpaper in the garage that linked back to the kids’ bedroom.
The garage wallpaper was a miss for the judges. Nine
The functionality of the workspace was good, but their efforts had been focused in the wrong place as the garage had no flooring.
Spirits lifted in the backyard, where landscaping expert Dave Franklin called the landscaping “perfect”.
The judges loved the seating area in front of their outdoor fireplace and thought the outdoor pizza oven was an incredible amenity.
The judges loved House 5’s huge backyard. Nine
The massive lawn was precisely what they wanted to see, with Marty labelling it his favourite space of the week.
See Rick and Tayla’s full Backyard and Garage right here
House 5’s Front Yard and Facade | Week 12
Rick and Tayla went out with a bang, scoring the biggest win of the year in the very last week – which earned them $50,000 off their auction reserve.
Dave said of looking at this front yard, “This is my wow moment”.
This yard blew the judges away. Nine
He was a huge fan of the vast expanse of turf, which he said was “kerb street appeal right there”.
Down the stairs to the entrance, they were even more blown away by the “beautiful” water feature.
Shaynna said she’d never seen anything like it on The Block before. Nine
The judges agreed that Rick and Tayla had saved the best until last.
“This front facade and that whole entrance from the street through to here [has] absolutely knocked it out of the ballpark,” Darren said. “What a finish.”
See Rick and Tayla’s full Front Yard and Facade right here
The Block Auction kicks off Sunday at 7pm on Channel 9 and 9Now – and we’ll be live blogging the entire event on nine.com.au on Sunday evening.
Vote in our poll below. We’ll be revealing the results in our live blog on Sunday, alongside exclusive and unseen moments direct from auction day.
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