Former Block contestants have gone on to deliver some enormous real-world property moves, with 10 standout projects bought for a combined $15.4m later changing hands for more than $35.7m.
The Block has handed contestants millions, but some of its biggest names have also been behind more than $35.7m in off-screen property sales.
Across 10 standout projects involving Block alumni, the homes were bought for a combined $15.4m before later changing hands for more than $35.7m.
That is a price difference of more than $20.3m, although it is not profit, with renovation, construction, stamp duty, finance and selling costs varying between projects.
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For 2023 winners Steph and Gian Ottavio, the most valuable part of their Block experience was not their $1.85m payday.
SJO Architects founder and Japandi Estate co-founder Steph Ottavio said appearing on the show had come at a pivotal point in the couple’s lives and changed what they believed they could achieve.
“For sure, I think what we learned on the show was invaluable,” Ms Ottavio said.
“It wasn’t about the prize money, it was about what we did on the show, and then what we thought we were capable of doing after.”
Steph and Gian Ottavio turned their renovation success on and off The Block into a serious property journey, with Steph saying the show changed the trajectory of their lives.
The couple had recently married when they decided to take on the television renovation, having already transformed their own home.
“We put our faith in the Block gods and put everything on the line to then see where our life could go,” Ms Ottavio said.
She said the experience “changed the trajectory of our lives”.
Ms Ottavio said contestants hoping to build lasting property or design careers from their television exposure also had to move quickly.
“There is a small window of time for you to capitalise on the opportunity that has just been given to you,” she said.
“We earned the right to be able to use our platform to create something more.”
Here are 10 standout property transformations involving some of The Block’s best-known alumni.
STEPH AND GIAN
The Block winners Steph and Gian Ottavio have now seriously transformed three homes, with their Bexley project among the most significant.
BOUGHT: $1.02m
SOLD: $1.825m
PRICE DIFFERENCE: $805,000
Steph and Gian Ottavio had already completed a major renovation before taking out The Block in 2023.
The couple bought their Bexley home for $1.02m and spent about $300,000-$400,000 transforming it as owner-builders during the pandemic.
It later sold for $1.825m.
Ms Ottavio said the project was profitable, although selling had not been the couple’s original intention.
Steph and Gian bought their Bexley home for $1.02m before undertaking a major owner-builder renovation during the pandemic.
Steph and Gian’s transformed Bexley home later sold for $1.825m after the couple spent about $300,000-$400,000 on the renovation.
“It wasn’t to buy, renovate and sell,” she said.
After completing The Block, the pair decided to sell and take on another renovation.
They have now seriously transformed three homes, with Ms Ottavio saying her focus was not necessarily on making every project larger.
“I actually don’t mind that it’s doing smaller houses because you can do smaller houses, but they can pack a punch,” she said.
MADDY AND CHARLOTTE
The Block winners Maddy and Charlotte Harry were already flipping homes before the show and later sold their New Lambton project for $1.27m.
BOUGHT: $809,000
SOLD: $1.27m
PRICE DIFFERENCE: $461,000
Maddy and Charlotte Harry had property-flipping experience before winning The Block in 2024 and have continued renovating since the show.
The sisters bought a three-bedroom New Lambton weatherboard for $809,000 in March 2025 before completing its transformation in about five and a half months.
It sold for $1.27m.
Before the renovation, the kitchen in Maddy and Charlotte’s New Lambton house was one of the spaces they overhauled in their five-and-a-half-month transformation.
The finished kitchen helped lift Maddy and Charlotte’s New Lambton flip from an $809,000 purchase to a $1.27m sale.
They have previously put the renovation spend at about $260,000 and other project expenses at $51,000, leaving about $150,000 after those disclosed costs.
KYAL AND KARA
Kyal and Kara Demmrich have built one of the most enduring renovation careers to emerge from The Block, continuing to buy, transform and sell homes after the show.
BOUGHT: $710,000
SOLD: $1.59m
PRICE DIFFERENCE: $880,000
Kyal and Kara Demmrich have built one of the most enduring renovation careers to emerge from The Block.
The 2014 contestants bought an asbestos-clad property at Long Jetty on the NSW Central Coast for $710,000 in 2018.
They transformed the home before selling it for $1.59m.
Kyal and Kara paid $710,000 for this asbestos-clad Long Jetty property before transforming it into a much more polished coastal home.
After the renovation, Kyal and Kara’s Long Jetty project sold for $1.59m as the couple continued to expand their post-Block property career.
The couple have continued buying, renovating and developing, including turning another Long Jetty site bought for $1.31m into two luxury duplexes that later sold for a combined $5.31m.
RACHEL AND RYAN
Rachel and Ryan Carr used their Oyster Bay renovation as part of their audition for The Block before the project later sold for $2.725m.
BOUGHT: $1.68m
SOLD: $2.725m
PRICE DIFFERENCE: $1.045m
Rachel and Ryan Carr’s Oyster Bay renovation helped them land a place on The Block.
The couple bought the Sydney home for $1.68m in 2019 and featured their work on the property in their audition for the show.
Rachel and Ryan bought their Oyster Bay home for $1.68m in 2019 before renovating the property that helped land them a place on The Block.
Rachel and Ryan’s finished Oyster Bay home later sold for $2.725m after their time on The Block.
They eventually joined the 2022 season before later selling the four-bedroom home for $2.725m.
ALISA AND LYSANDRA
The Block stars and Al.ive Body co-founders Alisa and Lysandra Fraser also made their mark in property, with their Albert Park renovation later selling for $3.353m.
BOUGHT: $2.15m
SOLD: $3.353m
PRICE DIFFERENCE: $1.203m
Twins Alisa and Lysandra Fraser became two of The Block’s best-known renovation names after appearing on the program twice.
The former police officers paid $2.15m for a Victorian terrace in Albert Park in 2016 before spending about two years transforming it.
Alisa and Lysandra spent about two years transforming their Albert Park terrace, including an ambitious excavation beneath the home to add another level.
Former police officers Alisa and Lysandra Fraser became two of The Block’s most recognisable renovation names after appearing on the show twice.
The ambitious project included excavating beneath the home to add another level.
It eventually sold off-market for $3.353m.
JOSH AND JENNA
The Block couple Josh and Jenna Densten turned a modest North Melbourne workers cottage into a striking dual-residence project that later sold for $2.3m.
BOUGHT: $805,000
SOLD: $2.3m
PRICE DIFFERENCE: $1.495m
Josh and Jenna Densten have built a lengthy renovation record since audiences first met them on The Block in 2011.
The couple paid $805,000 for an 1870s North Melbourne workers cottage in 2013.
Josh and Jenna paid $805,000 for 47 Canning St, North Melbourne, before restoring the original cottage and creating a contemporary home behind it.
The completed 47 Canning St project later sold for $2.3m, with Josh and Jenna having renovated about 10 properties by the time it hit the market.
They restored the original home and created a contemporary three-bedroom residence behind it, with the completed property selling for $2.3m in 2021.
The pair had renovated about 10 properties by the time it hit the market.
MITCH AND MARK
Mitch Edwards and Mark McKie were seasoned renovators before The Block and later sold their transformed Newport home for $3.702m.
BOUGHT: $1.7m
SOLD: $3.702m
PRICE DIFFERENCE: $2.002m
Mitch Edwards and Mark McKie were experienced renovators before The Block and continued their property run after leaving the show.
The couple paid $1.7m for a 1970s Newport house on Sydney’s northern beaches in 2019.
Mitch Edwards and Mark McKie bought a 1970s house in Newport for $1.7m before turning it into a five-bedroom luxury home.
They transformed it into a five-bedroom home before it sold for $3.702m in 2025.
The pair had previously been reported as making millions in gains across a string of earlier property resales.
LEAH AND ASH
Leah and Ash Milton had a much happier auction result away from The Block, with their transformed Wynnum home selling for $3.001m.
BOUGHT: $750,000
SOLD: $3.001m
PRICE DIFFERENCE: $2.251m
Leah and Ash Milton had a much happier auction result away from The Block than they did on the show.
The couple paid $750,000 for a 1930s Queenslander at Wynnum in 2020 before spending five years raising, restoring and extending it.
Leah and Ash eventually finished with $155,000 above reserve from their Block home, but their real-world Wynnum project proved an even bigger result.
Their transformed home sold under the hammer for $3.001m in 2025.
It came after their Hampton East property failed to sell during The Block’s televised 2023 finale before later changing hands, leaving the pair $155,000 above reserve.
JOSH AND CHARLOTTE
Josh Terrett and Charlotte Ekas delivered one of the freshest post-show property results, with their rebuilt North Sydney terrace selling above its $6m guide.
BOUGHT: $3.1m
SOLD: Above $6m guide
PRICE DIFFERENCE: More than $2.9m
Josh Terrett and Charlotte Ekas have provided one of the freshest examples of former contestants continuing to renovate long after leaving The Block.
The 2015 runners-up paid $3.1m for an 1880s Victorian terrace in North Sydney in 2024.
Josh Terrett and Charlotte Ekas paid $3.1m for the 1880s North Sydney terrace before extensively rebuilding the home.
They extensively rebuilt the property before taking it to market with a $6m guide.
More than 200 groups inspected the home before it sold during the first week of its campaign for a price above the guide.
The couple made $810,000 from their appearance on The Block and have renovated several properties on Sydney’s lower north shore.
More than 200 groups inspected Josh and Charlotte’s North Sydney renovation before it sold during the first week of its campaign.
GAV AND WAZ
More than 20 years after appearing on the first season of The Block, Gav and Waz remain among the show’s biggest real-world property success stories.
BOUGHT: $2.7m
SOLD: $10m
PRICE DIFFERENCE: $7.3m
More than two decades after appearing on the very first season of The Block, Gav and Waz have produced one of the show’s most striking off-screen property results.
Gavin Atkins and Warren Sonin bought their 4ha Cooroy Mountain estate in Queensland’s Sunshine Coast hinterland for $2.7m in 2016.
The interior designers later sold it for $10m in an off-market deal, setting a Cooroy Mountain record.
Gavin Atkins and Warren Sonin bought their Cooroy Mountain estate on the Sunshine Coast for $2.7m before later selling it for $10m in an off-market deal.
The $10m sale of Gavin Atkins and Warren Sonin’s Cooroy Mountain property set a record for the Sunshine Coast hinterland locality.
It was not their first major property transformation.
The pair had previously paid $610,000 for a 23ha estate at Federal, near Byron Bay, in 2007 before selling it for $3m six years later.
Not every move produced such a dramatic result, with a Potts Point investment apartment bought for $890,000 in 2017 later selling for $900,000.
More than 20 years after appearing on the program, The Block’s original winners remain among its most successful real-world property players.
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