Hey! That’s my home!

Before it became Jimmy and Tam’s biggest challenge, House 5 had a life as a family home for one Block fan.

When the first photographs emerged from The Block 2020, fans around the country were intrigued to see the typical Aussie homes that were about to be transformed.

Classic examples of the houses that cover Australia’s suburbs, they instantly caught the eye – and the imagination – of anyone who has tried to renovate.

Image with thanks to Domain.com

But for Block fan Karen Ransom, one house in particular stood out, the 1950s house chosen by Jimmy and Tam for their Block challenge.

With its distinctive roof and front patio, Karen immediately knew this was no ordinary fixer-upper – this was her family home!

“My parents bought that house in 1978 when it was at number 52 Junction Road Blackburn North,” Karen tells Insider Style.

“That was where I was brought home to after I was born in 1982 and where my parents lived until they sold it in 2018.

“It was incredible to see it on The Block!”

Karen said she’d heard rumours the house might end up on The Block from a neighbour who had seen it being cut in half and loaded on to a truck after the family had moved out.

“Our neighbours had been keeping an eye on the place after we moved and they noticed it was being cut up, ready to be transported,” she says.

“They asked the driver where it was being taken to and he said it had been sold to Channel Nine… and we thought: “No way!”

“And about a month later, we got a message from them again saying: “Have a look at it now!”. She had driven down to Brighton and taken a photo. And it was on The Block!”

The weatherboard 1950s-style house is no stranger to a bit of renovation, Karen says, with her enthusiastic handyman father often adding or modifying parts through the years.

He built an extra room at the rear when her brother was born, she said, the sunroom was enclosed to give extra space, the bathroom was refitted and more.

Image with thanks to Domain.com

And now she can’t wait to see what Jimmy and Tam have in store.

“It had good bones, but it was renovate or detonate,” Karen says.

“The kitchen was all pull drawers and shallow cupboards, there was no drainboard on the sink, it needed a hand.

“My Dad’s absolutely wrapped, so happy and relieved that it wasn’t just demolished.

“Just looking from the front, I can see the lounge room, the bathroom, my parents’ bedroom, my bedroom. It’s our old home!”

And no matter what happens, Karen added, she’ll always remember it fondly.

“Those French doors at the front,” she says. “Every year we’d have to open them wide to fit the Christmas tree in.

“I remember my dad throwing the bath off that front porch when the bathroom was done.

“We always watch The Block anyway, this year’s going to be fantastic.”

 
Image with thanks to Domain.com 

House 5 transported and ready for Jimmy and Tam's transformation.

Follow Jimmy and Tam's Block journey HERE

View and shop Jimmy and Tam's Block rooms HERE

Meet the other homes before their relocation to The Block HERE

Block winners Jimmy & Tam post auction interview HERE

2020 Block auction results and photo highlights HERE