Family Bathroom Week has reached the point where everyone is saying “waterproof” so often it has stopped sounding like a real word. Unfortunately for Courtney and Sev, the water was very real. It was sitting in their screed.
Episode 7 began with Chantel and Wyatt returning after losing a full day, and ended with them somehow ahead of teams who had been on site the whole time. Meanwhile, one helpful trade between neighbours turned into the sort of diplomatic incident usually reserved for body corporate meetings and disputed fence lines.
Key Moments This Episode
- DRAMAChantel and Wyatt returned after losing a full day, with Wyatt insisting, “We’ve lost a day, but I think we can make it back up.”
- DISASTERDan inspected House Four and delivered the least waterproof update possible: “Your screed is soaking wet.”
- ARGUMENTCourtney and Sev argued that part of their altered bathroom was now hallway, before Dan approved the boundary and warned, “You’re in a world of pain.”
- DRAMAHouse Four sent its waterproofers to Lisa and Rosco in exchange for two chippies at five o’clock. The waterproofers went across. The chippies did not.
- ARGUMENTCourtney and Sev insisted, “The deal was very clear. Two chippies at five,” while House Three kept moving towards waterproofing.
- DRAMASev settled the neighbourly trade dispute with: “They snaked me, and now they’re well ahead because of me.”
- DISASTERExtended waterproofing hours were approved with conditions, so naturally Dan returned to find plasterers still working and selective hearing thriving.
House Two Returns, Then Races Ahead
After Monday’s accounting blow-up and emergency RDO, Chantel and Wyatt were back. They had missed appointments, had no tiler locked in and were staring at the fairly minor task of completing a bathroom in one fewer day than everyone else.
Wyatt’s optimism was immediate: “We’ve lost a day, but I think we can make it back up.” Dan’s reply was equally immediate. They could have had a full wall if they had ordered TRUECORE yesterday. Welcome back.
Still, the Cursio brothers got moving, Chantel made up the missed selections, and House Two became the first house to have both its water closet and bathroom framing and insulation approved. The couple who started a day late were suddenly the example proving it could be done. The Block loves a comeback almost as much as it loves creating the need for one.
Courtney and Sev Discover Indoor Weather
House Four had already rewritten the bathroom layout, removed doors, shifted the vanity and turned the toilet into a separate powder room. They had also replaced two skylights with one larger opening while rain fell over Mount Eliza.
Then Dan arrived with the words nobody wants to hear on Waterproof Wednesday: “Your screed is soaking wet.” The moisture had come through the temporary skylight covering, leaving the floor saturated and the waterproofing team unable to start.
Courtney and Sev tried to salvage something by arguing that part of the altered space was now hallway rather than bathroom. Dan eventually approved the technical boundary, but delivered the more useful diagnosis: “You’re in a world of pain.” Their day could be neatly summarised as gained a tiler, lost a tiler, found a waterproofer, did not waterproof.
The Waterproofer-for-Chippies Exchange Rate
With House Four unable to use the waterproofers they had found, Courtney sent the crew to Lisa and Rosco in House Three. In return, House Four understood that two chippies would arrive at five o’clock to help them catch up.
The waterproofers went across. The chippies did not.
Rosco’s version was that his builders would help once House Three was finished. Courtney and Sev’s version was considerably more specific: “The deal was very clear. Two chippies at five.” By the time everyone compared notes, Lisa and Rosco were moving towards waterproofing while House Four was still waiting for wet screed to become dry screed.
Sev’s verdict was blunt: “They snaked me, and now they’re well ahead because of me. So, well done to them.” It was generous, furious and probably the closest The Block has come to publishing a live currency conversion between trades.
Moment of the day
“Gained a tiler. Lost a tiler. Gained a tiler. Found a waterproofer. Didn’t waterproof.”
Courtney and Sev, delivering the only project update that accurately captured the day.
Extended Hours, Selective Hearing
Wyatt asked the question every delayed team needed answered: could the waterproofers stay beyond normal hours to finish their second coats? Dan agreed, provided waterproofing had started by 6pm and only the waterproofing teams remained.
Naturally, plasterers were still working when Dan returned. They were promptly sent out, and the episode closed with another warning about selective hearing. On The Block, every favour comes with terms and conditions, then someone hears only the favour.
Tomorrow brings the first challenge win of the season and an even less comforting question: which team might not deliver a bathroom on Sunday at all?
