The Block 2025 stars Britt and Taz Etto could have walked away from their win with no mortgage, but the couple have chosen a very different path.
After taking home $520,000 for winning the show, the pair had the chance to pay off the home they already owned. Instead, they’ve sold up and are going all in on a huge new project.
“It would’ve been the sensible choice,” Britt admitted on Instagram. “But instead, we sold our family home.”
Why The Block‘s Britt and Taz sold their family home
The couple have bought a $1.4 million, 40+ year-old Tudor on 5.5 acres in Mandurah, Western Australia called Hazelwood Estate, and it needs almost everything redone.
Britt and Taz said they know how it sounds, and the online comments haven’t been shy. But speaking to Woman’s Day, the pair said the backlash hasn’t made them second-guess a thing.
“We absolutely love hearing everyone’s thoughts and opinions, and we completely understand why some people think we’re crazy for taking on another massive renovation when we had the opportunity to be mortgage-free,” they said.
They admit the easy option was tempting.
“We definitely considered staying where we were, having no mortgage, enjoying more holidays and living a pretty comfortable life. It was incredibly tempting! But ultimately, we kept coming back to the life we actually wanted to create for ourselves and our kids.”
For Britt, it’s personal. She grew up on 3.5 acres with horses, motorbikes and plenty of room to run around, and wanted the same for her children, Carter and Myla.
“I’m very aware of the maintenance and work that comes with acreage living, but I also know firsthand just how incredible that childhood was,” she said. “We had the freedom to explore, get dirty, be outside and just be kids.”
The couple plan to add veggie gardens, an orchard and chickens, so the kids can learn “where their food actually comes from”. The also want a home where “there’s always room for another person around the table”.
There’s a long-term plan too. Worried about what buying a home might look like for their kids one day, the couple say the acreage could potentially allow them to build granny flats, subject to approvals, so Carter and Myla could live there as young adults while saving for their own homes.
And they’re thinking beyond the family. Britt and Taz say they have “really exciting plans” to potentially earn income from the property, through boutique accommodation, intimate elopements or other experiences.
They insist they’ve thought about the risks, too.
“At the end of the day, we still have a valuable asset, and we always have the option of selling and downsizing again. Depending on the market and what we’ve invested, that could still leave us mortgage-free with money behind us.”
The property is named Hazelwood in honour of the couple’s daughter Hazel, who they lost to a miscarriage in 2021.
Inside the Hazelwood renovation
Britt and Taz have set aside $600,000 with their builder to transform the dated ’80s home in 12 months.
And they’re not holding back. The plans include a balcony, a kitchenette, a huge walk-in robe and a second master suite.
“This is why I’m worried about the budget,” Taz laughed to Woman’s Day in a July interview.
“He’s actually worse than me lately,” Britt joked. “I’m like, ‘Maybe we shouldn’t do another bathroom?’ and he’s like, ‘Nah, it’s forever.'”
Britt told us they’ve sold off everything to make it happen.
“We’ve sold off our Broome block, we’ve sold off our family home, obviously our winnings from The Block… We’re pretty much going all in on Hazelwood,” she said. “We’ve sold off all our assets and then we’ll start to rebuild them after this. This is our absolute dream.”
Some fans have also asked the pair to preserve the home’s original character rather than completely modernise it, and the couple say they’re on the same page.
“We fell in love with the home’s beautiful features and want to celebrate them while bringing the property into a new chapter.”
Fans can follow every step. Britt and Taz are documenting the transformation on Instagram, and have launched a YouTube channel, Britt & Taz, where they’ll share their Behind the Build series, including “the parts that don’t always make it onto Instagram”. A website with renovation blogs, design decisions and product details is also on the way.
“We learnt so much from our time on The Block, and we’d love to share that knowledge with people renovating or building their own homes,” they said.
It hasn’t all been smooth sailing. The couple admit they’ve already had “our fair share of delays and unexpected discoveries”, and without The Block‘s production schedule pushing things along, they’re “learning a whole new level of patience”.
But the biggest feeling right now is excitement.
“We’re genuinely trying to embrace the journey and enjoy the process rather than just focusing on the finished result.”
They hope the project will show others how to renovate on a budget.
“It’s the reality of buying a house these days,” Britt said. “This is what people are going to have to do.”
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