TV do-up needed a rapid reno, says owner

(From left) Abigail, Delilah and Frederika with mum Kristina Clements. Photo / Getty Images

The new kids on The Block are moving into their digs this weekend and have already done up the do-up.

The new owners of Rachel Rasch and Tyson Hill's house on Anzac St in Takapuna have already spent $25,000 on cosmetic repairs and remade the retro home into a palace fit for three girls and their mum.

Rachel and Tyson were the undisputed losers of the TV reality show competition, but they won the hearts of the nation with their bungling enthusiasm.

As soon as single mum Kristina Clements took the keys, she had the house repainted and recarpeted. She also replaced light fittings before moving in with Abigail, 8, Frederika, 7 and Delilah, 4.

The ensuite bathroom will be replaced and the tiles in the kitchen regrouted. Furniture, fixtures and fittings from the show have already been sold to pay for the work.

"I knew when I bought it I would have to spend some money on cosmetic things and I wanted to make my mark on the property," Clements said.

"Some of the furniture went to the City Mission and a lot went on Trade Me. The money went back into the house. We made $1000 from the sale of the ensuite bathroom alone."

Clements, who is a consultant for IT company Tango, had been renting an apartment at the nearby Mon Desir complex and had been house-hunting for a year. Her daughters became hooked on the hit TV3 show and begged their mum to take them to the open homes.

"It was when we went and had a look at them, I decided I'd found what I wanted to buy," she said.

Clements said the auction was nerve-racking, but she had support from a real estate agent during the bidding process.

The three girls were "absolutely thrilled" and took a huge poster board about the house, signed by Rachel and Tyson, to school for show and tell.

The family also met Rachel and Tyson and gave their son Otis a graffiti art wardrobe door - which had helped the couple win one of the challenges, but was not quite what Clements and her daughters had in mind for their home.

The Wellington couple, who had no renovating experience, struggled with the budget and purchased of second-hand furniture and cheaper fittings.

They failed to make any profit from the $789,000 sale of the house but were inundated with public donations and treated to a free Gold Coast holiday.

Rachel Lorimer from the show's production company said: "As with any real estate transaction, we expect the buyers of The Block NZ houses to make their own marks on the properties.

"We're delighted to hear the new owners are enjoying Rachel and Tyson's house."