The Block 2025: Emma and Ben, House 1 on The Block Daylesford

3 weeks ago 16

Emma and Ben from Victoria are the blue team building House 1 on The Block Daylesford.

Emma and Ben are armed with the most renovation experience of all the 2025 Blockheads, having previously renovated two houses as well as a new build.

Check out every room from Emma and Ben's house on The Block 2025

Laundry, pantry, mudroom, water closet and garage
Guest suite
Kitchen
Rumpus room
Living and dining
Main bedroom
Main bathroom
Kids’ rooms
Ensuite bathroom
Meet Emma and Ben

Emma and Ben's al fresco and shed (and golf simulator) reveal

Score: 26, fourth place

Shaynna felt the alfresco area was a “little bit heavy” with the furnishings and finishes and needed more “light relief.”

Picture: Channel 9/9Now

“There is a softness that's lacking. It could use an outdoor rug,” Darren agreed.

However Marty said if he were the sales agent, he would have a lot to sell.

“And I really, truly believe that the buyers have a lot to buy. So from a marketing perspective, it's pretty hard to fault,” he said.

The tool shed was exactly what you needed with the spaces for a lawnmower and other equipment, Marty believed, while a golf simulator was impressive but Shaynna identified one fault – masculine styling.

“I just worked out why I felt a bit uncomfortable in the deck area, how dark it was, I didn't feel invited. I walked in here, I see a beer fridge.

“It's very blokey. That whole deck barbecue area is blokey.”

Emma and Ben's laundry, pantry, mudroom, water closet and garage

Score: 22, fifth place

While elevating the laundry appliances off the ground was hailed as genius, the functionality of the design puzzled Shaynna saying the butler’s pantry was more of a laundry and was unworkable.

Picture: Channel 9/9Now

“There's a lot of real estate here. I'm trying to work out, like straight away I’ve got coffee and tea, but we've got a fridge that's right around the other end near the master bedroom door.

“So where do you get your meal?”

Marty added that it was a waste of square meters.

The powder room and WC were better received, with Darren likening it to “stepping into a jewellery box.”

Once again, functionality issues were identified in the mudroom by Shaynna who said it lacked any hanging space.

The garage’s black flooring was likely to show up a lot of dirt, and Marty said it was a missed opportunity with styling and lighting to provide a story in “touring country” – a town where many people drive to visit wineries and restaurants.

Emma and Ben’s winning guest suite

Score: 29.5, first place

Incorporating a kitchenette into the suite was well-received with Darren proclaiming it would be hard for him to leave the space.

Picture: Channel 9/9Now

“This is so so much amenity, so much inclusion and drama. It is a really beautiful welcome to the space,” he said.

A consistency with the rest of the home was Shaynna’s take on the suite, and she loved the chair and a lamp stating it felt like a boutique hotel suite without feeling “untangled”.

The ensuite bathroom was a “little gem” Darren said, while Marty added they have “literally thrown the Emma and Ben sprinkles all over - I love it”.

“It's a beautifully laid out, great space with lots of amenity, and it looks stunning,” Darren said.

“It's so close to perfect, that it is perfect,” Shaynna added despite noticing some bad paintwork and the shower glass screen not matching up.

Emma and Ben’s kitchen

Score: 26, fifth place

After rectifying the layout of the adjacent living and dining space, the judges were all proud of Emma and Ben’s efforts.

Picture: Channel 9/9Now

“I love everything I see. I think it's a huge improvement. It's a really nice course correction,” Darren said.

The kitchen’s colours were divine, according to Shaynna.

“Everything they've selected is off the charts amazing,” she said.

Marty said the whole space would photograph beautifully, and would get buyers excited.

“It feels like you are in Daylesford, but it has that modern twist,” he said.

However, all judges agreed the fridge being in front of the main bedroom was in the wrong spot.

Emma and Ben’s rumpus room

Score: 28, second place

Likening the space to being hugged, Shaynna loved the room, particularly the green ceiling which she hailed as “phenomenal”.

Picture: Channel 9/9Now

Marty wished the look of the room was applied to the rest of home.

“This is so marketable,” he said.

However, Shaynna said the rumpus room was part of wing with two kids’ bedrooms and felt it could have been more “kid friendly”.

But she was full of praise for their styling, and there was nothing she could fault.

“This is the room to nail and they’ve nailed it,” Marty added.

Emma and Ben’s living and dining rooms

Score: 22, fourth place

While the grandeur of the celling was an instant hit, most of the other elements of the spaces left the judges puzzled.

Photo: Channel 9/9Now

“I am struggling in here. This dining table is the most underwhelming dining table I've seen in a long time,” Shaynna said.

Marty agreed and said the room lacked the “richness” of the couple’s previous efforts, while Darren said differing heights of chairs, the sofa and spaces between furniture was driving him “absolutely up the wall.”

“The styling, the furniture, there's nothing that's making you go, ‘I really remember the lounge room of House 1,’” Marty added.

Shaynna said the spaces lacked sophistication: “We're at Daylesford. We're not in an apartment block.”

Emma and Ben’s main bedroom and walk-in wardrobe

Score: 28, second place

Very close to perfection was how Shaynna summed up the couple’s efforts.

Picture: Channel 9/9Now

“I love their energy. I love their eye for detail and they've done everything for purpose,” she said.

Marty noted the bedroom was bigger than most hotel suites and the Velux lighting was a hit with Darren.

“That's just unbelievable. I love the pitch of the roof. I love that you can see so beautifully up to the sky and it lets so much light in,” he said.

The pair’s commitment to the use of a rich burgundy hue in their colour scheme was also applauded.

The “luxurious” wardrobe was a hit, with Marty stating it could be the “room of the day.”

Emma and Ben’s main bathroom

Score: 28, second place

Shaynna hailed the stunning space as her “number one,” and said it was near perfect if it were not for the crumpled bathrobes.

Picture: Channel 9/9Now

“They have nailed the look, the brief of high-end Daylesford,” she said.

“I think they're really the ones to watch in terms of building a really completed home,” Marty said.

Darren applauded the space as much more “considered” than the team’s previous bathroom.

“This tile palette is really sophisticated. This gorgeous timber, that bench top, and then the three tiles and the wallpaper and the metallic tapware - that is hot,” he said.

Emma and Ben’s kids’ rooms

Score: 25.5, second place

The depth of colour in the pair’s first room was a hit, but Marty did not like the light pendants which he said were “really throwing the room”.

Picture: Channel 9/9Now

However, Shaynna said whether the colour scheme appealed to you or not, the richness and the texture was enveloping and was very Daylesford.

The pair’s second room won Marty over who said: “This feels great. This is a lot softer.”

The little bed seat and the use of timber was in keeping with Daylesford, he added.

“It has something really special this room, and very marketable,” he said.

After all judges made note of some functional issues, Darren said the space was “high level,” with beautiful proportions and gorgeous architectural details.

Emma and Ben's ensuite bathroom

Score: 24, third place

The pair’s texture choices were an immediate hit with Shaynna who noted the room has been inspired by Daylesford’s “undulating hills and dirt and mud.”

Picture: Channel 9/9Now

Describing it as a “cracker of a room,” Darren loved the natural light through the Velux, as well as the greens and the tiling.

“This couple, Emma and Ben, have lots of experience, and clearly they know how to deliver so I have really high hopes,” he said.

However, all judges did make note of the rough tiling on their curve nib wall.

 Pictures: Channel 9/9Now

Looking for more? Check out every room reveal so far from The Block 2025

What is the address for Emma and Ben's house on The Block?

Emma and Ben's house is a brand new build at 5 Cedar Lane, Daylesford, Vic 3460.

Meet Emma and Ben

Hailed as a triple threat for their unflappable, hard-working and organised know-how, the pair had applied for The Block seven times before making the cut this year.

Married for three years but friends since high school, the couple bought their first house at 24-years-old and have been flipping houses ever since.

Ben, 32, engineer/aspiring firefighter

Ben has studied engineering and was recently accepted to be a firefighter in Melbourne but he has postponed the opportunity to go on The Block.

Ben’s engineering background should bring attention to detail, while his desire to become a firefighter means he should be able to perform well under pressure, both qualities that will come in handy on The Block.

Emma, 33, dance teacher

Formerly a woodwork teacher, Emma changed careers to follow her love of dance.

No stranger to the spotlight, Emma is one of Australia’s top competitive pole dancers – will her competitive spirit land her top spot on The Block 2025?

She is now a pole dancing teacher and has an active wear business.

Are Emma and Ben pregnant?

Emma and Ben didn't only build a house while on The Block - they had a baby!

During living and dining week, Emma and Ben announced they are pregnant.

The couple found out Emma was expecting on the very same day that Scotty Cam rang them to say they had finally made the cut for The Block.

“It was a bit wild. But I said to Ben: ‘We are doing it and we will just take it as it comes!’ and we have been for the past six weeks,” she explained of diving into the unyielding chaos of The Block while pregnant with her first child.

Although Emma was due on the same week as the auction, little Bailey arrived 5 weeks early and "perfectly healthy," according to Women's Day.

Speaking to the magazine, Emma said "He really just didn't want to miss the auction."