Mike and Andrew have more than one wild card up their sleeve this week. We have a quality chat with the brothers to find out how they plan on playing them.
Big week for you guys — how are you feeling about your decision to do the old switcheroo with your lounge/kitchen area? Mike: It was a big decision to make. Because of the nature of the terrace, we thought it would be nice to have the galley-style kitchen with alfresco dining out to the entertaining area. Andrew: I still think we made the right decision. I think the hard thing is that because it is all connecting, we wanted to reveal both rooms at the same time [last Sunday]. We wanted to give the judges a taste of what was happening. But they'll finally get to see it this week.
Were you worried after last Sunday’s judging verdict? Mike: We were definitely nervous. I think we were probably hopeful we would get nice scores from the judges. But we believe that we made the right decision, and hopefully the market will agree with us on that. Andrew: We may have been gambling a little bit, but I don't think so.
We were surprised you didn't use your bonus points last week — why was that? Mike: We felt that it was very close between us and Dani and Dan, and if we used the two bonus points to draw, it was really tossing us into unknown territory. Do we get half the prize money? Or do we get the full prize money each? I guess we thought, "Do we really want to use both those bonus points to take in, potentially, only $2500?" We wanted to keep them up our sleeves.
It's shaping up to be another manic week for you guys. What is it with you cutting it so fine?! Mike: I think it's just that we focus on the big things, like the structural side, and the layout, and the functionality within the house. The new owner can always come in and choose a different magazine to place on the table! We are probably not the strongest in the competition at styling, but I think we're up there with the floor-plans and the layout of the house internally, which we spend a lot of time on.
Which could be what matters, come auction... Mike: Hopefully! We'll have to wait and see. I'm not sure how it will pan out.
Are you nervous about it? Andrew: We are, but we're also excited to see what happens. I think looking at the other properties, its chalk and cheese size-wise with Brad and Lara's house and everyone else's. The three other homes are the same size, those middle levels are much of a muchness. But our house, we have swapped our kitchen and living areas — the ground floor is really the hub of the house. The other thing is, the others have kept their laundry in their main bathroom, whereas our bathroom is separate to that. It will be interesting to see how it all plays out.
How have you found watching yourself back on the show? Mike: To be honest, I have really enjoyed it. It's very strange watching yourself on primetime television, because I just see it as being a home video of the eight people that were involved in renovating the houses! Andrew: The best way to describe it is like seeing an amazing quality home movie of one of your experiences — it's great!
Are you being recognised? Mike: I am not a big socialiser; I don't go out a great deal. Dee and I tend to spend a lot of time just ordering takeaway and doing stuff together. You do get noticed though, and it's lovely when people come over and say, "Oh, we're supporting you guys. We love the show."
