A Reddit discussion highlighted by Chattr began with a proposal to convert a vacant office tower into affordable apartments. It quickly expanded into a wish list for smaller builds, more individual homes and a little less beige.

“It brings it back to a more OG style program, is socially conscious, more in touch with what most people actually need,” the original poster wrote.

With the Mount Eliza homes heading towards the auction finale, the discussion offers a very different brief from this season's multimillion-dollar properties.

Smaller Spaces, Bigger Design Challenges

Several commenters liked the idea of apartments because a smaller footprint would force contestants to solve practical problems, rather than simply fill another enormous room.

“It’s so much more interesting when it’s a small space and they have to have creative solutions,” one viewer wrote.

Others wanted everyday houses, with one suggesting Melbourne's older Victorian homes could give the series a stock of properties that need work and might appeal to regular buyers. Another preferred a “worst house on best street” approach, giving each team a different renovation instead of similar builds.

The location was up for debate too. One commenter suggested leaving Melbourne for the Gold Coast hinterland or waterfront properties elsewhere.

There were more adventurous pitches, including a spin-off built around upcycling and a tongue-in-cheek suggestion to furnish an entire home with Temu or AliExpress purchases. That would certainly give the judges a different shopping list to inspect.

One viewer said House 5's kitchen and the recent front yards were among the few spaces they had connected with this year. For that commenter, the appeal was in distinctive rooms, rather than another round of expensive furniture.

An Office Tower Has Its Own Problems

The apartment pitch did not win everyone over. Commenters raised plumbing, conversion difficulties and planning hurdles as potential obstacles to turning offices into homes.

Others pointed back to the show's Glasshouse season, which they recalled as an office conversion. Several were sceptical about whether affordable builds could deliver the sponsor exposure, contestant profits and interpersonal friction they associate with the format.

One viewer argued that renovation shows built around feel-good stories do not necessarily have staying power. Another suggested teams could still share accommodation and a workroom even if they were renovating separate houses. A shared workroom would still leave plenty of room for an argument over the tools.

Nine Already Has A Different Renovation Planned

The Reddit suggestions are fan pitches, rather than announced changes. Nine has already confirmed heritage restorations in Sunbury for 2027, with five teams transforming three historic buildings at Jacksons Hill into family homes.

Scott Cam and Shelley Craft will return, while former contestants will tackle a sixth renovation in the Stan spin-off The Block: The House Next Door.

So a return to restoring existing buildings is coming. An affordable office-to-apartment season remains on the viewers' wish list.