Why Phil and Amity will win The Block All Stars

THERE are three key reasons why I think the married couple will win the first-ever All Stars series when their heritage house goes to auction on Wednesday night

The Block's Phil and Amity

THEY were certainly the underdogs when they signed up for The Block All Stars, but Phil and Amity have proven themselves to be real contenders ahead of Wednesday's finale.

The couple, who were on the original series of The Block 10 years ago, had the least amount of trade skills and renovation experience out of all the teams.

Whereas the younger teams of Josh and Jenna and Dan and Danni have both started their own reno/design companies, and the two fat tradies Mark and Duncan are, well, tradies, Phil and Amity moved to the suburbs of Adelaide and started a family after their Block experience.

"We had done no renovating since our first series 10 years ago, and we weren't exactly known for our renovating prowess (back then)," Amity told me during a set visit.

Phil added: "We came in as the underdogs but we exceeded our own expectations."

After walking through the four finished houses in person, there are a few key reasons why I think Phil and Amity's heritage cottage will fetch the most at auction.

Firstly, there is the feature which sets their house apart from the other three - the mezzanine level above the kitchen.

The second level adds an open feeling to the back of the house and creates a great retreat area for studying, crafting, storage and could even be used to sleep extra guests.

I'm surprised the other teams didn't think of building up considering they oversaw the entire build of the back of their houses.

Phil and Amity also made the smart move of making their laundry area a second bathroom, which will come in handy for entertaining or when family and friends come to stay.

The other great thing Phil and Amity have done is keep their style, colours and appliances neutral, or Hamptons beach chic as the judges have called it.

While some of their rooms might not pop like the other houses, the neutral palate allows potential buyers the opportunity to put their own style stamp on the house.

The Block All Stars houses

House one has a light, just slightly beachy feel which I think suits Bondi really well.

Their main competition will be Dan and Dani, who have kept their colour scheme fairly neutral as well with whites and greys and reserved most of the colour to the artwork.

The Melbourne couple also made the smart move of finishing their attic space so it can be used as a play space, office or storage.

While Josh and Jenna have shed their vintage style for a more minimal look in this series, I found a few of their choices perplexing, like the giant mirror in the kitchen and the strange placement of the TV under the end of the kitchen bench, revealed on the show last night.

Duncan and Mark/Dale's house is only going to appeal to a particular buyer with its outrageous and oversized decorations.

But whoever can see past that, and learn to love the purple kitchen with its cowhide splash back, might find themselves securing a pretty good deal.

The finished front and back yards will be revealed tomorrow night.

The Block All Stars finale airs on Wednesday at 7pm on Nine/WIN.

Originally published as Why Phil and Amity will win The Block All Stars