Monthly Archives: October 2017

My takeaways from this season of The Block

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What a season it has been, all the Blockheads were very competitive this year. Some of them came in not really knowing what to expect and I think it was quite a shock for them when they realised just how hard it is to win. It’s easy for the people watching at home to say they could do better, but it’s a different story once you’re here putting in the long hours.

Sticks’ and Wombat’s renovations were a little bit too manly early on but they learned to soften things up in the end and I think they’ve done themselves proud.

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Clint and Hannah got off to a rocky start with the whole tile issue, but they stuck it out and I’m happy to see how far these first-time renovators have come.

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Sarah and Jason left me scratching my head on more than a few occasions but they managed to turn it around towards the end. Their early stumbles might come back to bite them though.

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Ronnie and Georgia were extremely competitive from the very beginning and they proved time and again that they’re here to win.

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Josh and Elise just quietly went about their business, and showed they’ve got what it takes to win. I wouldn’t be surprised if they pulled it off.

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It’s anyone’s guess who will win at this point.

 

Related: The Block

Wrap up of studio week

Another massive week in terms of space. Three-car garage, it’s gotta be gyprocked and plastered and sparked, and all that sort of thing. Plus a massive bedroom, plus a walk-in-robe, plus an ensuite again. The thing I think is that those garages ... [read more]

Backyards, one of my favourites

The backyards are incredible. Some of them are going to put pools in, some of them might have a lot of trouble getting them in i.e. Ronnie and Georgia. But I love backyards, backyards are my thing. I love a barbie in the backyard. I’ve built ab ... [read more]

Scotty’s Top Aussie Sheds Tour Dates

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Check out my tour dates for Scotty’s Top Aussie Sheds below.

NSW

12.30pm, Thursday 9 November, 2017 – signing at Big W Penrith – FREE, NO BOOKINGS REQUIRED

6.30pm, Thursday 9 November, 2017 – signing at Big Warringah Mall – FREE, NO BOOKINGS REQUIRED

ACT

12.30pm, Wednesday 8 November, 2017 – signing at Big W Woden – FREE, NO BOOKINGS REQUIRED

VIC

1.00pm, Monday 6 November, 2017 – signing at Dymocks Chadstone – FREE, NO BOOKINGS REQUIRED

12.30pm, Friday 17 November, 2017 – signing at Big W Doncaster – FREE, NO BOOKINGS REQUIRED

7.30pm, Friday 17 November 2017 – author talk at True South, 298 Beach Road, Black Rock – $40 for dinner or $60 including the cost of the book, phone 03 9589 4638 or email read@beaumarisbooks.com.au to book.

QLD

12.30pm, Friday 10 November, 2017 – signing at Big W Chermside – FREE, NO BOOKINGS REQUIRED

7.00pm, Friday 10 November, 2017 – author talk at The Grand View Hotel, 49 North Street, Cleveland – $50 for a two-course meal including wine, phone 07 3884 3000 or email functions@gvh.com.au to book.

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Related: News/Press

Scotty’s Top Aussie Sheds is out now!

My book, Scotty's Top Aussie Sheds, is available in stores and online now! I love spending time in my sheds, sometimes doing absolutely zip. Just having a beer, looking around, turning random things on and off, sanding a bit of timber for no ... [read more]

Think Pink this Mother’s Day

My mates at Bisley Workwear have teamed up with the National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF) to create their Bisley Pink Range. They’ll be donating $3 from the sale of each Pink Shirt to the NBCF, so let’s throw on some pink for all the women ... [read more]

Scotty’s Top Aussie Sheds is out now!

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My book, Scotty’s Top Aussie Sheds, is available in stores and online now!

I love spending time in my sheds, sometimes doing absolutely zip. Just having a beer, looking around, turning random things on and off, sanding a bit of timber for no reason. And it got me to thinking.

There are thousands of people around with a love of sheds like me, and plenty of their sheds are better than mine. So why not run a competition to find the 20 best ones, and whack ‘em in a book for all to see? Celebrate the Great Aussie Shed.

After my nationwide search, here in Scotty’s Top Aussie Sheds you’ll find the most fascinating examples of our humble, and not so humble, backyard icon. You’ll be inspired by the owners’ fascinating stories, and by the stunning images of their pride and joy.

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Related: News/Press

Pre-order my new book!

I’m really excited to announce that my new book, Scotty’s Top Aussie Sheds, is now available for pre-order and will be in stores from October 25. Click here to order yours. Thank you to everyone who took the time to submit their sheds, the ... [read more]

Think Pink this Mother’s Day

My mates at Bisley Workwear have teamed up with the National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF) to create their Bisley Pink Range. They’ll be donating $3 from the sale of each Pink Shirt to the NBCF, so let’s throw on some pink for all the women ... [read more]

Fishing

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I love to fish. It started when I was a kid, fishing from a tinnie with my brother and sister. Then we progressed to rock fishing off the cliffs, with my mates, a couple of early mornings each week before school. We used to get some terrific Bream and Kingfish. When I travelled around Australia as a young bloke, I did a lot of deep sea fishing in Exmouth Gulf and all over the place. I also love a bit of bush fly fishing. Then a couple of years ago, at 52 years old, I bought my dream boat. A 1955 30 ft timber lobster trawler. I’ll tell you all about that on another day because it’s a great story.

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Related: Things I Love

Saddles and Bridles

I do a bit of horse riding, which I learnt from my grandfather. I love the tack room that hold the saddles and bridles, as it reminds me of my grandfather’s farm. [scotty_sign] ... [read more]

Horse Riding

Getting around the bush on horseback is the only way to go. I love riding with the kids and dogs. [scotty_sign] ... [read more]

 

Wrap up of studio week

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Another massive week in terms of space. Three-car garage, it’s gotta be gyprocked and plastered and sparked, and all that sort of thing. Plus a massive bedroom, plus a walk-in-robe, plus an ensuite again. The thing I think is that those garages are the same size as the first block apartments, roughly, if you go by floorspace. I mean it’s smaller, but really, I think it’s another block. But when they got to that stage, all of them were outstanding. They were really fantastic, all of them. Stand-out for me was Sticks and Wombat’s—they did a nice one, and I love v-joint panelling and timber. And they did that in their hallway as well, and I really loved that. They won their hallway, and it was beautiful.

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Related: The Block

Backyards, one of my favourites

The backyards are incredible. Some of them are going to put pools in, some of them might have a lot of trouble getting them in i.e. Ronnie and Georgia. But I love backyards, backyards are my thing. I love a barbie in the backyard. I’ve built ab ... [read more]

Georgia’s brilliant idea

That was a brilliant idea from Georgia, and that’s what they like from contestants—they think outside the box and they save money. I mean, if someone else pays 5K for cabinetry and she buys a wardrobe for $50, it’s a smart way to go, and sh ... [read more]

Fire Pit

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There’s nothing finer than cooking a meal in a fire pit. We did it in our normal wood fired barby so often that I decided to build a dedicated fire pit. I get the fire going about 3pm and keep burning fuel until about 6, then we’ve got a good body of hot coals. A naked flame is no good, it’ll burn the meal. Dig a bit of depression in the coals, drop the ovens in and then shovel some coals on the lid. Leave that for about an hour and you’ll end up with the best lamb, beef or chicken and veges you’ll ever eat. Good luck.

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Related: Stories of Interest

Outdoor Barby Table

My saw mill has a slab cutter, so we slabbed up an old stringybark tree to make this bush table. It was just out the back under a tarp and it came up a treat. We’ve had 100’s of meals with family and friends at the bush dining table. ... [read more]

Dog Tips

It’s no secret that I love dogs. I’ve had a dog since I was born. Barney, Buffy, Clarie, Lizzy and Rosie. Rosie is still going at 12 and Lizzy is stuffed and sitting on the stairs at home.  Training a dog to me is very important for t ... [read more]

Backyards, one of my favourites

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The backyards are incredible. Some of them are going to put pools in, some of them might have a lot of trouble getting them in i.e. Ronnie and Georgia. But I love backyards, backyards are my thing. I love a barbie in the backyard. I’ve built about 300 backyards for people over the years in the old shows—Backyard Blitz. There’s too many to list a favourite I think, because they’ve all blended into one a bit, but I loved doing them. And the essential items are the barbecue, maybe the woodfire pizza oven—I like a woodfire barbecue and a woodfire pizza oven—and that doubles up as a fire pit that you can stand around. And I wouldn’t mind a bit of water in the backyard as well. We always love a swimming pool.

 

Related: The Block

Georgia’s brilliant idea

That was a brilliant idea from Georgia, and that’s what they like from contestants—they think outside the box and they save money. I mean, if someone else pays 5K for cabinetry and she buys a wardrobe for $50, it’s a smart way to go, and sh ... [read more]

Snow Challenge

This was a lot of fun. We were doing the bedrooms and, you know, it’s not a big room once you’ve done three rooms in one week, you’re only doing a bedroom. So, we took them off to the snow for two days to Mt. Buller, and we just put in a bi ... [read more]