There’s just three days of renovating left in The Block 2025, and Mat and Robby are spending it having an awkward conversation.

After consulting Dan about their huge backyard landscaping bill blowout, they’re off to the negotiating table.

Their landscaper Paal had hit them with an unexpected $34,000 bill for “unforeseen engineering work”, almost 50 per cent of their total landscaping budget.

Dan points out that the bulk of the overage is because he had made Paal rip out and redo a lot of his work because he’d failed to get the necessary inspections along the way, despite being emailed a list of procedures.

Dan gives Mat and Robby some advice on how to handle negotiations on the huge cost overrun for their garden.

“He never took the time to read it all, open up the attached documents and fully understand what he had to do. I think that $11,000 one is on him for not taking the time to read the plans and understand what was required,” Dan advises Mat and Robby.

But even if Paal agrees to waive that portion of his bill, Mat and Robby are still flat broke with no money to pay Paal to finish the front garden.

So it’s time for that awkward meeting with Paal and his wife and business partner Carmen.

“I’m a small business. Do I have to take that? I don’t think it’s fair,” Paal says when Mat and Robby object to the overrun.

“But it’s also not fair that there wasn’t any communication to say ‘Hey guys we’re five grand over, our budget, hey guys we’re ten grand over our budget’.”

At which point Paal and Carmen produce the receipts.

Paal and Carmen with the receipts.

It turns out they had been emailing Mat along the way.

“It was communicated clearly. I’ve got proof here. And it’s even been on camera,” he says.

But Paal is also not inclined to walk away from the job so Mat and Robby agree to scrimp and save by sending back plants and reducing on labour by being Paal’s helpers for the week with the hope that if they win the week they can send some of the prize money Paal’s way.

“Being in this situation we feel like we’re letting Paal down, which is not either of our intent or what we’re about and number two, we feel like shit we don’t have the money to give him for what he’s wanting or expecting,” Mat says.

Their neighbours Britt and Taz are having a more relaxed week, and even have time to pull a prank on the other contestants and Dan by arranging for a ridiculous portrait of themselves to be stuck on their garage door.

The portrait is actually covering up an indigenous artwork they commissioned but they don’t want anyone to have time to copy their idea.

“It’s believable if you think we’re flogs,” Taz says.

Dan is horrified at Britt and Taz’s garage door.

Which is bad news for Britt and Taz because everyone buys it, including Dan who even makes a call to their landscaper to try and get him to talk them out of doing it. Dan’s reaction when he sees the “finished” work says it all.

“Oh my god, no,” he says. “That has knocked them out of the competition.”

Alicia is all for it, telling Britt and Taz it looks great, then confessing to Mat she only told them she approved in the hopes it would ruin their chances of winning the week.

Han and Can’s week is progressing as normal, with bickering and stress.

Their landscaper Christian is doing their Zen garden, but is unfortunately a bit too Zen himself. As the girls watch the other teams laying turf and planting while their front yard remains a pile of dirt, they’re starting to get seriously worried.

“We love Christian. He is such a visionary. He’s a creative, but he moves at his own pace. What is the plan?” Can says.

Han’s dad Lee gives Han and Can some relationship advice.

Then it’s on to some of she and Han’s trademark arguing, with Han, as usual, spending her time and energy on things that don’t matter, in this case, a sauna they can’t afford for their backyard, which has already been judged.

This time it’s Han’s dad Lee who steps in to builder Shan’s role as relationships counsellor.

“Let’s just start rational and keep calm,” he begins. “What you’ve got to think about is your priority is your front garden, that’s where you should focus.”

At which point Can somehow refrains from shouting Hallelujah.