Imagine handing over the keys to your house to strangers leaving them completely responsible for the renovation of your house. Not allowed to tell them what colours you like, what style suits your personality and how you envisaged your dream house to look. But in doing so you are mortgage free… well, that’s if you win the competition. Victorian brothers Chris and Nick Stavropoulos have done just that and are banking on their Greek fighting spirit to take out the top spot in the debut reality tv series House Rules.
The brothers have left their Californian bungalow in Melbourne’s northern suburbs in the hands of not only the other contestants, but, ultimately, their competitors. But the competition doesn’t phase these brothers who are going to be drawing on their heritage to win.
“When Greek people’s backs are against the wall, they fight their way out,” explains older brother Chris, adding that being Greek they can be both strategic but also have a casual approach to the task at hand.
Chris was 26 when he bought the house, and his brother Nick was 21. Their parents had instilled in the boys the importance of owning property as a good financial foundation for their future. But it was when Chris discovered his younger brother was about to spend $60,000 on a “hero tradie car” he convinced his brother to invest with him in their first home… 15 minutes away from their parents.
“Our dad was about setting yourself up at a young age and you will be successful as you get older and we thought we would follow our father’s footsteps – and it was a good challenge for Chris and I to try something.”
Initially, they looked at buying apartments off the plan, but settled on a three-bedroom house they could fix themselves utilising Nick’s skills as a carpenter.
“I thought it was going to be easy with me going in being a carpenter but it’s one of the hardest things I have done in my life,” says Nick. But the task at hand was made harder for his brother, a sales / marketing manager.
“It was a bit of a wake up call for me, a we were straight into it the first couple of days,” Chris tells Neos Kosmos.
“I was completely wrecked mentally and physically drained. But I am a fast learner and did learn very quickly.”
The boys admit the hardest part in the competition is to let go and trust others with the renovation of your home, but harder for Nick to put his trust in other carpenters.
“You have to let go though,” says Nick, “and I am glad we did it.”
But for now, they have to give it their all and create a stunning home for another competitor instead of putting that effort in their own home. But for the couple that gets their Melbourne house, they are looking for a modern and comfortable design.
“I hope it’s somewhere you can go in the winter and its warm and somewhere you can go in the summer, with an outdoor entertaining area as Chris and I love having our friends over,” says Nick of what he hopes the final product will look like.
“But at the same time we would be happy with anything as our kitchen is pretty dull and our bathroom is too smalll and plus its pink so I think anything would be an improvement.”
Whatever the case, the boys will wind up with a home, close to mum and dad because as Nick says “someone still needs to cook for us”.
Catch House Rules on Channel Seven Monday to Thursday after Home & Away. For more information visit http://au.tv.yahoo.com/house-rules/