The Block 2026 contestants revealed: Meet the new teams<\/a><\/p>\nThe Pops are currently waiting for Cardinia Shire Council to approve their planning permit for the Cockatoo Mansion\u2019s makeover.<\/p>\n
After getting the keys in January 2025, the couple said they expected to spend up to seven figures on the massive project, which they estimate could take up to 2.5 years to complete.<\/p>\n
The Pops have been sharing their vision for the house with the Cockatoo Mansion Renovation Project Instagram account\u2019s tens of thousands of followers, at @cockatoomansion, including plans to install an infinity pool and rooftop garden with a water fountain.<\/p>\n
A newly-released artist\u2019s video from Berwick-based Tomic Design reveals how the mansion\u2019s interior could look post-renovation, featuring a grand curving staircase with a cast-iron balustrade.<\/p>\n
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Ben and Betty Pop at Cockatoo Mansion after they got the keys. They have since cut back the tall grass and weeds surrounding the home. Picture: Ian Currie.<\/p>\n
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When it was listed for sale, the house had broken windows and graffiti throughout. The previous owners had planned to set up a farm there, but never got around to it. Picture: Ian Currie.<\/p>\n
Ms Pop said they were looking into whether to install a large fish tank for her 50 or so pet fish near the staircase, or a projector screen which could instead display different images.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe interior part of the house will be a mix of old school and new school,\u201d Ms Pop said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI really like the old style herringbone floorboards and dimmer lights that we can put throughout the house, which can change the mood.\u201d<\/p>\n
And regardless of whether they opt for a fish tank or projector, they will have an area specifically designated for their pet fish.<\/p>\n
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An artist\u2019s render of the how the mansion could look, post-transformation. Picture: Serge@Tomic Design, @cockatoomansion on Instagram.<\/p>\n
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The new-look mansion will have an infinity pool, if this is approved by the local council. Picture: Serge@Tomic Design, @cockatoomansion on Instagram.<\/p>\n
When it comes to the mansion\u2019s sprawling outdoors, a \u201csecret garden type of look\u201d is serving as the inspiration.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe whole 5ha that surrounds the house is going to have designated areas where you\u2019re going to have a vineyard and a veggie patch area, which is going to be undercover with a pizza oven and a bench,\u201d Ms Pop added. <\/p>\n
\u201cAnd then you\u2019ll have different type of flowers and shrubs and I\u2019m a beekeeper, so I want to have my bees there.\u201d<\/p>\n
At the moment, she\u2019s propagating 60 plants of different grape varieties to plant in the vineyard.<\/p>\n
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Tomic Designs director Serge Tomic of, mansion owner Ben Pop and original architect Alex Tufekcic at Cockatoo Mansion. Picture: Instagram @cockatoomansion.<\/p>\n
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The mansion as it looked in 2007, when original owners Miodrag Boljanac and his wife Radmila put it on the market. At the time, it sold to new owners who, in turn, sold to current owners Ben and Petty Pop. Picture: Jay Town.<\/p>\n
In another exciting development, Mr and Ms Pop also tracked down and interviewed the home\u2019s original architect, Alex Tufekcic, who now lives in Western Australia.<\/p>\n
This helped to uncover the abode\u2019s previously-unknown backstory, with Mr Tufekcic designing the house for a Romanian-born man named Miodrag Boljanac and his wife Radmila, whom he began collaborating with in the 1960s.<\/p>\n
The Boljanacs lived at the address with Mr Boljanac\u2019s parents after immigrating from Yugoslavia to Australia, and spent eight years building the home.<\/p>\n
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Mr Tufekcic being shown around the property by Mr Pop. Instagram @cockatoomansion.<\/p>\n
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One of the house\u2019s original owners, Radmila Boljanac, dusting some of the many flowers decorating the mansion\u2019s interior back when the home was listed in 2007. Picture: Jay Town.<\/p>\n
The Pops hosted Mr Tufekcic on a recent visit to the mansion where he met Tomic Design director Serge Tomic to find out more about the future renovation plans.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was absolutely incredible seeing them talking, older generation meeting the new,\u201d Ms Pop said.<\/p>\n
Mr Tufekcic\u2019s advice for their Grand Designs-scale transformation was, \u201cTo never to stop, because the house is solid and strong, just to keep persevering.\u201d<\/p>\n
He\u2019s keen to revisit when they have finished the build in a few years\u2019 time.<\/p>\n
Sign up to the Herald Sun Weekly Real Estate Update. Click here<\/a> to get the latest Victorian property market news delivered direct to your inbox.<\/p>\nMORE:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Ben and Betty Pop at the abandoned mansion in Cockatoo which they are planning to transform into a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":599763,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[449,458,459,64,63,460,134],"class_list":["post-599762","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-artsanddesign","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-design","tag-entertainment"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/599762","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=599762"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/599762\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/599763"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=599762"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=599762"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=599762"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}