Viewers have been left divided on social media.

The Block’s Britt and Taz were called out by their co-stars for presenting an ‘illegal’ room. Photos: Channel 9

Backyard Week has commenced on The Block, but one couple has been forced to make a major change to last week’s room after being called out in Tuesday night’s episode. Fan favourites Britt and Taz, who have been one of the highest-performing teams this season, were criticised by their co-stars for presenting an “illegal” room to the judges.

Sonny and Alicia, Han and Can, and Robby and Mat each argued that Britt and Taz shouldn’t have been allowed to transform their shed into a ‘speakeasy’ wine bar because it couldn’t be a habitable space that you would spend more than an hour in. The show’s site manager, Aiden, then told the couple that, despite initially approving plans for the room, he couldn’t sign it off because it was “not compliant”.

“The basic bit is, for us to finish these builds and get an occupancy permit [and] for you to be able to sell it at auction, we currently don’t have our surveyors’ approval for this room as it is, so we’ve got to change it,” he said.

While the shed rule hasn’t been referenced in previous seasons, Yahoo Lifestyle has done some digging and found that VicSmart, which assesses planning permits in Victoria, defines a ‘habitable room’ as “a room designed and used for normal everyday activities”.

Examples include the bedroom, living room, lounge room, dining room, kitchen, study, and playroom; however, the bathroom, laundry, toilet, pantry, walk-in wardrobe, lobby, and “other spaces of a specialised nature occupied neither frequently nor for extended periods” are not considered habitable spaces.

Britt and Taz turned their shed into a ‘speakeasy’ wine bar. Photo: Channel 9

The Block fans divided

Viewers were clearly divided on social media following the episode, with some arguing that Britt and Taz’s shed was no different from the wine cellar Robby and Mat presented last week, which received a perfect score.

“There is a drinking bench, which the judges sat down at in the boys’ cellar and ate food while they judged. Why is that not the same? I don’t get it,” one person wrote.

“It’s ridiculous, one rule for one house and a completely different rule for another,” another added, while a third said, “My thoughts exactly”.

‘Doesn’t make sense’

Many people were also “confused” by the fact that you aren’t allowed to spend more than an hour in the shed, considering the other teams presented a gym, art studio, golf simulator room, and workspace with a pool table.

“I would spend more than an hour in a gym… why could they get away with that?” one viewer remarked, followed by someone else who said, “It certainly takes me more than 40 minutes to build a set of shelves”.

“Any of the activities carried out in all the houses’ sheds would take longer than 40 mins, so they all better strip them out,” a different user joked.

“So the shed can’t be habitable for more than an hour? I guess H5 will need to put a timer in their gym, H4 in their pool table area, and H1 in the golf simulator,” another added, with others saying it “doesn’t make sense”.