The Worst House on the Worst Street

Todd and partner Jeff have been at the renovation game for nearly twenty years, but they've only ever been able to afford the worst house on the worst street. It hasn't been easy, but it has been hilarious.

In The Worst House on the Worst Street, Todd chronicles their journey from optimistic home buyers to self-taught, weary home renovators. Beginning with humble rental refreshes, they've tackled and transformed collapsing apartments, damp-infested terrace houses, acres of overgrown vineyards and off-the-grid homesteads - with a growing tally of injuries, floods and menacing neighbours thrown in.

But nothing could have prepared them for the very worst house: a small-town, dilapidated fibro shack on the wrong side of the tracks. Asbestos, mould, rotting timber, vermin, crumbling walls, shoddy repairs, holes in the roof, floors and windows . . . This house has it all. Amid Covid-19, near-bankruptcy and multiple DIY-related hospital visits, Todd and Jeff put their hard-won knowledge to the test. Jeff brings his dogged determination, obsessive quest for perfection and super-human DIY skills, while Todd brings a sense of humour to his roles of Jeff's labourer, painter, shopper, cleaner and site health and safety manager.

Part inspiration and larger part cautionary tale, Todd Alexander's The Worst House on the Worst Street will help any home renovator keep laughing along the way. It's a comedy, a book of how-to (and what-not-to) and a bloody good yarn for anyone who's survived a renovation or those who don't even intend to lift a finger.

'Funny and moving' WHO WEEKLY

About the Author

Todd Alexander is the bestselling author of the memoirs Thirty Thousand Bottles of Wine and a Pig Called Helga, You've Got to Be Kidding: A Shedload of Wine and a Farm Full of Goats and Over The Hill & Up The Wall. Helga was nominated for three book industry awards and was voted by readers as one of the Top 25 Australian books of the year. Todd is also the author of two novels, Pictures of Us and Tom Houghton, which he's adapting for the screen. Todd is also working with Enjoy Entertainment to adapt Helga for screen. Before his tree change to the Hunter Valley in 2012, Todd spent six years as a bookseller and head office buyer, was a director and media spokesperson for eBay, and the author of seven internet how-to guides, many of them bestsellers. These days, Todd can usually be found in the paddock with his goats, sheep and pig, perfecting recipes or jotting down observations to help people see the funny side to life. Jeff more or less spends every waking hour in the worst house on the worst street ... and only lets Todd help if he brings the right attitude along.