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Jenna Phipps bought an abandoned house in Vancouver for CA$ 2 million, found mold, leaks, and a damaged roof, and went viral with the renovation.
In 2023, content creator Jenna Phipps (https://www.youtube.com/@JennaPhipps) bought an abandoned house in Vancouver, Canada, for CA$ 2 million, about US$ 1.47 million, and discovered that the property would require a much heavier renovation than initially seemed. According to a report by Newsweek, the property had been vacant for four years and was in such poor condition that moving into the new house had to be postponed.
The house had a high value, but not for its internal conditions. The property was deteriorated, with leaks, damaged carpet, mold, parts of the roof compromised, and signs of abandonment scattered throughout the rooms. Also according to Newsweek, Jenna herself stated that after the purchase, she feared she had made the biggest mistake of her life and didn’t even know if the building could be saved.
House was vacant for four years and had a leaking roof
The state of the property was one of the most critical points of the story. According to Newsweek, Jenna and Nick knew there were severe damages and a leaking roof, but they couldn’t know the full extent of the structural problem before starting the renovation.
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When they took possession of the property, the house was uninhabitable. There were buckets scattered to collect water from leaks, clothes still in the closets, and carpets covered by tarps and cardboard. Later, the couple discovered that the carpet was soaked and moldy due to constant leaks in the roof.
The problem was not just aesthetic. The leak had reached important parts of the construction, raising doubts about the integrity of the structure.
The property, which from the outside carried the charm of a house with striking architecture, hid deep damages inside accumulated over years without maintenance.
Despite the deteriorated condition, Jenna and Nick decided to try to save the structure. The choice was motivated by the potential of the house, the mid-century modern style, and the possibility of transforming a rejected property into a personalized residence.
Internal demolition revealed mold, water damage, and compromised structure
The real extent of the problem appeared when the couple began to open the walls. According to Newsweek, Jenna said that only after removing the drywall was it possible to see the true condition of the house.
From there, they practically tested every part of the property for asbestos, removed drywall, took out insulation, and started working with an engineer.
The roof had to be temporarily covered with a tarp to contain the leaks. However, the solution was only temporary.
As water had entered for years, the house’s structure had deep damage, requiring complete removal of the roof, replacement of compromised beams, and reconstruction of essential parts.
Realtor.com reported that in the early days of the work, the couple found moldy floors, extreme water damage, insect problems, and the realization that the entire roof would need to be replaced.
Wet carpet could be torn by hand during the renovation
One of the most striking details of the renovation was the state of the carpet. According to Realtor.com, the couple removed carpets so damaged by water that they could be torn with their own hands.
The deterioration also forced Jenna and Nick to work with protection. The report states that due to the levels of mold, the couple wore masks during the drywall removal and cleaning of the property.
Besides the carpet, the house still held old objects, photos, original furniture, and even a record player. The couple needed to remove the items from the interior before advancing in the structural stages of the work.
Couple decided to renovate as owner builders to reduce costs
The renovation of a house purchased for almost $1.5 million would not be cheap. According to Newsweek, Jenna and Nick decided to take on a large part of the project as owner builders, a model where the owners themselves assume much of the coordination and execution of the work.
The strategy was chosen to save money. Jenna stated in the report that the project would not be cheap, but doing most of the work on their own would help significantly reduce costs.
After the structural stages, the couple planned to install a new plumbing system, electrical, and update the windows. The initial plan was to transform the house over about two years while continuing to rent nearby.
Renovation videos turned the abandoned house into a series followed by millions
The work began to be documented on social media. On Jenna Phipps’ official website, the creator states that she published the first video of the Abandoned Home series on January 30, 2024, showing the house renovation journey with Nick and without contractors.
On YouTube, the series gained significant reach. Jenna’s channel page shows the first episode, “i bought an abandoned home,” with about 1.8 million views, along with other renovation videos with hundreds of thousands of views.
The viralization happened because the house had all the elements of an extreme transformation: high price, abandonment, infiltration, mold, compromised structure, striking architecture, and a renovation done by the owners themselves. The audience began to follow every new discovery inside the property.
One year later, the renovation already showed a new structure and rebuilt roof
In 2025, Realtor.com published an update on the house transformation, highlighting that Jenna and Nick had made significant progress after a year of work. The report states that the couple demolished the original internal structure, installed new beams in the walls, and replaced the roof structure.
The process also faced bureaucratic obstacles. According to Realtor.com, at a certain point, the couple had to stop the work due to a lack of permits and paid a fine of $2,000. The report also mentioned that later, Jenna reported spending $45,000 just on building permits.
The house was not yet ready, but it had already ceased to be just an abandoned property with leaks and had become a reconstruction in progress, with a new internal configuration, reinforced structure, and planning for open spaces.
House built in 1961 became a symbol of extreme renovation in abandoned property
The property purchased by Jenna Phipps and Nick Volkov was not just an old house. According to Realtor.com, it is a construction from 1961, with mid-century modern architecture, three bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms, a pool, and a water view.
The story gained traction because it mixed real estate dream and the harsh reality of renovation. The couple bought a property with architectural potential but found a structure marked by years of leaks, mold, deterioration, and abandonment.
The case also shows how old houses can hide costs that only appear when the work begins. The removal of walls, carpets, and the roof revealed problems that a simple visit or real estate ad would not fully show.
Jenna Phipps’ renovation shows how a rejected house can become a long-term project
The transformation of the abandoned house in Vancouver still depends on important stages, but the project has already become one of the most followed home renovations on social media. The purchase for CA$ 2 million, the uninhabitable condition of the property, and the decision to rebuild much of the house created a strong before-and-after narrative.
What began as a fear of having made a huge financial mistake turned into a renovation series followed by millions of people. Between a destroyed roof, moldy carpet, mold, insects, expensive permits, and structural reconstruction, Jenna and Nick transformed a property considered almost lost into a definitive home project.
The story shows that an abandoned house can carry potential, but it also requires budget, patience, technical evaluation, and willingness to face problems that only appear when the renovation truly begins.
