In 2006, Jennifer Aniston paid $13.5 million for a Beverly Hills house and rebuilt it with Brazilian wood and koi ponds; in 2011, she sold “Ohana” for about $37–38 million

Jennifer Aniston does not just buy houses. She often transforms them completely. The actress bought a run-down Beverly Hills property in 2006 for $13.5 million and spent the next few years transforming it into a private retreat she called "Ohana." According to Forbes, which landed the first interview with her listing agent, the finished home went on the market in 2011 for $42 million.

A house that needed a rescue

The house was designed in 1970 by architect Harold "Hal" Levitt. According to HGTV, the actress had been considering buying the house for seven months before it was sold to her. By the time she bought it, the house was already falling into disrepair. In 2006, after purchasing the house, she hired interior designer Stephen Shadley, a longtime collaborator known for his work on Hollywood homes, to lead the rebuild.


Two years, a full rebuild

Shadley hadn't merely redecorated the place. Forbes' reporting notes that he and his team spent the next two years extensively renovating the 1970 structure, adding square footage and basically reworking the house from the inside out. Aniston moved into the finished home in 2009, per Forbes' reporting. The home then appeared in the March 2010 issue of Architectural Digest, in which Forbes quotes Aniston, from that interview, saying the house "vibrates with the love that created it." Aniston wanted the house to feel like an escape, not a showpiece. The Joyce Rey real estate archive mentions how the completed house had a Balinese flair, with koi ponds built into the living space, heated travertine flooring outside in the lanai, and Brazilian cumaru wood eaves, which are a durable wood renowned for its deep brown color. The same source adds that Aniston called the home "Ohana," a Hawaiian term for extended family, and it was a fitting name given how often she hosted her friends there.

Green intentions, but not officially certified

Sustainability was certainly one of the elements of the project, even though it might be appropriate to specify its actual scope. Forbes reports that listing agent Jade Mills said Aniston insisted on "green consideration" along with smart-home technology in the course of the home improvement. However, the same Forbes story is careful to mention that the home was never actually certified as a green building. So the renovation is best described as eco-minded, not eco-certified. The distinction matters because the home was not officially certified as green.

Some fun extras

The rebuild wasn’t all about calm and greenery. Forbes’ tour of the finished home shows a wine cellar protected by a biometric fingerprint lock, a built-in jewelry cabinet with a similar security system and a game room with a large television and a bedroom TV that rises out of the floor at the push of a button. The one-acre property is located in Trousdale Estates, a prized pocket of Beverly Hills, according to the same Forbes report.

A sale with two reported price tags

By February 2011, the house had been listed for $42 million, when Forbes conducted its listing-agent interview with Jade Mills, referencing the home's earlier appearance in the March 2010 issue of Architectural Digest as part of its history. It sold later that same year, in June 2011, according to HGTV's citation of the Los Angeles Times, though the final price varies slightly depending on the outlet. According to the Joyce Rey Collection, the property was sold at $38 million, while according to HGTV and the Los Angeles Times, the number is a little lower at around $37 million. In either case, Aniston appears to have made a profit of roughly $23.5 million to $24.5 million, without considering the expenses on the multi-year renovation itself that were never made public. The deal still stands as a great example of the impact a good renovation can have on the valuation of a property.

What the story tells us today

Aniston’s approach to Ohana is a lesson beyond celebrity real estate gossip. She honed in on one clear idea: a tranquil, tropical, family-friendly retreat and ran it through every detail, from the cumaru wood on the eaves to the koi ponds inside the living room. She also approached the renovation as a long-term project, not a quick flip, taking a full two years to get it right. For anyone planning a home renovation, big or small, the bottom line remains the same: a clear vision and a willingness to be patient generally pay off, both in how a space feels to live in and in what it is worth later on.