Ever looked at a 12,000-square-foot Victorian building—one that happens to have a literal embalming room in the basement—and thought, "Yeah, I could live there"? Most people would run the other way. Not the Blumbergs. If you’ve spent any time on Discovery+ or HGTV lately, you’ve probably stumbled across the cast of We Bought a Funeral Home, a family that decided a massive, creepy, 1800s funeral parlor in Dresden, Ontario, was the perfect place to raise their kids. It's weird. It's ambitious. Honestly, it’s kind of a vibe.
The show isn't just another cookie-cutter renovation project where someone flips a kitchen and calls it a day. This is a massive, multi-generational undertaking. You have the parents, Arryn and Heather, and their two kids, Rafferty and Noa. They didn't just move across town; they packed up their sleek, high-end life in Toronto to gamble on a property that most locals considered a haunted landmark.
The Visionaries: Arryn and Heather Blumberg
At the heart of the cast of We Bought a Funeral Home are Arryn and Heather. They aren't your typical DIY-and-a-dream couple. They came into this with a massive amount of design experience and, frankly, a lot of guts. Heather Blumberg is the engine here. She has this unapologetic, high-fashion aesthetic that clashes beautifully with the dark, heavy history of the house. She isn’t trying to hide the fact that people were once laid out in her living room. Instead, she’s leaning into the drama.
Arryn is the pragmatist. Or, at least, as pragmatic as you can be when you're helping your wife install a massive bar in a room where viewings used to happen. He often acts as the bridge between Heather's "no-limit" design dreams and the actual structural reality of a building that is falling apart. Watching them interact, you see a real partnership. It’s not that fake, scripted TV drama where couples fight over a paint chip. You can tell they are genuinely stressed about the $400,000+ they are sinking into this place.
The stakes are high. They sold their Toronto home to fund this. That's a huge move. They didn't have a backup plan. If the plumbing failed or the roof caved in, they were basically stuck in a drafty, expensive morgue.
The Next Generation: Rafferty and Noa
You have to feel a little bit for the kids, right? Rafferty and Noa are central to the cast of We Bought a Funeral Home, and they bring a much-needed "is this actually happening?" energy to the show.
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Rafferty, the son, is deeply involved in the process. He’s not just sitting in his room playing video games; he’s on the ground, helping with the heavy lifting and the design choices. He seems to have inherited that Blumberg "eye" for style. Then there’s Noa, the daughter. Every family needs a skeptic, and Noa often provides that grounded perspective. Moving from a metropolitan hub like Toronto to a small town like Dresden is a culture shock for any teenager, let alone moving into a house where people literally died. Or, well, were processed after death.
Their dynamic is what makes the show feel like a "lifestyle" show rather than just a "business" show. You see them navigating the social implications of living in the "creepy house" on the hill. It adds a layer of humanity to what could have just been a show about crown molding and wallpaper.
Why This Cast Works Better Than Most HGTV Stars
Most renovation shows feel sterile. You know the ones. The host wears a flannel shirt, talks about "open concepts," and magically finishes a bathroom in three days. The cast of We Bought a Funeral Home feels different because the project is so deeply personal and, frankly, overwhelming.
Dresden, Ontario, is a small place. The community's reaction to the Blumbergs is its own unspoken character in the show. There’s a fascinating tension between the town’s history—everyone knew this funeral home—and the Blumbergs’ desire to turn it into a private sanctuary.
- They aren't professional contractors.
- They are a real family with real design backgrounds.
- They have a dark sense of humor that fits the house.
- They actually moved in during the mess.
The scale of the "Thomas and Little Funeral Home" (the building's former name) is hard to overstate. We are talking about 38 rooms. Thirty-eight! Most of us struggle to keep a three-bedroom apartment clean. Heather and Arryn are tackling industrial-sized heating systems and wood rot that has been setting in for decades.
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The Design Philosophy: "Goth-mansion" Meets Luxury
When you look at the cast of We Bought a Funeral Home, you have to look at their output. Heather’s style is "maximalist." She doesn't do boring. She loves black. She loves velvet. She loves gold leaf.
One of the most striking things about their renovation is the "Casket Room." Most people would turn that into a storage closet or maybe a gym. Not the Blumbergs. They turned it into a sophisticated, moody lounge. They kept the history but stripped away the "death" vibe, replacing it with a "speakeasy" vibe. It takes a specific kind of person to sip a cocktail in a room that hosted thousands of funerals, and the Blumbergs are exactly those people.
This isn't just about aesthetics, though. It’s about the business of content. The family has built a massive following on social media, particularly Instagram, where they share the gritty details that TV cameras sometimes miss. They are savvy. They know that a funeral home renovation is a "hook" that most designers would kill for.
Addressing the Skepticism
There's always talk about how "real" these shows are. Some people wonder if the cast of We Bought a Funeral Home actually lives there. From everything we’ve seen in local reports and their own unfiltered social media, yes, they are very much in the thick of it. The house is a constant work in progress.
There are also the "ghost" questions. Does the cast believe the house is haunted? Heather has been pretty open about the fact that while they haven't seen any full-bodied apparitions, the house has a "feeling." It’s an old building. It creaks. It has history. But they don't treat it like a horror movie; they treat it like a grand old lady that needs a facelift.
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What You Should Take Away from the Blumbergs
The cast of We Bought a Funeral Home teaches a weirdly practical lesson: don't be afraid of the "weird" property. In a real estate market that feels impossible, sometimes the only way to get your dream home is to buy the one nobody else wants. Even if that home comes with a built-in morgue.
If you are looking to follow in their footsteps (maybe on a smaller scale), here are the actual steps you’d need to take to handle a "stigmatized" or "unique" property renovation:
- Zoning is King: Before the Blumbergs could even start, they had to ensure the funeral home could be rezoned as a single-family residence. Never buy a commercial property for living without a lawyer confirming this.
- Infrastructure First: Don't worry about the wallpaper until you’ve checked the "bones." In a building this old, the electrical and plumbing are usually a nightmare. The Blumbergs spent a fortune just making the place safe.
- Respect the History: Part of why the community eventually warmed up to them is that they didn't tear the house down. They preserved the Victorian architecture. If you buy a landmark, you are its steward, not just its owner.
- Budget for the Unknown: Whatever you think a renovation will cost, double it. Then add another 20%. The Blumbergs have been very transparent about the spiraling costs of such a massive square footage.
- Find Your Aesthetic: Don't design for "resale value" if you plan to live there forever. Heather designed for herself. That's why the house looks like nothing else on HGTV.
The Blumbergs are still working on the house. It's a years-long project. But they’ve proven that with enough black paint and a lot of confidence, you can turn a place of mourning into a pretty incredible place to live. Check out their social media for the latest updates on the "Goth Mansion," as they've lovingly dubbed it. It’s a wild ride.
Practical Next Steps for Fans and Renovators
If you're fascinated by the Blumbergs' journey, start by researching the historical designation laws in your own area. Buying a "unique" property often comes with tax breaks but also strict rules on what you can change. You can also look into "stigmatized property" listings—these are homes where deaths or crimes occurred—which often sell for 15% to 25% below market value. Just make sure you have the stomach for it before you sign the deed.