Jessica Alba shared an emotional moment when she surprised her parents with a soon-to-be refurbished home, but it wasn’t just any house—it was her father’s childhood home.
On Friday, August 30, Alba, who co-hosts the Roku Original series Honest Renovations with Lizzy Mathis, posted a heartfelt video on her YouTube channel. The video revealed a “special renovation” project they were working on: the very house where her father grew up.
“I started my dream project almost three years ago,” Alba, 43, explained in the video’s description. “I surprised my parents by purchasing a house! It was extra sentimental because it was my grandfather’s house where my father grew up 🥹.”
Alba shared that after her grandfather passed away, her parents were planning to sell the house to cover her grandmother’s medical expenses. However, Alba stepped in with a plan to help them flip the house before selling it, all while secretly intending to buy it for them.
In the video, Alba announced her intention to buy the family home due to her grandmother’s need for 24-hour care. With the help of Mathis and Tinku, a family friend and builder, they began the renovation process.
During a segment filmed in June 2021, Alba finally revealed the surprise to her parents. “The last piece of the puzzle is that I’ve been trying to figure out how to tell you guys that I’m going to buy you this house,” she said. “So don’t buy it yourself.”
The video captured the touching moment when Alba’s parents, Mark and Catherine, reacted with overwhelming emotion. Alba told her father, “Now the house you grew up in, Dad, is yours.” Mark, visibly moved, expressed how proud her grandfather would be, saying, “I know he’d be proud of my baby girl.”
While the house surprise is now available on YouTube, Alba teased at the end of the video that a second part, showcasing the renovation process, will be released soon.
“Even just watching this trailer back, I’m filled with so many feels—after keeping this big secret, letting my parents in on the surprise, followed by many, many months of working to make the house perfect for my parents, I can’t believe this happened,” Alba wrote in the video’s summary.
@jessicaalba Almost three years ago, I started the project of my dreams… I surprised my #parents by buying them a #house!! 🤩🏠🎉🎁 Now, it wasn’t just any house – it was extra sentimental as it was my grandparent’s house that my father grew up in 🥹 After my grandfather passed away, my parents were planning on selling the house in order to pay for my grandmother’s medical bills. Well… I pretended like I was going to help them flip it before selling when in reality, I had planned to buy it for them all along… So tap 👆🏽 the link in bio and come along for the ride! Watch as we pretend that this #renovation is simply for the purpose of selling the house – before we let my parents in on a little #secret 🤭 Even just watching this trailer back, I’m filled with so many feels – after keeping in this big secret, letting my parents in in the surprise, followed by many many months of working to make the house perfect for my parents, I can’t believe this really happened. Grampers, this one is for you – we love and miss you more than you know 🫶🏽❤️ Now, a huge shout out to my partners in crime – @lizzymathis, Tinku and everyone else that helped turn this #dream into a reality – I could not have done this without you! Thank you, thank you, thank you 🙏🏽 It’s also crazy to think that this project was our first big one before #HonestRenovations began… 💭 Two seasons in and gearing up for a third, it feels completely surreal – grateful doesn’t even begin to describe it 🤍 #FBF #FlashBackFriday #HomeRenovation ♬ original sound – Jessica Alba