Home improvement shows have become a popular form of entertainment, starting with Trading Spaces and Extreme Makeover: Home E. The show follows contractor Mike Holmes as he fixes homes with poor workmanship, with clients paying 10-20% of the costs. The design work is always free, and sometimes furniture is donated, the family pays for it or for part of it, or Mike and/or his foundation pays for it.
Holmes Family Rescue, a new HGTV show, revolves around Mike Holmes and his children who take on projects to turn over overly problematic houses with serious damages, maintenance issues, refurbishing, and more. The production team, along with sponsors and partnerships with various brands, cover the majority of renovation costs.
Customers are expected to pay 10-20% of the repair costs, with Mike either personally donating his own money. For some projects, the homeowner is also responsible for contributing financially. Mike Holmes himself is paying for some of the renovations on the show. According to Distractify in 2021, clients are only expected to foot 10-20% of the repair costs, with Mike either personally donating his own money.
The Holmes family shares some clever ideas on how to renovate a house, select furniture, help the environment, and more. Homeowners can expect to pay up to 20% of the total costs, with Mike donating his funds. There’s no such thing as a free lunch, as Mike Holmes and the Holmes Foundation pay for most of the renovations.
📹 Here’s What Actually Happened To Mike Holmes
Mike Holmes comes from pretty humble beginnings. Having learned construction at an early age, he pursued a career in the …
Is Holmes Family Rescue renewed or canceled?
HGTV has renewed the home renovation series Holmes Family Rescue for a second season, featuring contractor Mike Holmes and his son and daughter, home reno experts Michael Holmes, Jr. and Sherry Holmes. The renewed series follows the Holmes family as they help clients fix shoddy construction work with experience and empathy. The series drew over 25. 5 million viewers and ranked as a top 3 non-news/sports cable program among key demos.
The new season is set to premiere in spring 2023. HGTV’s Loren Ruch, group senior vice president, programming and development, praised the Holmes family as “compelling experts who care about their clients and aim to give them a.
Who is Angela on Holmes Family Rescue?
Homeowner Angela, a competitive motorcycle racer, is unable to return to renovations after encountering an intimidating contractor. Mike, Sherry, and Michael, Angela Pt. 2, have been hired to bring her feminine design aesthetic to life. Meanwhile, the Holmes Family rescues Bernadine, who is in danger of losing her foster parent license due to the dangerous work of two contractors. Mike, Michael, and Sherry expose dangerous electrical issues, and the Holmes family is determined to rescue Bernadine, a caring woman who is in danger of losing her foster license.
Is Mike Jr on Holmes Family Rescue still married?
He has been married to Lisa Grant since August 13, 2017, and they have one child together.
What happened to Pinky from Mike Holmes?
John (Craig) Lowe, a house painter from Mississauga, Ontario, was found dead off the coast of Nova Scotia. The popular television show Holmes on Homes, which originally aired on Home and Garden Television in Canada, was later canceled due to a series of stress and distance from family. Despite this, Holmes and his crew were known for their ability to help homeowners who were in need of help due to unsatisfactory home renovations performed by hired contractors.
The show premiered on HGTV Canada on Thursday nights and featured general contractor Mike Holmes visiting homeowners in need of help. The crew was all Holmes’s family members, with the exception of Damon Bennett, who left the show late last year and started his own contracting business. Pinky Ames, an experienced scuba diver, left the show during Holmes in New Orleans, citing being home sick as her reasons for parting ways with Mike and the crew.
Mike Holmes is currently grieving the accidental death of friend John (Craig) Lowe and admitting that he is “blown away” by the loss of his friend. He has also been pursuing other opportunities, such as pursuing other careers. Corin Ames, who played Jennifer Ames in “Sherlock Holmes”, has also left the show.
In conclusion, Mike Holmes and his crew have become a household name, with the show Holmes on Homes featuring general contractor Mike Holmes visiting homeowners in need of help. The show has had a significant impact on the industry, with the cast including notable actors like Corin Ames and Kate Campbell.
What happened to Damon from Holmes on Homes?
Damon, a restoration enthusiast, has turned his passion for restoration into a successful career. He worked on HGTV’s top shows, including Holmes on Homes, Holmes Inspection, Holmes in New Orleans, and Holmes Makes It Right. He became the Crew Supervisor and co-hosted HI for nearly ten years. Today, Damon offers his expertise to homeowners and DIYers across North America through keynote presentations, Q&A sessions, and videos. He also runs a construction consulting company, helping guide people through home building and renovation projects worldwide.
Damon specializes in carpentry, structural reinforcement, and construction coordination. He is a mentor to his crews and is dedicated to charity work with Veteran’s groups and fulfilling his role as HLCol of 32 Service Battalion in Toronto.
Who is the designer on Holmes and Holmes?
Kimmberly Capone is an accomplished designer with a proven track record of success. She has demonstrated her expertise through her involvement in a multitude of projects and has consistently demonstrated a commitment to client education, imparting new skills to her clients.
What city is Holmes Family Rescue filmed in?
The television programme Homes Family Rescue is primarily set in Ontario, Canada, with the Holmes family, who are the programme’s central characters, residing in Toronto. The program features the Holmes family, comprising Michael Holmes, his son Michael Jr., and daughter Sherry. It is broadcast on CTV for Canadian viewers and HGTV for those in the United States. The family’s Instagram accounts include tags and references to local businesses.
Is Holmes on Homes scripted?
The company does not have a script for their shows, but sometimes creates a rough beat sheet to keep everyone on the same page. They allow open communication on site during filming. The renovation process can take anywhere from a month to six months, depending on the size of the job. Some shows, like Holmes Next Generation, have smaller scopes. Unexpected delays, such as material or shipping delays and permit delays, can occur. In one season, they had to shut down construction due to the discovery of animal bones in the basement.
Is Holmes Family Rescue renewed?
HGTV has renewed the home renovation series Holmes Family Rescue for a second season, featuring contractor Mike Holmes and his son and daughter, home reno experts Michael Holmes, Jr. and Sherry Holmes. The renewed series follows the Holmes family as they help clients fix shoddy construction work with experience and empathy. The series drew over 25. 5 million viewers and ranked as a top 3 non-news/sports cable program among key demos.
The new season is set to premiere in spring 2023. HGTV’s Loren Ruch, group senior vice president, programming and development, praised the Holmes family as “compelling experts who care about their clients and aim to give them a.
Who is the interior designer on Holmes Family Rescue?
The text does not include any photographic or quotational material pertaining to the self-employed interior designer, Kimmberly Capone. However, users are encouraged to contribute by adding a photograph or a quotation. Additionally, the text references release dates, official websites, company credits, filming and production details, and technical specifications.
Where is Holmes Family Rescue taped?
On December 4, 2021, Holmes Family Rescue, also known as Do Caos ao Sonho com a Família Holmes, was released in Canada and English. The show follows Mike Holmes and his children as they rescue clients who have been living in botched construction jobs. The production company involved is Make It Right II Productions, CTV Television Network, and Bell Media. The show has received mixed reviews, with some critics praising the involvement of the kids and others noting the annoying siblings. The show was officially released in India in English.
📹 Mike Holmes Rescues a Policewoman’s Home | Holmes Inspection 117
Kathie is policewoman on disability who, needing to downsize, was thrilled to find a townhouse she could afford for herself and …
Hiring a home contractor is the most stressful thing in the world because people do not trust contractors. You spend thousands and must pray the work is done correctly. As an American, I loved Mike’s shows. My dream is to build my dream home one day, and I hope Mike and his team will be able to do it.
I love perusal Mike Holmes he tells it like it is, & when its all said & done you just have to set back & see what a great job he& his crew have done . Mike please don’t stop what your doing your show is the best show to watch, and the families you’ve help fix there homes are the luckies ones to have such a honest contractor who just won’t stop till its done right . Thank You & your crew .
I have watched Homes since he came on tv in USA around 2005? He has great work ethics, kind, demands perfection, smart, really cares about people getting stuck with bad inspectors on homes and poor workmanship. There’s more but those who have followed his shows know he sincerely cares about people and loves his family. His intelligence and his gift of visioning a job from it’s worst to being the best is awesome. Big HUGS to Mike Holmes and his many gifts…especially his words: “MAKE IT RIGHT”!!! Gods blessings to you Mike Holmes and your family.
I worked as a handy-man and general contractor for several years after I was laid off from my job as a biology professor. I spent most of my time fixing issues created by so-called professionals. A lot of cut-rate companies (especially those that hire out to sub-contractors) do horrible work. No one will ever care about your home more than you. No one is willing to invest more time on your home than you. Most of the work is pretty simple if you are mechanically inclined and willing to put in the work and research the code. Know your limitations and assess them honestly. If you don’t feel comfortable doing something, don’t do it. But every homeowner should (at very least) learn some skills so that they are not taken advantage of by contractors.
I love rewatching Holmes on Homes when I come across an episode I’ve seen 10 years ago. That said, in the US, it’s been tougher to find his shows – either airing at weird times or not on the website you’d expect. I’d love to hire him or one of his kids to come do some “basic” work on my house, knowing that it would not only be done right and for a fair price, but they could fix any issues they find that weren’t done right. Just really hard to trust local contractors. A friend was raving about the contractor they hired for their kitchen, and how great a job they were doing – only to be left frustrated when paint colors didn’t match, and trim pieces weren’t completed and they had to call daily, finally to get told off by the contractor (very rudely). With the corrections still needing to be done, they contacted the contractor’s business partner, waited a month, and finally got someone to come fix it. (all of 4 hours of work). And again, this was a contractor my friend was raving about during the project. I had some work done on my house – took 3 months. Was quoted 1-2 days. After confronting the company after the first month about the timeline, they said “Oh, who told you THAT?!”. They disappeared for a week without notice, would show up unprepared at 10:30am, take lunch at noon, then pack up by 2:30pm saying they would be back tomorrow to finish up. This went on for months. After countless calls to the company, they sent a different crew out who said everything was done wrong and proceeded to rip out all the work the first crew did.
I love this guy! I’ve watched him since his TV debut in the US. This guy may come off as arrogant but he knows what he is talking about and actually Gives A Shit! Something that has been absent from home improvements and contracting since the 1980’s! Well done Mike!! Do it once and do it f@#$& right!!
Well I live in the United States and 66 years old. I like perusal home repairs. I have call building contractors to see how much it going to cost to put siding on my house. I had only one comes out and look at it and never heard back from him. I don’t understand why. It sounds like the contractors in Canada are willing to help the elderly . I know a lot of elderly people don’t have the money to fix up their house, but at least the contractors could give them a quote .
Mike used to have an online forums that was very much like the show, homeowners from across North America would log in to get advice on problems they had with their home. I was one of the contributing contractors who gave advice on what I specialized in……basements and structural. Mike Holmes did have some of the best contractors and products on his show but a couple of the things he did fall short on was structural and especially concrete basements. He cancelled his online forums in late 2012.
Love perusal his program, and all those skilled guys with him..Takes on some heavy duty jobs..Like the works are done to perfection..Shame on previous contractors leaving home owners in unsafe enviroment, from water leaks, molds, electrical fire hazard, unstable construction. Those fake inspectors, worse to think about..Thank God for Mike Holmes and associates, skilled workers..
Truly enjoyed perusal and the aditude do it right. My dad to always built anything stronger then recommended to last beyond the next owners or generation. Just don’t take my dad with us to look at funiture, we’d see him shaking the heck out beds, tables to see if they’d last. Sure up set the sales persons. I miss so much he’s past away from cancer, but I still hear his wisdom words.
This is the kinda guy who appreciates good sub contractors. Love it when I run into similar GC’s on jobs who make it that much easier for you to do quality work correctly. There’s nothing more frustrating then arguing with an “off hands” GC about how things should be when all you’re trying to do is take care of the customer. Some are just in it for quick cash and others are just in the wrong line of work.
Wish you would come to my home and do the repairs on my home. We’ve been here for 30 years, still have the same issues then that we do now. When it rains we have water in our basement. Why would someone put a concrete slab for a door in the lowest place in yard or put in a breaker box in a home if they knew it was already outdated. No contractor would live in their own build with this kind of shotty work, so why do they think a homeowner would? It is a nice house, but if we knew what we know now, we would have thought twice about buying this house. Most people is this area can’t just pour money into a house in hopes that it’s fixed, they need to know that it’s fixed and safe for their family.
Thanks for the backstory!! Had a chance to meet and talk with Mike Holmes at a construction trade show and was very much impressed with him. Already had a couple of his books and he has great advice on home renovation projects. Have been in construction all my life and just about every time I watch his TV shows or the YouTube article clips, I either learn something new or re-learn something I had forgotten in working for my late Dad who was a contractor (a quality contractor!!). Best wishes for continued success to Mike Holmes & Company!!
I’ve only caught Mike’s shows sporadically but I just realized that it looks like I modeled my business on his. Now I know why my clients always call me ‘just like Mike Holmes’ (I go off on rants about shoddy workmanship all the time) and I realize it’s more of a compliment than I supposed! Well, now that I know more about him and his history, I will have to keep that in mind and honor his commitment with my own. I even build Passive House, the successor to Net Zero and MUCH more efficient. All the best wishes for your kids in the business!
I always enjoyed his show. Make it right – build it right the first time. His show really looked at the guts of a house. He showed how and why things do and don’t work. He also used a variety of products to show what they do and where / how to use them. Include much in my own work. I learned many things from him, but it all stems from do it right. I always liked that he was about the “bones’ of a house. So many shows now are all about the fancy counters and lights. They’re worthless when the plumbing leaks and the cabinets and subfloor buckle because of cheap (wow 2021 prices) materials and shoddy construction. He’s one in a million and a national treasure, even if he drinks terrible coffee =D .
He became a role model, not only for his construction skills but also for his leadership, ethics & focus on quality. He was criticized for questioning the local construction codes, but honestly he was asking valid questions when components prematurely failed or where poorly put together but “passed inspection”. His questioning of the local codes was to raise awareness & to raise the bar to prevent the same issues from happening over & over. I liked his proactive approach rather than being a bystander like other contractors might be
I’ve been a DIY’er for all my life (I’m 65). I enjoyed Holmes shows because if you’ve done most of what the things he would do, you know a fake from an honest contractor. He’s the real deal and I know how expensive it is to do the job twice because you did it wrong the first time. I hope his kids keep his ethics and skills. I plan on continuing to read all his books and perusal all his shows. He’ll never see this, but guys like me appreciate him more than he will know. Trusting in what a true builder gives you tips on is a game changer. That’s Holmes….a game changer for us regular guys
Mike Holmes and his family are the best builders ever it all starts with Dad Mike Holmes Sr I love his straight forward approach he say’s it as he sees it there is no sugar coating anything people respect that. Also you can tell that his kids learned from him the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree especially with Mike Jr, and his Daughter I look forward to perusal there tv show’s into the future.
Yes, he is very knowledgeable and provides excellent & accurate advice, however, its at the expense of a “tear it out and rebuild” approach without consideration for time and money. Frankly, that is my only problem with his remedies; actually, seems to be a rather simple approach not requiring much thought or planning. But it does assure it’s up to code, safe, and ultimately no surprises. Just be ready with the checkbook.
Well Mike Holmes has experiance/skills and a good crew ! I like the shows and showing just how bad some socalled contractors are ! Now he should be posting a list of the bad contractors that left peoples homes so under mined,the place could fall down at any time ! Those are the contractors that realy need to be in jail for criminal negligents !
I watched him the beginning when he was fixing renovations that were bad or left half ass by contractors. I really liked that about his show in that it was so different and he would go above and beyond what seemed to be the fix that was being asked of him. I know, it’s a show. After that it seemed he evolved into doing a lot of what the others were doing and stopped perusal altogether when he brought his kids into the act.
Mike’s outright unfiltered honesty is a breath of fresh air in this woke/PC world. As an Electrical Engineer, I’ve encountered people that don’t like some of the things that I say, but in the technical world such as architecture/construction, you can’t ignore critical issues or building codes simply because you don’t agree with them. It’s a real loss to us in the US as I can’t find a website that he is on now.
What really happened to Holmes is LAWSUITS……… Everywhere he claimed something was not built to code, he got sued. How do I know this? Well, I know because family works in some of the courts where the cases were brought to! Is his ideas bad, no, not at all however, he was liable and had to pay big money for defamation!
I left the trades years ago due to the idiots in it. I’ve watched it go from bad to worse and hate it when my wife hires a contractor. It’s usually bend over without any lubricant. Then I have to fix the problem. Learn how, then hire quality. Price is an issue, do not hire cheap, you get what you pay for.
When I tore down my old termite infested house in south Florida I used Mikes tips to build back better. I went solar and I built WAY above minimum code. In fact I personally was there and worked with the architect and contractor and built back 3 times ABOVE minimum code. My house has been through several hurricanes without one shingle being displaced. Thank you Mike for the education!!! IF you’re ever in South Florida hit me up and you’ll get a good home cooked dinner!!
His early shows were the best I think. Seems like success started to go to his head. Damion(?) And his crew were the best, they had fun doing their job and it all seemed natural. Later shows seemed to be forced, like they were trying to act instead of being spontaneous, and the warmth of the personalities never seemed to be there anymore. Just my opinion.
Mike Holmes, is a nice guy… The only beef I had with the initial show was sometime his way of “doing it right” was to replace the original products used in the job gone bad with products that were 10 times the price of the original products used instead of showing the viewers how to do the job the proper way using the the same products from the original job. That to me wasn’t true to the original premise, he used products that the home owner wouldn’t have been able to afford, changing their original budget from a 50K job to a 250K job. I lost faith after seeing that…
Unfortunately, the trades were discredited by our schools as low-class, and in high school (1990’s) we were required to take a “career preparedness” course, which was created for the sole purpous of college recruitment only. We HAD to choose from a limited list of degree-dependant careers, and left out EVERYTHING related to the arts, sciences and trades. These were not considered valid “careers”. Anything that could be done without attending college (talent or experience-oriented) was not there to choose from. Theater, dance, gymnastics, music, CNA, PA, construction, plumbing, electrical, sewing, swimming, mining, manufacturing, pottery, glass work, authoring and playwrite, shipping, mail carrying, repair work, landcaping, animal training…an entire WORLD of wealth was omitted. I couldn’t BE an author, actress or visual artist. My mother was called to school because I was being “uncooperative” because I said, “Nothing I want to DO is IN this dumb thing! Why am I REQUIRED to choose one of THESE careers? They’re all STUPID-I don’t want to DO any of these.” I got an F and didn’t care. Lol Now we have this massive student debt problem, and virtually NO skilled and hard-working tradespeople. Everybody does a crapshoot job now. Zero pride.
Everyone can be a Mike Holmes when there is no budget and cost is no object. In my contracting world, 90% of people have only so much they can spend and a list of “hopes” that could be included for that money.I’ve only done a handful of reno’s like his show where money is no issue and the end job looks like a million bucks,no design or structural stone unturned. The rest, I do my best to maximize value for “part” of what they wanted done, they gotta save up to add parts and finally get a Mike Holmes looking complete job.
Ya…..Mike Homes goes to New Orleans and saves the day. There was money in it for him, that’s why he went because I worked on charity builds over the years in the Toronto area and 3 times his show said he was going to show up and bring the film crew…..lol, he cancelled all 3 times and just at the last minute, not sure he can even build a house. He had the luxury of picking the worst reno’s to feature on his show and he knocked down contractor after contractor but yet he made mistakes on his show too. Just saying, he’s not as good as he’s made out to be here.
They are the best top of all construction regulations in old or new houses I was extremely shocked by other construction projects didn’t do their jobs when Mike sees those construction by other companies. He asked them questions by why have they not done their jobs to provide the customers better environments for their health issues and other reason of financial problems? That was great of Mike and family did an awesome task. Other companies has bankruptcy and financial problems. That was a ashamed on the other companies.
After every hurricane that hits Gulf Coast, the vultures quickly move in and provide shoddy work that leads to homeowners having to pay to repair contractors’ damage within a few years and those contractors are long gone. I waited almost 2 years with a blue tarp on my roof until local trusted roofer could get to my non critical roof damage.
I have only one problem with the TV series. When Mike Holmes finds a home where the contractor has defrauded the homeowners, I’d like to see him and the program take the defrauders to court and get their money returned and I’d like the courts to make sure the defrauding contractors have their contracting permits revoked, or at the very least, make sure there is oversight to make sure these contractors do not defraud any more homeowners.
This the guy that advertised for third lines homes in Canada? He said they were inspected and approved by him. Now, due to construction deficiencies, 3 homes needed to be demolished and others have been undergoing months and months of needed repairs! Always thought he was a jerk and now know for sure.
Fun Fact: Mike and his brother once accused me of stealing their motorcycle…lol….They used to camp at the same campground my family did (Ponderosa Campground in Mt. Albert, On.) and had an old Yamaha street bike they used as a”trail bike” and it got ripped off…they cornered me in the Rec Hall and accused me of stealing it (I didn’t…but knew who did…lol…) My Uncle Bobby who was a biiiiig (6ft.7in) and scary dude straightened them out. Mikey was a good dude tho. Good people all the way around.
If he doesn’t fix the issues homeowner are having at his promoted Meaford project his name will go through the dirt. He said he bought one as well, which was a lie, he sold it next day after a photo shoot. Now station is saying they had n😅 such agreement with holmes, and people bought these homes trusting Mike on the build, now theirs an 8 million suite over mold, repairs. Now Mike Holmes is running away. Make it Right Mike????
Retired contractor of 37 years on the job building custom homes and there’s a few mistakes Homes made in some of his episodes….we all make mistakes, point is he does too. As far as he doing the charitable thing and helping others, well I did a couple charity builds and there was 2 times his press team said he’d show up and film it as well….that didn’t happen either, it’s always about the money not so much about helping I guess. I also had a friend back in the 80’s or early 90’s where Homes’ show did an episode on a DIY basement bathroom and rec room reno that turned out terrible, anyways it cost originally $20,000 and Homes came in and quoted $40,000, the show pays half and owner pays the rest, that’s how his show worked. Ended up my friend paid $40,000 for the reno he thought would be half price by doing it himself….lol, funny how that works.
What a great ass kissing article except you haven’t covered the topics of multiple homes he was involved be having been reported to be substandard construction and ended up being demolished instead of being fixed with Mikie denying involvement except the CBS episode clearly showed he was deeply involved. Great propaganda piece Comrade!
I can not trust a man saying he is an “expert” when he doesn’t even have a trade certification. A man like this, even if he is knowledgeable, lessens the achievements of us that complete our apprenticeship and obtain Journeyman status. This allows “handymen” to undercut Journeyman and outbid them on work. Carpentry, like plumbing and electrical, should be a certified trade.
Not gunna lie. Mike Holmes is kind of a running joke on most trade sites. His version of renovating just isn’t feasible for most people. His solution to everything is completely remove/completely rebuild everything that generally costs thousands and is often unecessary. While you can’t argue it’s not the best way to do it. It’s just not logical in most cases.
I it time Mike Holmes gets off his butt and gets back to me about a new show idea I have ! Mike Holmes did say,and I quote ” i love a challenge, bring it on ” several years ago ;but have not herd anything more about trying some construction challenges I have for him to try ! Must be to much of a coward to try my challenges !
All of this without being a trained carpenter. His shows would like to make you believe that the fixes are quick and easy with the right knowledge, but the editing does a lot of the heavy lifting here. I always liked that he advocated for doing things right, but he had a tendency to make it look like the vast majority of contractors are crooks who have no right to be in business. He showcased the worst case scenarios and a lot of people were led to believe that this was the norm.
I’m 68 and grew up in the same neighbourhood as Mike Holmes, I remember him coming in to Fish Joy trying to sell his tools so he could pay his rent, he was doing renovations at a house with a shared driveway and the neighbour worked for HGTV, hence his discovery, every word of every episode, of every season was scripted, people think he knows all this stuff … it’s all speaking lines that he was told to say, the magic of television, trust me if you ever talk to Mike you will soon figure out that he’s not too bright … he’s a fraud and it’s gone to his head
I watched his show back when it was on, where he’d always have to correct some bad work done by other contractors. I always wondered why he never tried to lobby the government to institute stricter building code enforcement. Then, he did a show with his son, which was way too scripted, in that he and the kid spent too much time playing pals.
I loved perusal Holmes “take it to the bad contractors”. But the one thing I don’t agree with is the idea that the do-it-yourself guys can’t build well. When I lived in BC I build several basic homes, each one better than the one before. Were they perfect? Not at all, but still serviceable and good to live in. I think the modern era in North America is way over regulated and may be one of the reasons we have so many homeless. Most people could live quite well in a 1,000 sq ft home, but most cities or even counties won’t let you build one, or have so many regulations it puts the cost way out of reach. When I see people living in a Prius I know it is possible. The government is almost always wrong, so lets get them out of the whole system.
I’m afraid the shine has come off Mike Holme’s reputation. His involvement in a construction project called TerraceWood in Meaford, Ontario has only revealed him to be a shyster and con artist. His personally approved and funded construction project resulted in such shoddy homes being built that they are now (early 2024) being demolished. And now that he’s made lots of cash he’s nowhere to be found.
Sad to see how low and how far Holmes has fallen with his construction debacle in Ontario. Stunned that he would sit back and allow that to happen. If I had a reputation like his, I would have personally inspected and watched every single one being built and then personally inspected before my name would be mentioned anywhere…
He is more of a TV personality than an expert in his field, much like Donald Trump. This guy can’t actually build a home or oversee a project. His homes in Ontario are structurally unsound yet somehow passed inspections and building code enforcement. The company would rather tear them down than rebuild or repair them properly. There is a mold issue in them. How hard is that to fix? They put the siding on wrong, one needed a new roof, one had a beam in wrong so the second floor could collapse. It seems like if he is such an expert at doing home repairs, he could have fixed these problems in the homes he approved.
Holmes was charged for not getting permits to do work and I hear that a lot of his ‘renos’ run into cost over-runs. I have watched some of his shows but would not use him to do skwat. He might be okay if you never opened a carpentry book, so fill your boots. There are thousands of contractors who are at least as good as him so cut the idle worship thing.
As a retired contractor I and numerous others in the construction trades HATED this man and his shows. All of a sudden every inexperienced homeowner became an expert because “Mike Holmes said”. They would call to get figures or ideas on renovations or new builds and expect the miracles performed on the show while working with a shoe string budget. I and others I dealt with all have stories about someone wanting us to watch a article saying Mike Holmes did it and us having to explain he had a television budget and huge corporate sponsers backing his show. Not a 10,000$ credit card and some X-mas money from Grandpa. Nothing is more maddening to a tradesman than some chubby little accountant or mousy housewife telling us how we should be working because they saw some blowhard do it differently in a half hour television clip. I actually pulled my crew off a large roofing and siding jobs becuase the homeowner kept harrassing my crew because “that’s not how Mike Holmes does it. ” The wife and daughter finally had to remove the husband from the property for us to complete the job.
Normally I expect a “what happened to” vid to lead to a fall from grace over shonky financial dealings or personal life shenanigans. Refreshing to see that this is not one of those cases. I’ll go back to my recommended playlist of his content now, knowing that this bloke who seems pretty intense about his work is in fact probably just what he seems to be.
There’s no doubting that the best quality is the most sensible way to go. Buy ONE Rolls-Royce and you’ll never have to buy another car… that’s a no-brainer. But you, and I, see the problem, don’t we? Holmes is the contractor I’d hire if I was Bill Gates or Warren Buffett. But most often a far less expensive option will do the job just as well. A hamburger on a $2,000 BBQ doesn’t taste any better than one cooked on a $20 charcoal Hibachi. And I’ll wager that $20 cast iron Hibachi will still be grillin’ long after the $2,000 job is in the dump.
I loved this guy. Turns out a complex (25 homes) he and others built in Ontario, Canada were sooo shoddy that the ones not requiring 100K or more of repairs, had to be entirely demolished. Pretty ironic that the holier than thou contractor went on to be a lousy contractor involved in this endeavor. Not sure how involved he was in the actual design or construction, but his company is listed in being involved and providing loans at a whopping 10% interest rate. Also ironic, is that he built his career on cautioning homeowners NOT to attempt their own DIY projects because he was usually the guy that had to fix them…he then sells, DIY books and magazines. I guess it’s similar to those who went to Trump University to get rich. They got screwed by a TV celebrity/personality. At least Holmes, had experience in it.
I wish all contractors were like Mike. Far too many shady ones out there. I wish I had a home… Much as my landlord would like me to buy the one I’m living in… there is no way I would buy it. The place is a disaster. It needs way too much work. But I love perusal Mike… he was one of my favorites from HGTV to watch.
(Respectfully) Whether true or not, I hear/read that holmes was NOT a licensed contractor? Is this true? If he wasn’t licensed, why wasn’t he licensed? How or why does the public have to listen to some clown who is NOT licensed, who is unable to pass the licensing requirements? I would think that there could be many potential questions – should he be allowed to shoot off his yapper, criticizing LICENSED contractors? I don’t know, but if holmes was not licensed, then perhaps he should have not been out there possibly MISLEADING the public. Hey, just one opinion.
Hey Mike, I just watched your show on the home with the tub sunk in the bathroom. The guys were rock, paper, scissorsing for who would end up in the attic (it was going to be hot). I have a recommendation, buy a hose! As water evaporates off a roof, it takes 1,000 btu’s of heat for every pound of water that evap’s, plus the water itself is going on at around 50 degrees F, so that starts the cooling. Takes about 15 minutes on the roof, just covering the roof with water, once it reaches the eave, your done. I evaporates slowly, so you don’t have to stay up there and keep watering. Well, I guess that depends on how extremely hot it is, and what you consider “slowly” but it works, and dang well. If you wanted, you could go down to the local farm store and set up some type of stand that would hold the hose end on the roof, and cap the end with a “sprayer” nozzle, that delivers 1 to 10 gallons a minute, or 8,000 to 80,000 btu’s per MINUTE, which is a lot (40 to 400 tons of cooling). Love the show. You’re doing it right. Keep it up.
I wish both the DIY and HGTV networks would go back to what they started out as. Instead of it actually showing projects that could be done at home, or the results of quality renovations, it’s a junking mess of idiot “reality shows”. My wife and I spent many a Saturday Morning perusal HGTV back in the day. Now it’s just “Say Yes To the Dress” with a few power tools thrown in.
Way before Mike came on board the framer/ contractor that gave me my start always taught me ” if your going to frame a house or remodel DO IT RIGHT! it’s your name that’s on the line” .. I went on to own my own remodeling comp. and past that same thing on to my crews as well as if your not going to ..then there’s the door ( and yes I was licensed) .. I have been retired for 15 yrs but still get calls from my 2 sons thanking me for teaching them integrity.
The then ego and greed took him over. His homes are now being torn down, people bought those homes because of him and his guarantee and name. Too many not structurally sound. That’s sad. What even worse about the new homes being demolished is, not making any attempt to reclaim anything, What a waste of building materials.
Just saw this article. I remember perusal Mike Holmes on TV and remarking….see, this guy is like me, he wants it right! (Naturally, Mike is light years better, smarter, stronger than I). Why in the world can’t America get their act together? I hate it. I worked my with my Polish Grandfather as a kid and we did things right, it was instilled in us. As I got older I worked Aerospace and machining and was considered a perfectionist in a way. Now, I’m older, live in a so-so CA home firing contractors and redoing almost everything. I wish I had a guy like Mike to work on building a house. Nevertheless, many thanks for bring your talent and generosity to all of us guys trying to do our best. So much to learn.
Let’s get this straight woman. I won’t call you lady cause I don’t know if you’re a lady. I know that every lady is a woman, but that doesn’t mean every woman is a lady. He doesn’t go into “rants”. He’s very straightforward with his comments and doesn’t pull punches about anything. That’s honest and pleasantly surprising, for most of the stuff on article!!
99% of home renovation shows tell you “new flooring for the whole house, that’s $3k. Re-drywall and paint this room is $500…” – just massively under report the costs. I guess it gets homeowners interested in perusal the show, giving them ideas on what they could renovate on their house that they can afford. The reality is new carpet or manmade hardwood flooring can cost $10-15k for one story of a house, and real hardwood is $$$$. And then if your subfloor needs any work, that’s $$$. It isn’t an extra $200 like these shows portray. Infuriating. Mike Holmes’ shows never bait and switch the viewer like that. He shows respect to the viewer. Truly one of a kind.
I wish Mike could check out my house. It’s 10 years old and the poured foundation is “sinking.” Isurance doesn’t cover, contractor won’t help. Just paid for a new contractor and 17,500.00 later the home continues to sink! No more money to tap and and even less trust at this point. I need help and don’t know where to turn.
Sorry Kiwi guy again, Mike you should come to NZ. You won’t believe the build scandal we have here! It’s called leaky homes and involves the current government (4 previous Prime Ministers Central Government’s) Building Law’s & Codes, City Councils, Inspectors, Assessors, Developers, Builders, Contractor’s, Subcontractors, finally the Suppliers. Issues, greed, incompetence and moral compass that is pointless. Thousands and thousands of good honest solid Kiwi were taken in by the weak minded, then the unscrupulous. We all know likely the one biggest cost in a person’s life time is buying a house. So perhaps your life savings go on this one purchase, but within 2, 5, 10 years. Your dream turns into this ugly, rotting uninhabitable nightmare! Who is responsible, the above. Who takes responsibility for this mess, none of the above. I feel so sad for my fellow kiwi’s, makes it worse there is nobody that can help them. A heartbreaking rant. Kind Regards
Holmes is dead nuts on. Im reworking my daughters home that was remodeled by a homeowner moron handy man. Plumbing and Electrical were shit. Done by a moron. Fresh paint and pretty bath tile can hide a lot. In about 11 grand after a costly water leak from a homeowners previous plumbing job. Now doing electrical changes and finding live wires taped with masking tape behind walls. Neutrals wired to gnd to name a few. Toilet flanges install wrong, and tiles not bonded, paint that wont stick because wallboard was never cleaned of sanding dust and on and on. Some guys do it right. I hate being forced to pay for permits because they are a rip off. But they usually insure quality work results. Pre purchase home inspectors dont open up walls. They look and use basic equipment to certify an outlet. If the sink drains and toilet flushes they pass it.
Contractors are real buggers. My mom has been ripped off by all but two she hired in the last three years. Even faked Google reviews. She has a lawsuit against one she’d had doing work, roofing at her home for 30 years. Sad industry, worse than appliance repair and plumbers. Need a license registration system so we can verify before hiring..
I remember those days when he pulled that utility trailer around every week! I bumped into him at a Canadian Tire quite a few years ago. For those in the USA that don’t know, Canadian Tire is the best store ever created! You must go to one if you come to Canada. 10:07 biggest drain pipe ever in a house! 😂
It’s amazing that the most expensive purchase in most people’s lives and they don’t in many cases have a clue of the fundamentals that make a good home, such as insulation, air tightness, electrical wiring, plumbing etc. Example don’t buy a home where a natural swimming pool exists. The english have a good saying ” a good hat and good boots help to make a good home.
I like Mike Holmes because he’s is a professional construction work for living and he is my hero because he made me still doing construction work for living and I been doing construction work for living on and off for 28 years now I started doing construction work since I was 14 years old and I am 42 years old now and still doing construction work for living and I am a professional construction work and I love doing construction work for living
I saw a builder I had worked for one time driving around in a van with a big Holmes Approved sign on it. Mr. Holmes would not have flown out to this small town to inspect every project so I’m not sure how he approved the houses. I would never work fo the builder again and the standards and pay were both too low. The show is still entertaining for many reasons. Directors needing drama being one.
I have always loved Mike and his whole crew… it is so funny when the electrical and plumbing guys walk into the house and go ” oh HELL no … This is all coming out and I’m gonna redo it right”.. also Damon seems to be taking everything that Mike shows and wants… and is turning into an AWESOME young version of Mike, to help carry on the great work. Seeing Mike’s son and daughter taking active part and learning skills and trades and the compassion is also awesome.
Mike, I remember well when this show first aired. Thank you for bringing it back, and thank you for helping Kathie in her time of need. I can intimately comprehend and understand what you’ve given this fine lady. I can feel for her because I’ve also worn that pair of shoes…. Carl, Washoe County Sheriff’s Office, Reno, NV, Deputy Sheriff, retired….
It’s a good idea when deciding to purchase a house to look at permits for any work done prior. We bought a house recently that was in the middle of a renovation. We called the city and the inspectors and they were really helpful. One of the city inspectors actually met with us at the house and showed us the permits to give us some peace of mind. He walked us through the entire house to show us everything that needed to be done to close the remaining permits. Don’t rely on the seller or a home inspector to do this for you.
Great Job, Mike and the Entire Crew.!!! I have a question for you. When you come across a Home Inspection Report and you find things that were missed or never mentioned, do you let that home inspection service know that? I guess that would cause alot of problems for you, but I was just wondering. Again, you and your entire crew are FANTASTIC.
This house was a scam job, through and through, and the sad thing is, it worked because they bought the house in spite of all the really unusual stuff that’s out in the open. Whoever bought the townhouse to flip it hired the cheapest people he could find, and because he’s doing so much business in town, the local inspectors sign off on it because that means they get paid too. It wouldn’t surprise me if they think the homeowner is to blame for falling for such an obvious scam, and yet they’re the ones responsible for pulling the scam in the first place. Inspection reports should come with “I certify under penalty of perjury that the above is an accurate statement of this residence.” But unless there’s enough of a public push for it, it will never happen and inspectors will continue doing bad jobs.
If you suspect the home has issues, bring both a contractor and a home inspector. The home inspector can try catching flaws, the contractor will probably find more and tell you a rough cost of repairs and how extensive the damage could be. Bonus tip, if your home is newly built, trying looking up the builders or asking around to see if they do good work. I told the guy at the brick where to deliver furniture and he said “oh no not that place, those guys are terrible builders.”
Why is it so easy for you to pick up errors that the inspector should have picked up. Why are those inspectors getting away with it when they should have been held accountable especially when the mistakes could cost people their lives and someone should be making sure that the standard these inspectors are trained to.
It’s not that the inspector missed things. He or she did not know what they were doing. My friend just had her roof of 42 years done. It cost her $20,000.00, and the inspector from the city approved mistakes and missed many things that he should not have. The person she used to do the work was from another state. The inspector did not do his job, and he approved the mistakes. During and throughout the process, she went and got the permit, and waiting for the inspector’s approval before allowing the contractor to proceed to the next step. Now she is hoping that 12:31 when winter hits, all is well.
I wish I could get this man to look at my friend’s house across the street from me, I have tried to help her as much as I can, she got messed over I believe from the beginning, she works lots of hrs, and just not able to get people who really care about the work they do, she is a single woman and a great friend, she did not deserve to be treated like she has
I am feeling badly for her going through this. I think it was a wake up call that she shouldn’t put herself and her daughter in dangerous situation. Mike had a big heart to take the time to explore everything in the house. It was unbelievable how the inspector didn’t written these problems on the report. How careless !!
Unfortunately even with permits things are done wrong. For example I’m a plumber and where I’m from a 12 pack of bud light or any other beer will get you a blue tag. I dont like cutting corners with anything i do but its sad that inspectors just dont give a damn these days. They dont even know the code. Ive had situations where i was up to code and the inspector still requested a 12 pack for a pass. They have no shame just because they’re the authority having jurisdiction they take advantage of us licensed tradesmen.
I’m not a doctor but it sounds like she suffers from what some call being “punch drunk”, from too many hits to the head. Muhammad Ali suffered from something similar. One of the few good things to come from the US Military thanks to the long involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan is that we now have a LOT more understanding of how even a one time, relatively minor, traumatic brain injury (TBI) can have significant and lifelong effects on a person.
As an experienced and working home inspector, the guy that did this home inspection (before Mike Holmes) should NOT be a home inspector. A few months ago here in South Carolina, I was brought in to inspect a home for a buyer, after a previous deal fell through. Their agent had a copy of the previous inspection report that had taken place only three weeks before, by a franchise home inspection company. Their report only listed a few items as having defects. Within 10 mins of starting our inspection, we had already found dozens of defects that should never have been missed, along with the discovery of a number of defects in system elements, that with just a little investigation, should have been found.
Mike we are so glad that we found you on HGTV and now we have found you here and we enjoy perusal your episodes of true honesty integrity at work helping people! Like this woman here, I am a retired federal police officer! Some of the things I have seen here could have been arrestable offenses. Thanks for all you do for them and for us!
Someone said that this episode was from 2009. Maybe back then, in Canada, they didn’t know what a marijuana grow house LQQKed like. The outrageous electric sockets were for lights and vents and the water house is for, well, water. I think the owner mentioned a ‘smell’. Fertilizer? And potted plants. It would be nice if the pot grower would pay for the $60k ‘renovation’.
Traumatic brain injuries are no joke. Whoever took advantage of this lady selling her this house,,, grrr. The home inspector WAS the joke. Fortunately this lady survived meeting that thug. Hope he got life in prison with big bubba for a cellmate. Thanks Mike, Damon and the crew. This lady really deserved the help.
Mike, I wish you were in the U.S.. I need help. I bought a house 2 years ago. I’m a first time homeowner at 54 years of age. I bought without conditions like an inspection. Previous owners only took cash offers not through a bank. I didn’t know any better. Now I’m having issues. Yard is flooded, septic tank is too small and storm water fills it up causing sewage to sweep out. While yard smells like septic. No insulation in walls or attic. Very narrow crawl space so I or contractors can’t get in. Floor joists gave away in bedroom causing dresser to tip over. No joist hangers and rusty nails. Electric plugs have no ground. Just 2 prongs. Holes in Soffit where birds and cats get in. The toilet is sinking from the soft floors. Sill plates and studs in the garage are rotting from all the flooding in the yard. Insulation in the garage has asbestos. The ceiling in the garage is sagging in the middle. Paint on the outside of the house is just primer. Windows are not insulated. Front door seals leak air. No HVAC system. Just ventless propane heaters on the wall. I have a lot more going on with the house. It’s gonna cost me thousands of dollars I didn’t count on when buying the house. I need help and don’t know who to turn to. I bought a lemon house because it was what I could afford. Nice neighborhood and I love my back yard when it’s not flooded. My trees are dying because of the flooding. Please, if you know someone in the U.S. that does what you do I really need their help. Please, I’m begging you.
Hi Mike, If you can remember way back, you had your own magazine. I subscribed and paid for a whole year. Unfortunately your magazine stopped publishing after a few months. I contacted the people that were mentioned on your website regarding refunds of people’s subscription payments. I did that many times but never had a reply. I’m a disabled senior lady with cancer and I could really use the approximately $22.00 that was owed to me for magazines I never received. I sent emails to your offices many times but always without a reply. It would be wonderful if you could refund to me what to you is a very small amount of money please.