One enjoyable thing to do on Thursday evenings while blogging (what, do some of you have other things to do on Thursday evenings?) is to watch Holmes on Homes on HGTV out of one corner of your eye. Mike Holmes is my hero.
For those of you not blessed enough to be in Canada or within reach of the show, Mike is a contractor who always gets called in to deal with the mess left by a prior contractor… his tagline is “Make it Right.” The whole schtick is that they’ll feature a homeowner who has had some type of renovation project done, and done badly…. problems ensue, and Mike gets called in. What happens next is one of the best parts of the show: the demolition. This is the part where Mike looks at something and says, “That’s wrong…” then he grabs a chunk of drywall (or whatever) and rips it out, saying, “This shouldn’t come out this easily — it’s all wrong.” This will continue… once he’s ripped out one thing he gets looking at what’s behind it, then rips that out as well. Now he’s got a protege who stands around doing and saying all the same stuff, a chip of the old Mike. An endless string of comments ensues, like “It’s always more expensive to do it twice. Do it right the first time. Take your time. Get permits! Hire the right contractor… if it doesn’t look right, stop work!” And of course, there’s Mike looking at something that was done, pointing out things and then looking at the camera and saying, “Un-be-lieveable.” The best parts are in the worst jobs where he either shakes his head and looks at the floor or walks through the room waving his arms saying, “It’s all coming down! Rip it all out!” Right now he’s saying, “This is not how you do electrical — you do not want this guy working on your home! My time on this job just doubled. Oh, isn’t that cute, the whole basement’s on one circuit.” There’s also an interspersed diatribe on the electrician, how dangerous it is, how it breaks code, how it could burn down the house and he’d be responsible… and there was the line just now, “I’m pulling out everything.” I’ve seen him rip down an entire garage, completely gut a kitchen and then start jackhammering the floor to see what’s under it, and I’ve seen him replace an entire roof over a home addition, followed by redoing the interior. About three quarters of the way through the job, he decides that granite countertops would look good, then goes ahead and does that too. The homeowners are amazed, without fail… and of course, they’re thoroughly happy.
Mike does things the hard way. He also does them the right way. The reconstruction part of the show just started, with Mike walking through a homeowner’s basement with the electrician, saying, “Obviously that’s no longer a bedroom, we’ve gone with an open concept…” while the electrician is marking things left, right, and centre and Mike is spouting off instructions to the rest of his crew about how to handle particular points of the reconstruction process. One thing he does often is bring in other trades and specialists… in keeping with his mantras, “Get it done right” and “You get what you pay for.” Everyone he hires seems to abide by the same philosophy — while we’re here anyway, we’re also adding a rubber membrane…. or whatever. This time out he got called in to look at a basement window well that didn’t look right. By the time he was done, the entire basement had been basically gutted and rebuilt… fixing of course the electrical, plumbing, and air conditioning unit in the process.
Okay, hang on — we’re going to spiritually analogize this. Mike knows how to build, and takes his time to do it right. He plans, gets the right people, gets the blueprint, makes a plan, and executes it. If it was done wrong to start with, he’ll rip it out and do it over. Nothing is sacred in the deconstruction process, everything can be replaced…. and often, it is. People before attempted to build or renovate, and often didn’t know what they were doing or were incapable of doing the job correctly. They tend to cover up problems instead of getting to the bottom of them and resolving the underlying issues. Inevitably, this coverup eventually leads to other problems, and the demolition ends up being much worse than it had to be. Lesson learned, build it right, build it carefully, and do it right the first time. Too bad you usually only get one “first time” — experience helps a lot in doing it right.
So, when we put our hands to building the church, we want to do it right the first time, to…. wait, it’s probably too late for that. Seems we’re already in the demolition process. Alright, we’ve lessons to learn from Mike there too: nothing is sacred, rip it all out, go looking for problems and deal with them while you’re at it. Do it over, and do it right. When we rebuild, we want to be sure we’re building well, doing the job properly. Approach it properly, intentionally, and build the best we know how — even as we’re still learning in the process. Now is the time to remodel, but build carefully, because I guess it’s inevitable: someday, someone is going to come along and rip apart what we build… and I hope we can limit the amount of demolition that’s required. After all, with too much demolition and reconstruction it starts to get personal — and when that happens I don’t much want a guy who looks like Mike saying nasty things about me. He might figure out where I live.
Does everyone understand that Contractors hire sub-contractors. Isn’t there an expression about the weakest link in the chain?
I once had a licensed electrician splice wires leaving them on top of insulation in the attic with only electrical tape and no junction box. It was in the attic. Years ago, I did not realize you had to stand behind the trades people to ensure they were doing their job correctly.
Mike Holmes (maybe there is a little grandstanding) seems to truly believe that you should do the work correctly the first time.
All of those new appliances and products that are installed are free to the homeowner (aren’t they donated for free publicity?. Mike and his crew are paid by HGTV. For a minmal amount of money the homeowner is getting upgrade after upgrade. What exactly is wrong with that?
I enjoy watching the show. Though I do enjoy a much more in-depth show on DIY.
Mike,
Not sure if this is the way to email you as I have heard the clients on your show have done. I have had several contractors fix a few things in my home. None appear to have been repaired properly. The one I am most concerned about is an addition I had added to the back of the house which seems to have compromised the roof to the rest of the house. I have drip pans in the attic every where now. Please consider my plea for assistance. Though I have funding to assist with the repairs, contractors I have reached out to locally, even those that are reputable, seem to have dollar signs in their eyes when they come through for the assessment to fix the problem. I hope you find this short note worthy of consideration.
Was the first contractors ever sued?
I think Mike is doing a great job showing people what can be done. Yes you can do less expensive remolding work, but that is not the point in the show. We had some work done on our home down south. We fully trusted the contractor. He charged us the going price and the work he did was the worst that I have ever seen. They left 3″ nails sticking through our wooden privacy fence and the skylight leaks in the master bath room and they didn’t put insulation behind the siding they put on the house. He told us that he would accept what the insurance company would pay to replace the roof and then, after the work was done he put a lean on home and said we had never paid him, which was a lie. It was a mess.
Part two… they also put our fence too for back to a drainage deatch and now the land under the ditch is eroding. They din’t repair the drain in the patio around the pool.
I like this show, but Canada has different building codes than the U.S., so don’t think he’s doing everything right where you live, for instance: I saw him install flex duct to vent a range hood, which I know is not allowed in California where I live, because the ribs in the flex can trap grease, which can build up over time and become a fire hazard. What sayeth Canadian building code on this matter, Mike? And though he did change it, he didn’t see a problem with an existing gas fireplace built in a corner, facing parallel to an adjacent basement wall; that never would have passed U.S. code, you can’t even build a corner fireplace in some instances, the clearance is the issue.
Right Said (Fireman) Fred. Yes, that basement closet with the chalk board and the television for the kiddies? I didn’t buy that for a second. Sorry Holmes, but you would never have been granted a permit for that in the states. Fireman Fred pointed out something I had heretofore not considered; the possibility that the kids would run in there during a fire. I was concerned about the particle inhalation danger from inadequate ventilation; that little girl was rubbing her eyes.
Toby,
Mike said it best, if something’s wrong, stop the work. Just don’t let them come back into your property! You need to watch your contractors like a hawk, even if you like them or trust them.
Funny thing I’ve found is that those who cut corners and are pretty much the types of workers and contractors who end up creating the messes this show focuses on are the ones who don’t like Mike.
The people in the industry that are reliable and know their stuff don’t have a problem with him or his show.
I am in the middle of finishing a basement, I would love for Mike and his crew to finish it for me. I know that would probably never happen, so I continue on… taking all of the shows advice and ideas with me in order to “do it right”, and I thank him and his crew for such a great show. And if we end up in a higher property tax braket, so be it, it will be so worth it in the end!!! I know once I am done, I will have no mold issues, no strucrural issues, no fire issues, no water leak issues, and mostly from mikes advice and instructions from his show. So all of you people that bad mouth a man who is obviously better then you, get over it!
We had two sets of contractors, all with permits and code inspections.
Took two years to fire first and we had a construction law firm to do that much. The judge refused to hear our case !
What we have is a house that needs total rebuilding.
I’m a little concerned (major) about what (after 2years of living here) appears to structural problems that start in the basement and go all the way to the top floor.
What would it take for another Mike Holmes, in the USA, to get to my house ?
I love this show. Holmes has a passion for what he does.
My first reaction is shared with others, “how much will it cost to fix this mess?” We know Holmes gets a fantasy budget for good TV viewing. So to get it right the first time I think is his primary message, and that requires patience, doing your homework and understanding facts — not only opinions — get the facts.
Our culture is losing its grip on facts. We are floating on bloated opinions that don’t offer any solutions.
On the other hand, the poster who called it “legalism” to do it by the book? What does “legalism” mean? Not breaking the law? Would this poster would settle for “good enough” from his dentist, doctor, accountant, lawyer? I don’t think so, do you?
so you dont want a permit eh?wait till you try to sell your house or have a home inspection done and some lawyer wants to see prove of permit/inspection.
I am sick of going to my local home depot /lowes and see some weekend warrior getting advice from some kid on how to wire their house for electric or whatever.
As a firefighter and employed in the utility
industry,I see the end result sometimes.
Mike Holmes-your the man! great show!
Not to mention, if you do any type of electrical upgrade that normally requires a permit but you do not get one and your house burns down, good luck trying to get an insurance payment, because you simply will not get one. They will tell you that you did not get proper permits, and you are now homeless.
I also appreciate Mike and admire his work ethic…no matter what profession a person is in, a true professional takes pride in his work for his own sense of worth not because of the paycheck it earns him or her. It is a great American fallacy that our worth is dependent on the amount of money we bring home…and the flip side, that I only give to the job what I am paid. I take pride that I will do the same top quality of work whether I volunteer my time or I am paid $50.00 / hour. It is that philosophy that I believe is being shown by Mike and his show.
Unfortunately, because of the theme of the show, it skews the mindset of the viewers to believe that the majority of contractors are bad….because he wouldn’t be in the house in the first place if the contractors were good. Maybe he needs to remind his viewers about that more often. Just as police officers / sheriffs deputies see all citizens as criminals that haven’t been caught yet, we viewers are trapped into believing that the majority of contractors are bad apples. In truth it is more likely that the majority or citizens and contractors are honest and professional.
My experience with a design / build contractor is the opposite of what has been referenced above: we were stymied by a quote that was too low for the job we requested rather than too high. We were skeptical that the contractor could do the job as requested for the quote / bid that he gave us. When we asked for a breakdown of the job- so that we could get an understanding of the materials he envisioned for our remodel – he was reluctant to comply; just stated that it would end-up to be a “high-end kitchen”. Because we were getting signals that his definition of a high end kitchen was different from ours we asked him to describe it: it ends up that he was going to use laminate counter-tops and cabinets, stainless steel sink and linoleum floors; no hood, backsplash, etc. Now our idea of a high-end kitchen, which we articulated, was granite / quartz counters, wooden cabinets (not custom but not Home Depot either) and hard wood floors (to match the rest of the house). When we indicated that the whole project was too ambitious for our budget – that we needed to reduce the scope (originally we had two additions as well as the entire first-floor gut) he was unwilling to consider an option “B” insisting that we could afford it all. We ended up not signing the contract, after a year’s relationship working with the designer, and hiring an expeditor, who took one look at the bid and stated that it was under by ~50% based on all of the features that we wanted to see in the completed project. Which is what we wanted to hear. We were very disappointed that we could not get all the bells and whistles that we were lead to believe were within our reach…but it is better to know now, before the digging is started, rather than to fork over another $100,000 to complete the job, once our house was torn apart and they have us over the barrel.
So to those contractors who tell the story of home owners who want the big jobs done for unreasonable low quotes I offer the other side of the story: homeowners who are frustrated with contractors who lure you into a project knowing that the bid will never get the job done at the expectation of the homeowner. We see that as a contractor “bait and switch” tactic….get the homeowner to sign the contract, give the down payment, start “spec”-ing it out and then being up-front about the materials used and the costs to “upgrade” – when it is too late to back-out.
If we hadn’t become educated by Holmes on Homes, we wouldn’t have known enough to ask the right questions before we signed the contract.
I am a dentist and in my profession and every profession there is always someone like Mike Holmes. Their work is better than anyone else. Everyone else’s work is garbage. As Holmes keeps saying “This is the worse electrical(plumbing,drywalling etc)”work I have ever seen!
Like he never made a mistake in his life! He is so full of it its unbelieveable. Who made him King of Contractors! By the way the Mike Holmes of this world make mistakes and Karma
is powerful-one day those mistakes are exposed.
While not a contractor myself, I have serially rehabbed multiple houses as my personal residence and houses that I have flipped. My wife and I have gotten hooked on watching Holmes on Homes. I think the program is great because the problems that he finds and corrects are what I see in every rehab.
I have about decade’s worth of experience in working with contractors and home builders. Are there good contractors out there, absolutely. I’ve found out who they are and I continue to use only the best of them. Can an average homeowner figure out who those good contractors are? No.
Why? All that a homeowner can see is what is on the surface. They don’t have the knowledge to know when a contractor is doing a poor job and generally don’t have the courage to halt a job if they are suspicious that a contractor is doing shoddy work. Most homeowners rely on references from friends and neighbors, but these are useless because they don’t know what constitutes quality work.
Based on my personal experience, the ratio of unqualified contractors to qualified contractors is eight to one. It’s probably higher with new home construction unless you are using a high end custom home builder.
There are a number of MUST DO’s to protect yourself as an (honest) homeowner trying to get a good job done at a fair price.
You MUST have a written contract that specifies exactly what will be done, when it will be done, what constitutes completion, and when and how the contractor will get paid.
You MUST educate yourself about the right way to do the work and inspect the work EVERY SINGLE DAY.
You MUST get the permits and you MUST be there when the inspections are done so you can talk to the inspector when he walks through the job site.
You MUST specify what materials are to be used and you MUST budget for hidden problems and changes.
You MUST take pictures of every step in the construction job. If you go to court, you will need proof thatthe contractor violated the contract and you will need proof to defend yourself against a mechanics lien.
The good contractors never need to look for work. The work comes to them. The good ones are also very picky about their customers. They all have stories of customers who wanted work done at too cheap a price and they got burned by homeowner turned around and complained about the job when the job that they were willing to pay for, and then ended up getting stiffed by the homeowner.
It all comes down to doing your homework. Your home is probably your most valuable asset and you can destroy the value of your home if the work is done improperly. There won’t be a Mike Holmes to bail you out if it all goes badly.
Hi~
My name is Debbie Schloesser and I had a house built this year; or should I say it took over a year to get moved in. There are so many things wrong with it and the contractor has all my money. He did not finish all of it and now he spent my money to finish other things and has nothing left to finish mine!
I heard you might be able to help. I am a single mom and don’t know how to get what I already paid for.
If you know of some way for me to get things completed it would sure be appreciated.
If you need more info – just let me know.
Thank you for listening
Wow w.shaw! Apparently you don’t pay attention to what Mike actually says during the show, if you really watch it at all. He doesn’t claim to know everything about everything and mentions that many times while also saying that he will bring in the professionals who do know. Sounds like some insecurity issues going on with you. Lighten up Francis
In the 1950’s when I was nine years old, I worked in the construction industry. My dad was a general contractor building triplex homes, a duplex with a house in the middle. He used to build 150 at a time and I can tell you that even at the tender age of nine, I new to never buy a house my father built. I personally was present when he got 143 units inspected without the inspector ever leaving his office. About 3 hours after I was told to bring my dad the large red and very blank inspection signs, and the consumption of a couple of bottles of Jack Daniels, I was handed the now completed inspections and a staple gun to go and post them on the houses. The next two summers were spent working with the crew that had to handle all the complaints of shoddy workmanship from the homeowners.
Then in the summer of1984 my family and I moved to a small town in Oregon and rented a house. About a week before Christmas, 6 inches of snow on the ground with a temp of around 8 degrees, my wife wakes me up to say the house is on fire and I am not kidding. Well sure enough, she was right and I learned the value of having replacement value on my renters insurance. It seems one of those “we don’t need no stinking permits” kind of contractors wired half the house with aluminum wire and half with copper into a panel designed for copper only and it set the wall of the garage on fire.
But alas, stupid contractors strike again, in 2006 when we buy a house in New Mexico and we find that we can’t use any of the outside faucets because they are installed incorrectly, the house leaks air like Swiss cheese, the sheet rock has pulled away from some of the walls, the furnace for the floor heat only works for one season before needing to be rebuilt and about 2 years after we moved in, a former worker for the builder stopped by to show us pictures of the builder watering down the concrete for the slab because he did not order enough concrete, so the floor cracks the tile, and to top it off, the outside wall of the master bedroom is 3/8’s of an inch out of plumb.
So given the wonderful track record of these misunderstood contractors since the 1950’s till now, you won’t mind if I have trouble buying any part of the no inspection, no insurance and no accountability that today’s contractors are whining about.
GO MIKE!!!!
Although I have been reading these posts for a while now, I never wrote anything here. For the ones the know Mike Holmes personally, well… lucky you. One of my wishes is to know him personally one day – he is my HERO. He is not only an excellent contractor, he knows his job, and he is not “full of it” like some people wrote in these pages. To me, Mr. Holmes is a professional, caring, loving person; he has a heart of gold. Not only he helps people in need but he also helps charities… and teaches. He does not pretend to know everything – he brings in professionals to do what he is not “strong at doing”…
For the person that mention about Mr. Holmes and Pinkie… so what? What about if they had something going on? She is single and he is divorce – their business (period). For the dentist – WOW… we can see here that you must be out of your door with the sign that says – “Buy one get one free”… as any other healthcare professional, normally people go by reference… and if you don’t have patients and you recognize that there are always someone better – well take care and try to be a better professional and just DO THINGS RIGHT THE FIRST TIME. I don’t think that there is anything hiding in Mr. Holmes’ work… He does and shows it on camera. I love his shows, I love him… Can someone clone him? Leave the clone in Canada and bring the real Mike Holmes to New Jersey, USA…
One of the reasons I decided to leave my thoughts in these pages were a post I found a couple of days ago on HUB pages. There is another contractor, who is probably out of work (???) who has this page called – MIKE HOLMES EXPOSED and where he deceives Mr. Holmes. Also, I can see that people who write on his blog are those shoddy contractors who leave the people with the work half done and run away with their money, actually, those who Mike exposes. A few weeks ago he even had one of those funny movies from Youtube… He talked garbage about Mr. Holmes. I tried to leave my positive comments on his pages but unfortunately he deleted them several times. Finally, I had to write a formal letter to the blog administrators so he was forced to remove part of his dim-witted comments about Mr. Holmes. His name is John Kowal and he goes by the name of Kowality. The blog is “not that bad” right now because he actually changed the whole idea – “he gets $$$ for every person who clicks on an add when reading his blogs…” so I believe it was an intelligent idea to change the story. He is also a contractor “a frustrated one I guess” – but I am happy that after several attempts I was able to force him to change “the story” so Mr. Holmes’ name is as clean as fresh water, as it should be. Congratulations Mike Holmes, keep up the good work and for Mr. Kowal, if he reads these comments one day … well … The strength of your jealousy is proportional to power of Holmes’ growth” See you….
Thank you ANA. There are not enough hours in the day to expose the garbage one can find on the internet. Individuals need to check out statements before passing on the information as fact (email is a good example). If everyone did the right thing, Mike Holmes would not have a TV series exposing the problems. I have no doubt that Mike Holmes would gladly cancel his series in exchange for everyone doing the right thing. Obviously this is a ‘pie in the sky’ hope. Once again, thank you for your efforts.
Question does Mike and crew like to fish ?
My wife and I purchased a lakehouse seventeen years ago , it is what I call a splitlevel house , half underground half above After a year owning the house we dicovered the wall leaking and have been fighting this problem ever since have any ideas ?
I have to comment here, as I am a professional inspector that specializes in the structural aspect. I so often have to deal with, (and inevitably argue with), contractors and subs that feel that I am holding them to too tight of tolerances. Something I point out, every once in a great while, is that no Building code used on any portion of the North American continent, with the exception of BOCA, has ever had any input from inspectors during any portion of conception through publishing. That’s right – Contractors, Manufacturers and Engineers contributed and created the codes in use.
I do run into the good guys from time to time, but often enough I find foremen so jaded with their work over time, that they seem to feel that they can do no wrong, and I’m a jerk for picking at them. I would love to do pro-bono work for residents, however so often people want to believe what is being fed to them. It isn’t always within the Homeowners grasp to determine what is right, wrong or indifferent about what they are being told. After all, something usually only looks wrong if someone has had previous experience with it being done right, and wrong.
Lastly, for those of you suggesting that permits are optional: I am a homeowner and I do much of my own work. I do pull a permit each time I intend to change something, regardless of what it does to any taxes I owe. Something many don’t realize is that any work done and not inspected is NOT covered by homeowners insurance. Try explaining a kitchen fire due to incorrect 240 volt wiring. I hope you got an extra $10,000 sitting around…
I recently discovered Holmes on Homes this year and now I’m hooked on it. While I do think he has a tendency to go overboard (he even admits it, though fun to watch) I’m glad that he takes the time to go overboard and do it right. Most of what I’ve seen on the show looks like it will last a lifetime, not just for a few years until the current owners decide to sell.
I have learned so much about the process of home renovations and many do’s and don’ts when hiring contractors. Which is good for me since, while I still live with my parents (I’m 20 and still in college), I plan on buying a fixer-upper for my first house. Because I’ve started watching DIY shows about renovation and now Holmes on Homes which tells me how to prevent getting a shoddy contractor and when (or if) I should put my foot down and really question the work.
I feel like I can actually make an informed decision (and realistic one at that) about doing something like that or about hiring someone after I watch this show.
I can’t begin to tell you how much I have enjoyed watching the show! After 20 years of living in post housing and watching my money just go up in smoke I decided to take the big leap and have a house built.
I have been very fortunate to watch and participate in the building and planning of my home! The house is almost complete but I have Mike Holmes words of wisdom in the back of my head. I very frequently go out to the building site with camera in hand and take photos of everything! Mike’s meticulous attention to detail helped me catch short comings more than once and as the house nears completion I have a strong sense of comfort that I am getting what I paid for.
While the Builder has been outstanding and communicates with me frequently I was assured even more by taking time to talk to the sub-contractors who had nothing but praise for my builder.
While I am sure I am getting a great product, I have to credit Holmes on Homes with helping me, indirectly, keep an honest man honest.
Thanks for stepping up as the old Sage of construction done right!
Dan, Olympia, WA
I too like mike and what he is about, i am a contractor and if i bid a job like he whould do i whould be out of a job. no “tipical home owner knows what is behind any wall” and if im doing a job and find something wrong and they dont or cant afford to fix it, where do i stand as to finish my part of the job,no matter the problems down the road. With mike if a bath floor is wrong “and thats all the contractor was to do” mike whould give them a whole new bath and hell may b a new kitchen. YES MONEY TALKS FOR THE RIGHT PRICE I WILL BUILD U A SPACE SHUTTLE. one show he spent 220,000.00 on heating and cooling system. HELLO the house was only worth 190,00.00??????????????????????????????????
I love Holmes on Homes!!!
I am wondering why the government makes me hire licensed contractors, then have an inspector come and inspect their work. why cant I do the work myself and then have them come inspect my work?
I am very handy and I wired my whole house and the inspector commented on how all electricial work should be this nice. but I had to pay an electrician to file and be present for the inspection.
I just want to know who picks up the tab for all of these renos. We’re talking a lot of money.
Interesting points of views, Myself, Not overly convinced of Big Mike holmes on what he may know or not know. His arrogance that he knows it all, more less is a failure in the future making, he has some good idea’s and that comes from his subs, not him personally and I really question what basic knowledge he does have. Anyone can be a hero, and the tv show made him just that. Remember also, if all the people had the money he is willing to spend to “make it right”, would make it easier for all contractors to do a better job also, what about 10,000 to remodel when that is all the homeowner has to spend, but you really need 50,000, of course the corner is cut, and most homeowner nowdays don’t have enough to do it correctly, remember this housing crunch we are in with people losing their houses. Also do you ever see mike doing anything himself other than talk smart,play hero, and the only one that gets it right, he good at tearing drywall off and using a shovel. His show is perfect for the do-it-yourselfer, that has no knowledge of of remodeling or general construction. And that really is his base viewers, He doesn’t impress me at all, furthermore he should be considerate in a more appealing way, rather than being arrogant and a know it all. I’ve been a contractor around homes for over 35 years, the method is selling yourself without bad mouthing the other contracting people, mentioning to the homeowner cheaper isn’t always the best, and remember we all make mistakes(to include mike, which wouldn’t be aired)and also the day you talk so smart that you know it all is the day you get burned, and I believe Arrogant Mike will have his day forthcoming, keep reading the forums and it will show up at some point, as far a sloopy workmanship goes, nothing wrong with with pointing it out and to be careful, but be respectful to the trade as a whole is still important.
How do you get holmes to come to your place ?
Dear MR holmes
Mom and i moved to this three story of because of her illness.The people who build
the home did’nt put anything between the floor and celling.What can be done to stop all the nosie coming down on us.
thank-you and God Bless you.
PS We watch your show all the time it’s great
learn a lot.
I must say that I love Mike’s show and that I agree 100% with his philosophy of do it right the first time. I have been working as an auto mechanic for most of my life and one of the things that I see all the time that relates to what Mike always says is that people, either the mechanic or the customer does not do or have the job done as it should be done and then often times the vehichle comes back from some type of problem. Also many times the shops use extremely cheap quality parts that end up failing and as again the job must be done over which now means more money has been spent then it would have cost to do the job either correct or with a quality part. There are some areas where it doesn’t pay to cut corners. Also from having hired home contractors I can say first hand that if I hadn’t been there watching what was being done then job would have been done not to my liking, the wrong color shingles for example on the new roof that I had sat down and went over with the contractor. Anyway if more people followed Mike’s philosphy then more customers would be happier. I would gladly pay extra knowing i am getting a job done right and with quality material that will last. I don’t have the time or money to do something a second time.
I love the show but I tell everyone that it is the scariest show on television. Mike’s the guy I’d love to have working on my house. I’m pretty sure that it was never inspected when it was built.
There are both positive and negative aspects to a home improvement show. Poor workmanship is exposed, however the average viewer now has an unrealistic vision as to the cost and timeline of a reno. With all my construction and business experience, I’m willing to bet that most homeowners in awe of Mike and his crews’ capabilities are unwilling to pay the price for his quality, and will look for someone to work within their budget. Due to material delivery, weather, subcontractor scheduling and various other logistic obsticals, jobs almost always cost more and take longer than what is planned. It takes several weeks, at least, to construct what is squeezed into a one hour episode, and I have seen questionable workmanship on the show as well. Although I applaud the show for its exposure to negative experience that we can learn from, its best to try to become a slight expert on the work you want to hire a trade to do. Unfortunatly at some point, you have to trust someone to do it.
I have been in construction since I was 12-years-old, drawn in by my grandfather a true engineer and craftsman. Donald believed that the work we do, and the things that we build are monuments to our abilities for future generations to admire. I went to vocational for building trades and then went though the Carpenter’s Union Apprenticeship Program. My career in construction, spans over 4 decades. Mike Holmes is the only individual that I have ever seen, whose work approaches the perfectionist quality of my work. I love the fact that he prefers screws rather than nails. It is great that he uses 21st Century adhesives that will last for generations (read some of the wind shear ratings for adhesives vs. nails 4” O.C.)
The brief euphoria & sweet taste of a great price will always be followed by the bitter lingering after-taste of the true cost of rectifying the illusion of the gr8 price.
I’m not a big fan. Some of the shows are displaying very poor contractors, and some of the stuff that those contractors are doing correctly are demolished because it can be done better. Of course cost is no issue to him. One real life experince for me was due to his insulation obsession. Had a client that insisted on spray insulation(polyurethane) because of holmes, and was shocked when the price was three times as much. As with everything there is a good, better, best, and we all know Mike is not dealing with a budget. If I bid every project I did with the absolute complete destruction of everything i deemed “not so good” and re-built it “appropriately” according to Mike every home owner would shocked at the price. So please take his show with a “grain of salt” it is entertainment, and so must trash peoples work
Mike is taking holmes that were abused by crooked and poor contracting and turning them into dream homes. Remember it’s a show. So just bringing things to ok or par wouldn’t make a great show. Plus the fact that these home owners they choose have really been abused by contractors and have waited years to get their home fixed means that going the extra mile for these people is warranted.
Mike never hates on the old contractors but instead I’ve noticed he only points out sloppy work. Where fraud is involved though that is another matter. There is a lot of fraud and abuse of homeowners in the construction world. It’s simply bound to happen in any field where the customer is relying on the sales person to have all the knowledge and do the job right.
So of course he uses high end products, electrical, tile, plumbing, insulation, etc why would you just do things mediocre when these home owners have been abused by the previous contractor, not to mention they’re trying to make it into a show. Most of the criticisms above are baseless and argumentative. The guy does excellent work and when your on tv there is no end to the haters.
People above are complaining that Mikes costs are exorbitant. However I’ve watched nearly all the Holmes on Homes episodes and the renovations are generally between $50,000 and (the most extreme) $150,000. The latter being major structural damage where the house was a lemon and had to be entirely gutted.
If you’re totally remodeling a house for much less than this your probably not going to get a great renovation. Remodeling is expensive. Materials are expensive, bringing in crews which specialize in their trade is expensive. The only other option if you don’t want to spend the money, learn these processes yourself and do it on your own time. It won’t be fast, but you’ll get the quality you want. Yet there is a risk in that hopefully you don’t screw anything up.
Holms on homes is a great show, but what i have found is most home owners watch these shows and don’t realize the cost. So when i come in and bid a job with the cost of my labor, insurance ( liability and workers comp), permits, ext. they cant believe it , so some jack leg comes along gives some price i could never touch and they go with him. They get burned then they want to blame every one but them self’s for going with the low bid.
Alot of goofs out here, thinking holmes is the man, get real! I’ve been a subcontractor for 37 years and never wanted complaints and had very few. I believe in doing a decent job according to what the homeowner is willing and can afford. Remember folks if we as all subs have the money to redo the project the way it needs to be addressed like mike holmes gets(TV series,advertising dollars) there would be a lot less problems, but like most people in this economy its all about price, and thats not being mentioned here. The sad part whats going on here with all the do-it yourselfers think his is god, when in respect all he really is “just another sub with a cash background, and he is no better than his subs either, some of his practices I used to watch(in the beginning)to me weren’t right, and I discontinued watch his putting down everyone in the biz. There are a lot of good sub’s, I think he doesn’t do the trade business “any justice” good or bad, “over spoken smart mouth with money behind him”
I am a fan of Mike Holms shows, and think that he is preforming a much needed service. My question is what if anything is done about the incompetent/dishonest contractors and or inspectors who did such a terrible job on the houses that he and him team work on?
Curt, please try to keep your comments relevant and accurate.
You will notice that the jobs Mike takes are often quoted at a ‘reasonable’ price for the work, and only a handful have been because the homeowner took the ‘low bid.’ What’s more, these jobs often escalate well beyond the point of reasonable prices if the homeowner doesn’t stop the job, and as Mike has put it “For that price, I could’ve just tore it all down and built you a brand new home.” Thus, if your defense of these contractors and in some cases outright scam artists is “Well, if the homeowner paid enough…” Sorry, that’s just false.
What’s more – I see him working with excellent trades and subs, those who he’s established a long history with and knows their work. What’s unusual about that? Does he put them down? No, in fact he often says “That’s what I like to see,” or otherwise inspects and compliments their work.
Often, you’ll see Mike inspecting work and saying “Well, at least the person who did the (example: plumbing, electrical, finish work) obviously knew what they were doing, and cared.” To say that he digs on all the subs is to be defensive of insult and injury that is simply not there.
There have been cases where, sadly, he has had to do the absolute bare minimum to make a place safe and livable, such as the home that was improperly jacked up, and left gaping holes into the basement where her sons were living. That said, he still did it right, and he was limited by the amount of money available for the homeowner to pay with.
Please, keep your insults of Mike to yourself, and quote only the experience you actually have. That is to say, you’ve never visited Mike’s work, you don’t know what is being staged/shown for TV, and you have no legitimate claim to the statements you’re making about him.
I have just started watching this show over here in Australia.and i think mike does a great job.The one question i have about the show is
1) how does he pic a person to help out
2) who pays for all the work that he does ?
Is it all payed for by sponsors or does the people he is helping have to pay for his work ?
I think Mike’s great, I enjoy watching the show, I dont know him, I live in Colorado wish he listed some good contractors for every state, cant trust anymore.
PS seems like alot of negative comments, why be like that?
I’ve been “anguishing” with a situation that at one time included foreclosure on my home. This was initiated by a general contractor that has a regular Sat AM radio show, and that’s how I sought him out originally. My concerns escalated to hiring a home inspector when nearing completion and findings were problems with virtually every aspect of work: roof, siding, windows, deck, gutters, foundation, skylight,
painting. The 250K contract (not reviewed in advance by my atty) provided for mediation.
The mediator suggested to the general contractor that as no permit was taken out for:
building, foundation, electrical – that it would be hard to collect for work not “permitted” (Only a deck permit was submitted by the gen. contractor) – so the
foreclosure action went away.
A year later we “settled” but my 60K+ legal and professional fees were my responsibility. Terms of the settlement were no disclosure of terms nor disparagement of the parties (subs). Now I’m in an analysis paralysis to fix the defects as NO trade associations (Portland Homebuilders Assn + Portland Remodelers Organization) will even respond to my request/question about “Code of Conduct” or Code of Ethics.
Also, the three radio shows – Handy Randy, Builder Bob, and Mr Fixit. The CCB and Angie’s List are silent as the case was “settled” (no adverse record) My analogy is a spousal abuse (“wife beating”) arrest that gets erased if the victim drops charges. The gen contractor continues his call-in show today!
Buyer Beware. . esp someone that seems like a good ‘ole boy and trustworthy? photos and other evidence if you’re interested.
BATS beyond belief living in my home and now I need MIKE HOLMES to seriously help!!!!!!! There are over 400 bats crawling up and down the walls and ceilings in my 111 year old home here on Long Island next to Grummans Aircraft which makes it the oldest home built by an Indian. I am now being forced to leave the home as I have come down with a disease AML Leukemia and have been asked to leave by my oncologist. I am unable to work or move on my own and live with my two dogs and no family to help. They alwys come in. 175 leave every night to hunt Trying to save them but can’t get help since my STATE FARM homeowners dropped me and said it is a hazzard and can no longer insure me since it is getting me sick and the house is infested with molds fungus and bat poop leaking through the ceilings and is falling out of some of the cracks. They said the walls and ceilings have to be torn down and the house may have to be knocked down and they will not do that even though the house was fully insured at the time of claim and issued a claim number. They are blaiming me for the situation since I was in the hospital with Leukemia and did not call them while I was there. They were acutally called the year before and failed to follow through when their agent died from cancer and couldn’t follow through. The records show that and then they said since I had an extreme Puff back with my boiler and the soot ruined over 85% of the home and belongings they will not handle the claim. They are holding my HLOME hostage. Is their heart in this at all. The BATS are soo important for the environment. This home has become a real safe haven for them and yet State Farm has failed to do what they said they would but have not done anything to help me when things have turned for the worse. BAT-TER UP. Will any one step up to the plate…..I really don’t know , what to do……..The house is on Central Ave, a main road, is a business location and just may be a landmark. The bats are ruining the house to such a degree that it may just destroy a special place over 100 years old Please can you help and maybe Point me in some direction.
When considering a contract, the contractor will say it will take X number of days to complete, consider the man hours and supplies and then submit a price. The customer will then agree on the price. The contractor will then go out and employ people who say they know provincial building codes at next to minimum wage and coerce these employees to speed it up so they will cut corners. The end result is the contractor only pays for two days of work, when it should have taken five, Bonus.
I am a Gas and appliance service person. I do not do residential, only commercial and industrial. I have worked for, and I am still working for, an employer who takes units out of commission, because it would be cheaper to replace than rebuild. My employer then scavenges the defunct unit and the re-sells what could be working parts. I work in an environment of I don’t know what is, in regards to replacement parts, I don’t know from good or bad parts. The long and short of it is, If you’re not running your own business you will do as your told. I also have the added bonus of wondering what the problem is, was the part I just replaced proved as good or was it the problem in the first place. Stay away from Mom & Pop contractors, they will steal your soul, meaning they will insist you circumvent CODES.
Personally I’m running around the Internet looking for what ever happened to that electrician that butchered the wiring codes?