# Holmes on Homes...



## mahlere

OK, so I'm an electrical contractor, and a pretty bad one at that. But can anyone tell me if Mike Holmes is good or full of it?

Does he really know his stuff, or does he just really like to bash other contractors?

If anyone doesn't know, he has a show on tv called "Holmes on Homes"

Just curious.


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## Teetorbilt

I don't know if I would have put that first sentence down, but I have to credit you with blunt honesty. 

Haven't seen the show.

Might want to think your next post through.


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## mdshunk

I have watched his show several times. From what I can tell, he does know his stuff, but one thing about him troubles me. He seems to get so excited when he "discovers" deficiencies that many of us see on a fairly regular basis. I'd expect a more seasoned person to not seem so surprised and [over]react the way he does.


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## RobertCDF

We have talked about him before... http://www.contractortalk.com/showthread.php?t=10395&highlight=holmes I voiced my opinion then.


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## AtlanticWBConst

I've seen the show several times. 

As has been said, we tend to see alot of this if we are involved in residential remodeling. ALOT of 'Harry Homeowner jobs' look like the work he runs into. 

I did see a show last week where the work was Unbelievably Horrible. It was obvious the guy hired had no clue and was out to screw the HO just for the money. 

However, I do think the guy tends to get his blood pressure up a lil . I'm sure that alot of his reactions are for the media...encouraged by the show's producers.

FWIW, There's a website on the show. Look up: "Holmes on Homes"


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## mahlere

Teetorbilt said:


> I don't know if I would have put that first sentence down, but I have to credit you with blunt honesty.
> 
> Haven't seen the show.
> 
> Might want to think your next post through.


sorry teetor, i tend to forget that you can't convey emotion through this stupid internet. I have a very self depreciating sense of humor and tend to follow the underpromise / overdeliver strategy of life. 

I'm actually quite competent in not only the technical side of things, but also the business side (which is where I prefer to be)

But, I am an electrician, not a carpenter/builder/GC, and I know what looks right/wrong with that, but I don't know the building codes like I do the electrical codes.

But, to clear up any confusion, I am not the worst electrician/electrical contractor you have ever met


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## R&D Tile

I have also seen the show numurous times, as far as tiling goes, he does or hires contractors who know their stuff and show the correct way to do an installation, unlike all the other home improvement shows, where it's down right laughable and sad the way they do it.:no: 

Yes, he get's excited, that's part of the show I guess, I'm sure we all act like that inside when seeing shoddy work, it's those who don't know anything and rip off homeowners that give the honest pros at work a bad name at times.


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## 6stringmason

mdshunk said:


> He seems to get so excited when he "discovers" deficiencies that many of us see on a fairly regular basis. I'd expect a more seasoned person to not seem so surprised and [over]react the way he does.


Maybe he has the personality type that gets excited over finding others' flaws. 

Or maybe he's like Al Lindner? You ever see how excited that guy gets when a catches a walleye that looks exactly like the other 10,000 he caught.:laughing:


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## go dart

that guy is good and good for the industry. NO SHORTCUTS. yes he finds the worst jobs availiable and steps it up for tv but its all above board, professionally done, and correct. homeowners should really get a strong signal to check references, insurance etc. get em holmes


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## George Z

As discussed in previous threads here, 
the guy works for Home Depot installation services(our competition).

http://www.homedepot.ca/webapp/wcs/...ogId=10051&langId=-15&display=services_holmes

Considering the number of complaints against Home Depot services,
and him alligning his brand with Home Depot's, I am not sure...


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## RobertCDF

As I said in the previous thread... I saw him commit code violations and talk about how it was a "better way".


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## mdshunk

RobertCDF said:


> As I said in the previous thread... I saw him commit code violations and talk about how it was a "better way".


Remember that he's in Canada, too. The code may be slightly different.


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## mahlere

George Z said:


> As discussed in previous threads here,
> the guy works for Home Depot installation services(our competition).
> 
> http://www.homedepot.ca/webapp/wcs/...ogId=10051&langId=-15&display=services_holmes
> 
> Considering the number of complaints against Home Depot services,
> and him alligning his brand with Home Depot's, I am not sure...


george, what are the number of complaints as a percentage of total jobs?

do 100,000 jobs in a year and see the total number of complaints in a given year. Add in the typical HD customer factor, and you see where i am going with this.


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## Mike604

i think mike holmes knows what he talks about, but u notice he always get's all his boy like you and me to get the job done rite.. he makes little deficiancies into major structural issues and so on, when make cases, we assess the situation and correct the problem,,, my 2 cents


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## theworx

As I said in a previous thread about Holmes on Homes, he does do good work (and tends to overkill on many aspects). My biggest problem with the show (for example) is that the client originally hired a contractor to do a $5000.00 reno on their kitcken (paint grade cabinet doors, p-lam counters, melamine boxes, track lights, nice vinyl floor, etc..). By the time he leaves they have solid oak cabinets and doors, a granite counter top, recessed halogen pot lights, and a nice ceramic tile floor and backsplash...

I feel bad for the clients that got ripped off by the contractor charging $5000.00 for their kitchen reno and doing bad work. But I'd like to see Mike leave them with a properly done $5000.00 kitchen reno (not a $15,000.00 reno). He shows before and after pics at the end of the show and the difference is huge (because he's given them a kitchen that's three times what they could afford in the beginning). He says "This is what it should have looked like" but it's not. The client could never afford that. That's my opinion of the show...


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## smellslike$tome

*A plumber's perspective*



mahlere said:


> george, what are the number of complaints as a percentage of total jobs?
> 
> do 100,000 jobs in a year and see the total number of complaints in a given year. Add in the typical HD customer factor, and you see where i am going with this.



Don't know about Holmes but I do know this about Home Depot.
I just left a man's house last week who called me to finish a future basement bath that a HD "contractor" had started but was not going to finish because he "had a torn rotater cuff". When I got there it was a night mare!

Code violation #1. used a 4" male adapter to connect new rough drainage piping through a 4" clean out test tee at the base of a stack. He removed the plug and screwed in the male adapter into the test tee.

Code violation #2. terminated an air admittance valve inside a wall that was clearly going to be sheetrocked and obviously intended to do the same for a bar sink that was to be located around the corner some 15' away. I say obviously but this assuming he did in fact realize that the bar sink would have to have it's own vent. All this in spite of the fact that the future vent was clearly visible having been stubbed down and capped at new construction. It took less than 1 minute to find the future vent which tells me he probably didn't even know to look for it.

Code violation #3. He had run about 15' of 1.5" pvc piping that had alternated from proper fall to back fall to proper fall again and finally ended in back fall again.

This goes on and on but I don't want to write a book. 

The HD customer is not off the hook either. I pointed out all the problems that I saw and quickly came to the conclusion that everything the previous HD guy (I will not credit him with the title "Plumber") had done was going to have to be cut out and re-done. I was'nt making it up or trying to "sell him", that's exactly what needs to be done, cut it all out and re-do it! So I give him the price and it turns out that Joe HO only cares about getting it done CHEAP! Apparantly he really doesn't care if it's right as long as it's CHEAP! So you know what, he deserves what he gets. The shame of it is that he and other consumers will run down "contractors", and often with good cause, but some of them are every bit as guilty in that they are perfectly willing to pass on known problems to others (I think the guy slipped and tipped me off that he's already planning on selling this $500k home). Shame on the HO, shame on the jackleg that installed that crap, and shame on HD for referring this so called "plumbing professional".:furious:

P.S. I know I did'nt really have an opinion on Holmes so please forgive me for venting a little.

P.S.S. The next time you need a water heater and you're tempted to go with the $200.00 tank with the $200.00 install from HD/Lowes instead of the $800.00 to $1000.00 tank w/install from the pro who is going to bring you a quality tank, give you a proper install, and back up his warranty should it ever be necessary, just remember that the cheapest price = the lowest quality tank and NO SERVICE after the fact!!

OK, I think I'm done.... for now


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## George Z

mahlere said:


> george, what are the number of complaints as a percentage of total jobs?
> 
> do 100,000 jobs in a year and see the total number of complaints in a given year. Add in the typical HD customer factor, and you see where i am going with this.


I don't know.
To be fair, when you deal with such a huge brand and the world wide web,
there will likely be more complaints published than praise, 
but that's the nature of the beast, if you associate with them you have
to take the negatives and the positives.


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## Fence & Deck

With regards to Mike Holmes: 
I have seen him build 3 decks on TV. All 3 were incorrect in some way. One was a huge lower deck which he built on deck blocks.
On none of them does he even discuss getting a permit.
I emailed the show and their repsonse was to thank me but not to worry they knew what they were doing.
In another instance, they built a massive stone retaining wall righ up against a sidewalk, not realizing that sidewalks are always built inside the boulevard, and that the property line was 3' inside. The wall had to come down.
Last summer they did a group fence job for about 30 homeowners. They replaced a fence done by some fly-by night (The company that did the replacement work has since gone out of business). The original fence was horrible, and the replacement fence was better. However, there were still plenty of problems, which of course no-one noticed.

One of my crews has documentation that Holmes promised his son an appreticeship, and then backed out in a particularly bad way.

Don't forget, this is a TV show. Of course they are going to blow things way out of proportion.

On a different note: I highly RESENT Home Depot doing installations. Some years ago, one of our lumber suppliers opened an installation division. We contracotrs were so incensed that we had to compete against our own supplier, that his wholesale business dropped by 40 %. His install dept lasted exactly one season.
I think it is blatently unfair that we should have to compete against them. They have a huge name and "brand" and if thier sales people weren't so inept, it would be impossible to compete.
Time and again I've had customers tell me how bad the "guy from Home Depot" was and how little he knew, so I've been fine. If HD ever smartens up and gets good salespeople, look out. How the hell do we compete against our own suppliers? (Well, not mine, but you know what I mean)


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## antjocarpenter

*All talk in my opinion*

I would have to say Mike Holmes is all talk for the show. I realize this thread is from a few years ado, but I just happened to stumble across it. Ialways notice code violations in all his jobs. Then it also seems like he more or less has advertisement. For new products and different stuff. I've always been curious about something. He always screws everything together. Which a screw holds two boards together more so than a nail, but as far as shear strength goes a nail holds better. With that said how does he figure a screw in a joist hanger is better. Is it some type of rated screw I've never heard of??


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## woodmagman

antjocarpenter said:


> I would have to say Mike Holmes is all talk for the show. I realize this thread is from a few years ado, but I just happened to stumble across it. Ialways notice code violations in all his jobs. Then it also seems like he more or less has advertisement. For new products and different stuff. I've always been curious about something. He always screws everything together. Which a screw holds two boards together more so than a nail, but as far as shear strength goes a nail holds better. With that said how does he figure a screw in a joist hanger is better. Is it some type of rated screw I've never heard of??


Boy this is an old thread... And still the same questions about screws and their shear strength. Use recommended fasteners not what you see on entertainment TV.


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## MKnAs Dad

What is Holmes backed by Bosch now????


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## olligator

This thread came back bigger than Meat Loaf (2006 thread- wow!!) 

Well, I'm not from Canada or live in the frozen tundra so I couldn't reliably say that I've seen Holmes do stuff that wasn't to code. He does, IMHO, have a tendency to have his solutions so over-designed and over-built that I consider them downright absurd. ex. engineered floor joists at 12" OC where 16" or even 24" will easily do the job and do it well.

Holmes sponsored by bosch? They must make a helluva cordless impact to drive all the screws he uses.


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## MKnAs Dad

I making a joke about TnT getting all butt hurt about Holmes like he does for Bosch.

But Bosch's impact has to be better than the Dewalt one. Never tried a Bosch impact other than at a demo, but have had multiple Dewalts that all have broken pretty quickly.


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## sevonty

the thing that makes Holmes a holier than thou jerk is he bashes people for meeting minimum code?! I have never heard of maximum code.


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## kowality

TNTSERVICES said:


> I would suggest maybe reading this and other threads in their entirety before you claim to know what I do and do not understand.
> 
> I am going to have this be my last comment to you concerning the matter. If you say that he is holier than thou, I think that you may want to look in the mirror. You chastise him for pointing out others mistakes, yet you have dedicated quite some time and a full article on doing the same to him. Hmmmm...
> 
> I understand more than you think. I so not live and die on Mike Holmes, but I do believe in telling both sides of the story and actually knowing what you are talking about when you start throwing accusations and telling people that because you know how one show was made you are an expert and know how his is made.


No matter what a person does, writes or says, people will read into it exactly what they want. I found that out when I expressed my opinion as a Contractor for 32 years. That's what writing and having blogs is all about. To tell you the truth, I spoke with him breifly Man to Man at a function and he really doesn't give a rats ass what anyone thinks. He's a Millionaire, his children are looked after, he's having a blast and I respect him for his achievements:clap::clap: and who he is. That's what I know young fella.
Not everyone will agree and sometimes you will step on toes. It doesn't matter. I said my peice and now you have said yours. Carry on and have fun with what you do.:jester:


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## kowality

TNTSERVICES said:


> I would suggest maybe reading this and other threads in their entirety before you claim to know what I do and do not understand.
> 
> I am going to have this be my last comment to you concerning the matter. If you say that he is holier than thou, I think that you may want to look in the mirror. You chastise him for pointing out others mistakes, yet you have dedicated quite some time and a full article on doing the same to him. Hmmmm...
> 
> I understand more than you think. I so not live and die on Mike Holmes, but I do believe in telling both sides of the story and actually knowing what you are talking about when you start throwing accusations and telling people that because you know how one show was made you are an expert and know how his is made.


Been in the film business since 1987. Got my Red Seal Journeyman status in 1982. Probably the same time you were born. Seems like you need to go back and read the threads. Looks like you missed most of them and then skimmed over the first sentence of mine. Might not want to toot that horn to loudly.


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## kowality

olligator said:


> This thread came back bigger than Meat Loaf (2006 thread- wow!!)
> 
> Well, I'm not from Canada or live in the frozen tundra so I couldn't reliably say that I've seen Holmes do stuff that wasn't to code. He does, IMHO, have a tendency to have his solutions so over-designed and over-built that I consider them downright absurd. ex. engineered floor joists at 12" OC where 16" or even 24" will easily do the job and do it well.
> 
> Holmes sponsored by bosch? They must make a helluva cordless impact to drive all the screws he uses.


It's TV. The show has the money,the time and the homeowner does get some of the job paid for. It's all about marketing. Lets all buy a Mercedes. It'll only take you 20 years to pay it off along with everything else.


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## fred54

Small correction, you state in your article that in the states,"A legal contractor in the U.S. must take a course and pass an exam in order to qualify for his Contractors License."

I had a pulse and wrote a check and I am now a licensed contractor.

I'm not trying to pile on or prove you wrong but at least here in NJ you don't have a lot of hurdles in the way.

I am in the middle of a "Holmes on Holmes" job myself where a "licensed" contractor just butchered the home of a nice family and then disappeared.


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## jlsconstruction

fred54 said:


> Small correction, you state in your article that in the states,"A legal contractor in the U.S. must take a course and pass an exam in order to qualify for his Contractors License."
> 
> I had a pulse and wrote a check and I am now a licensed contractor.
> 
> I'm not trying to pile on or prove you wrong but at least here in NJ you don't have a lot of hurdles in the way.
> 
> I am in the middle of a "Holmes on Holmes" job myself where a "licensed" contractor just butchered the home of a nice family and then disappeared.


Yeah here there is only licensing for electricians, HVAC, and excavators. I have no license and can go pull a permit with insurance. Maybe that's why I'm always posting pics on the hack job post


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## kowality

fred54 said:


> Small correction, you state in your article that in the states,"A legal contractor in the U.S. must take a course and pass an exam in order to qualify for his Contractors License."
> 
> I had a pulse and wrote a check and I am now a licensed contractor.
> 
> I'm not trying to pile on or prove you wrong but at least here in NJ you don't have a lot of hurdles in the way.
> 
> I am in the middle of a "Holmes on Holmes" job myself where a "licensed" contractor just butchered the home of a nice family and then disappeared.


Not in Oregon you won't. That's what happens when you write articles for blogs.I wrote my ""experience"" not yours. Anyways..the article was written 4 years ago and I really don't give a rats ass what anyone thinks or if I'm wrong 4 years later. I go about my business. continue to write, continue building sets, renos, furniture and flipping homes. Have at her boys. Stirring the pot never really hurts anyone. It just reminds you , you have a pulse.


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## kowality

jlsconstruction said:


> Yeah here there is only licensing for electricians, HVAC, and excavators. I have no license and can go pull a permit with insurance. Maybe that's why I'm always posting pics on the hack job post


Sweet. At least you have a job. Stop complaining.What's with some of you guys. Did you not read the last paragraph of my article. I said I've worked with many good contractors that have no credentials, and like you, throughout my career I've run into some bad ones. So what..That's life!!. Meatheads that screw jobs up is good for me. I keep busy fixing their crap, but I turn down stuff because the homeowner had something to do with it also. Every situation is different and after doing this for a very long time, I listen to my gut feelings. You also have to be careful who you work for.


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## fred54

I wasn't slamming you, I liked the article, I was merely pointing out the fact that the states are not much different in their requirements.


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## jlsconstruction

Same here


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## cabinetsnj

mdshunk said:


> I have watched his show several times. From what I can tell, he does know his stuff, but one thing about him troubles me. He seems to get so excited when he "discovers" deficiencies that many of us see on a fairly regular basis. I'd expect a more seasoned person to not seem so surprised and [over]react the way he does.


He may just be hamming it up for the show.


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## kowality

cabinetsnj said:


> He may just be hamming it up for the show.


That's what TV is all about. Reality TV is getting worse. Have you guys seen the Honey Boo Boo garbage? All I can say is Wow! Don't get me wrong...I think HonH has done an incredible job exposing what "Bad Contractors" can cause and educating the public. But this is a double edged sword because now they will believe *everything* Mike says. This can backfire someday if you go and bid a job or advise them on something and they say"That's not what Mike said" Not everything he says is correct especially when it comes to code. So some of you that are in love with him...please understand that I'm just generalizing because this could go on and on. Once again...He has raised awareness...has raised the bar and has done some wonderful things in the community. I have met and spoken with him and he's a darn nice fella and an incredible Human Being. :whistling


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## woodworkbykirk

honestly ive met holmes on a jobsite,, and i use to look up to him. when he first came on the air i had just started as an apprentice. but after 4 years i grew pretty tired of him.. the guy who actually does impress me is brian baumler of `diy disaster` `house of bryan`. he deserves the lime light` .. him hamming it up for the camera involves pranking on his apprentice no ragging other trades


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## MAULEMALL

kowality said:


> No matter what a person does, writes or says, people will read into it exactly what they want. I found that out when I expressed my opinion as a Contractor for 32 years. That's what writing and having blogs is all about. To tell you the truth, I spoke with him breifly Man to Man at a function and *he really doesn't give a rats ass what anyone thinks. He's a Millionaire, his children are looked after, he's having a blast and I respect him for his *achievements:clap::clap: and who he is. That's what I know young fella.
> Not everyone will agree and sometimes you will step on toes. It doesn't matter. I said my peice and now you have said yours. Carry on and have fun with what you do.:jester:


That just proves the point hes a phoney douchbag..

Ferk him.


I wouldn't piss up his ass if his guts were on fire.


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## MAULEMALL

woodworkbykirk said:


> honestly ive met holmes on a jobsite,, and i use to look up to him. when he first came on the air i had just started as an apprentice. but after 4 years i grew pretty tired of him.. the guy who actually does impress me is brian baumler of `diy disaster` `house of bryan`. he deserves the lime light` .. him hamming it up for the camera involves pranking on his apprentice no ragging other trades


D I Y disaster is the best...:thumbsup:


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## kowality

woodworkbykirk said:


> honestly ive met holmes on a jobsite,, and i use to look up to him. when he first came on the air i had just started as an apprentice. but after 4 years i grew pretty tired of him.. the guy who actually does impress me is brian baumler of `diy disaster` `house of bryan`. he deserves the lime light` .. him hamming it up for the camera involves pranking on his apprentice no ragging other trades[/:thumbup::thumbup:


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## Jdub2083

Do I think Holmes is over the top a lot of the time? Of course. Is it entertainment? Sure. I honestly have no problem with him. It is however annoying when I have a customer joke around about bringing him in to make sure things are up to his standards. Not that I care if he did, that joke is just played out. I really don't watch much of his stuff anymore, but I think one of the main reasons I think he gets bashed around here is he gets the no limit budget on every job that us real world contractors have wet dreams over. :whistling


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## Jdub2083

woodworkbykirk said:


> honestly ive met holmes on a jobsite,, and i use to look up to him. when he first came on the air i had just started as an apprentice. but after 4 years i grew pretty tired of him.. the guy who actually does impress me is brian baumler of `diy disaster` `house of bryan`. he deserves the lime light` .. him hamming it up for the camera involves pranking on his apprentice no ragging other trades



I like Brian too. Seems more down to earth than most TV personalities.


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## jlsconstruction

I was watching an episode last night trying to see if I could tell what screws he was putting in joist hangers. The home owner had gotten their basement finished, and he is going on and on about this and that. They come across where the previous contractor put the new set of stairs so he freaks out about everything they did wrong, then he adds atleast they used a joist hanger. The camera got a nice close up where they used drywall screws to hang it. He never said anything about the drywall screws. So I'm guessing he doesn't use the Simpson strong tie rated screws I was talking about the other day


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## kowality

Jdub2083 said:


> Do I think Holmes is over the top a lot of the time? Of course. Is it entertainment? Sure. I honestly have no problem with him. It is however annoying when I have a customer joke around about bringing him in to make sure things are up to his standards. Not that I care if he did, that joke is just played out. I really don't watch much of his stuff anymore, but I think one of the main reasons I think he gets bashed around here is he gets the no limit budget on every job that us real world contractors have wet dreams over. :whistling


Exactly.Those that have never worked TV or Film would not know how far the Producers are willing to bend in order to get ratings. You guys wouldn't believe it. The Contractors will donate time and materials just to be on the show. It's incredible exposure and doing that can get you some brownie points with Mike and his associates. There are also Product suppliers, vendors and other sponsors that make this happen. That's why he has no problem ripping everything to shreds and doing a premium custom job on every episode with the most expensive products on the market. What does he care...it's not his money. Imagine If you told every homeowner that this has to be the way. He's actually hurt the industry somewhat by doing this. Homeowners expectations are way out of line for the money they think should be spent.


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