# What would Holmes on Homes say about most of your work?



## duckdown (Dec 16, 2008)

Let's face it, the vast majority of contractors are average and take shortcuts in order to finish the job. TV Shows such as Holmes on Homes proves out how bad our professional really is when it comes to producing shoddy work. 

Are we the only profession that finds joy in others doing shoddy work so that we can follow behind them and redo the job that should have been done right the first time? What would Holmes on Homes say about your last job?


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## the big 12 inch (Jan 22, 2009)

I think its just a Canadian issue...:laughing:


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## angus242 (Oct 20, 2007)

duckdown said:


> What would Holmes on Homes say about your last job?


Hmm, considering I saw an episode of his last night where he was redoing a 2nd story bathroom and saw him do a no-no, I really don't care what he'd say.

Screwing a second layer of plywood flooring directly into the joists? Make it right...just not all the way right


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## kevjob (Aug 14, 2006)

I love how they screw everything together! framing additions with deck screws?:blink:


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## genecarp (Mar 16, 2008)

He would say it was a mess, just for the good of his show of coarse.GMOD


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## outlaw (Jan 7, 2009)

Its good TV. Thats it. Its does help educate some home owners as to what can go wrong. Mike Holmes is no more expert than the dude from This Old House. He does have some pretty good subs.


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## The Coastal Craftsman (Jun 29, 2009)

It is a good show. I have seen a couple of handy tricks that i never knew about but what gets me more than anything is he never tells you the price of the job. He goes on about how you should get it done properly and have all these so called experts come in but he never lets on to cost. It's all well and good hiring the best of the best but most people cant afford to do that and thats the exact reason these people on these shows have their problems. They went for cheapest price!

Surprisingly some people are happy with getting bad quality as long as it saves them money. This would go with anything you buy from shoes, cars, boats and everything else thats sold. But when people expect perfection for peanuts then thats when problems arrive.


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## bwalley (Jan 7, 2009)

duckdown said:


> Let's face it, the vast majority of contractors are average and take shortcuts in order to finish the job. TV Shows such as Holmes on Homes proves out how bad our professional really is when it comes to producing shoddy work.
> 
> Are we the only profession that finds joy in others doing shoddy work so that we can follow behind them and redo the job that should have been done right the first time? What would Holmes on Homes say about your last job?


I have seen him do some hack work on his TV shows.

Holmes is not qualified to speak about my jobs as he is not licensed in the trades that I am in, he has a good gig on TV, but it is just entertainment and he is playing to an audience, he is not in the real world.


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## Cjeff (Dec 14, 2009)

Saw a show where he replaced a bow window that was horribly installed, when done he also replaced the electrical panel? Why? What did that have to do with the window? Nothing that I could see.


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## welterweight (Nov 10, 2009)

that guy Holmes should lean on the home owner a little bit. after all,the home owner has to take 75% of the blame..why? because 90% of the time when shoddy work is done,its the contractor who came in at the lowest price. the home owner only cared about price and they got stung. the show should be called "holmes on the lowest bid" .


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## jarvis design (May 6, 2008)

Holmes on Homes chooses the products they install based on how much that supplier is willing to pay. And while he does a good job most of the time, shouldn't he, the profound expert, do a great job all the time?


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## Gus Dering (Oct 14, 2008)

He would say " Oh crap, with work like this I'm out of a sweet gig" :laughing:

I like Mike. I think his heart is in the right place and does a good job. But it is fantasy TV land.


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## Steve Richards (Mar 7, 2006)

He'd tell me I'm a hack.

Then I'd smile nicely for the camera, because I've never been on TV before.


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## fast fred (Sep 26, 2008)

we would fight all day long i'd be egging him on just for the sake of egging him on he's so calm and together I'd like to get him all riled up so he'd explode


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## D.Foster (Sep 13, 2008)

He wouldnt need to be called to one of my jobs:thumbsup:


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## BuiltByMAC (Mar 11, 2006)

w.w.mh.d.? 

His opinion of my work doesn't matter to me. 
I'm more interested in what some of the deck builders here have to say about my work than what an home improvement actor thinks.

Mac


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## olligator (Nov 23, 2007)

Agreed that it's good TV material, but yes, the homeowner needs to eat some of the blame for getting what they paid for.

I'd get a kick out of seeing him down here on some of these high-end condos though: "Sorry Mike, we're on the 29th floor... ...No we can't use your engineered wood trusses 12" OC anywhere... ...No deck screws allowed buddy... ...I know the toilet is ugly, but the one you want to install didn't meet EPA, RRP install, Miami-Dade County, State of Florida, NEC, ASCM 7-05, City of Miami Beach, ADA, IFC, HVHZ, or USGBC product approval... ...Se habla espanol?"


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## Willie T (Jan 29, 2009)

BuiltByMAC said:


> *home improvement actor*
> 
> Mac


I love it! :clap: :whistling :thumbup:


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## tbronson (Feb 22, 2010)

I wouldn't give two turds as to what he had to say about my guy's work or mine. His sub's in my trade on the other hand I would be interested in hearing from if they are worth their salt. I would also love to be one of his "go to" sub's on the show. I am guessing they get a snout full of work based on it ergo why they are on the show.


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## JumboJack (Aug 14, 2007)

duckdown said:


> Let's face it, the vast majority of contractors are average and take shortcuts in order to finish the job. TV Shows such as Holmes on Homes proves out how bad our professional really is when it comes to producing shoddy work.
> 
> Are we the only profession that finds joy in others doing shoddy work so that we can follow behind them and redo the job that should have been done right the first time? What would Holmes on Homes say about your last job?


Speak for yourself......

Mike comes across the absolute worst of the worst work in most cases.
And as someone else said most of the HO's surely went with the lowest priced guy.


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## Tom Struble (Mar 2, 2007)

good enough?:turned:


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## Tinstaafl (Jan 6, 2008)

Parallelivity? :blink:


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## Tom Struble (Mar 2, 2007)

ok you win...:notworthy


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## rselectric1 (Sep 20, 2009)

480sparky said:


> Ask Mike.
> 
> Live Chat.


OK, 480 provided the link. Just to be fair, does anyone have any issues with me inviting him here?

Here is the type of question I will ask:


Mike,

I am a moderator for one of the largest contractor internet forums in the US and would like to extend to you the opportunity to participate. We would be honored to have you as a member at ContractorTalk.com.

Most of your efforts and your show are widely applauded by legitimate contractors due to the fact that you point out the importance in hiring legitimate and seasoned contractors. The violations you and your editors show on camera speak volumes to the importance of using those of us who are honest, legitimate, and truly place the homeowners best interest and their safety first and foremost.

Should you agree to post (as yourself) in our forum, there are some who might challenge some of your methods, so please be prepared to answer any questions that might arise without prejudice.


CT regs, what do you think? I'm willing to at least send the message.
Thoughts?


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## 480sparky (Feb 1, 2009)

rselectric1 said:


> OK, 480 provided the link. Just to be fair, does anyone have any issues with me inviting him here?............



I don't.

But, OTOH, he may already be a member here. :whistling


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## angus242 (Oct 20, 2007)

rselectric1 said:


> CT regs, what do you think? I'm willing to at least send the message.
> Thoughts?


He'll probably want payment to join.


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## Tinstaafl (Jan 6, 2008)

Go for it, Ron. But I'd be surprised if he showed up. He's done with that gig, and really would have nothing to gain by coming here and using up his time sparring with everyone. And 480 could well be right.


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## rselectric1 (Sep 20, 2009)

angus242 said:


> He'll probably want payment to join.


No special rules should apply. Just a simple invite.

If he gets out of line-he gets banned. :laughing:


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## Jeff G (Apr 5, 2010)

Tinstaafl said:


> Go for it, Ron. But I'd be surprised if he showed up. He's done with that gig, and really would have nothing to gain by coming here and using up his time sparring with everyone. And 480 could well be right.


Wait, his gig with Holmes on Homes is up?

I would like to see him around the halls of CT - for starters I would ask what type of screw does he use that gives him as good or better shearing strength than a nail? but that would just be a start.

I vote for go for it, and hopefully he will join in on the fun festivities.


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## Gus Dering (Oct 14, 2008)

rselectric1 said:


> OK, 480 provided the link. Just to be fair, does anyone have any issues with me inviting him here?
> 
> Here is the type of question I will ask:
> 
> ...


Send it.

What do we have to lose?


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## Tinstaafl (Jan 6, 2008)

Jeff G said:


> Wait, his gig with Holmes on Homes is up?


Yep. I think it's been at least a year since the last new show. Quite understandable, really. There are only so many permutations of "doing it right" before you get really repetitive, and that'll kill ratings faster than... uh, a really fast thing.


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## rselectric1 (Sep 20, 2009)

Gus Dering said:


> Send it.
> 
> What do we have to lose?


That's all I needed Gus!

It's been sent!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## BrianFox (Apr 6, 2009)

Level and true like Leo said.

typically I only use the word true when Im building or straightening the wheels for my bike. On the "truing" stand.

I do love "good enough"...LMAO :laughing:


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## rselectric1 (Sep 20, 2009)

BTW-If, on the off chance he really does show up (or someone decides to pull a fake), be polite!

The moderator panel has tools to trace IP addresses and verify things.

Fair warning.:thumbsup:


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## coveinspiration (Jul 6, 2009)

My father lives in Toronto and says he's not well liked there which is no surprise. Too many customers are concerned with the bottom line more than anything else. However, they still want quality. You go to these people and give them a fair quote to get the job done right and they run away to craigslist looking for some inexperienced fool to do the work. When they get a quote they like they think they have gotten a fair price. The reality is they're about to pay the ultimate price for being too cheap. 

I do tile work and nothing else now. I went from doing interior reno's to selling mosaic tiles and doing installs. Too often I got calls for jobs that were out of my league. I get stressed out easy and didn't want to be part of anything over my head. Keeping specialized has been really good. I always feel like I'm making good calls when doing a tile job. If someone asks me to build a deck I might do a good job, but I don't like the room for error since it's out of my expertise. 

Mr. Homes can come by and look at my work anytime.


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## tbronson (Feb 22, 2010)

Three things come to mind since I have recently been watching the show because its kid safe (my kid loves the show and compares him to Builder Bob) and because its been generating a bunch of traffic here.

1st is I hear him all the time telling the HO and/or the camera this is a $***,*** job

2nd I saw one of the earlier shows where he said the sub's donate their time but materials are paid for. Anyone know if that's changed?

3rd isn't he doing home inspections now?


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## tedanderson (May 19, 2010)

What would HOH say about my last job?

"Come on, guys. Let's go to the next house. There's nothing here that we can make better."

But in addition to the unrealistic low cost factor that they want the audience to perceive, they also give us a bad name with the time factor. Most times on these makeover shows, it takes weeks, sometimes months to finish the job and do it right but they make it look as if it can be done in one weekend.


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## Tinstaafl (Jan 6, 2008)

tbronson said:


> 2nd I saw one of the earlier shows where he said the sub's donate their time but materials are paid for. Anyone know if that's changed?


I believe I've seen just about every show in the series. In some of them, it's pretty obvious that the sponsors, Mike and the subs are footing the bill, and the HO pays nothing. But in others, it's mentioned flat out that the HO can't afford what Mike would _like_ to do.

My take is that any given show in the entire series could be a job totally free to the HO, or nearly 100% billable. It just depends on how all the factors come together--HO neediness, sponsor willingness, viewer appeal of the project and so forth. They pretty much run the gamut.


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## loneframer (Feb 13, 2009)

Mike?.....Mike?.......Somebody let me know when Mike Holmes gets here, will ya?:thumbsup:


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## tbronson (Feb 22, 2010)

Tinstaafl said:


> I believe I've seen just about every show in the series. In some of them, it's pretty obvious that the sponsors, Mike and the subs are footing the bill, and the HO pays nothing. But in others, it's mentioned flat out that the HO can't afford what Mike would _like_ to do.
> 
> My take is that any given show in the entire series could be a job totally free to the HO, or nearly 100% billable. It just depends on how all the factors come together--HO neediness, sponsor willingness, viewer appeal of the project and so forth. They pretty much run the gamut.


Huh. Good to know. Thank you. I see what he and/or his crew does and sometimes I am left alternately...

Scratching my head because while I am not in the X trade that just can't be right; 

Yelling at the TV because while I am not in the X trade that just can't be right;

Laughing because while I am not in the X trade that just can't be right;

Thinking to myself that's pretty slick or wow I didn't know that! Good to know! 

I am going to have to look him up a bit and maybe even stalk him on Google. I know he did some major charity work down in New Orleans after Katrina as a part of Habitat for Humanity or some such.


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## stonelayer (Feb 21, 2009)

I know he did some major charity work down in New Orleans after Katrina as a part of Habitat for Humanity or some such.[/quote said:


> So, thats why there was a screw shortage here in Ky. during katrina. I get it now, I'm glad that has finally come to a head.


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## loneframer (Feb 13, 2009)

Tinstaafl said:


> Yep. I think it's been at least a year since the last new show. Quite understandable, really. *There are only so many permutations of "doing it right" before you get really repetitive, and that'll kill ratings faster than... uh, a really fast thing.*


 :w00t::laughing: That's funnier than...., well, something really funny.:thumbup:


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## sdh1969 (Feb 1, 2010)

Just a little lipstick and mascare. and will give it back, He always has caulk gun in his hand at the end,


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## Magnettica (Dec 19, 2006)

Mike Holmes would approve of my work, I am confident of that.


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## dprimc (Mar 13, 2009)

Guess the show is over cause they couldn't find anymore jobs that could be done with all Dewalt tools.

Seriosly, I think Mike is a decent guy, but in the real world contractors use tools because they perform the job needed at the required specs, and are cost effective, not because they are getting paid by a sponsor.

I think we could all do better work with an unlimitted budget and no need to ask the customer what they want or are willing to pay for.

If it was just a matter of fixing everything we ever saw that was wrong on someone elses dime, it would be a different game entirely....a game called reality, not reality TV.


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## tbronson (Feb 22, 2010)

stonelayer said:


> So, thats why there was a screw shortage here in Ky. during katrina. I get it now, I'm glad that has finally come to a head.


:laughing: Yep. That's the reason.


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## tbronson (Feb 22, 2010)

sdh1969 said:


> Just a little lipstick and mascare. and will give it back, He always has caulk gun in his hand at the end,


I noticed that too... I think he has some kind of caulk fetish or something.


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## algernon (Dec 31, 2008)

He loves the caulk.


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