Mike Holmes
Encyclopedia
Michael James Holmes is a Canadian professional contractor
. He is the host of television
show Holmes on Homes
, where he rescues homeowners from renovation
s gone wrong; and its successor TV series, Holmes Inspection
. He is also a judge on HGTV's show Handyman Superstar Challenge
; and its American counterpart All American Handyman
with Scott McGillivray
.
In 2006 Holmes started The Holmes Foundation after seeing a renovation that was so poorly done that he felt it was necessary for him to tear the house down and start again rather than try to repair the damage. The purpose of The Holmes Foundation is to encourage young people to enter the building trades as well as to assist those who have been impoverished by bad renovations. Mike is well known for his contribution to the international community through his work with SOS Children's Villages
.
In 2006 Mike Holmes was recognized in Canada’s House of Commons for his promotion of skilled trades and for his advocacy for improved building standards. He was acknowledged as an "extraordinary craftsperson" and "an accomplished master builder with a social conscience".
Holmes is the author of two successful books: the national bestseller Home Renovation with Canada’s Most Trusted Contractor and Holmes Inspection—Everything you Need to Know Before You Buy or Sell Your Home, as well as a weekly newspaper column carried in the public.
He is the national spokesperson for Skills Canada and for World Skills 2009 and is often invited to speak by professional organizations, such as the Canadian Safety Association of Ontario, the Ontario Building Inspectors Association and the Canadian Association of Home Inspectors.
In May 2010, Reader's Digest
's second annual survey named Mike Holmes as the second most widely trusted person in Canada.
, Holmes on Homes first started in 2001. Holmes on Homes was first conceived when Holmes approached the producers of the Just Ask Jon Eakes home improvement show on HGTV with the idea for a new kind of home improvement show. Although there were few submissions to the show initially, their number had ballooned by the fourth season. In one fourth season episode of the show, Holmes stated that he received hundreds of e-mails a week from people asking him for help.
In Canada, Holmes on Homes airs on HGTV Canada and BBC Canada. It airs in the US on HGTV
, in New Zealand
on The Living Channel, in Australia
on Lifestyle Home and in the United Kingdom
on Discovery Shed (formerly Discovery Real Time), in Germany on DMAX, and in South Africa on the Home Channel.
of New Orleans, to replace one destroyed during Hurricane Katrina
.
.
In the United States, the series debuted on HGTV
on Sunday, December 19, 2010.
Holmes has partnered with several home builders across Canada to develop the Holmes Approved Homes program. The program ensures that homeowners get a high-quality, durable home that’s built to exceed industry standards. The goal of the program is to raise the bar for home building to above minimum industry standards. Each home is inspected by Mike Holmes Inspections several times during the building process.
His company is developing "Wind Walk", the first Holmes Community, in southwest Alberta, a community of eco-friendly and sustainable homes with high standards for residential construction and design.
General contractor
A general contractor is responsible for the day-to-day oversight of a construction site, management of vendors and trades, and communication of information to involved parties throughout the course of a building project.-Description:...
. He is the host of television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
show Holmes on Homes
Holmes on Homes
Holmes on Homes is a Canadian television series featuring general contractor Mike Holmes visiting homeowners who are in need of help, mainly due to unsatisfactory home renovations performed by hired contractors....
, where he rescues homeowners from renovation
Renovation
Renovation is the process of improving a structure. Two prominent types of renovations are commercial and residential.-Process:The process of a renovation, however complex, can usually be broken down into several processes...
s gone wrong; and its successor TV series, Holmes Inspection
Holmes Inspection
Holmes Inspection is a 2009 Canadian home renovation series on HGTV, hosted by general contractor Mike Holmes. It is the third of Holmes' renovation series, following Holmes on Homes and Holmes in New Orleans. The format of the series is similar to those of his previous series Holmes on Homes,...
. He is also a judge on HGTV's show Handyman Superstar Challenge
Handyman Superstar Challenge
Handyman Superstar Challenge is a television game show on HGTV Canada, hosted by Karen Bertelsen...
; and its American counterpart All American Handyman
All American Handyman
All American Handyman is a HGTV reality competition show between a group of handymen and women. The show is hosted by Mike Holmes and Scott McGillivray.-Episodes:Episode 1: Hello Contestants, Goodbye Contestants...
with Scott McGillivray
Scott McGillivray
Scott McGillivray is a Canadian carpenter and television host.McGillivray is the host of Income Property, a home renovation show on Home & Garden Television . He is also a co-presenter on HGTV's show All American Handyman with Mike Holmes.McGillivray is a trained carpenter and could previously be...
.
Background
Mike Holmes learned his craft from his father, who started teaching him construction work when he was 6 years old. By the time he was 19, Holmes had started his first contracting company, with a crew of 13 employees. At 21, Holmes founded his own renovation company. He has run two companies during his 20-year contracting career. His three children, Amanda, Sherry and Mike Jr, have all worked on his shows.In 2006 Holmes started The Holmes Foundation after seeing a renovation that was so poorly done that he felt it was necessary for him to tear the house down and start again rather than try to repair the damage. The purpose of The Holmes Foundation is to encourage young people to enter the building trades as well as to assist those who have been impoverished by bad renovations. Mike is well known for his contribution to the international community through his work with SOS Children's Villages
SOS Children's Villages
SOS Children's Villages is an independent, non-governmental international development organisation which has been working to meet the needs and protect the interests and rights of children since 1949. It was founded by Hermann Gmeiner in Imst, Austria...
.
In 2006 Mike Holmes was recognized in Canada’s House of Commons for his promotion of skilled trades and for his advocacy for improved building standards. He was acknowledged as an "extraordinary craftsperson" and "an accomplished master builder with a social conscience".
Holmes is the author of two successful books: the national bestseller Home Renovation with Canada’s Most Trusted Contractor and Holmes Inspection—Everything you Need to Know Before You Buy or Sell Your Home, as well as a weekly newspaper column carried in the public.
He is the national spokesperson for Skills Canada and for World Skills 2009 and is often invited to speak by professional organizations, such as the Canadian Safety Association of Ontario, the Ontario Building Inspectors Association and the Canadian Association of Home Inspectors.
In May 2010, Reader's Digest
Reader's Digest
Reader's Digest is a general interest family magazine, published ten times annually. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, its headquarters is now in New York City. It was founded in 1922, by DeWitt Wallace and Lila Bell Wallace...
's second annual survey named Mike Holmes as the second most widely trusted person in Canada.
Holmes on Homes
Broadcast on HGTV CanadaHGTV Canada
HGTV is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel owned and operated by Shaw Media and Scripps Networks Interactive. It consists of programs regarding home and garden...
, Holmes on Homes first started in 2001. Holmes on Homes was first conceived when Holmes approached the producers of the Just Ask Jon Eakes home improvement show on HGTV with the idea for a new kind of home improvement show. Although there were few submissions to the show initially, their number had ballooned by the fourth season. In one fourth season episode of the show, Holmes stated that he received hundreds of e-mails a week from people asking him for help.
In Canada, Holmes on Homes airs on HGTV Canada and BBC Canada. It airs in the US on HGTV
HGTV
HGTV , is a cable-television network operating in the United States and Canada, broadcasting a variety of home and garden improvement, maintenance, renovation, craft and remodeling shows...
, in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
on The Living Channel, in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
on Lifestyle Home and in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
on Discovery Shed (formerly Discovery Real Time), in Germany on DMAX, and in South Africa on the Home Channel.
Holmes in New Orleans
Between the end of Holmes on Homes and the start of Holmes Inspection, Mike Holmes starred in a one season series on the construction of a new home in the Lower Ninth WardLower Ninth Ward
Lower Ninth Ward is a neighborhood of the city of New Orleans. As the name implies, it is part of the Ninth Ward of New Orleans. The Lower Ninth Ward is often thought of as the entire area within New Orleans downriver of the Industrial Canal; however, the City Planning Commission divides this...
of New Orleans, to replace one destroyed during Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
.
Holmes Inspection
Mike has begun a new series called Holmes Inspection that profiles home inspections gone wrong. Holmes Inspection started airing in fall 2009 on HGTV CanadaHGTV Canada
HGTV is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel owned and operated by Shaw Media and Scripps Networks Interactive. It consists of programs regarding home and garden...
.
In the United States, the series debuted on HGTV
HGTV
HGTV , is a cable-television network operating in the United States and Canada, broadcasting a variety of home and garden improvement, maintenance, renovation, craft and remodeling shows...
on Sunday, December 19, 2010.
Mike Holmes Inspections
In 2009 Mike launched Mike Holmes Inspections, a residential home inspection service. Mike's "Holmes Approved" Home Inspectors are currently inspecting houses across the Greater Toronto Area in Ontario and in the Calgary Area in Alberta.Holmes Homes
Through the Holmes Custom Home program homeowners work with selected builders and designers to create their preferred style of home while meeting Mike's tough standards for quality and sustainability.Holmes has partnered with several home builders across Canada to develop the Holmes Approved Homes program. The program ensures that homeowners get a high-quality, durable home that’s built to exceed industry standards. The goal of the program is to raise the bar for home building to above minimum industry standards. Each home is inspected by Mike Holmes Inspections several times during the building process.
His company is developing "Wind Walk", the first Holmes Community, in southwest Alberta, a community of eco-friendly and sustainable homes with high standards for residential construction and design.
Awards and accolades
- 2004 Gemini Awards - Viewers' Choice Award
- On February 21, 2008 Holmes was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Technology from the British Columbia Institute of TechnologyBritish Columbia Institute of TechnologyThe British Columbia Institute of Technology , is a public, coeducational, academic institution of higher education in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. The polytechnic has five campuses located in the Metro Vancouver region, with the main campus in Burnaby...
(BCIT). - 2009 Gemini Awards - Holmes in New Orleans: Best Lifestyle/Practical Information Series