canadians - Contractor Talk - Professional Construction and Remodeling Forum

nlgutters · 01-22-2008, 06:24 PM

do you guys watch mike holmes up there? is it normal for you guys to where overalls with a wife beater when it is -20

Chris G · 01-22-2008, 06:37 PM

He's a melodramatic Neanderthal. He would tear a house down to fix a leaky faucet. But hey, it's tv and drama sells. I run into Shawn (his old foreman) every once in a while, and we'll chat for a bit. He was let go about a year or so ago, and I haven't the nerve to ask him why. In any event, Shawn's estimating skills are almost non-existant. He way underbid a shed when I last saw him. I was shocked that he was so far off. I mean, really far off.

I have a feeling Mike Holmes is just a tv contractor, like Marcus Welby is a tv doctor. I think he used be a tile setter. Don't know. He may never have bid on a real job in his life, so maybe it's no surprise that he couldn't teach Shawn anything about the business.

taper71 · 01-22-2008, 06:39 PM

I do not watch him, but I do know that it is against OH&S regulations to where a wife beater on site. Shoulders must be covered by a minimum of a t-shirt.

mickeyco · 01-22-2008, 06:42 PM

These guys are kiddin' you, most Canadians are wacky, it's all the cold weather that does it to them, I think.

nlgutters · 01-22-2008, 06:58 PM

i bet if he wasnt gay he would be diddling the 17 year old blonde girl.

really the guy is one hell of a salesman. really if you can go inn for a
$1000 roofing job and end up putting on a 3rd story because the insulation wasnt right on the 2nd story. your good.

BuildingHomes · 01-22-2008, 11:21 PM

I have watched most of the shows. The stuff that he uncovers resembles what a lot of you post on here about jacklegs and hacks. So it's pretty interesting for that part.

He does go overboard on a lot of things. If houses were built the way that he 'fixes' them, then the house would cost 10 times as much.

My guess is Shawn had a difference of opinion and so Mike brought Damon up who seems very agreeable to whatever Mike says. But also notice he got rid of Dan the plumber and pretty much everyone else over the last 2 years.

And if I recall correctly, Pinky/Corin is 22, not 17

boman47k · 01-23-2008, 12:18 AM

I wonder how many studs/joists he has hit knocking holes in the drywall with his fist. Also wonder if it is real drywall he is hitting. Does not look like he is hitting it hard enough to go through 1/2" rock, or what what may eb 5/8' there. Shawn may have been getting a little free with explaining some things, thereby coming across as threat to someone's limelight.

Patrick · 01-23-2008, 12:50 AM

+ YouTube Video

Heritage · 01-23-2008, 01:05 AM

I'm pretty sick and tired of going on estimates and having the HO's say something...at some point about Mike Holmes

"We love Mike Holmes"

Woopdie friggin doo

There are other contractors in this world...not all of us make a living raggin' on other people's work.

He craps all over this industry by making it seem that every contractor that is not M.H. (and his crew) are dirty incompetent scumbags.

Yes...yess...only M.H. and his endlessly deep pocketed clients can build properly.

M.H.-"These 2*4's are sufficient up to code, but I like to take them down and put up triple LVL's...beef it up"

HO-"Oh Mike, you're the greatest"

Him and his obsession with radiant floor heating.

Last show of his I watched a HO complained about cracks in her tiles on her newly built home...so the Professor did what I would estimate to be 40k worth of work to eliminate the "cracked tiles"...Do tell...who the heck would dish out 40k to eliminate "cracked tiles" on a 300k house? Douche!

New ply, cement backerboard, tile...5k done, tyvm.

He ain't no Bob Villa Illtellyadatmuch!

wallmaxx · 01-23-2008, 01:11 AM

My wife just read this thread over my shoulder...

She asked if Holmes was just a CDN version of Bob Vila...a tv guy that doesn't know jack.

How dare her?

The Bob Vila line of 12v cordless tools is waaaay cool...I think it was on the shopping channel, battery died or something like that.

BuildingHomes · 01-23-2008, 09:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wallmaxx

The Bob Vila line of 12v cordless tools is waaaay cool...I think it was on the shopping channel, battery died or something like that.

Holmes show is supplied by DeWalt.. so lots of yellow all over the show

RobertCDF · 01-23-2008, 09:45 AM

Celtic, that video was a hoot.

Stone Mountain · 01-23-2008, 01:18 PM

There have been a few articles in the local press about Mikey. I have also watched most of his shows.
1] He shows off his bare arms because they look good on camera.
2] There are, as far as I know, no rules about working on a site with bare shoulders.
3] Mike is actually a real contractor. He started off as a framer, I beleive, and got into contracting. The show was sort of an accident.
4] Having watched many of his shows, I will agree that he overdoes it. But don't forget, this is TV we're watching, and there has to be a good storey there, exaggerated or not.
5] The work does not get done for free. When he starts a project, the homeowner has agreed to pay a percentage of the work. In many cases, the material, tools, fixtures, whatever are donated or sold at a reduced price to the homeowner. This is why so many upgrades get done.
6] Finally, Mike is not God. I have seen several of his shows where mistakes are made.
-In one show, he took down and rebuilt a precast concrete block retaining wall on a coner property, but put it right against the sidewalk, which made it 3 feet over the property line. Mike later had to go and rip it down and rebuild it, completely.
-One show depicted the construction of an entire block of wood fencing. The way he went about it, with regards to organizing the neighbours, etc, and many of the techniques and suggestions he told the audience were out of line, unrealistic, or just plain wrong.
-Another show had him rebuilding a rooftop deck for a sorority house. The deck looked great, but parts of the railing were blatantly against code.
-a third deck had a large lower deck built on deck blocks. This supported a very small upper deck. I wouldn't ordinarily build a deck of over 200 sq ft on deck blocks, 2 feet above grade. I'd use concrete footings, drilled below frost line.
-Finally, he did a small 2 storey deck out of cedar. They used continuous 6x6 posts from grade right up to the upper deck, cutting notches into the 6x6 for the lower level beam. I don't know your opinion, but I wouldn't cut a 3 1/2" deep notch into a 6x6 for a beam. Wouln't that compromise the strength of the post? He also uses a lot of screws to fasten together joists and such. Don't galvanized nails have more shear strength? We mowstly use screws for decking and where mandated by code for railings.

So, He is not God. But the public doesn't care, because the story is good.

Murphy · 01-23-2008, 01:49 PM

I love when he starts thowing 3" screws everywhere with no regard for what is under flooring or behind walls.
I have noticed his crew changes a lot.

I love at the end of every show there are 12 contractors running around finishing everything. Then when he talks to the home owners He is constantly saying look what "I" did here look what "I" did there.

He must have done something right though because homeowners love that show.
Murph

George Z · 01-23-2008, 04:41 PM

And let's not forget he is the posterboy for the Devil

BuildingHomes · 01-23-2008, 05:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by George Z

And let's not forget he is the posterboy for the Devil

Haven't you noticed he seems to be missing from their ads these days? I haven't seen him in any of HDs print ads and I haven't seen his picture in any of the stores either. Maybe he finally learned that a lot of their 'pro' install services aren't always that pro.

Other gripes, I saw he re-hung a GDO in someones garage.. badly.

There was another show where he was fixing a foundation wall and while digging he griped about the air conditioner being on a pad at the side of the house instead of being secured to the wall.. saying "Securing it to the wall is better!" Ya sure Mike, when you don't have to live in the house and listen to it vibrate your wall.

He's now got some sort of Long Distance plan going too. His agent must be rolling in the dough.

fathersonfab · 01-23-2008, 06:13 PM

I used to watch Holmes on Homes, but got bored with it pretty quickly. He's a loud mouthed, blow-hard. But, before I even knew the show was Canadian, I could tell instantly he was a Canuk. My parents are both Canadian and most of my extended family still lives in St. Thomas, Ontario and Halifax, Nova Scotia

Even though I was born and raised in SoCal, I can spot a Canuk a mile away. My cousin emailed me this funny list. I can't show it to my friends cuz they don't get it. So this looks like the perfect post to share it in.

You might be Canadian if...

You dismiss all beers under 6% as "for children and the elderly."
You know what "Gratuit", "Prix" and "Sans sucre ajouté" means while eating your favorite breakfast cereal.
Your gravy boat is shaped like the Bluenose.
You know what "Timbits" are.
You're not offended by the term "HOMO MILK"
You eat chocolate bars, not candy bars.
You drink Pop, not Soda.
You know what a Loonie is.
You have "Canadian Tire" money in your kitchen drawers.
You know that the last letter of the English alphabet is always pronounced "Zed"
You are in grade 12, not the 12th grade.
You understand the phrase "Could you pass me a serviette, I just dropped my poutine, on the chesterfield."
"Eh?" is a very important part of your vocabulary.
You call it a BUN not a "Roll"
You eat porridge, not oatmeal.
You wear a cap, not a hat.
You sit on a chesterfield not a couch - that's a small town in Quebec!
You know that Canadian Tire on any Saturday is busier than the toy stores before Christmas.
You attend a formal in your best clothes, your finest jeweler and your Sorrels.
You know what Sorrels are.
Back Bacon and Kraft Dinner are two of your favourite food groups.
You have no idea what it is about Back Bacon that make Americans think it's "Canadian".
You think "Black" jokes are offensive, but Newfie jokes are funny.
You probably have a car, and a place in the garage to plug it in.
You say "aboot" instead of "about".
You get milk in bags as well as cartons and plastic jugs.
You know what a Robertson screwdriver is.
You are excited whenever an American television show mentions Canada.
You can sing and do all the hand motions for "Skin-a-ma-rinky-dinky-doo".

Chris Johnson · 01-23-2008, 06:24 PM

I was/am Canadian and I understand the list fully

You should add to the list all signs in a certain province are French first, English second and the English is the smaller of the two languages....mind you that's pretty much the same as most of California only with Spanish

BuildingHomes · 01-23-2008, 06:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fathersonfab

my extended family still lives in St. Thomas, Ontario

Nice town. I knew the city planner there pretty well. I'm from London.

Brock · 01-23-2008, 06:29 PM

I have never heard of the guy, but from the you tube video he appears to be excessively gay. I would not be interested in hiring him for my crew. I do however like Norm Abrams from This Old House.