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Mike Holmes on homes

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#103 ·
Well, I've stated this before, I have no problem with the thrust of the show. It has done a lot to educate the consumer about the pitfalls of hireing hacks.

That said, my beef is that holmes -IMO- degrades the carpentry trade when he goes on and on about making sure you hire licensed trades, and he hasn't even written his exams, but he's there working away as a carpenter. Hipocite!! Or should I say "hack"
 
#104 ·
katoman said:
That said, my beef is that holmes -IMO- degrades the carpentry trade when he goes on and on about making sure you hire licensed trades, and he hasn't even written his exams, but he's there working away as a carpenter. Hipocite!! Or should I say "hack"
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Puristically you're right, but I'd wager that more than 99% of the viewers aren't privy to that little detail. So in that sense, it's completely irrelevant.

My point is that he's done WAY more good than harm with the series, and for that I applaud him. :thumbsup:
 
#105 ·
Tinstaafl said:
Puristically you're right, but I'd wager that more than 99% of the viewers aren't privy to that little detail. So in that sense, it's completely irrelevant.

My point is that he's done WAY more good than harm with the series, and for that I applaud him. :thumbsup:
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No argument with that Tin. But it would have been so much better if he was a true carpenter, then he could have also told people how it is important to hire real carpenters.

I asked why he won't write his exams on his talk thread. Boy did I get a reaming by the "I love Mike" fans.

Seems they don't care either. But even Mike says -make sure you hire a real plumber/electrician/roofer/sider/..................

Just another nail in the coffin of the trade.
 
#108 ·
Five Star said:
I just like the fact that he goes to the extreme and opens up all kind of walls, basements, french drains, roofs for the slightest amout of water!!:thumbup: most of the time hes right though,

on show he brought in a guy with a thermal image camera, ripped the ladies entire kitchen out, oak floors, etc, and he still couldnt find the leak:no:
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I remember that show, with the leak, I thought he will end up taking the whole house down, he kept going and busting up the ladies house :no: you can see his dumbfounded look.:laughing:
 
#109 ·
The license carpenter thing is not a big deal as most parts of the US,if not all the area do not require a separate license to do carpentry work and the show is big in the US and so is HGTV, so maybe they don't want to make it's focus on canadian rules/regulations. by him saying hire licenses trades, to most homeowners in the US, that means simple, plumber, electrician, hvac possible. roofers don't need a special license here. but in NJ and PA, anyone working on home improvements needs a home improvement contractors license.(i believe that plumbers and electricians are excempt in at least NJ because they already have a license), where before, most contractors didn't unless they had gone to get their builders license.
 
#112 ·
Getting back to the HIC license in NJ. The only thing they've done to enforce is you have to show your license to get a permits app. They don't enforce it. All this law did was make it harder on guys already playing by the rules. How many trucks do you see without the license on it as the law says you have to do? Guys, we're probably in the most UNregulated business in the country.
 
#113 ·
Tinstaafl said:
Just to pick a nit, PA doesn't have HIC licensing, just registration. I have yet to see a homeowner ask for it, but you won't pull a permit without it.
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my bad, i know i had to fill out the forms online, didn't realize it wasn't a license as it looks just like the one i have from NJ. i guess they just call them different things. either way they get money from us and keep track of who's doing what.
we can't pull permits here without the HIC license.
 
#114 ·
(looking around in the air) number on my truck? hmmm i know i need it, but like you said, no one enforces it, so i just keep procrastinating getting it lettered like that. lol. it's just a money maker for the state, they get everyone (just about) to give them what is it, 75 bucks a year, every year!
 
#115 ·
had to pick axmen over mr. holmes.

rather watch guys bickering like little girls for an hour that some guy tearing apart a house.

to clear up the plate to concrete fastening......... don't want to look like a hack.... I GLUE and use a mechanical fasenting device. Either red heds or ram sets pins. BUT my problem is 95% of all concrete floors I deal with have heat tubes in them which is a risk..... to say the least.

As far as crappy building inspectors on his show. (or in canada) The one episode I did watch had no access to the jetted tub (ie able to reach the motor and the GFIs, with ease) and the jets and heater were on one circuit. I am not a plumber or an electician but I've dealt with enough jetted tubs to know the code. If our building department showed up for a CO inspection then they would have flunked us.
 
#117 ·
bwalley said:
I never saw any hack work on this Old House, I haven't seen Tom Silva or Norm Abrams hack anything, but I have seen holmes hack things.

The husband and wife team Dean and Miriam Johnson are pretty good and they seem more knowledgable than holmes.

The guy made a name for himself and that is great, but he is not the contracting guru he or his followers think he is.
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Not to hijack, but is TOH still making episodes? I have learned a lot of good tricks from that show.
 
#118 ·
mikec said:
All the DIY shows suck in my opinion. They make upper middle class pencil pushers think remodeling can be done by anyone. Y
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"Real Renovations" on DIY network. Those are awesome.

Weekend Carpenter Wannabe convinces his wife (or mother) he can do a job in X days for under X dollars.

They RARELY finish the project, let alone get it in under budget. And the entire time the wife and husband are grousing at each other.

It's the best.:clap:
 
#119 ·
katoman said:
That said, my beef is that holmes -IMO- degrades the carpentry trade when he goes on and on about making sure you hire licensed trades, and he hasn't even written his exams, but he's there working away as a carpenter. Hipocite!! Or should I say "hack"
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I've only seen about a dozen shows, but I don't think I've ever seen him do any actual carpentry.

Usually they show him doing demolition or taking a few cranks on a jack. Maybe doing the final pass with the finish trowel on a concrete curb, or helping guys drop a beam into place then checking the bubble on the whiskey stick after someone (else) nailed it off. That kind of stuff.
 
#120 · (Edited)
katoman said:
Well, I've stated this before, I have no problem with the thrust of the show. It has done a lot to educate the consumer about the pitfalls of hireing hacks.

That said, my beef is that holmes -IMO- degrades the carpentry trade when he goes on and on about making sure you hire licensed trades, and he hasn't even written his exams, but he's there working away as a carpenter. Hipocite!! Or should I say "hack"
Click to expand...
I agree with you Katoman, he shows great deal of disrespect not only to the trade, but disregard for people's property.
I think that show is scarring more HO hiring good contractors, then actually educating them. Yes, there is hacks out there who don't know what they doing,and so is doctors, and so is every other trade. You get what you pay for in most cases, and everyone with common sense should know, when you hire someone, they should be insured and licensed.
This guy comes into a home,dressed like a bum, he cannot identify a simple problem or find a solution to fix that problem with minimal destruction to surrounding area, and his only solution is to rip up half of the house and put a HO to face major remodeling and major expense, just to prove the other guy was no good. That is the shows main goal.
The last show, with the water under the floor. He took the whole kitchen apart and found nothing.Took all the hardwood out,found nothing. Called Thermal Imaging guys, and did you see the guys faces when they came in :laughing: "Holly S^*t, is this guy nuts or what :eek:" was written all over theirs face.
There was water staining behind the refrigirator...there was a copper water line for the ice maker, it could have been from condensation,or the old ref was leaking,etc After the kitchen was remodeled, there was no problems anymore. So what this guy does, he starts on the roof and works his way down, and after he took the whole kitchen apart, including,granite, hardwood floors, and found no problems, he started to drill holes in the concrete :eek: and there was no problems, so he blamed on the plastic.
This guy is a class act moron, and most of the crew, who cannot put a sentence together, walk around behind him, and "yes" him to death, as if "yes" the only word they know.
 
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