- Mike Holmes
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For other people named Mike Holmes, see Mike Holmes (disambiguation).
Mike Holmes 
Born Michael James Holmes
August 3, 1963
Halton Hills, Ontario, CanadaOccupation General Contractor, Television host Height 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 m) Children 3 Michael James Holmes (born 3 August 1963) is a Canadian professional contractor. He is the host of television show Holmes on Homes, where he rescues homeowners from renovations 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.
Contents
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.[1] 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".[2]
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.[3][4]
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.[5]
Television series
Holmes on Homes
Main article: Holmes on HomesBroadcast on HGTV 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.
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 Ward of New Orleans, to replace one destroyed during Hurricane Katrina.[6]
Holmes Inspection
Main article: Holmes InspectionMike has begun a new series called Holmes Inspection that profiles home inspections gone wrong. Holmes Inspection started airing in fall 2009 on HGTV Canada.[7]
In the United States, the series debuted on HGTV on Sunday, December 19, 2010.
Business
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.[8]
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,[9] a community of eco-friendly and sustainable homes with high standards for residential construction and design.[10]
Awards and accolades
- 2004 Gemini Awards - Viewers' Choice Award [11]
- On February 21, 2008 Holmes was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Technology from the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT).[12]
- 2009 Gemini Awards - Holmes in New Orleans: Best Lifestyle/Practical Information Series
Publications
- Holmes, Mike (2010), Make It Right: Kitchens and Bathrooms, HarperCollins Canada, ISBN 1554680336, http://browseinside.harpercollins.ca/index.aspx?isbn13=9781554680337
- Holmes, Mike (2009), Make It Right:Attics and Basements, HarperCollins Canada, ISBN 155468031X
- Holmes, Mike (2008), The Holmes Inspection:Everything You Need to Know Before You Buy Or Sell Your Home, HarperCollins Canada, ISBN 1554680433, http://browseinside.harpercollins.ca/index.aspx?isbn13=9781554680436
- Holmes, Mike (2006), Make it Right : Inside Home Renovation with Canada's Most Trusted Contractor, HarperCollins Canada, ISBN 0002008130, http://browseinside.harpercollins.ca/index.aspx?isbn13=9780002006286
References
- ^ "Make It Right". The Holmes Foundation. http://makeitright.ca/Holmes_Foundation/. Retrieved 2011-04-14.
- ^ "Official Report * Table of Contents * Number 072 (Official Version)". .parl.gc.ca. http://www2.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?DocId=2449784&Language=E&Mode=1&Parl=39&Ses=1. Retrieved 2010-12-10.
- ^ "Make it Right-Inside". Holmesonhomes.com. http://holmesonhomes.com/makeitright/Holmes_Products/product_info.php?cPath=29&products_id=480. Retrieved 2010-12-10.
- ^ "Holmes Products". Holmesonhomes.com. http://holmesonhomes.com/makeitright/Holmes_Products/product_info.php?cPath=29&products_id=479. Retrieved 2010-12-10.
- ^ "Mike Holmes: Making it Right | Reader's Digest Canada". Readersdigest.ca. http://www.readersdigest.ca/specialfeatures/trustsurvey/cms/xcms/mike-holmes--making-it-right_3727_a.html. Retrieved 2010-12-10.
- ^ http://makeitright.ca/Holmes_Media/Holmes_New_Orleans/
- ^ "Accessed January 20, 2009". Holmesonhomes.com. http://www.holmesonhomes.com/makeitright/Mike_Holmes_Online/. Retrieved 2010-12-10.
- ^ "Quality Home Inspections". Mike Holmes Inspections. http://www.mikeholmesinspections.com. Retrieved 2010-12-10.
- ^ "Holmes Homes | Quality Sustainable Homes & Communities". Windwalk.ca. http://www.windwalk.ca. Retrieved 2010-12-10.
- ^ "Holmes Homes | Quality Sustainable Homes & Communities | Holmes Communities". Holmeshomes.ca. http://holmeshomes.ca/holmes-communities. Retrieved 2010-12-10.
- ^ "accessed August 29, 2009". Academy.ca. http://www.academy.ca/hist/history.cfm?categid=20896&shownum=19&winonly=1&awards=2&rtype=5&curstep=4. Retrieved 2010-12-10.
- ^ Canada. "accessed February 23, 2008". Bcit.ca. http://www.bcit.ca/news/releases/newsrelease02210800000001.shtml. Retrieved 2010-12-10.
External links
Categories:- Canadian people of Scottish descent
- Participants in Canadian reality television series
- People from Halton Region, Ontario
- 1963 births
- Living people
- Real estate in Canada
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