EPIC Expo Preview: Mike Holmes – Make it Right

Comments 4 by Rebecca Bollwitt

I wrote this post by request (although it was my pleasure) for the happy frog and EPIC expo blogs

The man behind the crusade for the honest homeowner is Mike Holmes, and he’ll be on the main stage at the EPIC Sustainable Living Expo this Saturday.

For the last seven seasons I’ve tuned into HGTV‘s Holmes on Holmes to watch home renovation disasters be dismantled, torn apart, and re-done the right way.

“I was constantly being hired to do renovations a second time. I had to constantly fix bad work done by other so-called contractors. I hated doing things the second time and I hated the toll bad renovations took on families. Sometimes families spent their life savings trying to create their dream home and instead ended up with no occupancy permit…or a home full of mould…or a dirt foundation…or ice dams on the roof…or crumbling stucco. You name it, I saw all sorts of screw-ups.” [Holmes on Holmes]

The ultimate goal of Holmes on Holmes was to teach people to hire a reputable contractor to complete their projects. I admit, there’s no phrase uttered in Canadian television today that gets me more excited than, “we’re going to gut it!” Sledgehammers and crowbars in hand, the Holmes crew take their time, and bring in the right guys for the job. Showing up fully prepared for a challenge, full of Tim Horton’s coffee, some of the contractors and specialists who arrive on scene donate their own free time to help out the cause of the day.

“Trades people are absolutely critical to society but don’t always get the respect they deserve.” – Mike Holmes

Despite the amazing contributions by the Holmes on Holmes crew – arming homeowners with the knowledge they need to avoid devastating damages, financial woes and even court appearances with shoddy contractors – Mike felt that this was still too ‘small scale’. Kicking things off with the “Lien on Me” project in 2006, the Holmes Foundation was born.

The mission of The Holmes Foundation is to ensure that all residential renovation and construction in Canada is done right–the first time.

The Holmes Foundation will do this by partnering with schools, businesses and governments to raise the profile and reputation of all skilled trades in Canada, using Mike Holmes’ reputation to encourage young people to pursue careers in the skilled trades and to encourage employers to hire them. [Holmes Foundation]

Not only does Holmes ensure the job is done right, he also uses innovative energy efficient and sustainable methods in his homebuilding. His environmentally conscious efforts and unsurpassed expertise make him an innovator in his field. Also, it looks totally cool on TV when they’re applying that enviro-friendly spray foam insulation.

I’ve been a fan of his for years, even his coffee commercials made me chuckle, and I truly look forward to catching his talk this Saturday at 1:00pm.

Current Contests on Miss604
*All contests are open to residents of Canada only, unless otherwise stated. Contest timelines are published on each individual post along with entry methods. Some contests may only be open to those 19 years of age and older. Winners are announced on the contest blog posts. Contest policy »

4 Comments  —  Comments Are Closed

  1. TawcanWednesday, April 16th, 2008 — 2:14pm PDT

    Interesting I didn’t know the spray foam insulation is enviro-friendly.

    Mike Homes is awesome. I love his show. He’s also quite good in The Best Handyman show.

  2. JasonThursday, April 17th, 2008 — 2:05pm PDT

    I’ve possess a tremendous amount of [platonic] love for this man. Probably more than one heterosexual man to another should.

  3. Friday Fun Fest with Linkage Galore » Vancouver Blog Miss604Friday, April 18th, 2008 — 2:56pm PDT

    […] living expo will be taking place at the Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Centre. My goal? Meet Mike Holmes. My more realistic goal? To see some Vancouverites out and about, learning about sustainable […]

  4. Palmer MadaWednesday, May 12th, 2010 — 6:29pm PDT

    It is always nice to stumble on a little extra info for renovating (or thinking about it). If you are looking for some really good tips, I would also check Masterrenovator.com, the site is full of very good information on things you don’t usually think about.

Also on Miss604.com
«
»