Three Things You Didn’t Know About Mike Holmes (Unless You Read The Holmes Spot)

A few weeks ago, Mike Holmes had a super busy day promoting his latest and most comprehensive book to date The Holmes Manual (See Mike's Super Busy Day Promoting His New Book for more information and photos). Part of his super busy day included sitting down in front of a packed house for a live interview at First Canadian Place with Canadian Living's Brett Walther. Brett stated that he felt the need to "be prepared" to interview Mike. Gee, I wonder if part of his research was done right here on this blog? Maybe. Probably, thanks to Google. But what Brett couldn't prepare for was what a cool dude Mike Holmes turned out to be. During the interview he conducted, Brett learned three things about Mike that he hadn't known before. Here are the three things you probably didn't know about Mike Holmes, that is of course, unless you read the Holmes Spot.

From Canadian Living.com:

July 3, 2014

Three things you didn’t know about Mike Holmes

By Brett Walther

Mike and me. Unfortunately, a chambray tie was the closest thing I had to a matching pair of coveralls.
Photography courtesy of First Canadian Place.

Whether it’s reading their latest book, or re-watching the most recent episodes of their series, I’ve found that the key to giving a solid celebrity-designer interview is simply to be prepared.
What I wasn’t prepared for when interviewing Mike Holmes a few weeks back, however, was what a warm, funny and totally engaging guy he really is.
I had the opportunity to chat with Canada’s Most Trusted Contractor at First Canadian Place to celebrate the launch of his latest book, The Holmes Manual, and ended up learning (and laughing) just as much as the audience of 200 that joined us on the day.
Here are three of Holmes’s most candid revelations from our chat:

1. He landed his first TV gig—Holmes on Homes—by being loud. Back in 2001, Holmes was working behind-the-scenes on an HGTV program, and was overheard by a producer complaining (loudly) about shoddy construction practices and seedy contractors. Seeing the potential for a series, the producer had a cameraman follow Holmes around from job site to job site, getting a taste of his no-punches-pulled approach to home inspections, new builds and renos. The rest is history!
2. Brad & Angelina are really down-to-earth. Remember when Brad Pitt inadvertently triggered a trademark violation by branding his Hurricane Katrina aid endeavour, “Make it Right?” Turning an awkward sitch into an opportunity to help out, Holmes took his crew down to Louisiana to assist in the rebuild, and to raise the standard of hurricane-proof homes. While there, he met both Pitt and Jolie, and was struck by how normal they were. Who knew?
3. He doesn’t think of himself as a celebrity. I specifically asked Holmes if he can still do normal things himself, such as getting his own groceries. Although he’s quick to deny his celeb status, and still does the same daily errands as the rest of us, he admits it takes him longer. “I’ve answered 100 questions since I got out of bed this morning,” he laughs, noting that the simple act of getting his Tim Horton’s fix takes a lot longer when he’s recognized.


Got a question for Mike? It’s probably answered in his latest book, The Holmes Manual (Harper Collins, 2014, $35)—a compilation of his most frequently asked questions!