Mike Holmes At The Kalamazoo Home Expo

For all you Michigan/Upper Mid Western fans, Mike Holmes will be featured at the Kalamazoo Home Expo on March 9. Admission to see Mike will be $10.

 

From Fox 17 Online:

Kalamazoo Home Expo To Feature Mike Holmes

PORTAGE, Mich — This year’s annual Kalamazoo Home Expo will feature DIY Network star Mike Holmes.
The show happens March 6-9 at the former Sam’s Club building behind Crossroads Mall, at 665 Mall Drive in Portage. You can find more than 200 exhibitors, and watch numerous seminars as well.
Mike Holmes, from the shows “Holmes on Homes” and “Holmes Inspection,” will appear at 11 a.m. and then at 2:30 p.m. on March 9. Additional admission to see Holmes is $10.
The show is open March 6 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., March 7 and March 8 from noon to 9 p.m. and then March 9 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Admission is $8 in advance or $10 at the door.
Additionally, there is an adoption event with the SPCA of Southwest Michigan on March 7.
On March 8, there will be an appearance by Kalamazoo native Greg Jennings, a free agent who was a Green Bay Packer. That appearance costs an extra $2.
To learn more about the show, visit the website.

Kalamazoo Home Expo 2013 - Mike Holmes from Rhino Media

Mike Holmes Speaks At Algonquin College In Ontario

Yesterday, February 26, 2013, Mike was busy enticing college students to join the skilled trades at the OILLMP Construction Career Fair & Employer Learning Event in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.


Mike touring the ACCE building as part of the OILLMP Career Fair

Mike attending the construction fair, courtesy of Ottawa Public Health
 

From the OILLMP website:

February 26, 2013 - Free oillmp construction career fair & employer learning event (with special guest mike holmes)

On February 26th, 2013, OILLMP, in partnership with Ottawa Construction Association, City of Ottawa, Youth Services Bureau and the Greater Ottawa Homebuilders Association, is holding a Construction Career Fair & Employer Learning Event at the Algonquin Centre for Construction Excellence (ACCE).

The day will consist of a morning event geared towards employers in the construction industry while the afternoon, focused on job seekers and students, is highlighted by keynote speaker Mike Holmes, host of Holmes Makes It Right on HGTV (sponsored by OILLMP, Algonquin College and La Cité collégiale).

Mayor Jim Watson will open the morning's Employer Learning Event and workplace expert Dr. Linda Duxbury will give a keynote address, followed by a panel discussion on Best Practices in Building Your Workforce that features construction industry leaders. Jeff Westeinde, Chairman of Windmill Development Group, will serve as emcee.

The afternoon's Construction Career Fair, emceed by Councillor Mathieu Fleury, features a Construction Marketplace where job seekers and students can visit employers and gather information on educational and career options, as well employment resources. Industry leaders will present on Ottawa construction careers and the Light Rail Transit initiative throughout the afternoon.

Both sessions are free for participants. Employers are also invited to register for a free booth at the Career Fair. Please click on the pdf files on this page to find out more!

 

 

From the Algonquin Facebook page on Monday:

 

 

Mike Holmes is coming to AC tomorrow as part of OILLMP's Construction Event!

If you're an AC Grad, student or job seeker, join OILLMP for this career fair from 12:00-4:00pm. Employers are welcome to attend the morning session, too. Details: http://ow.ly/i21he

Holmes Get It Right

Sometimes, neglecting your due diligence to fact check before writing a blog entry can produce hilarious results. I'm not talking about myself per se, at least this time.

I found this blog entry for an organization called Media Plus + who is affiliated with the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries and the PSA video they put out earlier this month featuring Mike Holmes:



When I originally posted this video, I noted that it was unique that Mike was doing a PSA like this for a non-Canadian government organization. Come to find out, the reason why Mike did it is because the organization simply asked him if he'd be interested, and he said yes. According to this Media Plus + blog entry, Mike did the PSA and allowed the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries to use his talent and likeness at no cost. Very awesome of Mike to do that!

Unfortunately, whoever wrote this blog entry forgot to do a simple Google search to look up the TV shows Mike has actually been apart of. They got Holmes on Holmes down pat, but I don't recall any show called Holmes Renovations or Holmes Get It Right anywhere on or off of the HGTV or DIY networks. (I got a good chuckle out of that last one!) However, they did accurately report that Mike had a "handsome mug," and I tend to agree with them on that point.



From the Media Plus + Website:

Protect My Home Video Ad Campaign with Mike Holmes February 22, 2013

 

Media Plus+ client, the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries, wanted to launch a new campaign designed to help homeowners avoid contractor fraud. They want consumers to visit their new website, Protectmyhome.net and find out how they can avoid getting scammed by unscrupulous contractors. Believing that it “never hurts to ask”, Media Plus+ contacted Comcast cable and inquired about the possibility to getting Mike Holmes (of Holmes on Homes, Holmes Renovations and Holmes Get it Right on HGTV and DIY Networks) to be the spokesperson for this campaign. After all, if you have ever watched his show, that is all that he’s about. Well, it is true, it never hurts to ask because he said yes, and did voice for a :60 radio and a :30 TV spot as well as allow his handsome mug to be used in online ads– and he waived his talent costs.
Take a look at the finished product:

Mike Holmes Answers His Critics - Commentary

Yesterday, I posted part two of the video interview from CanadianContractor.ca. Due to time constraints, I delayed actually commenting on the video until today. I'll try to be as short and concise as possible.

First, the video:




With that, I think it's time to run ***THE HOLMES SPOT DISCLAIMER*** The Holmes Spot is an unofficial fan run blog. Any and all opinions expressed are my own.

First of all, I think it's great that a group of Mike's critics actually invited him to give his side of the story instead of just bashing him relentlessly on their website as so many often do. For that I give CanadianContractor.ca major props. It's obvious they are very critical of Mike, but at least they're trying to be fair.

The video starts off with the host asking Mike a rather slippery question. To summarize, he asks if for the purposes of TV he looks for the worst of the worst in contractors instead of focusing on the thousands of good contractors. This question is slippery because it isn't really a question, it's more of a critique of Mike's shows veiled in question form. The host asks with a flustered laugh "Can we see a couple of good stories?" I took a minute and actually thought to myself if it could be possible for Mike to do a show about good stories in contracting. How would that actually pan out? Would Mike tour a newly renovated home and point out how the the rooms are warm, the roof is properly sloped and shingled, and the soffits are properly vented? What would be the purpose of the show? Mike answers the host bluntly, "For a television show, who wants to see a good story?" He then explains the entertainment aspect of his shows, and how people enjoy watching the bad that happens to good people being made right. It's drama, it makes for good TV, and Mike gets to educate people as he goes which is important to him.

Mike also touches on the fact that he does feature good contractors on every show. He shows what happens if you hire the wrong guys, and then in stark contrast, he shows what can happen when you hire the right people for the job. And as Mike says a little awkwardly during the interview, his guys are not the only good guys out there. His go-to guys that he commissions are only a representation of the larger population of contractors worldwide. In other words, as someone who lives in the US, I can't hire Frank the Canadian electrician to come rewire my house. But, I can hire someone who lives in my area who has the same level of expertise, someone who isn't going to do a hack job and accidentally burn my house down. As a homeowner, is that unreasonable for me to ask from a professional? I don't think so.

Then, the heart of the issue, Mike talks about his "70 percent" remark he made in Reader's Digest. He tries to soften it a bit at first, but then comes right back around and defends the remark, stating that there's really no other way for him to put it. There's nothing that can be done about the small percentage of "ugly" contractors - they should be in jail as Mike states. But the 70 percent of contractors that Mike deems "bad" can be salvaged, according to Mike. When the "bad" contractors attach themselves to the good ones and learn to become better, then the industry will see the percentage of "good" contractors rise.

The interview then takes a turn in a different direction, talking about money and expenses. This was a little hard for me to follow, but what I pieced together is that the host is bring up the criticism that Mike can only do what he does because someone else is paying for it, be it the TV show, sponsors, or because the contractors are working for free and donating all of their supplies. The host states outright that Mike is purporting himself to be the right guy for the right price, but that in reality, the contractor with the lowest bid usually gets the job, and the lowest bid will usually never get the kinds of results that homeowners come to expect by watching Mike's shows. "A regular contractor can't do that. He would like to..." the host states before Mike interrupts, "But this is a TV show." Mike explains to the host that because it's a TV show, most of the time the homeowners pay little to none of the cost, mostly due to the fact that they can't because they have no money left. He also clears up the misconception that he's able to do whatever he wants for free, stating that he gets what he can donated or at a reduced cost, but a lot of times he's got to pay his guys and pay for his products, and sometimes the money comes out of his own pocket.

Part II of the interview ends abruptly at this point, leaving a bit of tension that gets the viewer excited for the next portion of the interview. The host makes some rather smug comments in the end cap portion of the video which I felt were a little disconcerting. It's apparent from the host's remarks that Mike did not sell him on the idea of his show. "Good contracting doesn't necessarily make good TV," he states sarcastically. There are plenty of shows on HGTV about "good" contractors coming in and helping homeowners remodel their bathroom or living room or backyard. Mike's show is unique, and fills a totally different niche than these other shows do. This idea seems to be completely lost on the host. He then makes what I feel is an outright absurd statement about Mike implying that he does not pay his contractors, totally speed bumping over the fact that moments before, Mike was talking about money coming out of his own pocket to pay for projects. First and foremost, I would direct the host of this interview to the recent CBC radio interview Mike did in January of this year where Mike talks explicitly about making sure his crew members are paid. As far Mike not paying his contractors like Frank the electrician, Steven Graves the roofer, the Bowen brothers, and Martin the plumber, I would direct the host of this interview to their respective websites where they rightfully boast that they are the contractors used by Mike Holmes. Let's for a moment assume that these guys receive absolutely NOTHING for their labor and they donate 100% of their materials, which is false according to Mike, they still receive the biggest endorsement one could possibly get by being featured on Mike's shows. There's not a dollar figure in the universe you could attach to that kind of advertisement and brand recognition. Being a preferred contractor of Mike Holmes is a coveted and very lucrative position, and for the host of the interview to purposely dismiss this fact is outright deceptive in my opinion.


Looking forward to part III of the interview.

Mike Holmes Answers His Critics - Part III

Here's part two of the interview that was started a couple of weeks ago by CanadianContractor.ca. In the interview, Mike is asked to defend some comments he made in a Reader's Digest article. I'll post the video today, and tomorrow, I'll comment on it. There's a lot of content packed into a 3 minute interview, and I want to be fair to both sides.





For more information, refer to previous Holmes Spot blog entries:

Mike Holmes Answers His Critics - Part II
Mike Holmes Answers His Critics

Why Mike Holmes Loves Coated Lumbers

For Mike Holmes, there's building, and then there's building better. Coated lumbers would definately fall into the "building better" category. In this article reposted from the Ottawa Citizen, Mike talks about why coated lumbers are the way to go when building. The two types I see Mike using on his shows are Pinkwood (a Canadian product out of western Canada) which is coated with a pink fire retardant coating designed to produce an endothermic (heat absorbing) reaction when exposed to flames. The other coated lumber Mike uses on his shows is Bluwood (an American product) which is coated with a distinctive blue coating that is mold, moisture, and insect resistant. Bluwood resists rot and termite damage, so in a damp climate or a basement, Bluwood is the way to go. Both Bluwood and Pinkwood are above minimum code, but necessary in Mike's eyes. The type of coated lumber you choose will be determined by the environment your house is in.



From the Ottawa Citizen:

Mike Holmes: Why I love coated lumbers

 

These green products offer a coat for all reasons

By Mike Holmes, Postmedia News February 20, 2013

 

Coated lumbers provide many benefits that address environmental health and safety concerns. Some are even fire retardant.

Photograph by: Alex Schuldt , The Holmes Group

It’s no secret that I love coated lumbers. I use them whenever I can on any job. They deliver benefits that meet environmental and safety standards that are important to me, to homeowners, to builders and to industry pros. Is it above code? Yes. Is it unnecessary? Not in my world.
Building to minimum code is just that — minimum. It’s the least possible you need to do to construct a home that’s safe to live in. But that’s it. That’s where it ends.
And how safe is too safe? What’s minimum safety anyway? These things change all the time. It wasn’t until 2004 that it became code to have a GFCI outlet in the kitchen — and they’ve been in bathrooms since 1984. It took 20 years for the rules to come full circle and prevent people from getting shocked if they plugged in something in the kitchen after washing dishes.
Any good contractor knows that if you can build better, you do. That’s taking into consideration what the homeowners want, too. And the truth is the industry is always changing, developing new products, new materials and new technology. Some are good, some are bad. But at the end of the day these new products are being developed because there’s a need for them. They can be environmental needs, safety needs, health needs — you name it.
Some might say, “Mike, you’re going overboard” — they do all the time. But for me it’s about addressing these needs. I’m not making them up. The people I talk to and deal with every day care about fire resistance; protection against things like moisture and mould, insect damage, termites. Who wouldn’t care about these things when it comes to their home?
That’s where coated lumbers come in.
There are different types of coated lumbers. They each provide different forms of protection depending on their coating. Some resist uncontrolled moisture absorption, mould growth, rot and wood-ingesting insects, like termites. Another type might be resistant to mould and rot fungus and be a fire retardant, but not provide protection against termites. You need to know what you’re getting.
Coatings that have a fire retardant swell when exposed to fire, which insulates the wood from heat. This gives you and your family more time to get out of a burning house. Mould resistance means a healthier home. There are benefits across the board.

Get the right coverage
The most important thing to know when choosing coated lumber is the environment it will be in. For example, if the job is finishing a basement, then getting a coated lumber that protects against mould should be your top priority. Basements are damp — perfect environments for mould growth. All you need is the right organic food source — like drywall, wood, paper or carpet — the right temperature and moisture, and you’ve got mould.
You also have the option of getting whatever type of lumber you want and then getting it coated with a treatment that provides the protection your home needs. But if you go this route, know that any area of the lumber without the coating is unprotected. Getting the proper coverage is key. Manufacturers know how to do this right; they are trained pros. But if you want to give it a try, make sure you follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

Let’s say all the sides of a two-by-four have a protective coating that is supposed to stop termites from eating the lumber. If the ends of the two-by-four aren’t coated, termites will enter through this weak spot and start chewing up the lumber.
And just because wood is coated doesn’t mean it’s good. Cheap wood that’s coated is still cheap. Make sure you have the right quality of wood for the job first. Then make sure the coating provides the right protection for your home’s environment.
If there aren’t any termites where you live, then you don’t need a coated lumber that protects against them. In that case it might be worth swapping termite resistance for a fire retardant. And ask how long the coating lasts. Do they have a lifetime guarantee or a 25-year guarantee? This can give you an idea of the value you’re investing in your home.
Catch Mike Holmes in his series, Holmes Makes It Right, Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on HGTV. For more information, visit hgtv.ca. For more information on home renovations, visit makeitright.ca

© Copyright (c) The Ottawa Citizen

Deck Maintenance with Mike Holmes Jr.

Found this very interesting video clip from the Canadian TV talk show The Marilyn Denis Show. In the clip, Marilyn talks with Mike's very handsome son Mike Jr. about deck maintenance.

View the video here.

Screen shots:

Mike Holmes talks about L&I's ProtectMyHome

Mike Holmes has been the star of many PSAs encouraging homeowners to check references and make sure their contractor has all the certifications he is required to have before they hire him. This PSA is just a little bit different though. The message is the same, but the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries is of course based out of Washington State, USA. I could be wrong, but I don't recall Mike ever doing something like this for an organization not on Canadian soil. Kinda interesting, or at least noteworthy enough to point out.

Check out this recent video staring Mike, which encourages homeowners to "protect their home" by  1) asking to see the contractor's registration, 2) Getting references, and 3) never paying in full until the job is done.

 

Holmes Spot Exclusive: Interview With Christy Bonstell

It was a couple of weeks ago that I was sitting in my living room drinking my morning coffee and watching DIY as I often do before heading off to life, when a young woman with a little baby and big guy in overalls popped up on my TV screen. Needless to say, it was a pretty exciting morning for me! The big guy was none other than Mike Holmes, ranked 3rd most trusted celebrity by Forbes in 2012, doing an advertisement for 3M, which is one of the worlds most innovative companies. The young woman in the commercial was Chicago actress Christy Bonstell, who was gracious and generous enough with her time to have a one-on-one sit down with the Holmes Spot.







THE HOLMES SPOT: How did you get selected for the role?

CHRISTY BONSTELL: I auditioned here in Chicago. I was told I was selected because I was able to improvise some dialogue that went well with the character. At the time I auditioned, I did not know that Mike was part of the project. I think I would have been more nervous if I had known!


THS: Did you know who Mike Holmes was before you did the commercial?

CB: I did. I love HGTV and all things home-related, so it was cool to meet him.


THS: Who did better with the baby, you or Mike?

CB: I have a little guy and Mike has babies in his family, so we both worked well with the baby. She really did love Mike. He was a real joy to watch with her.


THS: You mentioned something [on Mike's Facebook page] about Mike being a good improviser. How much of what we saw in the commercial was scripted and how much of it was improvised?

CB: Some of the dialogue was improvised, some was done as scripted. There are tons of out-takes that weren't chosen to air, that had me rolling. Mike has a very good natural sense of humor. Mostly, though, we used improv to loosen up and have fun. I think that's why the end result looks so natural and easy. Improv is a great tool for looking for the fun (and funny) in any situation.


THS: How would you describe your experience overall shooting this commercial with Mike Holmes?

CB: I wasn't sure how Mike would be, and he's a little intimidating. However, right off the bat he and I had an absolute blast working together. He's a very genuine and intelligent person who isn't afraid to have a little fun. We laughed a lot and he was a great help with our little co-star. He also got after me for not knowing some of the details of my 100-year-old house, so now I'm trying to be better about knowing the ins and outs of basic home-care. Which, I think, describes Mike in a nutshell. He's passionate about what he does and he's good at getting other to be passionate about it as well.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day from the Holmes Spot blog!