Holmes On Homes



A Canadian home renovation show following the adventures of contractor Mike Holmes as he rescues homeowners from poor renovations done by third party contractors. A typical episode will feature Mike Holmes and his coveralls visiting a hapless homeowner, shaking his head at the poor job done by the previous contractor, and then ripping the whole thing out and rebuilding it. This will be followed by hugs and tears and a philosophical speech into the camera about how important it is to do the job right the first time.

Succeeded by Holmes Inspection, which in turn will be succeeded by Holmes Make It Right.

"Mike: Holy shi- (cut) Damon: ...ims missing from around the door like the shims missing from the window."
 * The Can Kicked Him: This was one of the possible outcomes prevented by Mike when he inspected a house with a badly installed septic system. Methane gas was building up in one of the basement pipes and could have exploded, killing people. Mike safely vented the gas and fixed the plumbing to avoid this in the future.
 * Captain Obvious: Some of his comments on the badly done work and the contractors that ran off are in this territory.
 * Catch Phrase: "Make it right!"
 * "If you're gonna do it, do it right the first time."
 * "Unacceptable."
 * Channel Hop: In America was originally on Discovery Home before HGTV picked it up when DH converted to Planet Green; vindicated as Planet Green failed out of the gate and became Destination America on Memorial Day 2012.
 * Crooked Contractor: Not always, but there are a few of these evident.
 * Curse Cut Short: Mike Holmes, astounded by the bad job a house builder had done, starts making a comment, and then cuts to Damon while he was in the middle of a sentence.

"Holmes: (asking on basement) So, what are your thoughts on this? Inspector: Creative."
 * Genre Savvy: By later seasons, (and in the spinoffs), whenever Mike, Damon, or the crew finds out there's something with the house that involves a finished basement, they automatically expect to be gutting it. Or any of the walls. Or the ceilings. Or garages. In fact, they're pleasantly surprised when they don't have to tear everything down.
 * Deadpan Snarker: Mike tends to snark when he finds something really dangerous.
 * Early Installment Weirdness: If you're a fan of Damon Bennett but haven't seen any of the first four seasons, you'll be surprised to see that he's not even a part of the team until midway though season four. Shawn Morren, who left after season five, was the original construction supervisor. Bennett is introduced to the series -- by Morren -- near the end of season four episode "Window Well to Hell."
 * House Inspection: Every episode!
 * It Got Worse: Holmes On Homes (and its spinoff Holmes Inspection) hit on this trope all the time. The crew usually shows up to fix relatively mundane issues such as leaky basements or cold drafts, only to find out the home in question also has serious problems with structure, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, mold, asbestos, or termites (or in some cases, all of the above). They inevitably proceed to fix these problems in order to "Make it Right".
 * I Need a Freaking Drink: Frank the electrician mutters this from time to time after seeing some of the wiring he's asked to inspect and fix.
 * Limited Wardrobe: The trademarked coveralls.
 * Sarcasm Failure: On occasion Mike, one of his crew, or one of his regular trusted subcontractors, come across something a previous contractor or builder did that is simply so absurd, ridiculous, dangerous, or just plain bad that they're rendered speechless.
 * Serial Escalation: It's very fun to watch some homes get torn up to hell just for the homeowners, but the amount of work performed can get absolutely crazy. A 50+ year-old home in Holmes Inspection needed to be remade because everything was either wrong with the house or not up to modern standards.


 * Wrench Wench: Mike Holmes has made a point of supporting women going into construction trades on his shows Holmes On Homes and its sequels. He hired Corin "Pinky" Ames on air after she completed an internship with him, and Kate Campbell and Mike's daughter Sherry are regular members of his crew.
 * You Have Got to Be Kidding Me!: A frequent reaction to some of the things they discover, especially on the part of electricians.