Lisa and Ron recently bought a new house and since the first rainfall, the terrace off their master bedroom leaked down into the garage below. The leaks became worse causing major damage. After fighting with the builder for two years without any avail, they called Mike Holmes. Mike arrives on site, demolishes the existing terrace and rebuilds it with a water-tight membrane and new decking.
Stephen and Trevor were having problems with their new townhouse. They had a 40% loss of airflow to their top floor, resulting in no heat in the winter or air conditioning in the summer. Mike Holmes arrives and finds a massive leakage in the ducting throughout the house. Mike and his team re-seal all the exposed joints, increase the size of the main duct line, and give the homeowners the air circulation they have been waiting for
Edith and Christopher hired a contractor to build a wheelchair accessible ramp at the front of their house, but he built a dangerous ramp that was not to code. Mike Holmes arrives and makes it right by building the ramp the way it should have been done the first time.
Michelle and Jason have had a leaky basement since they moved into their new house five years ago. After numerous inside patches from the builder, Mike Holmes steps in and attacks the problem from the outside. Mike and his crew excavate around the property and install a new rubber membrane on the outside of the foundation, where it should have been done the first time.
Jill wanted to turn her garage into a comfy studio where she could paint. When a contractor took almost $20,000 of her money and left her with an ugly, flimsy garage with no foundation, she called in Mike Holmes. Mike and his team arrive on site after new architectural plans are drawn up and build a brand new studio garage from the foundation up.
Mike comes to the rescue of Julia who hired a contractor to renovate her basement and lay a new laminate floor. Just six months after the floor was laid, the floor has lifted in several spots and mold has formed in the bathroom. Mike and his crew lay brand new slate tile and carpeting over in-floor heating and use two different subflooring techniques, with a few surprises along the way.
Sandra and Daniel hired a roofing contractor to fix their flat roof, but immediately after they were finished, the roof leaked. Water pools on the roof creating a marshy swamp land for mosquitoes. The contractor admits he did a poor job, but refuses to correct the roof. Mike Holmes steps in and demolishes the existing flat roof, and with the help of his team, refinishes it with a brand new water-tight membrane.
Kerry and her family loved everything about their home except the out-dated vinyl flooring in the front foyer and powder room. When the time came to renovate, Kerry had heard of a new product: a smooth, concrete flooring mixture that could be installed over the existing floor. Kerry was quite excited about this flooring possibility, as it promised a unique look and a rock hard finish. Unfortunately, the contractor installed the product incorrectly and left Kerry with a rough, sloppy looking floor. Mike Holmes arrives and he has to demolish the faulty floor and install a brand new granite tile floor.
Pauline hired a contractor to renovate the bathroom in her basement, but it seemed the wiring was incorrect and the Jacuzzi would not work properly. Mike Holmes and his crew open up the bathroom and quickly discover the entire basement is a dangerous rat's nest of shoddy electrical work. Mike decides to gut the entire basement to make sure the job is done right as it should have been the first time.
Sian hired a contractor to pour a new foundation around the perimeter of her house, but the wall was too small for the size of the house. So, the upper part of the house now overhangs over the foundation. Mike Holmes steps in to shore up Sian's house and give her a safe, warm basement.
Jenny and Allan hired a contractor to build a wheelchair accessible addition for their six-year-old son Justin who has cerebral palsy. The addition is riddled with errors including an incorrect foundation, un-square and unfinished walls, and sloppy and incomplete eaves trough and siding. Mike Holmes and crew revamp the 260 square-foot addition from top to bottom and make it right for this family.
Rita and her family recently moved into a brand new house, but the tiles on the main floor quickly loosened and the grout started to lift. After other contractors tried and failed to fix the problem, Mike Holmes steps in and creates a new polished concrete floor.
Rosy and her family hired a contractor to finish their kitchen and bathroom, but he under quoted them and kept demanding more and more money in order to finish the job. After running out of cash and patience, they stopped the job and were left with an unusable, barren kitchen for five months. Mike Holmes and his crew undo the small amount of work that the contractor had done, and build Rosy and her family the beautiful, functional kitchen they had waited so long for.
Two couples, Stacy and Peter, and Donna and Bill, each own one half of a 100-year-old Victorian home. These two semis share the same leaking porch that's rotting and falling apart for the second time in five years, even though the porch had been entirely rebuilt and the eaves trough had been replaced three times. The issue with the two families has always been that the water comes from one house and ruins the other. Solving the issue means sharing in the costs, something the homeowners with the least of the rot issues have been reluctant to agree to. Mike steps in and mediates the issue, pointing out the benefits of having this done right for both families. After getting the green light from both parties, he and his crew attack the problem at the source, the roof, and work their way down to include new eavestroughs, downspouts and restore the brickwork to its former glory.
Alessandra and Max were shopping for a home together in hopes of having their wedding in the backyard. After a home inspector gave his approval, they made an offer and got the house. They held off on the wedding plans when, after living there for only a few weeks, they discovered a crack in the kitchen bulkhead. The homeowners were concerned that their house was structurally unsound, so they asked for Mike Holmes' help. Mike discovers an electrical and plumbing mess in the ceiling and a huge leaky mess from the shower stall above. After consulting with the homeowners and getting an inspection of the structural integrity, it's time for Mike and his crew to get to work.
Carl and Amelia hired a general contractor to oversee the building of an addition to their home for their new baby daughter. After weeks of stalling and extra payments right off the bat, work began on the addition - by a subcontractor. After the first rainfall, water poured through the addition, and the homeowners called the contractor who was nowhere to be found. The subcontractor refused to send workers over as he said that he had not been paid. Feeling as if there was no other choice, Carl and Amelia signed a deal with the subcontractor to complete the work. After several months, the subcontractor took the work permit and left the job incomplete. After 6 months and a large sum of money, Mike and his crew arrived to find a rats nest of problems including condensation in the attic that lead to mold in the drywall, ducting stolen off other rooms with no return vents, dangerous electrical work- all adding up to a world of headaches for Mike Holmes.
Barb wanted to surprise her son with a new basement bathroom and exercise room when he came home from college. She hired a friend's son who worked as a contractor to do the job, but soon after the work began, so did the delays, shoddy work and countless excuses. She threw them out and called in a professional. Mike was appalled at the very sloppy work and complete lack of planning or craftsmanship. He was also quite skeptical that the plumbing was done correctly. After deciding to relocate the bathroom to accommodate the very low ducting that the previous guy located the shower under, Mike found countless plumbing disasters and had to re-route everything right back to the main drain. A few weeks later, and a full year after the work originally began, Barb and her son were finally treated to a deluxe bathroom and exercise room complete with a built-in sound system, mirrored walls, slate tiles and halogen lighting throughout.
When Nancy purchased her home there was an existing retaining wall holding up the raised backyard from the sidewalk. She hired a contractor "friend-of-a-friend" in the neighborhood to rebuild the wall. The contractor laid weeping tile on the bottom but no above ground drainage. After the first winter, the retaining wall bowed dramatically and the contractor did not respond to any of her requests to return. She feared the retaining wall would fall over onto the sidewalk and hurt one of the many children who walk by each day. Mike Holmes and his crew are called in to make it right.
Vicki and Dave bought a house that they were truly happy with. In order to make it the home of their dreams, they wanted to do a few minor cosmetic changes. They hired a contractor who came recommended to them, who ended up starting all the jobs they wanted, but bailed before any of them were complete. The biggest job left undone was a fireplace in their family room. After being left with a functionless fireplace and little repairs half done all over their house, they called in Mike Holmes. Mike and the crew will fix the fireplace and turn this nightmare into the dream home it should have been.
Debbie and Ross hired a contractor to build a new open concept staircase. They ended up with an unwieldy staircase made of particleboard and cheap spindles. Mike is called in to demolish the eyesore and install a beautiful new safe and sound staircase.
Pat bought a two-story house, and two weeks after moving into the house, a city inspector stopped by to inform her that there was an outstanding work permit on her home. Among several other problems that needed to be brought up to code, the existing back deck was incredibly unsafe and had to be replaced. After nine years of litigation against the home inspector and the lawyer, Pat won a small settlement and wanted to move forward with bringing her home up to code.
Lynda and Joe hired a stone mason "friend-of-the-family" to construct a concrete basement walkout to their backyard. All was fine until the first winter. The wall beside the stairs started to bow out, threatening to crumble into the basement wall. The contractor returned to put in rebar supports that he neglected to do in the beginning and pour more concrete into the existing wall. The wall continued to curve and crack and Lynda finally contacted Mike Holmes to make it right.
Henry and Mandy purchased a new home and submitted several complaints to the builder about various inefficiencies, most of which were not addressed. After two years the warranty expired, and they were left with several unaddressed issues. The most alarming of which being the bedroom above the garage that Mandy's mother-in-law was using. It was cold and uncomfortable for her to stay in for any amount of time. Mike and his crew are called in to investigate the situation and create a comfortable bedroom for all seasons.
Yetti and Andrew hired a custom kitchen contractor to build their dream kitchen. A late start, poor workmanship, and terrible communication between the contractor and their subs left Yetti and Andrew with a normal looking, but non-functional kitchen. To make matters much worse, as the job neared its end, Yetti and Andrew's son, Caleb, mistakenly drank some Varsol that was foolishly stored in a water bottle in the kitchen. Although Caleb recovered from the accident, the couple took the kitchen company to court to get their unusable kitchen paid for with Mike Holmes as an expert witness. After winning, due in part to Mike's testimony, Mike helped them build the dream kitchen they should have had in the first place.
Jo Jo and Heather hired a contractor to update their newly purchased home with a new basement bathroom. As the work progressed, they began questioning some of the contractor's decisions until eventually, the contractor left the job unfinished. Mike Holmes is called to the scene and finds many problems above and below the surface. Mike and his crew gut the entire bathroom and start from scratch, leaving Jo Jo and Heather with a beautifully stylish bathroom that is safe, watertight and completely up to code.
Tanya and Alexander bought a 40-year-old home without an inspection. They hired a contractor to renovate the second-floor addition and gave the contractor a sizeable deposit to start. After a few weeks of work, the contractor walked off the job and declared bankruptcy. After a lengthy and frustrating legal battle turned up nothing, a second contractor was hired to complete the work. All seemed fine until they used the laundry. Mike and his crew arrive to discover the plumbing was connected to the weeping tile and not the main sewer line, draining soapy water onto their property and the street. Mike decides to gut the laundry room after finding faulty venting, electrical and insulation- all of which added to the plumbing problems.
After spending many years living in apartments, Tammy and Jason decided to take the plunge and buy a home to raise their son in. It was a new home, and everything seemed in order except for the staircase leading up to the front door; it was very basic and needed and upgrade. Tammy and Jason hired a contractor to build a proper cement staircase, and that's what they thought they had gotten. But as 2 year warranty approached, large chunks of cement were starting to fall off the stairs and it seemed obvious that they had not been done correctly. The previous contractor delayed any repairs until the warranty was up, and Tammy and Jason were left with dangerous, crumbling staircase. Mike Holmes and his crew tore the original stairs apart and started from scratch. Along the way, Mike found that the previous contractor had made many mistakes - the largest of which was that they neglected to install proper footing support under the stairs. The lack of this footing caused the stairs to move when the ground froze in the winter, and crack the concrete finish. As the crew started the new footing, Mike removed a pair of ugly fake dormers that the builder had installed on their roof, and fixed a leak in their front window. After rebuilding the staircase using rebar and concrete reinforced with microfibers, a beautiful Durok coating was applied to the surface. Also, bran new interlocking stone in the driveway was complimented by a fully re-landscaped front garden. Tammy and Jason were thrilled to finally be able to look at their new home with pride. The new front entryway and garden were stunning and definitely the new focal point of the house.
After moving to a new neighborhood, Olivia decided to turn her basement into a comfortable living space for her daughter and grandchildren. She was going to redesign the layout and have larger windows installed to allow more natural light into the room. She hired a contractor who started out well, but it wasn't long before Olivia started feeling uneasy. As the job went on, the contractor started showing up late, or not at all. One day, Olivia came home early from work to find him sleeping on the couch. After spending almost all of her renovation budget and feeling strongly that she was being taken advantage of, Olivia stopped the job and was left with a poorly finished basement and window wells that were filling with water. Upon inspection, Mike found that there were no proper lintels over the new windows to support the weight over them, and that there was no proper drainage system in place. Inside, he found some small telltale signs that suggested that the whole basement renovation was going to have to be demolished and built again. There was questionable plumbing and electrical that not up to code. Outside, a proper lintel was added over the window, along with the foundation protection under the window and a drainage system tied into the existing weeping tile. Inside, Mike and his crew took down all the drywall, and safely reinstalled all the plumbing and electrical. After installing new drywall and painting, Olivia was reintroduced to her beautiful finished and safe basement. She was very happy to finally be able to provide a comfortable living space for her family.
Bill and Marie retired to a bungalow that had originally been a small cottage. Over the years, the bungalow had seen five additions of questionable workmanship, so they decided to completely renovate the home. They hired a contractor who had promised that the job would be completed in three months time, so they moved in with their daughter for the duration of the renovation. As the renovation progressed, issues arose with the historical board, building code standards, and the contractor himself. After many delays and a skyrocketing budget, Bill paid off the contractor and completely severed ties. One full year later, they were left with a half finished job and were still living in their daughter’s home. Having spent a good deal of money, they had no funds to cover hiring a new contractor. Fortunately, Mike Holmes decided to undertake the huge task of finishing this very problematic renovation – and finish it he did. With the help of his hard working crew, Mike battled his way though the age old issues and gave Bill and Marie the beautiful retirement home the should have gotten in the first place.
Don and his dog “Parker” bought a beautiful one hundred and twenty year old Victorian town home and decided to completely renovate the kitchen. The job required not only a new design, but also moving existing plumbing, electrical, vents and ducts. Mid-way into the Reno, things were far behind schedule and Don began noticing that things just didn’t look right. Smartly, he decided to sever ties with the contractor and cut his losses. As it turns out, the contractor was actually a glass installation specialist who just did contacting on the side. His lack of experience was quite apparent to Mike Holmes, who tore away the drywall and floor to find not only the previous contractor’s mistakes, but decades old issues that the previous contractor neglected to address. The entire main floor contained a century of countless hodgepodge renovations. Poor HVAC, questionable plumbing and potentially dangerous electrical wiring had to be removed and/or corrected before Mike could even think about finishing the kitchen. Once the whole main floor was brought up to code, Mike and his crew executed Don’s dream kitchen design flawlessly, giving Don the space that he has waited so long for.
After suffering through some painful personal troubles, Jim and Lisa planned to re-direct their focus on something positive by finishing their basement into a bar and entertainment room. A contractor came highly recommended by a neighbor, and the renovation started off quite smoothly. The contractor seemed to have a good heart, and as the renovation progressed, Jim and Lisa actually formed a friendship with him. But with the budget spent, and the job only partially completed, the contractor seemed to fall off the face of the earth. Even after befriending Jim and Lisa, the contractor abandoned them without any warning, leaving them with a half finished renovation. Upon inspection, Mike Holmes decided that the contractor meant well, but severely under-priced the job and didn’t know how to fess up to the mistake. With the help of iron, brick and bar specialists, Mike completely re-finished the basement with an incredible English Pub theme, giving Jim and Lisa the bar of their dreams.
Ron and Jill hired contractors to undertake a huge renovation that essentially involved adding a second floor to a portion of their home. Sadly, most of the work was done poorly, if at all, and Ron and Jill were left with an unlivable home and some serious money problems. Feeling strongly that they had been scammed, they decided to sue the contractors for fraud. But unfortunately because of some legal loopholes, the case got thrown out of court, and Ron and Jill were left with no choice but to sell their cottage and recoup some of their losses. Upon inspection, Mike finds several problems with structure, plumbing and much, much more. To help Ron and Jill get back into their beloved home, Mike and his crew work incredibly hard to finish a huge job that was incomplete and poorly done. One by one, they correct all the problems, brought everything up to proper code, and finish the enormous addition beautifully.
After three different contractors try and fail in fixing a moisture problem in a homeowner’s kitchen, Mike Holmes is called in and discovers that a series of small problems were creating one large one. Mike and his crew fix he moisture problem once and for all.
After a homeowner mistakenly hires an inexperienced contractor to renovate a sunroom, a leak left in the roof results in her grandson slipping and getting hurt badly. Enraged at the accident and how poorly the job was going, she fires the contractor and calls in Mike Holmes to make things right.
When a major mold problem leaves a family with chronic respiratory problems and allergic reactions, Mike Holmes brings in a crew of mold abatement experts to eliminate the mold at the source. The result is a healthier, allergen free home for the family.
After a large bathroom company turns a simple bathroom renovation into a nasty experience for a homeowner, Mike Holmes and his crew hit the scene and provide the beautiful bathroom that should have been built in the first place.
A couple decides to be their own general contractor on a large second story addition to their home. Everything goes extremely well until the last sub-contractor botches all the finishing work. Mike Holmes and his crew are called in to inspect the sloppy work and Make it Right.
After re-mortgaging their home to add a wheelchair accessible addition for their disabled son, a couple is confronted with improper work and a crumbling foundation. In part one of this two-part season finale, Mike Holmes comes to the aid of a family in dire straits and begins one of the toughest and biggest jobs of his contracting career.
In part two of the is two-part season finale, Mike Holmes and his crew finish a wheelchair accessible bathroom for the homeowners’ disabled son, repair a leaking foundation and roof and provide a much deserving family with a safe and proper addition.
When a fencing contractor rips off a new housing development by taking a deposit from 52 families and working just long enough to cash the cheques before disappearing, Mike and the crew take on the challenge of not just helping one homeowner, but the entire neighborhood! Ultimately, Mike builds more than a fence; he also brings this new community together with a common purpose- and makes things right.
Living in a construction zone is an unpleasant reality for homeowners undertaking a renovation. The hope is that the mess and discomfort will be as short-lived as possible. For Alex and Marie and their two children, a planned three-month renovation dragged out to a year and a half with no end in sight. Living out of one bedroom with only partial water service, this family was trapped in a never-ending renovation nightmare. They were beginning to feel like prisoners in their own home- until Mike and the team arrive on the scene.
A photographer wants to build a photo studio in his backyard. He does everything by the book - has blueprints drawn up and approved and takes out construction permits and deals with puzzling stop work orders from various city officials. Only after the Mayor intervenes, is the work finally completed. Or so he thinks… Three years later, the studio's flat roof is plagued by constant leaks. Mike Holmes immediately identifies the problem - the waterproof roof membrane was never actually finished. The Holmes On Homes™ team discovers that the water damage to the flat roof is so extensive, they have no choice but to pull it all down!
This story highlights the work of a modern day "Snake Oil Salesman"- a contractor that doesn't fit the stereotypical con-artist profile. His slick computer assisted sales pitch and impressive portfolio eventually gave way to sloppy workmanship and incompetent engineering. The basement façade put up by this contractor finally came crashing down when the newly installed ceiling collapsed, prompting the homeowners to place a distress call to Mike Holmes.
Rebecca and Thomas had several contractors bid on their basement renovation project—and when all of them came in with quotes were lower than what they had initially expected, they thought they'd found a deal. Pipes burst in the ceiling of the basement, flooding down the walls and leaking through the new pot lights. Then they discovered electrical outlets in other parts of the home were sparking while others were not working. In this episode, Mike explores the true cost of a basement renovation, and the pitfalls of competitive "underbidding" by contractors.
This is story about hope for the future in the face of heartbreaking tragedy, when "Making It Right" takes on a new meaning- completing an unresolved renovation and making it possible for a family to finally begin the healing process after the loss of a loved one. The connection between the emotional health of a family and condition of their home is a strong one. Mike and the team heal a house left in limbo, and make it a home once more.
A string of bad luck leads Mike to the front door of a homeowner named Franca. Her home sustained major damage from an electrical fire. Immediately afterward, Franca suffered a series of personal tragedies with the unexpected passing of her mother, and then her husband. The contractor repairing the fire damage took full advantage of Franca's fragile situation. Upon inspecting the reno-in-progress, Mike intervenes to avoid yet another disaster in the making.
With Mike and the team in full swing repairing the shoddy fire damage remediation work left behind by the last contractor, Mike discovers an old oil storage tank buried in the backyard. To make matters worse, the container had leaked over the years, making it necessary for Mike to clean up the hazardous mess. It's an episode filled with renovation thrills and toxic spills!
Mary Jo and Ron moved into a brand new subdivision two years ago. In that time, each of their two bathtubs has been replaced four times. That's eight tubs in two years! The problem? Tubs that warped and buckled and mould growth. The builder maintained the tubs were installed correctly and that there was no manufacturing or design defect with the tubs. So, each time the tubs were replaced with the same model tub and installed the same way. Yet the problem persisted. Eight tubs later, the homeowners got fed up and called Mike Holmes to get to the bottom of their bathtub problem.
Janet and her elderly mother, Audrey, upgraded their vinyl kitchen floor to ceramic tile. Shortly after the work was completed, they noticed hairline cracks through the centre of the tiles. The flooring contractor explained it wasn't his fault, and that the weak structure of their home was shifting and causing the floor to crack. But the cracks were forming through the ceramic tile, and not along the grout lines- the weakest part of a tile floor. Mike and the team put on their investigative hard hats and get to the bottom of this tile flooring issue.
A tile supply company had been given a rubber cheque by a contractor for ceramic floor tiles. An effort to locate the contractor brought them to the doorstep of the homeowner, who was having the tile installed in their home. The tile supplier was told that the contractor had abandoned the job weeks earlier and disappeared, also leaving them with a half completed kitchen and badly installed tiles. Disgusted by the poor workmanship and saddened by the emotional state of the homeowners, the tile supplier offered that he would try and figure out a way to help them. They called Mike Holmes and offered to donate all new materials if Holmes On Homes would do the installation. Inspired by this act of generosity, Mike and the team roll up their sleeves to make it all come together- and complete the unfinished kitchen as well.
This is a story about proximity. Many newly built homes such as semi-detached, town homes and condo units feature designs that share common walls. In the case of our homeowners, Sylvie and Guy, who had just moved into a brand new semi-detached home, they were in for a shock when they realized that they could clearly hear their next door neighbor through the walls! The sound issue was so disruptive that the homeowners were certain moving away was their only option, until Mike and the team found the solution.
Chris and Ihor had recently moved back to Canada after living in Texas for the last 20 years. After looking at 6 homes, they decided on one that was in a good neighborhood and hired a Home Inspector to insure that the home that was in good condition. They received a 25-page report from the home inspector, which concluded that there were only minor items that required addressing - the report also stated that the inspector will only report on surface conditions - for all major home systems such as plumbing and electrical, they defer to hiring "a qualified contractor to conduct the inspection".
On moving day, some of the deficiencies in Chris and Ihor's house became obvious as soon as they tried using the shower and fixtures in the basement. The pungent smell of sewage wafted through the home. It was the first in a series of creepy crawly, smelly and dangerous discoveries. For Chris and Ihor, and for the thousands of Canadians who have been caught in the same trap, it will take the frankness of Mike Holmes to uncover the myth that is "the Home inspection", and help this family get what they thought they had already paid for.
