Damon Bennett

''Holmes on Homes'' is a Canadian television series featuring general contractor Mike Holmes visiting homeowners who are in need of help, mainly due to unsatisfactory home renovations performed by hired contractors.

The series originally aired on Home & Garden Television in Canada, and also on several other Alliance Atlantis networks in Canada (including BBC Canada and Slice), as well as in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and on HGTV in the United States. It had previously aired in the US on Discovery Home until that channel was rebranded Planet Green on 4 June 2008. It was once the highest-rated show on the Canadian HGTV (HGTV having once claimed that an episode had received its highest-ever ratings), with shows airing upwards of 20 times a week at the peak of its popularity. It has won the Gemini viewers' choice award, a testament to the popularity of the show in Canada.

Originally, ''Holmes on Homes'' ran as a series of 30-minute episodes (with one one-hour special ''Whole House Disaster''), but moved to a one-hour format midway through the third season due to popular demand. Several longer specials have aired: the one-hour season finale to the first season, ''Whole House Disaster''; the one-hour ''Holmes for the Holidays'' at the end of the third season; the two-hour ''House to Home'' season finale for the fourth season; the two-hour specials ''Out of the Ashes'' and ''Holmes Inspection'' in the fifth season; the two-hour sixth-season episode ''Pasadena 911''; and the two-hour ''Lien on Me'' in the final season. The latest episode is available for viewing on HGTV's website. The first five seasons of half-hour and hour long episodes, as well as the "Holmes for the Holidays" episode, are also available for purchase on DVD. Season seven commenced airing in Australia on 1 October 2008 on the HOW TO Channel and in the UK on 24 March 2009 on Discovery Shed (formerly Discovery Realtime Extra).

Premise

The show's premise revolves around general contractor Mike Holmes visiting homeowners (initially in the Greater Toronto Area in the earlier seasons, but also to various locales across Canada and the United States, starting with the seventh season) who are in need of help, mainly due to unsatisfactory home renovations performed by hired contractors. A typical episode has homeowners describing their experiences with the previous contractor, including what had caused the original contractor to leave the work incomplete or with substandard work (often under Ontario building codes). Holmes would also go into detail to explain why the work he sees is substandard and needs to be replaced during the repair process. The original contractors are never named on the shows, although an episode of CBC Television's ''Marketplace'' has done investigative journalism behind a sixth-season episode and exposed the contractor alleged to have been at fault.

Typically, after beginning the repair work, Holmes and his crew of contractors often find that their small repair project has escalated into a larger one due to surprises that they find and are forced to fix; only on rare occasions has the show's crew ''not'' been forced to tear everything down and start over. However, in the end, Holmes presents the homeowners with a completely finished place, often with a few extra surprises.

Throughout the rebuilding process, Holmes often comments on the professionalism of the people hired for the job or lets other contractors talk about how to build things correctly. On some occasions Holmes has vented out his frustrations with previous contractors' substandard work in front of the camera. Particularly for projects involving new homes, Holmes often criticizes the developers for following minimum code and trying to save as many costs as possible.

Several episodes have deviated from this formula: a fourth-season episode explored the issue of mold in the household, and Holmes was brought in to investigate the matter after the homeowner had done some investigative work on their own; a fifth-season episode saw Holmes and crew build a common fence for 52 households, while a sixth-season episode saw Holmes and crew clean up and restore a house that had been rented out, and unknown to the homeowner, turned into a marijuana grow-op. The sixth-season ''Pasadena 911'' two-hour episode also saw Mike and senior contractor Damon Bennett travel to Los Angeles to help out a couple in need after Holmes' own appearance on ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show''.

Because the show is a television series, costs for the homeowners, who are likely to be strapped for cash due to the previous contractors' mistakes and/or frauds, are kept to a minimum (10% to 20% of the cost of repair). Some contractors hired on the show have even donated time, materials, and labor to help homeowners in need. The remainder of the work is funded by the TV production company, but in some cases, Mike Holmes personally contributes funds towards the repairs.

History

Holmes was originally hired on '' Just Ask Jon Eakes'', a home improvement show (also on HGTV and formerly in the US on sister network DIY Network) hosted by Jon Eakes, for some behind-the-scenes work. Mike Holmes approached the show's producers Scott Clark McNeil and Michael Quast with an idea for a new kind of home improvement show. Holmes did not intend that he appear on camera, but the producers made this a condition of the deal. Although submissions to be on the show were initially few and far between, with Holmes doing work on small botched jobs early on in the series, the number of submissions quickly ballooned by the show's fourth season. In its last season, the show was directed by The Holmes Group's Vice President Pete Kettlewell, who had worked on the show from the first season where he did the show's audio, produced by The Holmes Group's Vice President Michael Quast, who had been with the show since the fifth season, and also produced by Mike Holmes himself.

As a result of the show's popularity, Holmes had been able to start up the Holmes Foundation, a charity organization which helps raise awareness of skilled trades.

Construction crew

Although Holmes serves as the show's host, he brings with him several other equally skilled contractors who are regulars on the series (although not all appear in all seasons):

Crew

The construction crew in the seventh season is as follows:

* Damon Bennett - Damon was introduced (by Shawn) in the fourth season of the series in the episode ''Window Well to Hell''. With the departure of Shawn, Damon became the senior contractor starting in the sixth season. He is also the only series regular other than Mike himself to be part of ''Pasadena 911''. His specialty is carpentry, though he started in bricklaying (having come from a long line of bricklayers) and roofing.
* Adam Belanger - Adam is another senior contractor who joined Mike in the fifth season. His specialty is in landscape and concrete work.
* Corin Ames - Corin, known affectionately as "Pinky", was the first female labourer on the show, starting in the fifth season. She had joined the Holmes Crew as an intern, and was famously hired on-air in her first appearance after finishing her required hours.
* Mike Holmes Jr. - Mike's son has been seen in parts of the first four seasons, and, after graduating from high school some time between the fourth and fifth seasons (his previous appearances having been part of a co-op term in high school), joined the Holmes Crew as a series regular.
* Matt Antonacci - Matt, known affectionately as "Hammy", joined the Holmes Crew for sporadic appearances in the fifth season, and joined full-time in the sixth season.
* Carl Pavlovic - Carl, sometimes known as "Carlito", became a series regular in the sixth season.
* Kate Campbell - Kate is introduced late in the sixth season.
* Peter Lundy - Peter is introduced late in the sixth season.
* Billy Bell - "Uncle Bill", Mike's uncle, is the truck driver for the Holmes tool truck (itself introduced in the fifth season to replace a series of trailers).

Former crew

The following is a list of past crew members who have appeared in earlier seasons:

* Shawn Morren - Shawn was the site supervisor from the first five seasons of the series. He left after the fifth season. He now has his own company in the Toronto area. Shawn also appeared on episode 208 of Candice Olson's ''Divine Design''. Candice designed the kitchen in his newly purchased home.
* Benjamin Green - Benjamin ("Bengi") was Mike's senior contractor for the first four seasons of the series. Mike and Ben have known each other for much of their careers.
* Desmond Hamlyn - Desmond was another contractor who appeared in the first four seasons of the series.
* Don Carter - Don, a tile specialist, appeared for the first two seasons of the series (the first as a hired specialist), as well as ''Holmes for the Holidays''.
* Micah Morren - Micah, younger brother to Shawn, appears in the fifth season of the series.
* Brennan Cavendish - Brennan briefly appeared in the fifth season of the series.
* Dan Rapa - Dan, a plumber, was introduced in the fourth season as a hired specialist, and became a series regular in the fifth. He has left the series to continue operating his own business.

Specialist

Subcontractors

Several other tradespersons running their own companies also make regular appearances on the series.

* Mike Richter - Plumber, DanMac Plumbing and Drain Service
* Frank Cozzolino - Electrician, Solutions Electrical and Maintenance
* Joe Frangella - Electrician, Solutions Electrical and Maintenance
* Maurizio Randazzo - Electrician, Solutions Electrical and Maintenance
* Craig Lowe - Painter, Lowe Painting
* John Macrae - G.J. Macrae Foundation Repair
* Gary Landry - HVAC Technician, Northwood Heating and Air Conditioning Co. Ltd.
* Sandy Ragno - Electrician, Solo Electric
* Martin Wroblewski - Plumber, Express Rooter Plumbing
* Tony Banwell - Plumber, Tony Banwell Plumbing
* Harvey Bates - Plumber, Westor Plumbing & Heating
* Robert Graves - Roofer, Better Contracting
* Saul Cordova - Cordova Taping

Home renovation expert Jon Eakes has also appeared as a guest in one episode, and the winners of ''Handyman Superstar Challenge'' are invited to make a guest appearance on the show (Jordan MacNab in season 6 and Kevin Howe in season 7).

List of episodes

Season 1

The first season of the show's episodes are usually only 30 minutes long.

Season 2

The second season of the show's episodes are usually only 30 minutes long.

Note: Holmes for the Holidays was filmed during the second production season, but is considered as part of the third airing season, although it is not included in HGTV's rotation due to it being a Christmas special. (Included on Season 2 DVD set)

Season 3

The third season saw a move from a 30-minute format to a full-hour format partway through the season.

Season 4

The fourth season of the show's episodes are usually 1 hour long.

Season 5

The fifth season saw an overall change in look, due to increased production values (the filming crew, unlike the first four seasons, were equipped with widescreen high-definition cameras, although the show continues to air in standard-definition on HGTV). The season also saw the Holmes crew expand from a few experienced contractors to encompassing younger apprentices as well. The episodes are 1 hour long.

Season 6

The sixth season of the show's episodes are usually 1 hour long.

Season 7

During the seventh season, Mike travels across Canada to help homeowners in other parts of the country, although a number remain within Ontario. Season seven is also notable for the formation of The Holmes Foundation, a charity organization affiliated with the show that promotes awareness of skilled trades (both to homeowners looking to hire them for renovations and to youth as a career choice), and its first project, the episode Lien on Me. The episodes are 1 hour long.

Best of Holmes on Homes

Best of Holmes on Homes is a 2012 remix TV series featuring clips from ''Holmes on Homes'', brought together on a common theme, to illustrate home problems. Mike Holmes narrates the show.

The Show ended after Season 7 and "Holmes Inspections" starter afterwards

See also

* Cowboy Trap, a similar series in the UK
* Holmes Inspection

References

External links

Holmes on Homes official website
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Holmes On Homes
HGTV (Canada) original programming
Television series by Alliance Atlantis
2000s Canadian reality television series
2003 Canadian television series debuts
2008 Canadian television series endings
Canadian English-language television shows
The Holmes Group