Mike Holmes is well on his way to being my new idol.
If you’re reading this from Canada, you already know Mike: the contractor who arrives at the scene of botched renovation jobs and works his magic.
So why do I love this guy?
1. He seems to know everything there is to know about construction. We’re talking deep knowledge of every subdomain of home renovation. It’s knowledge (and wisdom) that only comes from years of experience.
2. His mantra is “Make it right [the first time].” Fellow software developers, you know this story, right?
3. The concept for his show is an entrepreneur’s dream:
Take an existing idea: shows about home renovation, which are a dime a dozen.
Make a clever addition: start on a site where the contractors screwed up.
Suddenly, look at this innovative format you’ve got:
a show with conflict (in the dramatic sense only – Mike has a policy of not naming and shaming)
episodic story arcs that are much more engaging
(most importantly) a useful tweak to the format that gives Mike and his crews ample opportunity to relay relevant information about a reno to the audience, without relying on awkward asides.
More information: Check out the Holmes on Homes Website.
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Posted Apr 14th, 2008
into Developer, Random and Cool
with tags Canada, construction, make it right, Mike Holmes, renovation
1 Comment »
Dear Mike,
My name is Maryanne Legere, I am in my early 50’s.
I live in Burlington, Nova Scotia
My husband & I lived in a mobile home for 10 years & just bought our first home
together 3 years ago which we hope to be our retirement home.
We have been together a total of 12 years & are both starting over after being
divorced. After we moved in, to our horror we found out that the basement
flooded because the weeping tile was bad, the roof leaks in one spot, there is no
insulation in two walls & it is in desperate need of new siding & windows!! We
already fixed a few bad holes in the floor ourselves & have started a rec room
downstairs , but we don’t want to finish it until we fix the leaking problem
We contacted the reality that we bought through but they would not give us any
satisfaction so we contacted a lawyer but found that we just can’t afford to hire one.
We have two wonderful granddaughters that spend a lot of time here & only have one
Tiny room for them to share. Our plan was to bring the laundry room up stair to their
old room since I have fibormyalgia & I find running up & down the stair to do laundry
bother my knees. At the rate we are going ,with the limited funds we have because I am
no longer able to work, it will take us years to complete the work & we want to be abl
to have a descent home to enjoy our golden years ahead & to leave to my son &
granddaughters .I have lost three homes in the past…..one through co signing a loan for
someone & one by fire & the last one through divorce.
It seems that we take one step forward & two back & I am becoming so disappointed
that I just feel like giving up….I am getting too old & sick to start over again!!
Even if we had help with some of the work it would be a big help & very much appreciated. My husband & I watch your show every Sunday & we believe that you are the best at what you do, we wouldn’t trust our home to anyone else!!
Sincerely : Maryanne Legere