The BEST episodes of Holmes on Homes
Every episode of Holmes on Homes ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Holmes on Homes!
Construction and renovation expert Mike Holmes visits unlucky families who have been swindled or abandoned during their home improvement projects. Mike uncovers shoddy construction methods, improper techniques and down right rip-offs. You'll see Mike correct the problems, as well as explain how the homeowners could have safeguarded themselves from unscrupulous builders and dishonest contractors.
#1 - Gut Ache
Season 7 - Episode 10 - Aired 7/3/2008
Jeremy had a total kitchen renovation- or so he thought. There were new cabinets, new counters, new appliances, new paint and a new tile floor- all the cosmetic items were brand new. Unfortunately, his renovation company only dealt with the finishing items. Everything below the surface was still the same old kitchen. Mike and the crew have to completely gut this kitchen to deal with all the problems that are bubbling under the brand-new, finished surface.
#2 - Kitchen Knockout
Season 7 - Episode 8 - Aired 5/15/2008
The story itself was all too familiar- a botched kitchen renovation. The big difference here was the person who wrote the letter - former heavyweight boxing champion, George ''Boom Boom'' Chuvalo. The three-week kitchen renovation had gone into its third month. George and his wife Joanne had lost their patience, and the contractor finally made a hasty departure, leaving behind a badly laid out kitchen - featuring dangling pot lights, no working electrical, and no countertops. During George's boxing career, he went the distance with Muhammad Ali, twice. Ali stated that ''George was the toughest guy he had ever fought.'' And now, ''Boom Boom'' Chuvalo's kitchen disaster goes toe-to-toe with the heavyweight contractor, Mike ''Make It Right'' Holmes!
#3 - Pane in the Glass
Season 7 - Episode 9 - Aired 6/5/2008
Jon and Candice seemed to be having problems with their window installation contractor. Proof that things were going badly came to the homeowners in the form of a DVD. A neighbor across the street documented the entire contracting mess from a home security camera. For the first time ever Mike Holmes and his team get to witness a bad renovation as it happens. If a picture speaks a thousands words, this footage says, ''It's all coming down!''
#4 - Behind the Scenes
Season 7 - Episode 7 - Aired 4/24/2008
In this special episode, the Holmes crew (both construction and production) reveal the behind the scenes work during the filming from the seventh season, including the process from viewer submission to filming, how three or four episodes are produced at the same time, and the logistical issues with having a camera crew and a construction crew trying to work over each other. The episode includes behind-the-scenes footage from Additional Grief, Country Kitchen, Paradise Island, Lien on Me, and an upcoming episode titled Blind Faith, as well as a Maxwell House commercial and Mike's interview on 20/20. It also explores the origins of the series and how the Holmes Foundation was founded, as well as providing some insight into the Holmes family (all three of Mike's children work on the show in some capacity).
#5 - A Different Slant
Season 7 - Episode 11 - Aired 7/10/2008
Lee and Bailey bought a brand new townhouse two years ago. It came with many modern conveniences like a fridge that made ice cubes. One item they didn't ask for was an attic that made snow cones- enough snow that they had to shovel it into plastic bags to prevent it from melting into their house. After the builder showed up to do several band-aid fixes, they called in Mike Holmes to get to the bottom of things, on the top of their house.
#6 - Capital Offence
Season 7 - Episode 13 - Aired 7/24/2008
Gwyn and Andrew, self-confessed ''Holmes On Homes Junkies'', had seen every episode and read Mike's book. They took all of Mike's advice and thought they did everything to make sure their bathroom renovation went smoothly, yet things turned out very wrong. Mike uses this example to show how far we have come in preventing renovation disasters and to also show how far we still need to go to avoid being ripped off by unscrupulous contractors.
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#7 - Brick A Brack
Season 7 - Episode 5 - Aired 4/3/2008
When Mike arrives at the home of Val and Dave, he thought it was an exterior renovation repair only- until he went inside. Originally, the scope of the project involved repairing a home that suffered from defective brick- the face of the brick was falling off, causing it to quickly erode. This weakened masonry was causing the chimney to lean dangerously and the bottom rows of brick were so compromised that replacement was needed to prevent the brick walls from collapsing. When Mike went inside the home, he discovered that the homeowners were literally drowning in their own possessions. There were mounds of stuff piled to the ceiling in almost every room in the house. There was so much junk crammed in the basement that it wasn’t even possible for Mike and the team to do a basic electrical and HVAC inspection. Mike decides that a clean-up intervention is needed, to save the homeowners from themselves.
#8 - Completely Incomplete
Season 6 - Episode 3 - Aired 11/23/2006
Kristine and Terry needed more living space for their expanding family. They decided to add a second story addition over the garage in order to add a bedroom and bathroom. When the contractor demanded full payment before the job was completed, the homeowners refused to pay. The contractor placed a Lien on their home stating that the renovation was 99 percent complete. Mike and the team finish the job and demonstrate just how incomplete the job really was.
#9 - Re-Inventing
Season 7 - Episode 4 - Aired 4/17/2008
Christine and her husband bought a brand new townhome in an upscale suburb. Their dream home had virtually everything a homeowner could ever wish for - except enough heat. After six years and countless band-aid repairs by the builder, they called Mike Holmes and his team to get to the bottom of things. Preliminary evidence suggested that the improper installation of the flexible ductwork inside the walls and ceilings might be the culprit. Mike discovers the only way to make this situation right is to painstakingly remove the existing drywall, design and build new bulkheads, create new ducts and vents, and install an entire HVAC system that performs correctly.
#10 - Jacking the Box
Season 2 - Episode 10 - Aired 4/25/2004
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.
#11 - Rocky Reno
Season 7 - Episode 2 - Aired 11/1/2007
In the shadow the Rocky Mountains is the home of Yvonne and Tadashi. They had an addition added that included a covered front porch and entranceway. During construction, they began to get worried when the renovation in progress didn’t exactly match the building plans. When the contractor began asking for the substantial completion payment before the job was finished, they refused and offered to have a lawyer hold the payment in trust until the work was done. The contractor walked off the job, and they called Mike Holmes to come to Canmore Alberta, and ‘Make it Right™’.
#12 - Ramp Revamp
Season 2 - Episode 3 - Aired 2/15/2004
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.
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#13 - Hit The Deck
Season 7 - Episode 1 - Aired 10/4/2007
Mike travels to Saint John, New Brunswick, to meet Marlene after her second story deck falls, seriously injuring herself and three friends. He discovers that this tragic accident was caused by incompetent workmanship. A year later, the ladies are still traumatized, both physically and emotionally. But they get a boost on their road to recovery as Mike rebuilds a rock solid deck and gives the historic home a fresh look.
#14 - Additional Grief
Season 1 - Episode 1 - Aired 3/24/2003
Dave and Melanie spent over $30,000 on a kitchen addition and back deck. Shortly after the job fails to pass the city inspection, the shoddy stucco finish begins to crumble and the contractor won't return calls. Mike Holmes steps in and gives the addition and back deck a face-lift to make it right for these homeowners.
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#15 - Floor Fiasco
Season 2 - Episode 8 - Aired 3/21/2004
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.
#16 - Cabinet Chaos
Season 3 - Episode 2 - Aired 7/21/2004
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.
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#17 - What a Mesh
Season 5 - Episode 11 - Aired 10/12/2006
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.
#18 - Hell's Kitchen
Season 2 - Episode 13 - Aired 5/2/2004
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.
#19 - Flimsy Floor
Season 1 - Episode 6 - Aired 4/26/2003
Jim and Helen had a beautiful kitchen addition built onto their house by a contractor "famous" for his finishes. It was during their first party that the kitchen hardwood started to buckle. After a quick fix by the contractor fails to solve the problem, Mike Holmes is called in to make it right. Mike and his crew secure the floor's joists, adds braces and reminds us that structure is just as important as design.
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#20 - Two Steps Back
Season 4 - Episode 1 - Aired 1/20/2005
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.
#21 - Wash & Weep
Season 3 - Episode 10 - Aired 10/28/2004
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.
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#22 - Access Denied
Season 2 - Episode 11 - Aired 4/18/2004
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.
#23 - Botched Basement
Season 1 - Episode 3 - Aired 4/7/2003
Geoff and Lorraine hired a contractor to lower their basement. When the basement begins to leak after just two weeks and with the contractor nowhere to be found, they turn to Mike Holmes to save the day. Mike and his team install an interior weeping tile system and fix a dangerous electrical mess.
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#24 - Paradise Island
Season 7 - Episode 3 - Aired 11/22/2007
Holmes On Homes heads to the back woods to fix a cottage on an island! Mike and the team find the water obstacle a challenge as they renovate a bathroom and repair deck railings for the retired cottage owner, Anne. She had difficulty trying to finding contractors that would venture to her cottage, and the one that finally did had spent more time fishing than working, or so it seemed. Mike and the team encounter renovation challenges unique to three-season cottages and working in remote locations.
#25 - Whole House Disaster
Season 1 - Episode 13 - Aired 6/15/2003
Dave and Ana hired a contractor to put an addition on their kitchen and renovate their house. After a year-and-a-half and over $100,000 paid out, the house is in ruins and the contractor has disappeared. Mike Holmes takes on the disaster and with many talented tradespeople renovates their entire property and moves them back into their home.
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