Holmes on Homes Episode Rating Graph

The Holmes Crew arrive to help a homeowner with a kitchen renovation — the previous renovators had specialized in finishing work (such as cabinets), but had not addressed any of the underlying problems at all.

Jennifer and Abraham, expecting their first child, decided to remodel their bungalow to make room for their growing family. The contractor they hired seemed to have everything in hand, but 4 months later Jennifer and Abraham found they had paid 90% of the contract but only about 30% of the work was complete. Left with a contractor on the run, a huge new mortgage, construction bills piling up, and a worthless empty shell of a house, the sun seemed to have set on their dream home, let alone home ownership of any kind. They needed a miracle… …And they got one when Mike appeared on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” and Ellen introduced him to Jennifer and Abraham, asking if he could help. Determined to do just that, Mike and a legion of contractors team up to answer the call…Pasadena 911.

Nancie and Woody moved into a 25-year-old townhouse that required some updating- particularly the floors and the “tiny” kitchen space. As renovations got underway, Woody was unexpectedly hospitalized. The contractors were left virtually unsupervised while Nancie tried to manage her job, visit Woody and take care of their daughter. All of the contractors were very sympathetic to her stating, “don’t worry about the renovations- you are in good hands.” What they left behind was simply one big mistake- one that Mike and the team will correct, with the help of a Country singing guest star.

After hiring a contractor to build an addition on their home, a couple found that the work had been given to a subcontractor who was now in a money dispute with their original contractor. After making a new deal with the subcontractor to finish the job, they were crestfallen to discover that the subcontractor also took their money and left the job unfinished. Now it is up to Mike Holmes and his crew to straighten out the mess.

A couples new backyard wall is crumbling after one winter. After the original contractor returned and tried to repair the wall with rebar and additional concrete, Mike Holmes arrives and does the job right.

A leaky upstairs shower has lead to a crack appearing in a newlywed couple's kitchen ceiling. Mike Holmes and his crew come to the rescue, repairing both the shower and the ceiling, and making some changes to the delight of the home-owners.

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.

George "Boom Boom" Chuvalo, former heavyweight boxer who fought Muhammad Ali twice and went the distance both times, finds himself the victim of a disreputable contractor. When the situation was brought to Mike Holmes' attention, he felt honored to help out his boyhood hero.

Lisa and Simon were preparing to have their first baby and needed to build a nursery and a bathroom. They found a reputable contractor at a home show with impressive credentials and long list of references. A contract was drafted, a substantial down payment was paid, and the 6-week job would be starting almost immediately. Over the next four months, every excuse was given why they could not start the job. With the baby due in less than three months and the realization that they may not have a properly functioning full bathroom with a new born- Lisa and Simon fired their contractor- and called Mike Holmes. Time is ticking, with a baby on the way, and the bathroom and nursery that will need to be built again. Mike and the team race to beat the Stork!

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).

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".

After a contractor did a beautiful looking job on their new kitchen floor, the floor starts to buckle. Mike Holmes shows up to fix the floor joists and give the new floor a proper base.

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.

Lisa and Joe decided to have an existing wooden retaining wall in their backyard rebuilt using concrete blocks. As the new block wall went up, Joe and Lisa began to question some glaring items - the lack of gravel base and the Geo-grid reinforcement material lay unused even though most of the wall was up. The project dragged on and the wall simply wasn't getting finished. Finally, the contractor stopped coming altogether and would not answer his cell phone. Lisa actually phoned the local hospitals to check if he had been admitted. They couldn't believe he would just disappear without finishing the job and leaving behind his tools. The homeowners had paid the contractor for all the materials, and when they received a bill in the mail a month later from the material supplier for the remaining 50% balance, they realized they had been taken for a ride. Mike and his team of landscape professions tear down the wall and build a retaining wall that is rock solid.

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.

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.

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 a lengthy battle with contractors a couple learns that their second floor renovation has been done poorly. Mike and his crew are brought in to repair various plumbing, ventilation and electrical problems.

Rainwater from the terrace of a couple's brand new house is leaking into their garage. Despite major damage, and a two year battle with the builder, the problem has not been fixed. Mike Holmes and his crew arrive and they rebuild the terrace with a proper watertight membrane and new decking.

A new home has several recognized deficiencies, including a cold floor in the room above the garage. Mike and his crew are brought in to investigate and repair the 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.

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.

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.

After a contractor builds a cheap staircase in their home, a couple turns to Mike Holmes to demolish the old work and build a new staircase.

A woman who recently had a second story addition to her house has found a mysterious leak. Mike Holmes is asked to investigate, and he finds that the house is sitting on an unstable dirt foundation rather than concrete. Mike and his team save the house by digging up the dirt and pouring a proper concrete foundation.

Jane, a single mom, lives in a typical new home development with her two kids. Since the day they moved into the brand new home, they have been plagued with repeated plumbing and heating issues. During a recent winter cold spell, the porch ceiling caved in, exposing questionable minimum building code practices and building materials- luckily, Mike and his team have the right answers

As her retirement investment, Lisa rented out a second house to a young couple eager to rent a home in a quiet, upscale neighborhood. They seemed to be perfect tenants, until the police contacted Lisa months later and informed her that the house had just been busted as a Marijuana Grow Op. The damage was extensive--every part of the house had been affected and her retirement investment was essentially destroyed. Faced with a massive repair that will cost as much as the house was currently worth, Mike makes this right, and discovers just how extensive the damage can be from an illegal Grow-Operation.

A poor contractor does a bad renovation to a basement bathroom. Mike Holmes inspects the work and finds that the electrical work was not done properly.

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.

Living in a century home, Kjirsten and John had their bathroom remodeled with a custom slate tile shower, featuring built-in bench seating. Soon afterwards, they notice a strange substance leaching out of the tile grout and that the shower doesn’t drain properly. When the bathroom ceiling starts to peel away, they realize something is wrong below the surface. Mike confirms their beautiful looking, new slate shower, is only skin deep- and much more lurks beneath the surface.

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!

A couple have spent a lot of money on a kitchen addition and back deck, but the job fails to pass inspection, and the stucco begins to crumble. With their contractor not returning their calls, the couple contacts Mike Holmes.

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.

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.

When Jeff and Lorrie discover that their newly built house has a crumbling concrete foundation with one third of the minimum strength required by code, he calls Mike Holmes to save their home. Mike and the HOH team build a new custom foundation within walls of the existing foundation and devise a plan to protect the weakened exterior from further damage.

The Holmes Crew address a custom-built home, whose brand-new components are beginning to show signs of deterioration. Footage from this episode was also featured on CBC Marketplace in 2009, where two other homes built by the same builder were investigated.

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.

Since moving into their new house, a couple have been dealing with a leaky foundation for five years. All the while the builder has been trying to fix the problem but to no avail. Mike Holmes arrives and fixes the problem by excavating around the foundation and installing a new rubber membrane.

A couple hired a roofing contractor to fix their flat roof but after the job was finished, the roof still leaked. With the contractor refusing to correct the problem, Mike Holmes is brought in. He tears apart the old roof and installs a brand new water-tight membrane.

In this two part episode a woman discovers that she has no attic insulation in a house that she has just purchased. In part two, a couple's roofing renovator did a quick and sloppy job, leaving the house very drafty. In both cases, Mike Holmes and his crew fix the problems.

Only a year after a couple had their kitchen and bathroom renovated, the tiles are starting to crack. Mike Holmes is asked to come in and fix the problem, and he is surprised at what he finds above the shower.

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 winning a $15,000 bathroom renovation from a church auction, the homeowners discover that the contractor behind the renovation prize had spent another $15,000 with only a rough-in to show for the $30,000 worth of work. The Holmes Crew arrives to fix the bathroom.

A family that just moved into a brand new house finds that tiles on the main floor are loose and are starting to lift. Mike Holmes and his crew fix the problem by laying a new floor.

Due to faulty insulation installation during a recent renovation, a bedroom is unbelievably cold in the winter. Mike Holmes to the rescue!

A sorority house has a leaky roof and many contractors have tried to repair the problem, but they have failed. Mike Holmes and his crew fix the problem by installing a new flat roof, and they even build a new roof-top deck for the sorority sisters.

A couple hired a contractor to lower their basement, but the basement has now developed leaks. With the contractor nowhere to be found, Mike Holmes and his crew fix a bunch of electrical problems and install an interior weeping tile system.

Mike Holmes and his crew fix a foundation that is too small for the house, and give the owner a warm safe basement in the process.

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.

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.

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.

Jane and Dan had a tiny quarter sized water stain on the bedroom ceiling of their six-year-old townhouse. They had a roofing contractor come and repair the balcony above the leak. The contractor ended up having to rip up the existing balcony membrane only to discover the engineered joists below were completely rotted through. The homeowners could not find a contractor willing to take on fixing this structural mess and asked Mike if he was up for the challenge.

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™’.

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.