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Private Notes
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.
