Mike Holmes

Michael James Holmes (born August 3, 1963) is a Canadian builder/contractor, businessman, investor, television host, and philanthropist.

Mike Holmes learned his craft from his father, who started teaching him construction work when he was 6 years old.

By the time he was 19, Holmes had started his first contracting company with a crew of 13 employees.

At 21, Holmes founded his own renovation company.

He has run two companies during his 20-year contracting career.

He has three children: Amanda, Sherry, and Mike Jr., who have all appeared and worked on his shows.

Broadcast on HGTV Canada, Holmes on Homes first started in 2001.

Holmes on Homes was first conceived when Holmes approached the producers of the Just Ask Jon Eakes home improvement show on HGTV with the idea for a new kind of home improvement show.

Although there were few submissions to the show initially, their number ballooned by the fourth season.

As the show evolved, it generally focused on bad renovations and the results of bad contractors.

In Canada, Holmes on Homes airs on HGTV Canada, BBC Canada, and Casa for the French version.

It airs in the US on HGTV and DIY Network, in New Zealand on The Living Channel, in Australia on Lifestyle Home, in the United Kingdom on Discovery Shed (formerly Discovery Real Time), in Germany on DMAX, and in South Africa on the Home Channel.

Between the end of Holmes on Homes and the start of Holmes Inspection, Mike Holmes starred in a one-season series, Holmes in New Orleans, on the construction of a new home in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans, to replace one destroyed during Hurricane Katrina.

Mike Holmes' first starring series was Holmes on Homes, which premiered in 2003, on Corus Entertainment's HGTV Canada.

In 2006, Holmes started The Holmes Foundation after seeing a renovation that was so poorly done that he felt it was necessary for him to tear the house down and start again rather than try to repair the damage.

The purpose of The Holmes Foundation is to encourage young people to enter the building trades as well as to assist those who have been impoverished by bad renovations.

Holmes works with SOS Children's Villages.

In 2006, Mike Holmes was recognized in the House of Commons of Canada for his promotion of skilled trades and for his advocacy for improved building standards.

He was acknowledged as an "extraordinary craftsperson" and "an accomplished master builder with a social conscience".

Holmes is the author of two books: Home Renovation with Canada's Most Trusted Contractor (ISBN 978-1-60320-194-0) and Holmes Inspection: Everything You Need to Know Before You Buy or Sell Your Home (ISBN 978-1-60320-929-8), as well as a weekly newspaper column.

Holmes began a new series in 2009 called Holmes Inspection that profiles home inspections gone wrong.

The series started airing in the fall of 2009 on HGTV Canada.

In May 2010, Reader's Digest's second annual survey named Holmes as the second most widely trusted person in Canada behind David Suzuki.

In the United States, the series debuted on HGTV on Sunday, December 19, 2010.

Holmes inspected the houses while checking up on the construction, leaving long-time crew member Damon Bennett as the lead site manager and backup host.

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.

Holmes narrates the show.

Holmes started a new series for 2012 called Holmes Makes It Right, that profiles disaster-stricken homes, and renovates them.

The series focuses on natural disasters and bad home inspections or bad contractor work.

The name of the series revolves around Holmes's personal motto, "Make It Right".

While Holmes visited the construction sites, he had long-time crew member Damon Bennett in charge and mostly hosting.

For the fall 2014 TV season, Mike's Ultimate Garage, a mini-series about building a man-cave garage for Holmes Sr. (Big Mike) by son Mike Holmes Jr. and daughter Sherry Holmes aired on HGTV Canada.

Holmes Sr. guest stars in the series, while it starred Mike Jr. as the construction lead and Sherry.

For the fall 2016 TV season, Holmes and Holmes premiered.

In this series, Holmes stars with his son Mike Jr. The show premiered on HGTV Canada, produced by Make It Right Productions.

For the fall 2016 TV season, Holmes: Buy It Right premiered.

In this series Holmes stars as an advisor to new home buyers, showing them how to choose a house.

In June 2019, Bell Media announced a new development deal with Holmes, ending his relationship with HGTV Canada.

Now in its third season, Holmes and Holmes aired on the DIY Network (USA) in October 2019.

His library of programming moved airing to Gusto, which was rebranded as CTV Life Channel, and two new series were announced, including Holmes 911, and the Holmes Family Rescue for CTV in 2020.