I love Holmes on Homes. If you haven’t seen the show, you really should check it out. Originally produced for Canadian television, episodes now air on HGTV. The show stars general contractor and renovation specialist Mike Holmes and his crew of workers.
Holmes on Homes features families who have had unsatisfactory work done to their homes. Mike and his crew come in, assess the situation – and fix any problems. Along the way, Mike explains how each problem was caused, how each one could have been prevented, and what he’s doing to repair them.
When the Holmes on Homes crew is finished with a house – the job looks amazing. Seriously, it’s a great show and if you like home improvement shows in general, you’ll really dig Holmes on Homes.
Like Mike, I’m in the remodeling business. However, I’m not remodeling houses, I’m remodeling my finances. Here are my remodeling principles –
1. Start with an honest assessment of current situation.
2. Recognize that a temporary fix is just that – temporary.
3. Rip away the external and get to the heart of all problem areas.
4. Return to the basics and focus on a good foundation.
5. Do the hard work in the beginning – and continue with it until each task is completed.
6. Make sure each layer of subsequent work ties in to the work that came before it.
7. Stop making excuses and do the work.
8. The true cost of any decision cannot be measured simply in dollars, but must also take in to account time.
9. There is little value in appearance if it is only camouflaging structural damage.
10. A job, well done, truly is its own reward.
My favorite part of the show, strangely enough, is the very beginning. I like to hear Mike describe the cause of each and every problem. Knowing a little about carpentry myself, I am always fascinated by what Mike finds – and the detailed methods he uses to repair the mistakes.
Remolding my finances works in much the same way. I start with a current problem, need, or want. Then, I drill down, dissecting my budget, my income, and my current situation. Over time, a plan takes shape – and I can begin to implement the changes necessary to fix the problem, provide for the need, or satisfy the want.
I have no affiliation with Holmes on Homes – I just really dig the show.
I’ve seen that show too and love it! Usually those hosts either are experts OR have a great presentation, but this guy has both. There’s no fluff in his show and Holmes gives detailed explanations on what went wrong, then takes his time to fix it RIGHT. That’s how I can parallel his show to my financial life – you have to get to the root of the problem and build from there, not just cover it up and hope it holds!
I love this show too. Some of the stories they feature make me wonder how the homeowner didn’t know that they were getting shoddy work done. Anyway, nice job of relating the show to your personal finances.
love this show too.
I love that show too. Mike Holmes seems so genuine and eager to help the person who has been wronged. Great guy – great show.
too bad there isn’t a US Holmes. We really like the show.
As far as being duped, if you don’t know what to look for, you don’t know what is being done wrong or right; however, there is a level of common sense and intuition involved that should have raised red flags on some of these cases. However, regardless of if you are able to pickup those glaring clues, it shows how careful you really must be.
Our friends went by word of mouth with a contractor, and I will tell you they are getting ripped off. I expect they will have issues down the road. They won’t listen to reason, so not much to help them. There are clues we have pointed out that they should run. I mean they are doing measurements instead of the contractor; the contractor wants them to buy cabinets from the Home Depot “he prefers” rather than the Home Depot they bought the cabinets from; they didn’t get multiple bids on the project, etc.
@Sam: I don’t know if Bob Vila is outdated, because i thought the original show he hosted This Old House was very good. I just thought he wasn’t a hands on person, nor did the show point out what to look for. At least you see Holmes putting some muscle into the work. I wish I could find a master carpenter like Norm Abram to do all my projects. That guy invents and has every widget and tool in the book.
I think the trend these days is to inform people of “buyer beware” situations, which unfortunately is the reality these days. I also believe this is the reality, because people want to skip corners or hire too good to be true people to do their work in an effort to save money.
Yay Canada!!!