Mike Holmes never set out to be a TV star; it just turned out that way. Nonetheless,
that success has not come without some bumps along the way; to find out more about his
journey from contractor to hero of TV home repair, here's what really happened to Mike
Holmes.
Mike Holmes' foray into television was not by design. Holmes was a full-time contractor
when he was hired to do some building work on the set of a Canadian TV show dedicated
to DIY home repair. As noted by The Globe and Mail, the ever-opinionated Holmes began
telling the people who hired him that they had it all wrong. Holmes went into one of
his trademark rants, explaining that encouraging homeowners to do their own renovations was
a bad idea, since they usually did a lousy job. In fact, he pointed out, a huge portion
of his business came from repairing the botched renovations done by people who had no idea
what they were doing.
"Right off the bat, I don't like this."
After Holmes apologized for overstepping his bounds, the producer of the show got an idea:
Holmes should star in his own TV show, repairing homeowners' DIY disasters and the shoddy work
of shady contractors. Holmes on Homes debuted on HGTV Canada in 2001; by 2004, the show
was averaging 250,000 viewers an episode, a considerable number for a Canadian specialty
channel. The beefy, tough-talking contractor had accidentally become a TV star.
The success of Holmes on Homes kept growing, as did the popularity of its star. Already
a hit on HGTV Canada, the show was eventually picked up by HGTV in the U.S., expanding his
reach considerably. By 2005, Mike Holmes should have felt like he was on top of top of the
world — yet he was dissatisfied. Mike Quast, the TV exec who'd first discovered him, told
The Globe and Mail that Holmes had become disenchanted with his producer.
According to Quast, Holmes invited him and crew member Pete Kettlewell to his home for
a meeting. Holmes laid out his vision to expand his brand; the TV show, he explained, isn't
the be-all and end-all, but one prong of a larger enterprise, all with a goal of educating
homeowners about the importance of hiring skilled tradespeople to ensure they wouldn't
be begging Holmes to fix lousy work down the road.
During that meeting in Holmes' garage, the idea formed for the Holmes Group. Quast designated
himself vice-president of business development, with a goal of building Holmes' brand, while
Kettlewell became vice-president of production, responsible for managing the TV show.
With Mike Holmes' media-and-construction empire beginning to take shape, 2006 brought him
a huge opportunity. As The Globe and Mail recounted, Nestlé Canada was in the process
of launching a new brand of its Nescafé instant coffee, and commissioned a poll asking Canadians
to name the celebrity they most trusted. Holmes' name was at the top of the list.
The company wanted Holmes to be at the center of an advertising campaign for its new product
launch. Mike Quast, however, wasn't sure if Holmes would go for that, given that shilling
coffee was a bit out of his wheelhouse. To feel him out, he asked Holmes what kind of
coffee he drank. The answer: Nescafé's instant coffee. The ensuing campaign was a massive
success, with Holmes' partnership with the company renewed multiple times.
"You wanna make things right? You gotta start right."
As Holmes later told Sudbury.com:
"When they approached me about the commercial, I said if they can relate the commercial to
what I do and keep it real, I'd say yes to it, because the real truth is I drink Nescafé
and have for years."
As The Globe and Mail reported, Mike Holmes' brand exploded in 2009. Not only was Holmes
on Homes now being seen by American HGTV viewers, the Holmes Group also began an ambitious expansion
that included an ultra-green housing development, a Canada-wide home-inspection service, and
a line of Holmes-branded workwear.
However, the latter didn't have an easy path to the marketplace. According to The Globe
and Mail, the Holmes Group partnered with a Winnipeg-based manufacturer. A stickler
for quality, Holmes was insistent that he had final say on the design of products, rather
than just slapping his moniker on the company's existing merchandise. Once the Holmes Workwear
products hit shelves, however, they were being marketed as, quote, "a premium version of
the existing line," as opposed to its own standalone brand. Those issues, however, were
ultimately sorted out.
A decade later, Holmes Workwear continues to be a successful venture, consisting of
a wide array of items ranging from canvas work pants to tool belts to fire-resistant
coveralls for welders.
Mike Holmes lent a hand in the wake of the devastation that Hurricane Katrina unleashed
on New Orleans. As Holmes told the Toronto Star, it all started when Brad Pitt founded
his Make It Right Foundation, with a mission to build new homes for residents of the Lower
Ninth Ward whose homes had been destroyed.
There was one issue, however: Holmes holds the trademark to Make It Right, and even has
it tattooed on his bicep.
Rather than seek an injunction, however, Holmes offered another solution: Pitt could use the
name, and Holmes would provide his expertise. Holmes said:
"He had his vision of doing it when I talked to him. But he [knew] he didn't know enough
about it."
That's where Holmes came in, bringing his crew to the Big Easy to rebuild a home, which
was filmed and aired as Holmes in New Orleans.
During Mike Holmes' time in New Orleans, he became downright evangelical about the advantages
of eco-friendly building products and techniques. He told The Globe and Mail:
"Everyone's talking green. Well, let's really go green! Why don't we change the building
process? If no one else is going to do it, I'm going to do it. Build a home that won't
burn, won't mold, that's termite-resistant."
In fact, Holmes went on to become a big proponent of net zero homes, houses that are, quote,
"sustainable and energy efficient," as he wrote on the HGTV Canada website. A net zero
home, he explained, "produces its own energy locally," with an end goal of producing as
much energy as it uses, if not more.
In order to achieve this, Holmes wrote:
"The building envelope must be highly efficient, with all cracks and gaps completely sealed
to ensure there's 'virtually no air leakage,' especially crucial with windows and doors.
Building a green, energy-efficient home 'requires an investment up front.' But it's an investment
that will pay you back every month for as long as you live in it. It really is the future
of housing."
In 2009, Mike Holmes ventured into the world of publishing with the launch of Holmes: The
Magazine to Make it Right. He said in a press release:
"This is the magazine homeowners need to help them with their renovations. It's the magazine
I was searching for and couldn't find. So, I had to make my own magazine, and Make it
Right."
The magazine didn't last long. According to the Toronto Star, Holmes got into a dispute
with the publisher, Dauphin Media Group, which led to the magazine folding in 2011. Things
became even worse when the publishing company ceased operations in 2012, leaving behind
unpaid rent and ticked-off subscribers who'd been waiting to be reimbursed.
As Mike Holmes Group director of communications Liza Drozdov told the Star, their sole involvement
in the magazine was, quote, "regulating a portion of the editorial content," meaning
Holmes himself didn't really have all that much to do with the publication. Drozdov said:
"Mike feels terrible about it. But it's not his fault... he didn't get any of that money."
As Holmes on Homes maintained its massive popularity with viewers in the U.S., Mike
Holmes continued to remain a wildly popular TV presence in his home and native land. In
fact, a 2010 feature in Reader's Digest listed him as among the 10 most trusted Canadians.
The list put Holmes in some pretty celebrated company. Other Canadians to earn the trust
of their fellow citizens included Back to the Future star Michael J. Fox, Queen Elizabeth
II— who technically isn't Canadian, but is the country's constitutional monarch — and
celebrated CBC News anchor Peter Mansbridge.
Holmes took the Number 2 spot on the Reader's Digest poll, with the publication noting that
his work, quote, "brings a sense of security that people appreciate."
Topping the list, by the way, was Dr. David Suzuki, founder of the David Suzuki Foundation,
and veteran host of long-running CBC nature documentary series The Nature of Things.
In 2012, the Holmes Group lost one of its three founding members when Brian Quast — who
was then CEO — parted ways with the company. According to a news release about his departure,
the split was an amicable one.
A new CEO, Julius Brinkman was hired; when he left a mere two years later, his exit was
far more acrimonious — and actually led him to sue Mike Holmes and two Holmes Group
co-directors for a hefty $3.1 million. As the Calgary Herald reported, Brinkman alleged
that his contract had been breached when the company failed to pay him five percent of
the $15.5 million he'd raised, and also didn't reimburse him for expenses that were, quote,
"reasonably incurred." Other allegations in the suit included claims that Holmes' company
had allegedly, quote, "failed to establish a benefits program in which he could participate,"
as well as having "created a working environment designed to frustrate his efforts."
Holmes himself never commented on the lawsuit; given that the legal action didn't generate
any further news reports, it would appear the matter was settled privately, outside
the courts.
While Holmes' magazine proved to be a bust, that didn't deter him from making further
attempts to immortalize his philosophy and knowledge in print. In 2006, he published
his first book, Make It Right: Inside Home Renovation with Canada's Most Trusted Contractor.
He followed that up with a 2011 tome specializing in attics and basements, and another in 2013
focusing on kitchens and bathrooms.
In 2015, Holmes unveiled his magnum opus, The Holmes Manual, described as "a must-have
guide for homeowners" that answers their "most common questions." Holmes dropped by Canadian
talk show George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight to promote the book, and explained that the
impetus for his manual emerged after spending years being stopped by viewers in public,
asking him questions about the specific issues they were having with their homes. He explained:
"It just made sense. [...] Let's do a manual."
"This way, instead of reading the whole book — which a lot of people seem to not want
to do anymore — they want an answer now."
Mike Holmes' children, Sherry Holmes and Mike Holmes Jr., first started appearing on-screen
in 2013's Holmes Makes It Right. The siblings have been a part of their father's myriad
television shows ever since, including the likes of Holmes Next Generation, Holmes 911,
and Holmes and Holmes. Mike Jr. took center stage in 2014's Mike's Ultimate Garage, a
two-hour special that put him in the driver's seat to build his dad a sweet 1,800-square-foot
garage-slash-man cave.
As Mike Sr. told the Ottawa Citizen, relinquishing control to his son took a Herculean effort:
"It was very hard. I'm the guy that's on a site from beginning to end. It's the first
time I've walked away and had someone else finish it."
Meanwhile, Sherry accompanied her dad when he went to New Orleans, happily serving as
a member of his construction crew. As she told the Times Colonist:
"I would do it again in a heartbeat."
Mike Sr. added:
"I love working with my kids, watching them build on what they know and get better every
day."
Mike Holmes and his various TV series had been a staple on HGTV for years, but he had
the opportunity to broadcast to his biggest audience yet with Home Free on the Fox network.
In its review of the series, The Hollywood Reporter outlined the premise: nine couples
competed to build "the ultimate dream home," restoring a ramshackle house in Atlanta for
a needy family, with the poorest performing couple eliminated. Or so they thought; what
actually took place was that the eliminated couple won the house they'd just renovated.
That wasn't Holmes' only experience with U.S. network television. In late 2020, a press
release announced Fox was picking up Holmes Family Effect, a new series in which Holmes
and children perform surprise home makeovers for people who are leaders in their respective
communities. Holmes said:
"I am absolutely thrilled about bringing Holmes Family Effect to Fox."
Furthermore, in 2021, Holmes teamed up with Windy City Rehab's Alison Victoria for Rock
the Block's second season.
Since first entering the realm of television back in 2001, Mike Holmes' shows may have
evolved, but his message has remained remarkably consistent. Holmes' commitment to quality
workmanship has been unwavering, and is woven in the fabric of all his shows.
In 2019, Holmes took another big step when he parted ways with HGTV and inked a big deal
with Canadian media conglomerate Bell Media, corporate owner of Canada's CTV network. Holmes
said in an announcement:
"I'm absolutely thrilled about this new partnership with CTV. I look forward to bringing new content
to CTV's portfolio of networks and spreading the 'Make It Right' message with even more
Canadians across the country."
While financial details of the deal weren't publicized, it's safe to assume it took big
bucks to pull him away from HGTV, his television home of nearly 20 years. According to Celebrity
Net Worth, Holmes' wealth is estimated to be in the $30 million range.
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