Why dust off the original Holmes on Homes concept now?
MIKE: Holmes on Homes: Building a Legacy really is about building a legacy. Because it’s been many years of changes — codes that have changed, probably in part by everything that we do. Katrina to the floods in Calgary, we’ve been everywhere and done everything, and this is now . . . I’d like to say that I’m trying to pass the torch on to my kids, but I’m not sure there’s any sign of me retiring soon. You can’t put the torch down, is the problem.
SHERRY: I was going to say, the problem is you, sir! [Laughs]
Was there anything you wanted to tweak with this version of the series?
MIKE: For me personally, getting down to the education of what we’re doing and not just “making a television show” was imperative . . . Bringing back that whole thing from the beginning of Holmes on Homes, which is the construction, was really important — because I don’t want to say that it got too story-driven, but people watch the show to learn.
Michael and Sherry, was construction always the career plan for you?
MICHAEL: When I was in high school, I wanted to be a firefighter. And then when my dad said, “Why don’t you come work for me for a summer?” the pull was that I wanted to spend time with my dad. Him and my mum divorced when we were kids; this is great, to be able to go hang out. And it was that time working in the trades that I was like, “Oh, this is something I could see myself doing as a career.”
SHERRY: I never, ever wanted to get into construction. I finally gave in when we went to New Orleans [after Hurricane Katrina], and I never left the crew. I was a backpacker at the time, so all I did was fly by the seat of my pants. They convinced me to come onto the construction site by saying, “You’ve never been to New Orleans. You might like it! Plus, you get to help out this family.” They told me the [family’s] story and I was sold.
There are clearly pluses to working with relatives. What are the minuses?
MICHAEL: The way I look at it is, this has been a good form of therapy for the family. You grow together, you butt heads, you learn each other’s boundaries, and in the end it’s brought us closer together.
SHERRY: Our main rule is we can’t bring work outside of work. I just don’t think you can have that functionality as a family if you’re always under the pressure of the workplace.
Just how often are you stopped in public by folks looking for pro tips?
MIKE: It’s funny, every time I walk into a big-box store — which, yes, I still do — I know it’s going to take me two to three hours to get out. Because every single aisle, I have somebody coming up. First they say, “I love what you do,” which is an inspiration. Then they start telling me about their place, and I’ll stand there and give them advice — “Go to Aisle 8, pick up this product . . .”
Ever catch hell from the contractors whose work you’re repairing?
MIKE: There was one time where a contractor had shown up, and he started saying, “I’ve done everything right.” I said, “Honestly, I bet you believe you have. You will see on TV what you did wrong. If you want to come back in, I’ll show you and you can work with me in helping this family.” He was not interested in that. But the idea was not to create a conflict; I’m not going to argue with you and I don’t want you to argue with me. But I want you to learn from this and please don’t do it again. Everyone’s allowed to make a mistake once, but don’t make the same mistake twice.
Holmes on Homes: Building a Legacy airs Tuesday, November 12, on Cottage Life
MEMORABLE ROLES:
Since launching the original Holmes on Homes back in 2001, Canada’s own Mike Holmes has become one of the whole world’s most beloved handymen — saving folks from the shoddy work of other contractors. A genuine empire of similarly themed series have followed, including Holmes Inspection, Holmes 911 and so many more; along the way, his children Michael and Sherry have joined the family biz.
CURRENT GIG:
Mike goes back to where it all began with a reboot of Holmes on Homes — this time sharing top billing with his kids, as the man looks to ensure his legacy of “making it right” lives on even if (and that’s a big “if”) he decides to hang up the toolbelt.