Making it right. A mission contractor Mike Holmes shares with his renovation expert kids Michael Holmes Jr. and Sherry Holmes. The home improvement team is back for season 2 of the HGTV hit series Holmes Family Rescue.
Throughout nine episodes, they’re taking on a new slew of projects left in shambles by shady or shoddy contractors. The families helped had reached the end of their respective ropes with not only aesthetic challenges but safety issues. Electrical work that is so serious it could have had fatal consequences if not rectified.
Here the Holmes family talks about what it’s like being on these jobs together and if we’ll ever see them venture outside of Canada.
How would you describe the family work dynamic these days?
Mike Holmes: I couldn’t be more proud to have my kids work with me because if I didn’t have them working with me I’d barely see them. In the world of construction, we are extremely busy. However, watching them grow up on camera and the two of them getting better. It’s really a wonderful thing. The dynamic has changed from dad teaching the kids to now we’re friends. We have some rough days, but other than that, we actually have fun together.
Michael Holmes Jr.: I’ve been working with you half my life now since I was 14. Going through those stages and seeing how our relationships have strengthened. There are times when we have gotten mad at each other, but it’s like working with your buddies now. We are so fortunate to be able to work with each other.
Sherry Holmes: We could have a whole other show based on what happens behind the scenes, but this season is different than last. I do have two young girls. It’s definitely challenging in itself to have a home life and family life and run around for work as well. It’s making everything work at once. We’re busy, but we love it.
How is it adjusting to the public eye like Dad has in recent years?
Sherry: I think it’s sweet. I think people are very nice and understanding. I’ve only had good experiences. I do choose what I want to share on social media.
Michael: Being around it since we were kids and watching our dad grow into it on television shows, it’s something we got used to. He handled it so well. This is a positive show where we are helping people. It’s received pretty well. We have fun interacting with people online and sharing some inside scoops about our family, as well as teaching people about the construction industry. That all contractors are not bad.
Mike: This season we wanted to include the kids and grandkids and try to make it the world of the Holmes on top of helping wonderful families.
Sherry and Michael, would you say there is a sibling rivalry with you both in the same field?
Michael: When it comes to working together, there is no competition in that sense. It’s not like who can build this better. We work toward the same goal, but because we work together and because we are siblings by nature, we are extremely competitive. I think everything else if it’s like carrying something or lifting more, then obviously it’s me because I’m much stronger. We’re always finding ways to compete and have fun with each other. As a family it’s what we do, it bleeds into the show so naturally. We do like to have fun, compete and poke fun at each other.
Sherry: We are very competitive, but in a healthy way. At work, it’s a different story. It’s hard to excel at everything. Michael is going to excel in areas I’m not and vice versa. We can help each other out and lean on each other for advice and work through different things. I can definitely carry more than Michael can. He may look bigger, but the bigger they are, the harder they fall. If you want to play a card game, I’m definitely winning that too.
Michael: Don’t listen to her.
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What’s the trend you found this season with the projects? Supplies are costing more and seem harder to come by, which I’m sure doesn’t help.
Mike: This season has been one hell of a challenge. Not only due to price increases on the material. I swear that every single job was huge. The structures are wrong or the electrical was wrong or the plumbing was wrong. Then we have to gut the place in order to redo it. Then there were issues happening outside whether it was the front porch or pool. There is just nothing small about this. At the same time getting back to family, we do our best to smile and have fun because we know the end result is why we do what we do.
From my own experience, I also think it’s important to be your own advocate.
Michael: My dad said to me at a young age you can’t ask too many questions. You have to be your own advocate. When you are working with a contractor, ask questions. There should be a lot of communication. Sometimes you might spot something they don’t. Having that open communication is so important.
Mike: However, if they do leave something wrong, it might show they may not care. We will look at everything in the final days and nothing is allowed to be not good enough. That’s why we have a few days left to fix things. So, when we walk away that we don’t have to go back. That’s what is important to me.
Sherry: After COVID backing things up, there are contractors that just get rushed through their clients to get things done. Then sometimes things do slip through the cracks. That is natural, but it is how they address the issues after which could be telling.
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Any talk of taking this show outside of Canada and on the road?
Mike: We have. I think we could go to Australia and do a season there and then replicate that around the world. But that is a lot of work. At this moment we don’t stop. Who knows? Maybe that’s coming.
Sherry: I would love to see who I can convince.
Michael: Somewhere warm would be nice. We’re up in Canada. The winters are brutal here. So, Australia, New Zealand, Costa Rica, Florida, and Italy.
Sherry: There is an educational component with the difference in architecture and ways of building. I would love to be exposed to that and see what they are doing in the world.
What do you want people to know about the rest of the season?
Sherry: It’s a fun season we filmed. We went through a couple of instances and occurrences we haven’t seen before.
Michael: Not only is it warm and full of love, but the laughter is there. I think our show has every single gem of what can happen to people from frustration to sadness to happiness. I love the family dynamic that is happening. Watching my kids mimic me makes me laugh. Though their impression can use some work.
Mike: I swear the longer we work together, the more fun we have. But also we work with some incredible families and hear so many touching stories. Each job has great takeaways for the average homeowner.
Holmes Family Rescue, Wednesdays, HGTV
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