I like Mike Holmes's saying "fix it right" I adapted it and do my best to adhere to my version "Fix it as if your mother, sister, or daughter was the customer" It hasn't failed me yet.
Most agents are realtors, so they are representing at times either the buyer or the seller. Just research for yourself prior to buying a home, know who you are using and all you have to do is make that phone call yourself. Ever wonder why the realtor shows up for the inspection, now you do.
Exactly. The realtor showed us an inspection that was done by the buyer. «you don’t need an inspector. It’s been done. You see. » My husband brought a senior safety inspector from his work at the city to the 2nd visit. You should have seen the look on his face when he saw him coming. It went from all smile to upset face but still shook his hand to be polite. Within 5 minutes, his coworker found something that would have been at least $100 000 of work. We did another visit with him for the house we bought. To this one he said « This house is muuuuchh better than the 1st one. It’s a house from the 50’s, a lot of things have changed in the way things are done but it’s a really solid one. Actually better made than some of the things we can see today ». He pointed out the things he liked. « you can buy this house eyes closed ». We have been in this house for 7 years and it’s been great. Solid house. I went to the archives downtown. The original owner was a Mennonite builder. That’s probably why it’s a modest but solid house.
No way you can watch these episodes and not learn something new. I have been in construction for years and never knew they used forms as ducting in the 50s. Great stuff.
In-ground ductwork had to be encased in concrete. You can see that when he pulls the tubes out: the concrete tube is still there. . That's why they used the Sonotubes. Alternatively, they might also have used Transite, which is formed asbestos duct or pipe for direct burial. Neither one would make it today. The buried ducts because it takes too long and costs too much; the Transite because of asbestos.
We need more of this show. There is not enough of these shows. I don't know if Holmes is retired or not. But he needs to continue, because there is not enough of this show.
Home inspection needs to become a trade complete with a minimum of two years education. Then there needs to a professional organization created that oversees licensing and compliance. And there needs to a mandatory insurance coverage that ALL licensed home inspectors must carry. This won’t stop all the bad issues that arise but it will go a long way to giving prospective homeowners peace of mind. And it would be a huge improvement over what (doesn’t) exist now.
I can’t help but wonder what common, code-approved methods and materials they are using today to build homes that will horrify building pros in 60 or 70 years?
If ever there were a reason for these 2 guys to let loose and jump for joy, it's this! They were rescued from the "lemon factor" on the biggest asset of their lives. I'm sure under that subdued response, they're going to slowly realize just what a gift they've been given!
I have been following Mike Holmes for many years now, this particular house is the worst disaster in all his episodes. Makes this job so interesting, is how he will professionally repair everything, so it looks good and works good.
The house looked like it was a 1950's slap up rush job. We have them in my country (UK) and most of the time they are more trouble than they are worth. Usually they are torn down and new builds (with the same layout) are rebuilt in their place. I think ultimately this home needed to be rebuilt and I think it would have been cheaper than what they had to do to repair things.
In North America unfortunately it's almost impossible to rebuild these houses that's already registered. The permitting and the cost would be prohibitive. Even though it would cost a lot of money to fix (maybe even more than a new build on a fresh lot), it still cost less than rebuilding an existing house. In places like Ontario, there is a massive real estate bubble. Any piece of crap house could sell for millions, there is no incentive to keep these things in good conditions.
@@randomrazr No I do not believe the real estate bubble will burst in my lifetime. Canada doesn't have too many reliable industries too fall back on. It's still a resource-based economy. The little diversification comes in the form of real estate. The government will do everything possible to stop real estate bubble from collapsing. Also we keep bringing in immigrants to prop up demand. The other thing is that Canada is too easy to immigrate too and launder money. There will be always be foreign money waiting to come into Canada and make its way into real estate.
The whole house was flawed. It needed to be gutted completely, and rebuilt. Imagine the other houses that were constructed by by the builder. Same flaws! I wonder what happened to the water that accumulated under the house over the fifty years.
The only thing that caught my eye were the vents coming out from the chimney. What could have been done to make it more pleasing to the eye. Boy I wish Mike and his team could fix my house- if they are still working.
The one homeowner was worried about esthetic things,and not the fact that they had heat that they didn't have before, he seemed like he was quite ungrateful. It won't look like it was before, then leave it the way it was and let the team help someone else.
I think those clips were from earlier in the process, when they had just seen their home gutted and they were trying to absorb the magnitude of the wreckage and the work that had to be done. I’d be upset, too, even though I understood the importance and necessity of the work to be done. And they couldn’t visualize how it could ever be made right, because they’re not construction guys. At the end of the process, when they oiled see the great work, they were clearly happy and not complaining.
Completely disagree.did the report says about the underground duct work? It’s original. The grading? That’s visual. No it’s another crappy inspection. Home owners and potential home owners should watch this show for sure
Mike & his crew are by far one of the best in the business. I hope I never have to call them but if there’s a problem, they’ll be my first call. Always enjoy watching these episodes.
@@robinrobine8100 What is meant, if you pay Holmes X amount of bucks to make it right, you would get that investment back on the sale of your House. Who wouldn't buy a house made right by Mike? It ups the value proportionately.
I love all the episodes, and rarely see anything I would do differently, in this case, that kitchen is missing a divide from the living room, I think it needs a big island, with seating on the living room side for a quick breakfast, and drawer space underneath. Also give you more counter space.
I'm not an HVAC guy, but I'd've told them to give up on the furnace, get the runs filled with concrete and have electric base board heaters and window air conditioners installed. $150,000 just to fix the vents, might as well buy a new house.
@@locutusvonborg2k3 Reading a home inspection report everything is stated in vague terms so there is no liability to the home inspector. I also think the sellers of these houses should also be held liable for the cost of fixing problems that are found after the fact. The home flippers being among the most guilty of covering up problems to make a quick buck.
Simple answer never that's why I don't understand why Mike keeps preaching to get home inspections when they don't actually help the homeowners in my opinion waste of time and money to get a home inspection and to get permits
Their reports feature very lengthy disclaimers and waivers from future liability (I'm a real estate broker, most times the reports are just a bunch of fluff.) I also recently bought a home where a HUGE amount of stuff was missed, that I found. I got a 50% refund from that home inspector after I berated him for all of the things that he missed.
When they can no longer put in lots of disclaimers and instead are held personally liable. Not likely to ever happen, but that's what it would take. Plus requiring them to have an engineering and construction background. Problem with that is the price of inspections would presumably skyrocket, which would slow sales and be bad for real estate agents.
25:38 -- I am sorry but if you are a homeowner bashing the home inspector for what he missed while, in the same breath, ignoring addressing what he did not miss....don't really feel for you. Seen this so many times on these episodes. LOL 26:38 -- they DID tell you some things about the house....you just chose to ignore them and now seeing some of the results of that.
One of the first jobs I did in heating and cooling was to install underground duct work. Had to dig trenches. It was a special spiral metal round ductwork for inground. Never want to do that again
I hate flipped houses. However if the duct work in the slab. No one is going to repair that buyers will not want to pay the extra on the home so I get it and this is tv. It’s drama.
The whole house was NOT flawed. What was completely flawed was the heating/venting, drainage, chimney, bunch of electrical - all the stuff that doesn’t “show.” It was nearly all the systems that support living inside a home that needed fixing - which they did. I still can’t believe that some builder (or maybe it was the original owner who built it) used Sonotubes for air ducts, especially underground. Good grief! They’re mostly used for casting cement! I’d never use them for ducts even above ground.
Would have been faster and much easier to run baseboard hot water heat. You pulled out the heating system so do something easy and so much more energy efficient. But as always GREAT JOB!!!
A few Financial Advisors are saying it is NO longer a good investment to buy a home in most cases. House repairs are getting to be expensive. And sometimes harder to find. Plus you are locked into that property for maybe 5 years or more. Renting is easier.
I personally agree, except for the past three years, all my adult life I have owned. These past 3-years have been worry free, I write a check and that’s it. If I’m sick of the place, I call a mover and go.
Good luck renting with pets. While there MIGHT be less cost to renting there is the added cost of stress that your landlord will be shorty, you’ll be asked to leave for a renovation etc. It depends what you want to spend your money on I guess. I’d rather build equity in my own house instead of paying someone else and having a bunch of restrictions on my home life.
@@MH-en9qccall a mover and go where. Rentals are prohibitively expensive as well now. And if you have pets good luck, most landlords will tell you to go fuck yourself 😂
Mike - thanks for sharing some great work repair videos. One thing I have noticed that you don't show any inspections for different phases - plumbing and electrical rough/finals, framing, etc. Are they required in your area? Thanks!!
100%, they are. There's some city inspectors who probably don't want to be on TV though lol They used to show the inspections on Holmes on Homes, though.
Great episode. With the water issues in the yard sloping towards the home. Great fix but why not put concrete about 1 metre from the wall and slope it away & have a channel drain to collect the water and take it out to the street? I’m not comfortable with water pooling up against the foundation and expecting a corrugated pipe to take the water away. Give it a few years that pipe will be clogged.
No, it's a 'weeping tile' pipe, which has a filter-like cover over it. It basically absorbs water (like dirt does), but then directs it into the water or sewer outgoing pipes from the home. I'd 100% rather that than concrete runs all around my house.
@@TabaquiJackal906 rainwater (stormwater) connection isn’t meant to be connected to sewerage, correct? Why do you think a concrete barrier with a channel drain won’t be more effective?
@@josephj6521 "The purpose of weeping tile is to provide a drainage point for draining water that has accumulated at the base of the foundation. Your weeping tile drains to the storm sewer beneath your street or into a sump pump liner installed beneath your basement floor." I didn't say one or the other would be more effective (though I'm betting on weeping tile), but concrete 'runs' all around my house would certainly be pretty hideous, and not something that many people would want (or, frankly, be able to install in such a way as to be 100% effective and efficient, I'm betting).
@@TabaquiJackal906 I might rather have the concrete runs. Less grass to mow. However, I think it is more about that the water has to have somewhere to go, if you want to keep it out of areas that it shouldn't be. Also, a certain professional way to do things, and resale value and reputation.
These episodes are golden for North Americans. They cover almost all the major problems a N. American house could have and solution for it. No wonder why Canadian Government financed this show.
So I’m from Dallas and my father has been in business for 40+ years. Apparently it’s been done here as well and apparently if done right should work. Basically the cardboard is there as a form and eventually is supposed to deteriorate to make the concrete the duct work. My guess is they went too low with the forms and hit dirt and gravel.
Just by watching these episodes, it makes me not want to ever buy a house. If you dont know much, you will pay dearly.even if you buy a new home, one day it will be old and have expensive issues.
They used filter cloth over the drain pipe. We did the same in a house I renovated once. I've heard pluses and minuses about that. Some argue that the filter cloth keeps the drain from filling with silt which clogs the pipe making it useless. Others say the cloth itself fills with silt thus preventing the drain pipe from doing its job. I wonder if anyone has experience with the cloth over time? I know that in septic lines they've done away with the small 4" drains and began using large leech field chambers which are so big they never have to worry about them filling with silt or having to cover them with gravel. Why wouldn't the same thing work to remove drainage around a home?
Cloth depends if you have silty or sandy soils. IMO you can use fabric encapsulated pipe in sandy soil areas without any drainrock. In silty areas I would bed the pipe on 1" of drain gravel and encapsulate and cover the pipe in 2" more drain gravel. Then cover with filter fabric before backfilling your silty soil. The difference with leach fields is they are designed to permeate effluent into the soil. Drains work when groundwater levels rise in the soil profile and pipes act as a conveyance to bring that groundwater elsewhere. Basically the opposite of a leach field.
@@NotSureJoeBauers We have sandy soil. Groundwater levels rise very high at certain times of the year. Unless the drain pipe is very large it will fill with sand or silt unless encapsulated with fabric. If there isn't enough gravel around the drain pipe, the groundwater (at certain times of the year) will slow the drainage.
Be careful when selling, a tactic used by buyers is to get most the items they plan to fix anyway in the report trying to get you to either do the work in advance, or knock the price down. I had a buyer do this to me and I said no go in this sale, pull it as there was nothing wrong with the house. The buyer came back within two hours, they wanted the house anyway and would bypass the inspectors report. Be careful all the way around, before you sell a house get your own report to protect yourself from this tactic. I did and was saved from losing thousands. Bottom line it’s your money, (whether buying/selling), protect yourself all the way around.
"You don't expect outlets, etc; that's why we hired an inspector." I hope you've learned you can't rely on others and if you're going to things might go badly for you. Most states would allow you to sue the inspector for having such a poor job is my understanding (not an attorney though). I do my own inspections, then I make sure the inspector is licensed and bonded and manually verify with who because I've seen contractors who lie about that.
Has anyone ever gone back to sue the inspector and/or the real estate agent that referred the inspector? Seems like there’s a lot of negligence with these foul inspections.
No you can’t. 1. Realtors job is to show you the homes available. 2. In the inspection paperwork it says they are not liable for anything missed. 3. You should never use an inspector that a agent recommends.
Why is the home inspector not responsible for the problems he/she did not find. You have a very good programme sorting out the problems thy were not caught by the inspector, but they must be responsible for the things that have happened as they were employed as experts to protect the home buyer from these problems and at the very least, they should be retrained to keep the quality up so that this doesn’t happen again in the future. I was employed as a vehicle inspector for some time and although I may have missed something in my first inspections I was trained by an experienced person and he made sure that anything I missed was highlighted so that it would not happen again, time after time I see Mike Holmes going through the house and finding things that are not right, this is the standard that all inspectors should be trained too and at the very least they should be brought back and retained up to that standard, otherwise there is no standard and that is not satisfactory.
Mike, im begging you. Please send help my way. I just bought a house 2 years ago with cash and stipulations from the seller that its as is. Problem is i was nieve and didnt know what to look for. House was old and i knew it needed work but wasnt expecting the amount of work it needed. The seller put lipstick on a pig and called it beautiful. The floors have a paper thin sticker on them. The floors are like a trampoline. My kitchen floor slopes to the outside wall, my floor joists in the bedroom gave way and i had a big hole in the floor. The nails rusted out and 4 joists fell. The toilet floor bounces everytime i sit on toilet and my toilet stack has a big crack in it. No insulation in the walls or attic, windows look newer but there is no trim around them or insulation. 3 old wall propane units in the house that give me headaches. Electrical problems. The lights in all the rooms dim when i use microwave. No ground port in sockets. When it rains i have to mop the bedroom floor. Outside i have a detached garage that has all rotted sill plates, rotted studs, garage door doesnt seal up, breezeway thats sinking down, insolation is espestos, ceiling is bowed down in the middle and no insulation. Right now im working on my yard drainage. The septic runoff goes directly into the tile, yard floods and my property smells like septic. Sidewalks, garage floor and patio cement is only an inch thick and is broken/cracked everywhere. Electrical in Garage is ceramic fuses and old wiring with no ground. My trees are all dying because of the flooding. County wont fix the town storm water drains so everyones storm water ends up in my yard. Roof needs redone, soffits have holes and i get critters in the attic. No window trim on the outside. Gutters hold water. My cistern is under the kitchen which makes my joists wet. No joist hangers and subfloor is inadequate. Crawl space is narrow so i cant even get down there to fix anything. I cant afford to fix things but i cant even sell the house in this condition. Im begging you please send me some help. I cry everynight because my house is a mess and i should have never bought it. I dont know wherelse to turn. Im sick all the time now. My dogs bring the mud into the house and it turns into dust. Dust that smells like septic and im breathing it in. Please, i beg you to help me. john2willis@yahoo.com
The male home owner was more worried about how things looked verses having actual good heat in the house.The guy is a bit of a prima donna dude. "The house must look pretty " Verses being comfortably warm in the winter. I don't get that n I am a 57yr.old woman. Boo Hoo your house has proper heating ,safe electricity thru out. N the house will no longer be wet from a poorly graded yard. But it might not be pretty anymore. Okay boys get a grip. And be more grateful to Mike Holmes and his crews of amazing tradesmen.
I'm always surprised when heating vents are put at or in the ceiling. Warm air rises. Cold air falls. Heat on the floor. A/C on the ceiling. Any place I've lived that had the heating in the ceiling never heated properly. The floors always felt cold in winter. Today's underfloor heating systems make more sense than the traditional type. I don't know why it isn't used whenever a floor is ripped up and heating systems are being changed or put in. In this case they tore the ceilings, floors and walls all up in the main rooms. Why not use underfloor heating? No bulkhead and the floors would never be cold in winter.
Works if you have a basement. They would have had to slot-cut the floor both front and back for in-floor heat. Of course, in California, the grills in the ceiling make more sense. The AC load is the more important one.
We had a house with heat vents in the ceiling. It was AMAZING - the heat fell down and warmed the rooms so quickly; loved it! Floor registers are always filthy, and if you have cats/dogs/kids, all sorts of crap can end up down in them. Best compromise - wall registers, but I'd still go for ceiling every time.
Often it just does not make that much difference, however in the car, there is so much control over the vents, that I send the heat to the floor and the A/C more towards the ceiling. Heated floors probably have the disadvantage that they do not warm up as fast as forced air would. You have to leave the heat on when away, as the temperature does not recover very quickly.
The answer is quite obvious. Because people would complain about the cold draft. That is the main reason to place the source of heat, where it is coldest. Also a reason why people update to more efficient windows.
If I was Mike I would have run from that one. They spent all the money making it "look nice", "they way we wanted it" and ignored the excellent advice given by the home inspection, the chimney, downspouts and grading.
These dudes are rightfully kind of pissed at the inspector, but honestly, what difference would it have made when they didn't fix the stuff that was noted
As far as I am concerned Home Inspection Services are little more than a racket. I had my condo inspected. The inspector checked the attic and said everything was fine. Really? The upper stairwell had no insulation nor did it have a vapour barrier. Wall outlets did not work. because the wiring had never been hooked up. My son spent over a thousand dollars for his acreage to be inspected. In the first month the furnace needed replacement because the fire box had holes rusted in it. $4000.00 gone. There was two fireplaces that were so old that they didn't have CSA approval and needed to be replaced before he could get insurance. $8000.00 gone. Water system needed a new pump. $1000.00 gone. SO why should anyone trust these people?
Wish I could see how those little stoners decorated the new place. I know this was a long time ago but I would have just hung the duct work from the celling. Open concept is supposed to be open.
I like Mike Holmes's saying "fix it right" I adapted it and do my best to adhere to my version "Fix it as if your mother, sister, or daughter was the customer" It hasn't failed me yet.
Exactly!! 😊❤
Someone once told me to find an inspector that selling agents hate. They hate them for a reason and the reason is always good for a buyer.
Selling agent = buyer's agent. Wouldn't BOTH agents hate a "thorough" home inspector, both listing AND selling agent?
Most agents are realtors, so they are representing at times either the buyer or the seller. Just research for yourself prior to buying a home, know who you are using and all you have to do is make that phone call yourself. Ever wonder why the realtor shows up for the inspection, now you do.
Exactly. The realtor showed us an inspection that was done by the buyer. «you don’t need an inspector. It’s been done. You see. » My husband brought a senior safety inspector from his work at the city to the 2nd visit. You should have seen the look on his face when he saw him coming. It went from all smile to upset face but still shook his hand to be polite. Within 5 minutes, his coworker found something that would have been at least $100 000 of work. We did another visit with him for the house we bought. To this one he said « This house is muuuuchh better than the 1st one. It’s a house from the 50’s, a lot of things have changed in the way things are done but it’s a really solid one. Actually better made than some of the things we can see today ». He pointed out the things he liked. « you can buy this house eyes closed ». We have been in this house for 7 years and it’s been great. Solid house. I went to the archives downtown. The original owner was a Mennonite builder. That’s probably why it’s a modest but solid house.
I bet the real estate agent goes pale when Mike's kids say DADDY is gonna inspect before we sign.
No way you can watch these episodes and not learn something new. I have been in construction for years and never knew they used forms as ducting in the 50s. Great stuff.
In-ground ductwork had to be encased in concrete. You can see that when he pulls the tubes out: the concrete tube is still there. . That's why they used the Sonotubes. Alternatively, they might also have used Transite, which is formed asbestos duct or pipe for direct burial. Neither one would make it today. The buried ducts because it takes too long and costs too much; the Transite because of asbestos.
@@ricoludovici2825 plus Sonotube is cardboard which, as they showed, disintegrates over time.
In some goofy way it makes sense though.
Mike you did not pick these guys out of a hat. Their professionalism and masterfulness are extreme. I tip my hat off to you and the team.
Seeing Damian doing that chimney was awesome. you can see he likes that stuff a lot ^^
We need more of this show. There is not enough of these shows. I don't know if Holmes is retired or not. But he needs to continue, because there is not enough of this show.
Home inspection needs to become a trade complete with a minimum of two years education. Then there needs to a professional organization created that oversees licensing and compliance. And there needs to a mandatory insurance coverage that ALL licensed home inspectors must carry. This won’t stop all the bad issues that arise but it will go a long way to giving prospective homeowners peace of mind. And it would be a huge improvement over what (doesn’t) exist now.
It is regulated and mandatory insurance in some places, pretty sure this is in Ontario where it isn’t regulated.
And Mike Holmes should run it, as an extension of his Certifed Holmes Inspector training and certification program
I can’t help but wonder what common, code-approved methods and materials they are using today to build homes that will horrify building pros in 60 or 70 years?
In Canada, it’s a free for all
If ever there were a reason for these 2 guys to let loose and jump for joy, it's this! They were rescued from the "lemon factor" on the biggest asset of their lives. I'm sure under that subdued response, they're going to slowly realize just what a gift they've been given!
Really enjoyed this full complete episode. Thank You!
I have been following Mike Holmes for many years now, this particular house is the worst disaster in all his episodes. Makes this job so interesting, is how he will professionally repair everything, so it looks good and works good.
This is the greatest friendship caught on tape. Two dudes willing to live together and fix a home. #BestBuds4Lyfe
I think it might be a little more than just a friendship.
They were RoOmAtES
They should learn how to cook. That pasta looks like pure garbage.
They are much more than best friends..
They’re wearing wedding rings…..sooooooo😂😂😂😂
❤❤❤ the look of relief on their faces at the end!!
The house looked like it was a 1950's slap up rush job. We have them in my country (UK) and most of the time they are more trouble than they are worth. Usually they are torn down and new builds (with the same layout) are rebuilt in their place. I think ultimately this home needed to be rebuilt and I think it would have been cheaper than what they had to do to repair things.
In North America unfortunately it's almost impossible to rebuild these houses that's already registered. The permitting and the cost would be prohibitive. Even though it would cost a lot of money to fix (maybe even more than a new build on a fresh lot), it still cost less than rebuilding an existing house. In places like Ontario, there is a massive real estate bubble. Any piece of crap house could sell for millions, there is no incentive to keep these things in good conditions.
@@UnbreakableM1nd to many gate keepers?
@@UnbreakableM1nd think canadas realestate bubble will burst?
@@UnbreakableM1ndsame in Australia unfortunately.
@@randomrazr No I do not believe the real estate bubble will burst in my lifetime. Canada doesn't have too many reliable industries too fall back on. It's still a resource-based economy. The little diversification comes in the form of real estate. The government will do everything possible to stop real estate bubble from collapsing. Also we keep bringing in immigrants to prop up demand. The other thing is that Canada is too easy to immigrate too and launder money. There will be always be foreign money waiting to come into Canada and make its way into real estate.
I love when they bring in the owners and show them their home with a bunch of holes in it.
The whole house was flawed. It needed to be gutted completely, and rebuilt. Imagine the other houses that were constructed by by the builder. Same flaws! I wonder what happened to the water that accumulated under the house over the fifty years.
Complete demolition might have been simpler. Then, start over, from foundation UP.
They aren’t really “flaws” when it was the standard for the time of construction. If you buy a 70yr old house these things are expected
The only thing that caught my eye were the vents coming out from the chimney. What could have been done to make it more pleasing to the eye.
Boy I wish Mike and his team could fix my house- if they are still working.
Imagine how much mold and mildew is blowing through the entire house through those sonotube air channels from all the ground moisture.
And also radon gas. Depending on the area but open holes in basement can produce radon gas.
I hope they aren’t complaining about aesthetics!
I think they were, they came off to me as ungrateful. Maybe it was just me, I am hungry right now.
The one homeowner was worried about esthetic things,and not the fact that they had heat that they didn't have before, he seemed like he was quite ungrateful. It won't look like it was before, then leave it the way it was and let the team help someone else.
Totally agree
I think those clips were from earlier in the process, when they had just seen their home gutted and they were trying to absorb the magnitude of the wreckage and the work that had to be done. I’d be upset, too, even though I understood the importance and necessity of the work to be done. And they couldn’t visualize how it could ever be made right, because they’re not construction guys. At the end of the process, when they oiled see the great work, they were clearly happy and not complaining.
What do you for a living out of interest?
Completely disagree.did the report says about the underground duct work? It’s original. The grading? That’s visual. No it’s another crappy inspection. Home owners and potential home owners should watch this show for sure
Shocking amount of damage to run new duct. There wasn't any choice.
Home Inspectors should be liable for missing visible problems like the cardboard air ducts
Mike & his crew are by far one of the best in the business. I hope I never have to call them but if there’s a problem, they’ll be my first call. Always enjoy watching these episodes.
On the plus side, if you ever sell and tell prospective buyers it was made right by Mike Holmes, you could possibly get your money back.
???????
@@robinrobine8100 What is meant, if you pay Holmes X amount of bucks to make it right, you would get that investment back on the sale of your House.
Who wouldn't buy a house made right by Mike? It ups the value proportionately.
My best friend, that's a great video. I will always cheer for you in Korea I'm looking forward to a great video. Have a nice day.
I love all the episodes, and rarely see anything I would do differently, in this case, that kitchen is missing a divide from the living room, I think it needs a big island, with seating on the living room side for a quick breakfast, and drawer space underneath. Also give you more counter space.
The best part is it's a canvas for them to do what they want to do in the future, so they can be as creative as they want to with the space.
I am surprised they didn't do radiant floor heating in the slab on grade section and use a ductless mini split system for air conditioning.
I'm not an HVAC guy, but I'd've told them to give up on the furnace, get the runs filled with concrete and have electric base board heaters and window air conditioners installed. $150,000 just to fix the vents, might as well buy a new house.
I'm surprised they don't have @1d$
@@Guillotines_For_Globalistsnaughty
I remember seeing this episode years ago. I think those options were less popular (and maybe not available) back then.
@@Dave_thenerd The show paid for it.
I'd be curious on what the cost of this work would have been if the homeowners had to pay, 6 figures? The work this home needed was shocking!
he said about $120,000 in labour alone in early 2000s money, it would be even more now
When are home inspectors going to be held responsible for more than just the cost of the inspection?
exactly, iv been asking myself that a lot, cant they be sued? if other ppl would do their jobs like ...
@@locutusvonborg2k3 Reading a home inspection report everything is stated in vague terms so there is no liability to the home inspector. I also think the sellers of these houses should also be held liable for the cost of fixing problems that are found after the fact. The home flippers being among the most guilty of covering up problems to make a quick buck.
Simple answer never that's why I don't understand why Mike keeps preaching to get home inspections when they don't actually help the homeowners in my opinion waste of time and money to get a home inspection and to get permits
Their reports feature very lengthy disclaimers and waivers from future liability (I'm a real estate broker, most times the reports are just a bunch of fluff.) I also recently bought a home where a HUGE amount of stuff was missed, that I found. I got a 50% refund from that home inspector after I berated him for all of the things that he missed.
When they can no longer put in lots of disclaimers and instead are held personally liable. Not likely to ever happen, but that's what it would take. Plus requiring them to have an engineering and construction background. Problem with that is the price of inspections would presumably skyrocket, which would slow sales and be bad for real estate agents.
Lord, what is the cost of this nightmare, and who pays it? Outstanding work as usual, by the way.
In the episode, Mike estimated $100-150k. Probably closer to 150k.
Great episode.
It would be cool to see you make an instrument of some kind. Those cutting boards are awesome
"You gotta be kidding me." Damon's brain just breaks.
Outstanding job
25:38 -- I am sorry but if you are a homeowner bashing the home inspector for what he missed while, in the same breath, ignoring addressing what he did not miss....don't really feel for you. Seen this so many times on these episodes.
LOL 26:38 -- they DID tell you some things about the house....you just chose to ignore them and now seeing some of the results of that.
One of the first jobs I did in heating and cooling was to install underground duct work. Had to dig trenches. It was a special spiral metal round ductwork for inground. Never want to do that again
Never bet an electrician for coffee…. You’ll lose every time 🤣😂🤣
Great episode as always. Would appreciate if you gave figures too. All of the work has to come with a big bill..... want to know exactly what it is.
That was a great way to run the new duct work in the house.
I hate flipped houses. However if the duct work in the slab. No one is going to repair that buyers will not want to pay the extra on the home so I get it and this is tv. It’s drama.
Yeah, I would only buy one with extreme caution.
The whole house was NOT flawed. What was completely flawed was the heating/venting, drainage, chimney, bunch of electrical - all the stuff that doesn’t “show.” It was nearly all the systems that support living inside a home that needed fixing - which they did. I still can’t believe that some builder (or maybe it was the original owner who built it) used Sonotubes for air ducts, especially underground. Good grief! They’re mostly used for casting cement! I’d never use them for ducts even above ground.
Would have been faster and much easier to run baseboard hot water heat. You pulled out the heating system so do something easy and so much more energy efficient. But as always GREAT JOB!!!
I wish that homeowners go after home inspectors for not doing their job. Criminal charges need to be filed against them.
A few Financial Advisors are saying it is NO longer a good investment to buy a home in most cases. House repairs are getting to be expensive. And sometimes harder to find. Plus you are locked into that property for maybe 5 years or more. Renting is easier.
I personally agree, except for the past three years, all my adult life I have owned. These past 3-years have been worry free, I write a check and that’s it. If I’m sick of the place, I call a mover and go.
Good luck renting with pets. While there MIGHT be less cost to renting there is the added cost of stress that your landlord will be shorty, you’ll be asked to leave for a renovation etc. It depends what you want to spend your money on I guess. I’d rather build equity in my own house instead of paying someone else and having a bunch of restrictions on my home life.
@@MH-en9qccall a mover and go where. Rentals are prohibitively expensive as well now. And if you have pets good luck, most landlords will tell you to go fuck yourself 😂
Mike - thanks for sharing some great work repair videos. One thing I have noticed that you don't show any inspections for different phases - plumbing and electrical rough/finals, framing, etc. Are they required in your area? Thanks!!
100%, they are. There's some city inspectors who probably don't want to be on TV though lol They used to show the inspections on Holmes on Homes, though.
In one of them they were posted on the exterior window. Maybe they are posted but not shown due to personal information?
Lack of knowledge on the home owners, GREAT JOB YOU Y'ALL 👏
Great episode. With the water issues in the yard sloping towards the home. Great fix but why not put concrete about 1 metre from the wall and slope it away & have a channel drain to collect the water and take it out to the street? I’m not comfortable with water pooling up against the foundation and expecting a corrugated pipe to take the water away. Give it a few years that pipe will be clogged.
No, it's a 'weeping tile' pipe, which has a filter-like cover over it. It basically absorbs water (like dirt does), but then directs it into the water or sewer outgoing pipes from the home. I'd 100% rather that than concrete runs all around my house.
@@TabaquiJackal906 rainwater (stormwater) connection isn’t meant to be connected to sewerage, correct? Why do you think a concrete barrier with a channel drain won’t be more effective?
@@josephj6521 "The purpose of weeping tile is to provide a drainage point for draining water that has accumulated at the base of the foundation. Your weeping tile drains to the storm sewer beneath your street or into a sump pump liner installed beneath your basement floor."
I didn't say one or the other would be more effective (though I'm betting on weeping tile), but concrete 'runs' all around my house would certainly be pretty hideous, and not something that many people would want (or, frankly, be able to install in such a way as to be 100% effective and efficient, I'm betting).
@@TabaquiJackal906
I might rather have the concrete runs. Less grass to mow. However, I think it is more about that the water has to have somewhere to go, if you want to keep it out of areas that it shouldn't be. Also, a certain professional way to do things, and resale value and reputation.
These guys are too much into the esthetic, they being saved hundreds of thousands of dollars, I don't know if they understand what it took to do it.
Your not kidding
Too many people focus on the esthetics instead of mechanics, etc.
These episodes are golden for North Americans. They cover almost all the major problems a N. American house could have and solution for it. No wonder why Canadian Government financed this show.
how did the house pass all previous Inspections....
4 weeks? They got it done in just over 44 minutes! These guys are good...😂
Crazy for me is that the heating specialist said that was code ( the cardboard tubes)going back 50 years.
So I’m from Dallas and my father has been in business for 40+ years. Apparently it’s been done here as well and apparently if done right should work. Basically the cardboard is there as a form and eventually is supposed to deteriorate to make the concrete the duct work. My guess is they went too low with the forms and hit dirt and gravel.
"it was huge, it was terrifying" - i have a feeling that's not the first time he's said that
I wish these were labeled with when they aired. However, awesome show, awesome episode.
"Heated Issue" Aired December 3, 2009
Just by watching these episodes, it makes me not want to ever buy a house. If you dont know much, you will pay dearly.even if you buy a new home, one day it will be old and have expensive issues.
And I thought our house was bad.
My lord what a headache it would be to have to fix that with minimal budget
happy to see most wearing respirators
It would be nice to see is the final bill ?
Well done beautiful
Your crew is very good Nice job
I know one thing, if I want a new house built, then I would beg for it to be Mike Holmes and his team, I would go further than beg. 😂
They used filter cloth over the drain pipe. We did the same in a house I renovated once. I've heard pluses and minuses about that. Some argue that the filter cloth keeps the drain from filling with silt which clogs the pipe making it useless. Others say the cloth itself fills with silt thus preventing the drain pipe from doing its job. I wonder if anyone has experience with the cloth over time? I know that in septic lines they've done away with the small 4" drains and began using large leech field chambers which are so big they never have to worry about them filling with silt or having to cover them with gravel. Why wouldn't the same thing work to remove drainage around a home?
Cloth depends if you have silty or sandy soils. IMO you can use fabric encapsulated pipe in sandy soil areas without any drainrock. In silty areas I would bed the pipe on 1" of drain gravel and encapsulate and cover the pipe in 2" more drain gravel. Then cover with filter fabric before backfilling your silty soil. The difference with leach fields is they are designed to permeate effluent into the soil. Drains work when groundwater levels rise in the soil profile and pipes act as a conveyance to bring that groundwater elsewhere. Basically the opposite of a leach field.
@@NotSureJoeBauers We have sandy soil. Groundwater levels rise very high at certain times of the year. Unless the drain pipe is very large it will fill with sand or silt unless encapsulated with fabric. If there isn't enough gravel around the drain pipe, the groundwater (at certain times of the year) will slow the drainage.
did they use rubber grommets for the wiring?
The soundtrack 😂
Be careful when selling, a tactic used by buyers is to get most the items they plan to fix anyway in the report trying to get you to either do the work in advance, or knock the price down. I had a buyer do this to me and I said no go in this sale, pull it as there was nothing wrong with the house. The buyer came back within two hours, they wanted the house anyway and would bypass the inspectors report. Be careful all the way around, before you sell a house get your own report to protect yourself from this tactic. I did and was saved from losing thousands. Bottom line it’s your money, (whether buying/selling), protect yourself all the way around.
"You don't expect outlets, etc; that's why we hired an inspector."
I hope you've learned you can't rely on others and if you're going to things might go badly for you. Most states would allow you to sue the inspector for having such a poor job is my understanding (not an attorney though). I do my own inspections, then I make sure the inspector is licensed and bonded and manually verify with who because I've seen contractors who lie about that.
That ceiling hight is rough, but gotta do what ya gotta do.
Dumb question here the furnace is vented through the fireplace chase, will it not melt if they use the fireplace?
The fireplace vents through its own metal tube in the chimney. It's also gas so I think the temperature is predictable.
Has anyone ever gone back to sue the inspector and/or the real estate agent that referred the inspector? Seems like there’s a lot of negligence with these foul inspections.
No you can’t. 1. Realtors job is to show you the homes available. 2. In the inspection paperwork it says they are not liable for anything missed. 3. You should never use an inspector that a agent recommends.
@@brianelsner4175Two thumbs up for this comment. Get your own inspector.
Great job again. I have enjoyed Holmes on Homes since the very beginning. Even have the magazines!
Why is the home inspector not responsible for the problems he/she did not find. You have a very good programme sorting out the problems thy were not caught by the inspector, but they must be responsible for the things that have happened as they were employed as experts to protect the home buyer from these problems and at the very least, they should be retrained to keep the quality up so that this doesn’t happen again in the future. I was employed as a vehicle inspector for some time and although I may have missed something in my first inspections I was trained by an experienced person and he made sure that anything I missed was highlighted so that it would not happen again, time after time I see Mike Holmes going through the house and finding things that are not right, this is the standard that all inspectors should be trained too and at the very least they should be brought back and retained up to that standard, otherwise there is no standard and that is not satisfactory.
Mini splits are an option. Not sure if this geographic area can use it.
Good to see an episode with Craig Lowe before he passed away … This home was a mess
Oh man, I had no idea. He died while scuba diving and left behind 4 kids.
I didn’t know either…it was quite a shock to read that…best wishes to his family.
Mike, im begging you. Please send help my way. I just bought a house 2 years ago with cash and stipulations from the seller that its as is. Problem is i was nieve and didnt know what to look for. House was old and i knew it needed work but wasnt expecting the amount of work it needed. The seller put lipstick on a pig and called it beautiful. The floors have a paper thin sticker on them. The floors are like a trampoline. My kitchen floor slopes to the outside wall, my floor joists in the bedroom gave way and i had a big hole in the floor. The nails rusted out and 4 joists fell. The toilet floor bounces everytime i sit on toilet and my toilet stack has a big crack in it. No insulation in the walls or attic, windows look newer but there is no trim around them or insulation. 3 old wall propane units in the house that give me headaches. Electrical problems. The lights in all the rooms dim when i use microwave. No ground port in sockets. When it rains i have to mop the bedroom floor. Outside i have a detached garage that has all rotted sill plates, rotted studs, garage door doesnt seal up, breezeway thats sinking down, insolation is espestos, ceiling is bowed down in the middle and no insulation. Right now im working on my yard drainage. The septic runoff goes directly into the tile, yard floods and my property smells like septic. Sidewalks, garage floor and patio cement is only an inch thick and is broken/cracked everywhere. Electrical in Garage is ceramic fuses and old wiring with no ground. My trees are all dying because of the flooding. County wont fix the town storm water drains so everyones storm water ends up in my yard. Roof needs redone, soffits have holes and i get critters in the attic. No window trim on the outside. Gutters hold water. My cistern is under the kitchen which makes my joists wet. No joist hangers and subfloor is inadequate. Crawl space is narrow so i cant even get down there to fix anything. I cant afford to fix things but i cant even sell the house in this condition. Im begging you please send me some help. I cry everynight because my house is a mess and i should have never bought it. I dont know wherelse to turn. Im sick all the time now. My dogs bring the mud into the house and it turns into dust. Dust that smells like septic and im breathing it in. Please, i beg you to help me. john2willis@yahoo.com
As an emergency solution, put a blotter in a pie tin and pour vinegar over. Ants hate it!
Instead of gutting practically the entire house to fix faulty ductwork, wouldn’t it have been easier to jack open the floor to install metal ducts?
Idk how these inspectors miss so much. The home inspectors that do our houses find stuff that literally isnt there
"I'm happy"
my chilhood home is built with air gap under the gap under the house its a bad idea to build a house direclly on the ground
The male home owner was more worried about how things looked verses having actual good heat in the house.The guy is a bit of a prima donna dude. "The house must look pretty " Verses being comfortably warm in the winter. I don't get that n I am a 57yr.old woman. Boo Hoo your house has proper heating ,safe electricity thru out. N the house will no longer be wet from a poorly graded yard. But it might not be pretty anymore. Okay boys get a grip. And be more grateful to Mike Holmes and his crews of amazing tradesmen.
Male homeowner?! They’re both male ya walnut.
That mortar is so dry it is burned off wow
they should have had a plaque made mike holmes fixed my house.
Heat pumps would work. I think they are not looking at obvious options besides creating duck work.
I never would have thought to use a cave as duct work...
I'm always surprised when heating vents are put at or in the ceiling. Warm air rises. Cold air falls. Heat on the floor. A/C on the ceiling. Any place I've lived that had the heating in the ceiling never heated properly. The floors always felt cold in winter. Today's underfloor heating systems make more sense than the traditional type. I don't know why it isn't used whenever a floor is ripped up and heating systems are being changed or put in. In this case they tore the ceilings, floors and walls all up in the main rooms. Why not use underfloor heating? No bulkhead and the floors would never be cold in winter.
Works if you have a basement. They would have had to slot-cut the floor both front and back for in-floor heat. Of course, in California, the grills in the ceiling make more sense. The AC load is the more important one.
We had a house with heat vents in the ceiling. It was AMAZING - the heat fell down and warmed the rooms so quickly; loved it! Floor registers are always filthy, and if you have cats/dogs/kids, all sorts of crap can end up down in them. Best compromise - wall registers, but I'd still go for ceiling every time.
In Canada, floor registers are always your first choice. But they couldn't do that in this case, and had to treat it more like a basement.
Often it just does not make that much difference, however in the car, there is so much control over the vents, that I send the heat to the floor and the A/C more towards the ceiling.
Heated floors probably have the disadvantage that they do not warm up as fast as forced air would. You have to leave the heat on when away, as the temperature does not recover very quickly.
I don't want the house to look different and loose the value of the home he actually said that
Always felt this show should shame the inspectors who failed so badly. At least let people know which companies to avoid using.
oh lol, thats a new episode xD
why run heat by drafty windows?
I take it you don't live in a place with 4 seasons. Those windows will frost up and rot away with the freeze/thaw cycle without the vents there.
The answer is quite obvious. Because people would complain about the cold draft. That is the main reason to place the source of heat, where it is coldest. Also a reason why people update to more efficient windows.
I always wonder what the actual cost of all this is$$$$$$$$
these guys got literally screwed on the purchase of the house
They also screw each other nightly, in the an000s.
If I was Mike I would have run from that one. They spent all the money making it "look nice", "they way we wanted it" and ignored the excellent advice given by the home inspection, the chimney, downspouts and grading.
Anyone know a trustworthy building inspector?
These dudes are rightfully kind of pissed at the inspector, but honestly, what difference would it have made when they didn't fix the stuff that was noted
Far cheaper to ditch the ductwork and put in heated flooring.
Interesting idea, but they had AC system as well.
I would have ripped up the floors, put in a boiler and do radiant floor heat .
They still need AC in that climate.
As far as I am concerned Home Inspection Services are little more than a racket. I had my condo inspected. The inspector checked the attic and said everything was fine. Really? The upper stairwell had no insulation nor did it have a vapour barrier. Wall outlets did not work. because the wiring had never been hooked up. My son spent over a thousand dollars for his acreage to be inspected. In the first month the furnace needed replacement because the fire box had holes rusted in it. $4000.00 gone. There was two fireplaces that were so old that they didn't have CSA approval and needed to be replaced before he could get insurance. $8000.00 gone. Water system needed a new pump. $1000.00 gone.
SO why should anyone trust these people?
Who inspected this house. PVC ducts work. Returns next to fireplace! Hire a contractor instead of home inspectors.
Out of all of your shows these people were all about poor us.
They are “victims”
Wish I could see how those little stoners decorated the new place. I know this was a long time ago but I would have just hung the duct work from the celling. Open concept is supposed to be open.
Yeah, I thought having exposed ductwork would go with the loft feel they liked. Perhaps there are fire codes prohibiting it in residential buildings.
Home inspection people should have to go to school at a state tech college for a minimum of 1 year to get certifications.