Hubba hubba …
though I really prefer large hunky guys … there is something about that 2 second clip in the intro where Mike Holmes does this twirl with a sledge hammer with a cute little smile …
I think I need some house porn …
I’d get a lot more out of these shows if they’d just hold fucking still for more than 2 seconds. Move back hold still and get rid of that goddamn zooooom lens. I feel like I’m getting seasick watching these shows.
The only ones that are worth a damn are Ask TOH, and New Yankee Workshop. At least when they show you an operation you can actually see what they’re doing.
One of the reasons I like watching Ron Hazelton is that when he hits his finger with the hammer, he doesn’t edit it out. Sometimes he cuts something wrong and has to redo it. He also does most of his jobs using the tools you (or your neighbor) already own and materials you can buy without being forced to sell your children. I’d choose his show over any of the HGTV/DIY Network stuff because I’m more likely to be able to learn something useful from it. There’s no way I’ll ever have a “budget” of $250K to remodel My Old House.
I was watching the a Mike Holmes show one day when Mike was kind of singing to himself under his breath; “It’s getting hot in here, so take off all my clothes…” Whoo! It is getting hot in here!
I had a poster of Norm Abrams and gave it to a friend of mine who was a master at remodeling his own home. He turned his one story garage into a two story garage; which always amazed me. I wonder whatever happened to that thing (the poster, not the garage). The garage is still standing strong after 15 years.
I just saw an episode of Professional Grade. I like the premise; but not the execution. It has too much of a “reality TV” feel to it. I don’t need you to do the side interviews about this and that with the owners.
There was a show on DIY called “Sweat Equity” that was all about how you could save money doing it yourself, which always cracked me up because the shows host was a contractor and experienced renovator that was constantly giving advice about how to do it right. The fact is that while a major kitchen or bathroom upgrade can be done yourself, without a professional looking over your shoulder you are almost certainly going to do something poorly that needs fixing by a pro…buh-bye savings.
I am in the minority in that I can’t stand that sanctimonious blowhard, Mike Holmes. I like 3/5ths of the Crashers, Matt, Ahmed and Josh. I do not like the hosts of Room and Kitchen Crashers. Especially Alison Victoria’s schtick of 'look at my tits! Ain’t I a cute contractor? Lemme be disrespectful of your home but don’t get mad! I’m tiny, cute and LOOK AT MY TITS!"
Which I cannot get too mad at, guys. I watch Income Property just to watch Scott think. I love it when he runs into a problem and stands there all glazed over as he turns over the problem in his mind. Because it’s his mind that I stare at. His gorgeous, sexy mind. Hmmm hmmm.
Renovation Reality is the reason why any work that gets done in my house is done by either me and the kids or Hubby and the kids because hubby’ll get frustrated and snappy and I will re-arrange his cranium with a claw hammer.
Some friends of mine had a room of theirs done on Room Crashers. It filmed a few months back, and it looks like it’s going to air February 19th. I play the part of “friend”, so look for me in the background!
They did a nice job, I think, and I was amazed at how quickly they did the work.
I’m going to have to try Mike Holmes again based on all these responses. I just got bored with all the recriminations and stuff. I don’t want drama, I just want to watch other people work.
I also think there’s a market for a general contractor who would supervise DIYers in projects like Amy does in Sweat Equity. If there were someone around for an hour or so a day for me to ask questions and get training, I could do a lot of stuff myself. Like Gangster Octopus said, without that expert oversight . . . no.
I like Mike Holmes in part because he gets so indignant - if he isn’t truly passionate about doing construction work properly, he fakes it really well.
I get the feeling us ladies are watching the DIY shows for slightly different reasons than the guys. 
Why yes, I did just Google “Alison Victoria tits”. Why do you ask?
Yes, I really like watching Bryan Baeumler on Disaster DIY, and Amy Matthews on Sweat Equity. They seem like people I would really like to know and to have help me with my projects. Especially Bryan, he is so calm and soothing, and you may call it snark but really, some of the things that the homeowners have done that he has to come in to fix, you can’t help but laugh.
I watch them all the time, but I think the crasher shows are silly. Yard Crashers was probably the only one that could be possible in the real world; all the ones done inside a house just seem unreal and like they must be setups. How do they get custom cabinets and countertops in three days? Do they have gigantic warehouses full of that stuff?
My biggest guilty pleasure is Biggest Bang for the Buck. Here a designer and a real estate agent compare three similar remodels, like kitchens for $50K, with regard to how much return they’ll get on their investment, and the homeowners watch them on a laptop and comment. The designer comments are always the same: too specific to their taste, it may turn off some buyers; or why doesn’t this match that, granite countertops, yada yada. The agents are usually more grounded and realistic; some of the homeowners are really funny, and some are trying too hard.
Another show that I watch a lot that I don’t particularly like is Property Virgins. Talk about your entitled twits! And the (up to this season) hostess, Sandra Rinamato, I always found to be condescending. And she’s always showing them houses $25K or more over their budget and talking them into spending more than they want to. I only watch it because it’s on when I’m working out at the gym.
I’m an old fan of This Old House, but that red-headed guy’s mannerisms are getting on my nerves, the way he touches and fingers everything he’s talking about. He’s better than the previous guy, but I wish he would just relax a little and be human. I love the three regulars, though, Tommy, Rich and Norm. They are my gods, and Mike Holmes can eat their sawdust.
Roddy
I’ve noticed Mike has dialed back his hysterics in the current season of Holmes Inspection. He still makes it very clear when he sees work that is shoddy. But, it’s not over the top drama queen stuff like he was in Holmes on Homes.
For me Holmes Inspection is frustrating because we don’t get to see much of the work anymore. The first fifteen minutes are spent with Mike and the Homeowners touring the house and his “inspection”. Then we get 25 minutes of construction work and then ten minutes of showing off the fixed house. That’s all you can get in a 50 min show plus commercials.
Holmes on Holmes did a lot better job showing the work and explaining how to do. I learned a lot watching HOH. I feel like I could lay Ditra and tile a floor now. Put in a French Drain (weeping tile system). You don’t get that kind of info from Holmes Inspection. They don’t explain how to do anything on that show.
The problem with that is now and then they slip in a dud - like the woman with the handicap that she needed to have some specialty modifications for. They trashed her out because her choices were very specific and not mainstream. They would flip a shitfit over some of the mods I would end up with in my house if I had about $100 000 to play with. They would be pissed because we would not put an addition on so we could have an en suite, butchersblock counters that are cut away to allow a wheelchair. No island, just a nice largecountry kitchen like table [again, wheelchair, hello] and the single bathroom would not get the shower and soaker tub combination that wastes space, we would replace the current combo unit with an accessible bath tub/shower combo. Pretty much every mod to the house would render it unacceptable to the average entitlement whore house buyer.
