Mike Holmes continues construction & reality TV domination with ‘Buy It Right’
Thanks to an ever-expanding network of TV shows and international syndication packages, the Mike Holmes net worth has increased steadily alongside Holmes’ presence on cable TV. The venerated Canadian veteran of home improvement, reality TV, and building codes alike has a reputation as one of the most dependable figures in a field riddled with inconsistency; indeed, his home country’s parliament honored him as “an accomplished master builder with a social conscience” and “an example of the best of Canada’s craftspeople.”
Holmes’ exact net worth is difficult to pin down, thanks in part to his many business ventures: the man owns his own construction company and TV production company, and has starred in at least ten of his own shows or miniseries since emerging with Holmes on Homes in 2001. While Holmes: Buy It Right is currently his only show in production, others enjoy continued success in syndication on assorted home improvement channels around the world. After all, who hasn’t been channel surfing on a lazy afternoon, come across an old episode of Holmes Inspection and the like, seen that trademark head shade, and not stopped to watch awhile?
It’s often estimated that the Mike Holmes net worth figure is somewhere in the neighborhood of $25 million dollars; thanks to the steady success of Holmes’ shows first in Canada and then on both HGTV and DIY in the United States, and the net worth estimates of some of his home improvement peers, that figure is certainly realistic.
It’s also worth pointing out that, in addition to the initial per-episode fees reality TV personalities earn, the companies that produce reality TV shows collect a licensing fee from the networks on which the shows air. Because Holmes owns his own production company, he collects an on-air talent fee as well as that licensing fee. And, of course, it’s his construction company doing the work that the cameras capture.
Of course, with Mike, the quality of the work is always what comes first. It’s something he strives to make clear in every production with which he’s associated–the man’s reputation is built on it, after all–and in every interview and fan Q&A. Consider the introductory statement he gave at the beginning of a Facebook live event some years back–it basically serves as a Mike Holmes mission statement:
Now, I’m just going to say, before I try to answer at least some of your really good questions–I can’t give you real advice online. No good contractor worth his salt will do that. I have to see the job, I need to see the work. Your descriptions, while they might be pretty good, aren’t likely accurate. You’re not contractors, right? So, understand this is general advice–you need to have a pro look at the job in person.
Some reality stars might hold back from saying anything like that, for fear of annoying or alienating fans. And, to be fair to those stars, pretty much all of Mike’s peers make sure to give general advice during similar events. But it’s rare to see such a bold declaration of humility from someone at Mike’s level.
“Builders need to go beyond the minimum building code,” Mike told the Chicago Tribune in an interview from the same period, further reinforcing his “Make It Right” mantra. “There’s no medium code, there’s no maximum code–there’s just a minimum code….We’re not teaching (aspiring builders and contractors) like we used to teach in the old days. We need to start teaching by theory — not just how to do something, but why you’re doing it in the first place.”
And, when the interviewer pointed out his many projects, construction, TV, and otherwise, and asked Mike if it was his intention to become “the Martha Stewart of construction,” the gist of Mike’s response was the same:
I don’t want to compare myself to Martha Stewart—she does something totally different. I want to change the industry. I’m just sick and tired of fixing crap. I can keep saying the same things, but until we start building, it’s not good enough. We need to do something about it. I’m a guy who knows how to build, and I’ve been doing this since I was a kid. I’m going to build everywhere, including the United States.
Holmes: Buy It Right airs Tuesday nights at 10 PM on DIY. Holmes and Holmes, Mike’s show with his son, Mike Holmes Jr., also airs on DIY.
(Photo credits: Mike Holmes net worth via Instagram)
