Home Upgrades That Are A Waste Of Money, According To HGTV's Mike Holmes
- Thread starter GON
- Start date
GON
$150 Site Donor 2025
I had granite installed in no less than two kitchens, and numerous bathrooms.
What didn't know when I purchased the granite was the labor required to maintain granite, along with the different hardness levels of different type of granite kitchen counter tops. An example is uba tuba to absolute black granite. Uba tuba can be damaged with a knife, absolute black can withstand damage from most knifes.
Our homes with granite were homes with well water. The well water degraded the granite sealer quicker than a home with "city" water. The required much more labor and material in trying to keep the granite countertops at the same shine/ condition when originally installed. I learned like lessons when I installed heated limestone floors in a bathroom, and shower.
Patman
Staff member
When I lived in Oakville I once saw Mike Holmes downtown standing outside of Paradiso restaurant on his cell phone 
GON
$150 Site Donor 2025
Picture or it didn't happen........When I lived in Oakville I once saw Mike Holmes downtown standing outside of Paradiso restaurant on his cell phone
4WD
$50 site donor 2025
The renovations this guy did when the show was running are terrible. He’s a hack that got popular, that’s about it. If anyone listens to what he has to say, they probably find themselves struggling in life anyways.
4WD
$50 site donor 2025
I found his macho destruction element a bit depressing - often I liked what he busted up better - it just needed TLC …
My BIL is a former building inspector for the city of Mississauga, Ontario. He said Holmes was black balled. No permits allowed for him due to his terrible track record.
Yeah...the big tough guy but I'm such a hero to help you out schtick got old fast. I'm surprised he hasn't come out with his own brand of overalls or suspenders.
I bake and lay hot oven pans directly on to my granite counter top. Not a concern for me either.
Granite is a great product. I love mine.
For reasons unknown to me, "Granite bashing" is a trendy thing right now. Some people need to get a life.
For reasons unknown to me, "Granite bashing" is a trendy thing right now. Some people need to get a life.
This sounds like the couple that are suing the HGTV "Love it or list it" producers. Apparently HGTV used shoddy third party contractors and a couple took out a loan as was part of the agreement now want their money back. The shoddy work was appalling for any amount of money.
Wait, so you guys are telling me that all these reality tv shows were faked and not real?
What’s next? Judges on TV aren’t real judges, lawyers aren’t real lawyers, chefs aren’t real chefs?
Come on, something this big would’ve been uncovered long time ago.
The public needs to know. Can we get the government involved? I mean at this point they have to do something, don’t they?
What’s next? Judges on TV aren’t real judges, lawyers aren’t real lawyers, chefs aren’t real chefs?
Come on, something this big would’ve been uncovered long time ago.
The public needs to know. Can we get the government involved? I mean at this point they have to do something, don’t they?
My rule of thumb is simple: whatever people did in the last decade who hold up in the rental or home sale market (clean styling bathroom and kitchen remodel, hard wood flooring, AC, quartz countertop), is a good thing. Those who falls apart and people reduce / ignore how much the owners paid for back then (swimming pool, jacuzzi, walk in bathtub, fancy cabinet, fancy countertop), is a no go.
I don't like to DIY a lot of things that show up as ugly. Sure I can probably spend 5x the time to do tiles and end up looking like a new buyer want to redo it again, but I might as well not do it in the first place or just pay a pro to do it right. To me it is much easier to look for homes that already have everything I need and compromise than to DIY things that I might fail on. I can do toilet and paint but I won't touch tiles.
Also whoever said you should pick hardwood / laminated wood over laminate flooring in kitchen... I will ignore the rest of your advice.
Personally I prefer quartz over granites for ease of maintenance but that doesn't mean all granites are bad (I just hate a lot of the styles out there, like my parents'). I would never do marble in my own home or rental property.
I don't like to DIY a lot of things that show up as ugly. Sure I can probably spend 5x the time to do tiles and end up looking like a new buyer want to redo it again, but I might as well not do it in the first place or just pay a pro to do it right. To me it is much easier to look for homes that already have everything I need and compromise than to DIY things that I might fail on. I can do toilet and paint but I won't touch tiles.
Also whoever said you should pick hardwood / laminated wood over laminate flooring in kitchen... I will ignore the rest of your advice.
Personally I prefer quartz over granites for ease of maintenance but that doesn't mean all granites are bad (I just hate a lot of the styles out there, like my parents'). I would never do marble in my own home or rental property.
The cost is in the demolition, not the cost of the bag of concrete.
Personally I like ranges with a flat continuous grate or glass top, so I can put anything out of the oven on it, instead of countertop. Bosch made a lot of such design and back in the mid 2000s they were not expensive.
If I have to put on counter top, I just flip my silicone baking mold over and use it as a placemat. It works better than those cotton placemat anyways, and I know if it works in the oven it works outside of the oven as well.
Can't trust tenant on being careful so laminate. They can be replaced easily and charge the tenant fully on the whole cost (like $1k each).
Really? Never sealed? Good to know. That seems to be a whole different topic. Ours were sealed when installed but recently opened a can of worms when trying to find out when to do it again
GON
$150 Site Donor 2025
Speculation on my part. Do you have a picture of the countertop after installation and today? I suspect you will see a world of difference. The countertop in this picture sure looks like it lost its glow.