The Holmes Manual: Trusted Answers to Common Questions About Home Maintenance, Repairs, and Solutions

Outstanding information

it is a book that is easy to read and understand and is very relatable and help with what we as home owners need to do and be aware of in looking after our biggest asset and how things have changed and what we need to expect from trades people and its not minium code and we sometimes need to pay a little more for the right stuff

Full of useful information and clearly written with good explanations of why not just how. Written more like a conversation than a manual, but easy to follow. Wish I had read this before some of the remodeling projects I've done over the years. Seems to be written in a style that both the complete novice and experienced homeowner can understand. Only issue I have is that he clearly thinks poorly of do it yourselfers and does not give people enough credit for things that can do themselves, especially if they don't have a lot of money. Well worth the investment - I'm reading the rest of his series now too.

I’ve loved watching Mike Holmes on TV for years. He does a good job in this book explaining his thought process. I’m probably going to purchase more of his books. Easy reads with lots of good info.

Detailed

Mike writes in simple language about the most important things and the latest building materials which allow for your house to last longer. In my opinion, currently this is the best book on the market, as all his competition published books several years ago and missing information about the latest building materials. I somebody knows better books, I would like to hear from you.

This is a good guide to home ownership. It's formatted as questions and answers, just like if you asked Holmes. Things like "Why does my floor squeak and what can I do about it?" Be advised that there is very little in here about how to do it yourself. It's more of a conceptual guide as you make your own plan or work with a contractor.

First off I'll admit that I have not yet read the book from cover to cover. I bought this book as a reference to go with our new house which has proven more of a fixer-upper than we expected. I have therefore been concentrating on the specific sections dealing with the problems we are currently facing, leaving the rest for a later date. These problems cover items from exteriors/roofing/siding to plumbing to insulation, and starting into the HVAC and ducting section. That said I have encountered nothing that makes me think this book worth more stars. I'm a fan of Holmes in general but the one thing that had always bothered me on TV was even more pronounced in this book. That is his unwillingness to give product information on anything other than his own personal preferences. Essentially if it isn't his personal preference he will only tell you the problems with it and how his preferred products are so much better. While I have no problem with him stating his preferences and the reasons for it (after all we're listening to him for his expert opinion) his very black and white delivery leaves me more than a little dissastisfied. Especially when he won't discuss the cons of those products as thoroughly as the cons of other products. The book is essentially organized as a kind of FAQ. Various questions on specific topics grouped together and listed with his answers. Much of the information is useful as far as it goes. He explains a lot of the 'why things happen' behind various problems that come up. What is a little shakier is his answers and solutions. All too many of his answers come down to "that is why you should have built it the way I would have in the first place", often including a plug for his preferred product. When a question consists of "how do you deal with this particular problem" and is answered by "if it had been built right you wouldn't have that problem" it isn't terribly helpful. Not all the answers are like that, of course. In fact some of the more general information questions are answered very clearly and concisely with just enough detail to cover it without overwhelming the average homeowner. But there are those issues, such as a problem with roof shingles to which his only reply is "you should have used metal and this wouldn't even be a problem." Or when someone asks him how to deal with running new wire through a wall that had Holmes' favorite spray foam insulation installed and his only answer is that the wiring should be done before installing the spray foam. Well, that would be nice in an ideal world but renovations are a way of life and the bread and butter of contractors like Holmes, so he ought to have better answers for dealing with the problems that arise from them. The only other problem I had with the book is Holmes' constant harping on 'environmentally friendly' products. Not becaue I object to environmental friendliness so much as that how he defines it is a little questionable at times. My husband is a chemist. As a result I know a great deal about the 'behind the scenes' environmental costs of many of these products. All too many of them simply have a DIFFERENT environmental impact, not a lesser one. The same for 'efficiency' products which are generally much more expensive to start with but promise savings in utilities or some such over the long term. So in order to actually come out ahead financially you have to own/use the product for decades. And even that assumes that utility costs remain constant, which we all know they don't. So while there may be advantages to one product over another, they are seldom as black and white as what is presented in this book. Most of the time it's simply a matter of picking your personal favorite shade of grey. So overall this is a very nice general reference. It is especially handy if you live in the far north and are looking to build a new house. But if you are looking for something to help you understand and deal with the problems of your 20+year old house, look elsewhere. Pros: The information in it is good, if limited, and the style is easy to read good pics demonstrating a variety of how things should and should not look/be done many specifics of quality products to deal with various aspects of your home Cons: Book relies on you being able to find GOOD contractors without any hints for how to tell the difference between the good and the bad. It is in no way a DIY-friendly text. A LOT of product placement with very limited information on alternative products

Great help and tips for future rénovations. Love Mike Holmes the tips are not for DIY because he doesn't encourage that, but the pointers that he gives are great on what to look for to search for a house, owning a home and the best products you can get to care for your home longer (not all available in Quebec unfortunately, mostly Ontario)

I AM A HUGE FAN OF THIS GUY FOR WHAT HE DOES ON AND OFF THE JOB SITE, THIS BOOK IS A MUST READ

The book covers the most house construction items and solutions to problems. Excellent source of knowledge. Recommended.

I love this guy's TV shows, so I bought the book because I have started renovating my home (mainly DIY). The book contains very good information but is not oriented towards DIYers. It rather provides information to help you make the right decisions when having the renovations done by a contractor.

The perfect book for the home owner. Mr. Holmes knows what he is talking about.