Canadian contractor Mike Holmes opens model home in Arnprior

Canadian handyman and TV star Mike Holmes was in Arnprior on June 15, helping Guildcrest Homes open its new model home – The Stratford. Above: the official ribbon cutting. – Tara Gesner/Torstar

Guildcrest Homes a Holmes Approved Home team member
NEWS Jun 17, 2019 by Tara Gesner Arnprior Chronicle-Guide

The address 2424 Russett Dr. is one of Guildcrest Homes’ three sales centres in eastern Ontario. The other two are located in Kingston and Morewood.

“I want to welcome everyone here today,” chief executive officer Martin Roy said.

For almost 30 years, Guildcrest Homes has been building modular homes at its Morewood, Ont. factory, promoting them as high quality and energy efficient. In 2010, the company became a member of the Pro-Fab group.

On top of being a TV personality, Roy called Holmes “Canada’s most trusted contractor.”

“Over the years, Mike has produced numerous shows, breaking ratings records,” he said. “In 2012, Mike created the Holmes Approved Homes program, partnering with builders like us who are committed to building excellence … building above minimum code.”

“The problem … we are buying crap houses,” Holmes told the crowd on Saturday, and “as long as we are buying crap houses they are going to keep building crap houses.”

Everyone wants Holmes to build them a home; however, he is only one person.

As a result, “the idea for me was to work with the best products on the market, to find the best builders across Canada … create a team … having a verification system that made sense to everyone,” Holmes told this newspaper.

“It is a win-win situation,” he said. “Nobody loses.”

Buying a home is the single most expensive investment a person will make in his or her lifetime. He or she wants a home constructed with quality, integrity, trust and a commitment to make it right.

Retail sales manager Sean Kelly called the partnership with Holmes “wonderful … it is huge.”

“He sourced us out,” Kelly said.

“You cannot come to me,” Holmes stressed. “I find you.”

“Anyone with integrity cannot help but build properly,” he added. “Guildcrest Homes is a company that cares.”

Before cutting the ribbon to officially open The Stratford model home, Holmes asked: “What is good about a home that is just over 1,000 square feet?”

“It is environmentally friendly, it is energy efficient, it is smart, it is affordable and it is built right,” he said.

With a living room, dining room, full basement and three bedrooms, The Stratford “is everything you need,” Holmes noted. “It is comfortable, and you can heat it with a candle and cool it with an ice cube.”

He added: “The reason I am working with Guildcrest Homes is because they have a smart package here. They are building smarter, more intelligent, with a minimum code of R31 in the walls and R70 in the attic space, and using an inch and a half of rigid foam on the outside.”

Guildcrest Homes is building to Holmes’ standards.

“These guys care, they do it right, and I make sure of it, which is why we have a relationship,” Holmes said. “It is that simple.”

Lorraine Tyrell travelled from White Lake to meet Holmes. She has watched him on TV for years.

“You trust him,” she said.

Original article can be viewed at https://www.insideottawavalley.com/news-story/9440524-canadian-contractor-mike-holmes-opens-model-home-in-arnprior/