Holmes on Homes

mrblaine

Crew Member
Original poster
Supporting Member
Joined
Nov 20, 2015
Messages
33,680
Location
Quail Valley, CA
Any of ya'll watch shows where his dumbass commercials show up? He annoys me because every one has at least a couple of glaring mistakes and usually more. Seriously, you are in construction and don't know that you don't heat hot water. It is a water heater, not a hot water heater. My favorite is the one about hardscape and expansion joints he says were saw cut. No Mike, that is a stamped concrete patio, see the detail down in the cracks? Yeah, those are not saw cuts.
 
Last edited:
Any of ya'll watch shows where his dumbass commercials show up? He annoys me because every one has at least a couple of glaring mistakes and usually more. Seriously, you are in construction and don't know that you don't heat hot water. It is a water heater, not a hot water heater. My favorite is the one about hardscape and expansion joints he says were saw cut. No Mike, that is a stamped concrete patio, see the detail down in the cracks? Yeah, those are not saw cuts.
Hahaha, the concrete one just came on and I thought the same thing. That's one hell of a concrete blade to leave a finish like that.
 
  • Like
Reactions: mrblaine
Never seen the commercials, but as a "construction professional" nothing is more insufferable than people being pedantic about terminology with non-construction people.

Now I will 100% give you the side eye if you also work in the industry and use terms like "cinder block" or "cement" or "spigot" when you mean CMU, concrete, or hose bib.
 
Never seen the commercials, but as a "construction professional" nothing is more insufferable than people being pedantic about terminology with non-construction people.

Now I will 100% give you the side eye if you also work in the industry and use terms like "cinder block" or "cement" or "spigot" when you mean CMU, concrete, or hose bib.
Well, there is no one that will argue with you against me being an insufferable pedantic. Just the way I'm built. I do view it slightly differently though, if you want folks to respect you and what you do, it is a major distraction when all they can think of is you don't know the difference between an expansion joint in a stamped concrete finish and a saw cut. They are as obviously different as a 2x4 and a 2x6.

As for your CMU stuff, I'd had several folks I've entertained retaining wall discussions with laying out what I needed done in hopes of some sort of a price. When I told them I wanted the typical 8x8x16 CMU, all but one gave me a blank stare. I do not know how you build block retaining walls and don't know what a CMU is.
 
Last edited:
Any of ya'll watch shows where his dumbass commercials show up? He annoys me because every one has at least a couple of glaring mistakes and usually more. Seriously, you are in construction and don't know that you don't heat hot water. It is a water heater, not a hot water heater. My favorite is the one about hardscape and expansion joints he says were saw cut. No Mike, that is a stamped concrete patio, see the detail down in the cracks? Yeah, those are not saw cuts.
Never liked It when my guys used improper terminology in front of customers and lay people, it's just not professional. What is so hard about calling it a domestic water heater.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Rick Flair
Never liked It when my guys used improper terminology in front of customers and lay people, it's just not professional. What is so hard about calling it a domestic water heater.
In general I have huge issues with folks diluting the meanings of words. When the usage gets to be so prevalent, it messes everything up. Used to be when you did a search for something you had to be pretty accurate to get the results you were after. Now everything is so diluted to the lowest common denominator that you can type in hose valve with a handle and return results for a hose bib. Interestingly, a video on how to rebuild your hose spigot also shows up.
 
Diluted is a good term, lot of that going around.

After I semi retired a few years back I would help out in the office part time taking orders/problem solving and it was embarrassing listening to these so called younger professionals who clearly did not learn their trade.
 
Diluted is a good term, lot of that going around.

After I semi retired a few years back I would help out in the office part time taking orders/problem solving and it was embarrassing listening to these so called younger professionals who clearly did not learn their trade.
One of my least favorite is the near disappearance of the word weldor. Weldor denotes the person using the welder.
 
One of my least favorite is the near disappearance of the word weldor. Weldor denotes the person using the welder.

I recently caught myself doing similar with adjustor and adjuster.
 
I don't like the show because it Canadian. Half of every episode deals with mold due to improper insulation and sealing for expansion/contraction. I don't live in that environment so I don't care.

I don't watch shows about remodeling houses in CA for the same reason. They buy a dump for $500,000 and spend $800,000 remodeling it. When they are done, it looks like a new $250,000-300,000 house here. Except there it's smaller with no yard.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: freedom_in_4low
One of my least favorite is the near disappearance of the word weldor. Weldor denotes the person using the welder.
My favorite definition of Weldor.

427D8C7E-E9E4-4667-8B7A-DD22B25834C7.webp
 
Well, there is no one that will argue with you against me being an insufferable pedantic. Just the way I'm built. I do view it slightly differently though, if you want folks to respect you and what you do, it is a major distraction when all they can think of is you don't know the difference between an expansion joint in a stamped concrete finish and a saw cut. They are as obviously different as a 2x4 and a 2x6.

As for your CMU stuff, I'd had several folks I've entertained retaining wall discussions with laying out what I needed done in hopes of some sort of a price. When I told them I wanted the typical 8x8x16 CMU, all but one gave me a blank stare. I do not know how you build block retaining walls and don't know what a CMU is.
I'll forgive regionalisms- "Water Heater vs "Hot Water Heater" falls in that category. I've never heard anyone outside of New England/New York say the latter. Same goes for water bubbler/water fountain/water cooler...

As for the retaining wall guys not knowing what a CMU is, well, I suppose that depends on the crew. If I want a CMU wall, I'm calling a mason (and honestly calling the guys slapping up CMU's masons is being generous with the term).

If I want a modular wall or redi-rock wall, I'm calling a different guy. Seems to be the difference is between a dry stack guy and one that knows how to mix and slap on mortar.

Edit- the more I think about it, the overwhelming majority of terminology issues stem from plumbing. Lavatory vs sink, toilet vs water closet, etc etc.

But the trades are even more insufferable- you've got plain Jane plumbers, pipe fitters, steam fitters, sprinkler fitters. At the end of the day they are all people that direct fluids in various forms and states of matter from one place to another, but boy do they get their undies in a bunch if you use the wrong term.
 
Last edited:
....

But the trades are even more insufferable- you've got plain Jane plumbers, pipe fitters, steam fitters, sprinkler fitters. At the end of the day they are all people that direct fluids in various forms and states of matter from one place to another, but boy do they get their undies in a bunch if you use the wrong term.

Turd herders doesn't work on any of them.
 
I don't like the show because it Canadian. Half of every episode deals with mold due to improper insulation and sealing for expansion/contraction. I don't live in that environment so I don't care.

I don't watch shows about remodeling houses in CA for the same reason. They buy a dump for $500,000 and spend $800,000 remodeling it. When they are done, it looks like a new $250,000-300,000 house here. Except there it's smaller with no yard.

You seem to know a lot about a show you don't watch or care about.

Environments are different and so are building codes. Mould (spelled our way) is an issue here and thankfully the codes have changed over the years. There was a time when vapour (spelled our way) barriers weren't used but now they're required. Their placement is still misunderstood by many DIY'rs and Holmes, who's just one of many, often has a mess on his hands.