Bob Villa
 

How exactly did Bob Villa become the expert of home improvements? Is he as knowledgeable and handy as he appears to be? I've seen enough home improvement shows but none of his shows he actually starts and finishes anything.?

:confused:

That's a pretty good question,Heck I want to know it.

this does not answer your question at all but..... :)

Awhile ago I had a landscaping company and worked on the show Curb Appeal on cable as the crew. It is so funny. The job on camera was made to look like we did it in 48 hours it actually took us 3 weeks. The host would sit around talking to his agent or whatever while he drank tea. Then when the camera was on he would get down and dirty as if he as been in the trenchs. He would say stuff like " Could you get someone to loosin up the soil for me so I can get a big shovel full?" Granted it was our job to do all the work and we were contracted for good money. I just thought that the people involved would at least be interested in the project and be a little more involved.

Bob started out as the host of This Old House 25 years ago or so, and my guess is he was a residential builder, but I am not sure about that. He may have just been a struggling actor, as the show was definitely lwo budget back then.

http://www.bobvila.com/Global/About.html
http://www.bobvila.com/25thAnniversary/Celebrate25.html

I love that show. Its fun to get an inside look into it, thanks.

I thought I remembered a while back hearing that Bob was getting sued by seveal homeowners because he would basically go in, tear a bunch of stuff up, then start to put things back together to the point where they had all they needed for the show, then the would pack up and leave. Might explain why you never saw him complete a project :D

My wife and I always used to laugh while watching 'This Old House', because ol' Bob always had Norm doing all the work. Norm musta finally wised up, cause he went out and got his own show. The New Yankee something or other. Norm was definately the brains behind that operation.

Now Norm knows his stuff, I'm glas he has his own show now. I think Sears should ditch Bob for Norm to endorse their power tools. Norm's shed is every woodworker's dream.

Bob Vila has never possessed a contractor's license. He might look good on TV, but its the builders doing the building who know their shit, not Bob.

P.S. Most of the tools he plugs for Craftsman suck, too.

Amen to these posts. Norm has forgotten more about contracting and carpentry than Bob knows.

Norm is the man. I have an autographed pic of him above the workbench in my shop (akin to an altar.) Vila is a jerk. Steve Thomas was a pantywaist.