McMansions Discussion Thread

[DuskTrooper 314]

So, anyway, I wanted to see what your views are on Mcmansions, which can be defined as Oversized residences on small lots often featuring a grab-bag of architectural elements that are mass produced for the bourgeois..

Of course, there are vast variations in these, and some can be quite decent, but, alot more of them are just downright replusive but, that's just my opinion....

Wikipedia Article on Mcmansions

Texas A&M Article on Mcmansions

A few example pictures:









IMO, the next ones are not too bad...











So, anyway, let the debate begin...

[JohnB 66]

Personally, I like McMansions a lot. They are the perfect home for a large family. They look very expensive and at the same time you dont have to be rich to own one. They typically cost at around $500,000 and up. You can easily own one on a $100,000 a year salary.  

 

It is my dream to own one someday as well. Well it does not have to be a McMansion per say but any house in that style and definetely at that price.

[fivedayrental 0]

they are disgusting. toll brothers built a bunch (maybe around 50, im not sure) 1 1/2 a way from me. the ones here most on the small side, about 3000 sq each on at most 1/10th of an area. there is only about 4 different models, each with a tiny bit of customization. At least 9 or 10 have an excellent view of a pharmacecital company's buildings. The mcmansions in the subvision 'Ridgebury Hills' , built in 2000, sell now for about $700,000 +- .

[The Terminator 0]

well these houses are accecptable in Rural areas where they are cheaper(Central Pennsylvania, South Jersey ect..) but in dense suburban areas, espicelly around New York and Philadelphia, where these ugly turds fetch $2 Million, its insane.

[mayormommy 8]

I think there is a difference between tract McMansions and mansionization, which is currently under debate here in MD.

Whole subdivisions of McMansions are built in the far reaches of the Washington area because of zoning laws requiring 1 house/acre or even up to 1 house/5 acres in an attempt to preserve rural areas. So that means the developer has to put up a really huge house to make money. This seems to defeat the purpose of the zoning rules and traffic on some rural roads has become very heavy and dangerous. Talk about sprawl.

Mansionization is when your neighbor sells their lot in well-established neighborhood and then someone crams two or three huge houses on it (I've seen it done just a block from here). I am undecided about this, because I'm all for infill development and neighborhood revitalization, but I wouldn't want to live next to a McMansion either.

I think the lesson here is that we should all try to live on a smaller footprint - I'm not talking about tiny apartments, but small single-family houses or modest townhouses should be more than adequate for most families, really. And yes, most McMansions are truly hideous.

[louisville327 0]

To cite a real-life example, most of the McMansions built in the suburbs of Louisville, KY are sitting on tiny little lots in crowded subdivisions with names like Rolling Woods (cut down) and Lake View (no lake). I always wonder who these people are that buy these giant houses. They obviously want a lot of space, since they bought a giant house way outside the city. But it seems odd to buy something with such a tiny lot that almost always comes with strict restrictions on what you can and can't do to the house and yard. Sprawl subdivisions and giant McMansions are pitched as the epitome of American freedom---and yet are the least-free of most available housing...

I suppose, considering all the other blatant contradictions we embrace here in the United States, that McMansions on tiny suburban lots make perfect sense...

EDIT: Speaking of contradicitions, here's a couple of good examples of typical suburban/McMansion design. This is House Plan #89005 , which is little more than a glorified storage shed.





Notice that the garage is the same size as the lower floor, and completely dominates the front of the house. The porch and main entrance are merely afterthoughts.



JohnB, it's good to know anyone with a $100,000 salary can easily own a giant house like in the photos above. Especially since just about everyone makes that much money. Right now, I think I'm going to go wallow in those huge piles of cash I keep lying around my 5000 square foot house.

fivedayrental, it's interesting that 3000 square feet is now considered small. I live in a spacious, 2-bedroom apartment that measures around 850 square feet. It houses two people quite comfortably. Only in America (and perhaps Canada and Australia) can 3000 square feet be considered as low on the housing scale---and it's sure not easy to heat and cool in our muggy temperate summers.

[fivedayrental 0]

Louisville: I meant those 3000 square foot McMansions are small in comparision to other McMansions that I have seen or been into. Theres another subdisvision that is a little bit over a mile from my house but in another town that average around 5200 square foot, but because of their towns zoning laws, they are on 2 acre lots but they sell for around $1.7 million dollars!

 

Here's a prime example of a McMansion that is for sale by me. It is a small subvision, only 6 lots, on a former horse area/wooded acreage with an excellent view of the public golf course.

[jt_144_2004 0]

If you ask me this is a classic style and is way better than the 60's and 70's......

Imo we need more of this style in SC4                How about some more Simgoober?

[storms991 0]

If you ask me, I would have to say I completetely despise and hate them. They are like parasites that infest your town and create areas of ugliness. I really believe that the US should start to build terrace houses and houses made solely out of brick instead of merely building the house out of wood and putting brick as siding to look pretty. Brick rules!

[louisville327 0]

fivedayrental, I think you misunderstood me. You were right---compared to some larger McMansions, 3000 sq feet truly is small. I wasn't disagreeing.

There are houses comparable to the one you linked to that are selling in the Louisville area as well. Those giant monstrosities dot the former countryside these days.

storms991, I'm judging by your icon that you're not from the US. Here in the States we build with only one thing in mind: profit. Cheap wood and aluminum siding means bigger profits for the developers, so until all-brick construction gets really inexpensive, it's not going to become popular here. It's sad, but most American builders are more concerned with quick cash than long-term durability.

[Jasoncw 11,840]

Another common feature in McMansions is a large, two story lobby (I don't know what it's actually called). It's very anti-cozy imo. The one I was in wasn't designed very well, the house was so poorly laid out that they needed to call eachother on the phone, because it took so long to walk anywhere in the house, and because it was impossible to call someone through the house.

The building didn't seem to be skillfully made, and everything in it was premade, as though the architect designed it out of a home depot catalouge. Most of the materials were pretty cheap too.

The neighborhood is also suffering from every single urban sprawl problem there is.

For the money people spend on them, McMansions are pretty bad. Why can't people be happy buying an old, truly elaborate, normal sized house?

[mattb325 28,880]

Ha! We have them here in Oz too and they are called McMansions as well. They look almost identical to the ones photographed except we don't tend to use wooden siding as often. (We use brick like the brits: unlike the brits, about 50% of the time we render and paint it) Ours however borrow their grab-bag of architectural features from the federation era (1910-191 which was a truly unique and Australian style of home (one my list of things to BAT).

It's peculiar that they build these things at all. We have terrace homes en masse in Sydney, which are in fantastic locations within walking distance of the city, and yes, they are on small allotments, but they don't hide the fact that you are living joined to your neighbour. These Mcmansions, are 40-50kms away from the city (30+ miles), have no public transport, are on small allotments and 'pretend' to be detached from the neighbouring house, but in reality are about 3ft apart with side windows all looking into each others' houses.

 

Also, because they are so close to each other, they can't have roof eaves overhanging and shading the windows, so the summer sun beats straight into the second floor windows (where the bedrooms are) meaning that the whole house needs to be airconditioned in Summer.

 

And, if that's not environmentally unfriendly enough, usually the whole back yard and two side passages (which are all small) is paved, so that during storms the run-off created causes these suburbs to flood. Oh, that and the fact that these sub-divisions are usually brick and tile moonscapes with scarcely a tree in sight, as they were all felled to make developing easier. Yes, by themselves with space around them these homes are pleasant. But it's just remarkable that in the 21st Century we can't do better....

 

Madness! 

[creilmann 0]

Date: 1/5/2006 8:36:02 PM Author: storms991 If you ask me, I would have to say I completetely despise and hate them. They are like parasites that infest your town and create areas of ugliness. I really believe that the US should start to build terrace houses and houses made solely out of brick instead of merely building the house out of wood and putting brick as siding to look 'pretty'. Brick rules!

quote>

 

I agree.  Most American suburbs are ugly no matter the type of house.  There is no character.  If you really want to make yourself sick, check out the sprawling crap that is Phoenix, Arizona.  I'll never live in the suburbs.....EVER.

[creilmann 0]

Phoenix, Arizona

https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//Chandler-Realestate.jpeg align=baseline>

 

Imagine thousands upon thousands of homes that look just like this lined in miles and miles of perfect rows.  Throw in a strip mall on every major intersection and there you have it.  City planning at it's finest.

[ardecila 124]

I honestly could care less about the architecture of these subdivisions. My view on them is that they use traditional architectural styles, so they aren't all bad, although they do try to be a little too grandiose.

No, I'd be perfectly happy with these houses if they were built in good, connective neighborhoods with sidewalks that don't require cars to get around.

BTW, not all McMansions are as grab-bag-ish as the ones you posted. Some are quite modern (windows without sills, etc.) and some are very traditional.

[ILL Tonkso 1,236]

What a waste, a family doesnt need that. Builld Terraced homes with good city infastructure. US urban sprawl makes everthing too spaced out, what happens when you want to walk to the local shop?

[maximummatt 0]

I think McMansions get a bad rap. I live in one here in Maryland, USA. And yes it is a house of 3,600 feet on a fairly small lot in a new development halfway between Washington DC and Baltimore cities. My commute is long, but when I get home, I like having space and room to roam around in. For the people who say that you cant walk anywhere, I am OK with that because where I live, the people walking by my house live in the neighborhood; there is no main street traffic and above all, everything is quiet.... I used to live in the suburbs of London, where all the houses were smushed up against one another and there was no sense of privacy. I could indeed walk to the corner stores but I always had to take my car anyway if I wanted to do weekly shopping that required more bags than hands to carry them several blocks.

Besides, here in America, we like things, new, big and, unfortunately, disposable. Therefore, these wooden McMansions don't need to be brick like in London and last for a couple centuries. We will just tear down the McMansions in about 70 years and build something else to our liking to last another 70 years.

 

Different way of living, but not a bad way of living, in my opinion.

[Fischbob 9]

Date: 1/6/2006 8:35:06 AM Author: ILL Tonkso What a waste, a family doesnt need that. Builld Terraced homes with good city infastructure. US urban sprawl makes everthing too spaced out, what happens when you want to walk to the local shop?

quote>

If there's even a local shop at all.

 

I've seen some of the sprawl around Toronto with the arrays of gated neighbourhoods and cookie cutter houses (I don't think they're big enough to be called McMansions), and it's ridiculous. When you can't tell where you are in a city because all the houses look the same, you know something's wrong. Saint John has a lot of very old run-down wood frame walkups in the more urban areas, but I'd prefer those over a whole host of new McMansions to replace them. They are unique. They're painted different colours. If they were renovated, I wouldn't mind living in one. Some of the newer suburban developments here are starting to show signs of McMansionlike housing, but so far they haven't been as monotone as most places I've seen. I'm hoping it stays that way.

[louisville327 0]

Date: 1/6/2006 9:23:19 AM
Author: maximummatt

Besides, here in America, we like things, new, big and, unfortunately, disposable. Therefore, these wooden McMansions don't need to be brick like in London and last for a couple centuries. We will just tear down the McMansions in about 70 years and build something else to our liking to last another 70 years.

Different way of living, but not a bad way of living, in my opinion.

quote>

Ah, the confident nonchalance of America at its finest. See, everything is so simple. When we tire of one poor design, we'll just throw it away and build something new and equally disposable. Like cheap, unhealthy microwave food, we'll just go from one quick serving to another, dumping our trash here and there and moving on when we tire of the taste.

It's so simple. Even the places in which we live are convenient and disposable.

Why build something that lasts, that has character, and contributes to the civic quality of the cities in which we live when we can just tear down a new forest or farm and build whatever we want wherever we want? We'll never, ever run out of cheap land or cheap oil, right? We'll just keep doing whatever we want forever and ever with no consequences...

Right?

[cnystrom1 1]

i agree sprawl is a problem, but i think the actual mcmansion buildings are good, and if they had yards and werent half garage space i would really like them, but i think their nice houses and i would like to live in one if i could

[louisville327 0]

Date: 1/7/2006 2:06:08 AM
Author: cnystrom1
i agree sprawl is a problem, but i think the actual mcmansion buildings are good, and if they had yards and werent half garage space i would really like them, but i think their nice houses and i would like to live in one if i could

quote>

You should read the Wikipedia entry linked by DuskTrooper at the very top of this thread. It's very clear that through a combination of poor design, cheap materials and rushed production that McMansions share the same low quality as McDonald's food, which they are named after.

The houses are not a good investment, especially with gasoline and natural gas prices so high.

[TheCrybKeeper 300]

Date: 1/4/2006 11:40:45 PM Author:DuskTrooper So, anyway, I wanted to see what your views are on Mcmansions, which can be defined as 'Oversized residences on small lots often featuring a grab-bag of architectural elements that are mass produced for the bourgeois.'. Of course, there are vast variations in these, and some can be quite decent, but, alot more of them are just downright replusive but, that's just my opinion.... Wikipedia Article on Mcmansions Texas A&M Article on Mcmansions A few example pictures:     IMO, the next ones are not too bad...      So, anyway, let the debate begin...

quote>

well, Everyone has a dream of owning a home. It doesn't come true for many. Those who manage to snag their little piece of it, usually accept something they really weren't all happy with.

 

Then lets think about population explosion; This is fast becoming a normal occurance, as well as a necessary one, as space and land disappears.

 

So, let the semi rich have their tiny lots and big houses.

 

My perpsective on McMansions is rather skewed though, since I come from a dirt poor background. Finally owning my own home, no matter what it looks like, is a blessing for me.

 

However, I got lucky:

 

 

I have a big double lot(this makes my Mini-McMansion look even smaller), two garages, full finished basement and three bathrooms. Yippie!

 

Only costs me $860.00 a month.

[maximummatt 0]

[

[louisville327 0]

Date: 1/7/2006 11:00:48 AM
Author: maximummatt
Man, if you think there wasn't a lot of poor design and throwaway houses in America's and any other country's past, you arent a student of history. I didnt say that character and and civic quality isn't important in housing. It is. And we have that in plenty of housing in the suburbs.

quote>

I wasn't talking about other design forms or America's past. This is a McMansion Discussion Thread, which means we're talking about McMansions. Don't try to divert attention.

But housing is also about fulfilling need and desires: some people want lots of space inside their homes and McMansions fill these need. I see it not as American nonchalance or disposability, but rather adhering to American tenants of working hard to gain the lifestyle you want.

quote>

Unfortunately selfish, personal desires (which are not always bad, but often), have trumped the needs of the society as a whole. The result? Sprawl, traffic gridlock, obesity, social and economic isolation and distrust, exploding energy costs, increasing pollution (exhaust, pollen, light)...the list goes on. In America it is always Me First, regardless of the consequences.

In fact, 100 years from now, McMansions will indeed be a piece of history that will reflect the character of the time. And I bet people will fawn all over them as many people fawn all over simple rowhousing, or ranchers, split-levels etc, that were built in the earlier part of the century.

quote>

Not to be snarky, but you can't really predict the future 100 years from now and call it a fact. Certainly McMansions will be a piece of history, and yes, they will reflect the character of the time, but unless we're still using a cheap energy source to fuel personal automobiles as we do now, it will be difficult for most city-dwellers to appreciate these cultural relics. McMansions will only make sense as long as things continue to be exactly the way they are today. That's highly doubtful.

As for people who call McMansions cookie-cutter lookalikes, rowhouses are very much cookie cutter. Thats why they were built in the first place because they were cheaper and easier to build at a time when housing needs were pressing because of a growing population. I have lived in Europe and America, and rowhousing there is surprisingly similar. However ugly or huge people think McMansions are, they are very customizable both inside and out.

quote>

Nobody said anything about rowhouses, so don't try to change the subject again. This is a thread about McMansions. And as for customizability, so what? There's no reason why you can't customize a more traditional design within the context of a more urban neighborhood. In fact, it's pretty common for most McMansions in any particular subdivision to share a very small number of identical floorplans. I had a couple of friends in high school that lived in different McMansion subdivisions on the outskirts of Louisville. On the outside, their houses looked very different. On the inside, they shared the exact same floorplans and amenities. The houses' interiors were carbon copies of each other. The custom nature of McMansions is usually a cheap, superficial illusion, one that is evident when you browse the various custom housing websites like the one I posted an example from above.

All that said, I'm sure you enjoy your home and appreciate its good qualities. More power to you.

[PhantomOwl 3]

I live in eastern Queens, just about where the urban feel of New York begins to break down into the sprawl of Long Island. The area is mass transit connected (busses and LIRR) and has some mom & pop shops left, but the main roads are dominated by car dealerships and strip-malls. The area was exclusively a mix nice 1940's colonials, so-so 1950's ranches, downright hidious (but thankfully few) 1960's high ranches, as well as a few craftsman and victorian houses left over from when the area was more rural, untill about 2000.

Developers have begun to buy up many of the houses on the market, knock them down, and throw up McMansions like crazy. The older houses aren't cheap either--they range from the 700's to the 900's. The McMansions usually sell for over a million. It's suprising that the developers are willing to pay so much, and I think this causes the trend to snowball because many of the older couples in the area want to cash in on their houses. The lots in the area are about 50ftx100ft, but the McMansions are hidiously large and gaudy (the one across from me is 6000sf, has two obnoxiously large coloumns in front, a two-story window, and a balcony that looks out upon *fanfare* the driveway.

 

This has happened for about one house every two blocks. Also alot of the colonials in the area have had their siding torn off and replaced with stucco, and columns have been smacked on infront of the front door in an attempt to McMansionize the house. The result is pretty hidious. The entire ordeal has spread to denser development too; walkups have been built that mimic the style of the McMansions, and they have only garages and driveways on the front of thier first floor. Traffic and accidents have also increased; each of the mcmansions seems to come with three SUVs in its driveway.

 

Alas.

[Simguyuk 0]

I love McMansions, my uncle has one in Montgomery County, we visit every year.

Its an amazing thing to watch, every morning at 6AM, the philipino maids venture out of the houses to dump the rubbish on the pavement.7AM, the dad's sedans and BMWs pull out of the two-door garage to get to work in Rockville or wherever. 8AM, the SUVs pull out, take the kids to school. etc.

Major benefit: I fall over and hit the wall at home, I hurt my arm. I fall over and hit my arm at my uncle's couse, I put my arm through the wall. Ok, Im in big trouble, but it hurts a lot less.

Anyway, in britain its just as bad, except the houses are even closer together, and they are made of brick, so they are more difficult to knock down.

Example: A nice 5 bed house on local development in the medium sized town where I live in Southeast England. Pricetag?

[storms991 0]

LOL!!!!!!!!!!! omg that is funny!

(That house has too much character to be a McMansion)(It doesn't have wooden vinyl siding)

I just have to comment on what Ill Tonkso had said in his post.
My cousin lives in the states, and there is no such thing as walking to the local store. In the UK, I always take the bus to Town and I always walk to Spar. I to personally hate US urban sprawl. TOO much land, TOO big houses. In the space of one of those houses up there, you could easily build 3 terrace houses.
I am from Leicester, UK

[Simguyuk 0]

I dont know how id feel living there, but it certainly is novel. Where my uncle lives, there is a public golf course, the green fees are much less than other clubs, and the course is pretty good. We can learn much fro them.
And at least in Washington the do have bus services. Well, some.

And whats with the terraced housing thing? Sure, they make pretty good affordable housing, but most terraced houses accross the country are falling apart, in need of expensive repairs.

And lets put ikt this way, they're great if you need one, but I wouldnt want to live in one if I didnt have to.

[jmjselect 0]

someone said imagine thousand and thousands of mcmansions.... That sounds like my neighborhood, well actually Hometown, except that we're not on a grid. My Hometown is expected to have a little over 3,000 homes. 300,000 to 1+ mill. it started in the early early 90's and is still under development, i think it's suppose to finish in 2010. I know what your thinking, houses houses houses houses houses after houses and houses and houses..... but my hood is actually pleasant to the eyes. it has mcmansions(alot of em) it has small lots(my house and 3 others share a back yard) id say about half of em has a decent back yard and others are like mine. but it also has perserved green spaces, a man-made lake and a natural lake that is gonna be turned into a county park, it has a private golf course. it's a hilly terrain so houses follow the contours and i'd say that there's maybe like 2-5 intersections in a 100-200 neighborhood. there's like 20-25 hoods in the home town. of and there's a 3-4 mile long avenue(like in sc4) inside the hood.

If done right Mcmansion hoods can look very very good. although there is areas(mainly the older hoods) where the actually mcmansions look plain.

i'll try and find pics.

[hobostank 8]

Date: 1/7/2006 5:08:33 PM Author: Simguyuk I love McMansions, my uncle has one in Montgomery County, we visit every year. Its an amazing thing to watch, every morning at 6AM, the philipino maids venture out of the houses to dump the rubbish on the pavement.7AM, the dad's sedans and BMWs pull out of the two-door garage to get to work in Rockville or wherever. 8AM, the SUVs pull out, take the kids to school. etc. Major benefit: I fall over and hit the wall at home, I hurt my arm. I fall over and hit my arm at my uncle's couse, I put my arm through the wall. Ok, Im in big trouble, but it hurts a lot less. Anyway, in britain its just as bad, except the houses are even closer together, and they are made of brick, so they are more difficult to knock down. Example: A nice 5 bed house on local development in the medium sized town where I live in Southeast England. Pricetag?