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Do you live in a McMansion?


Randomguy

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This site by an architect puts into words what you can innately sense when looking at something, but haven't been able to fully put your finger on or maybe describe to someone else.   

http://mcmansionhell.com/post/148605513816/mcmansions-101-what-makes-a-mcmansion-bad

http://mcmansionhell.com/post/179630788531/50-states-of-mcmansion-ℌ???-king-county

The commentary on the pics is hilarious, and it was fun digging around on the site.

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...I live in a 'hood where all the 50's California Ranch houses are slowly but surely being remodeled into McMansions by adding a second story and other heinous acts of architorture. :( Some of them are genuinely painful to look at.  I guess the people who build and live in them like them, but it would be hard to come home to one every day. (Even if they had casement windows.)

 

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I live in a big ass house not by choice, but because it had a yard for my dogs. The wife liked the house because it had two extra room for when family came. 

Personally I'm good with a 300sqft home in the middle of nowhere, but she said no.

I hate city living.

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If I lived in a McMansion, I wouldn't associate with you and your ilk.

I live in a 1970's split level.  It has decent room, but the way it's laid out, it's hard to take good advantage of it.  You can't have two TV's on at the same time, because they compete with each other.

 

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I think the point of McMansions is being missed in the blog.  McMansions are really about what is INSIDE that counts and is appreciated.  Nice kitchens, nice bathrooms, large bedrooms, high ceilings, home theater, finished basements, etc..  All the stuff you can get in "normal" older homes - with renovations - or out of the box with a McMansion. I also think calling any of these homes "mansion" of any sort leads me to think folks have never been to a mansion.  Think Biltmore or Hearst Castle or some of those old Newport homes.    Growing up, we had a few neighbors with true "mansions", and they were more in line with British country estates than anything remotely similar to a McMansion, although, at least one of those estates was sold, broken up, and replaced with a mini-neighborhood of McMansions.

And, what's up with this????

image.png.774df8aa9d342aa3a4983db5fa37da96.png

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29 minutes ago, Razors Edge said:

I think the point of McMansions is being missed in the blog.  McMansions are really about what is INSIDE that counts and is appreciated.  Nice kitchens, nice bathrooms, large bedrooms, high ceilings, home theater, finished basements, etc..  All the stuff you can get in "normal" older homes - with renovations - or out of the box with a McMansion. I also think calling any of these homes "mansion" of any sort leads me to think folks have never been to a mansion.  Think Biltmore or Hearst Castle or some of those old Newport homes.    Growing up, we had a few neighbors with true "mansions", and they were more in line with British country estates than anything remotely similar to a McMansion, although, at least one of those estates was sold, broken up, and replaced with a mini-neighborhood of McMansions.

And, what's up with this????

image.png.774df8aa9d342aa3a4983db5fa37da96.png

I think there is a difference between just a modern home and a McMansion, mostly that McMansions destroy most traditional aspects of architectural standards. 

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I finally read the links about the McMansions. That guy sounds a bit jealous to me. I think the houses he hates because they don’t follow the rules are cool. But I never was one to like arbitrary rules. I’ll try to remember to take a picture of the latest Amish McMansions on my road. My next door neighbor Andy told me this was the largest house he had ever worked on and he had worked on hundreds of houses both Amish and English.

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53 minutes ago, Prophet Zacharia said:

I think there is a difference between just a modern home and a McMansion, mostly that McMansions destroy most traditional aspects of architectural standards. 

Clearly, there are new homes of all sizes and shapes. And clearly there are new homes of all types and styles.  Some of those new homes are ugly as sin, and some are beautifully designed. I have yet to see a connection between size and beauty.

So, McMansions or McShacks essentially mean nothing regarding aesthetics. I guess I always considered the "Mc" prefix as a designation that these new larger homes were either cookie cutter and/or available to non-rich folks (vs mansions which are generally one off and for the 1%-ers).

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Don't really care what most architects think...

I appraised one home, in Conn, that was done by an architect. It was boxy on the outside, but that was just the beginning. The living space inside was awkward, and there was a weird bit in the contract that the interior color scheme couldn't be changed. It was bland to the point of being hostile and prison-like and the owners had taken to throwing wildly colored pillows and rugs to get a little color where they lived.

It was awful.

My concern is does it make a good home. I've seen big places fail at that, and one tiny place that punched way above it's weight class.

However, I don't like McMansions. I don't like pretentious buildings on small lots. They look absurd. I don't like gated communities. You might need to read some Jane Jacobs to understand fully why that is a long term road to failure for an area.

They try to make it look like your wealthy, while what they really do is scream that you are not.

https://www.amazon.com/Cities-Wealth-Nations-Principles-Economic-ebook/dp/B01IZTCFNM/ref=sr_1_12?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1541083776&sr=1-12&keywords=jane+jacobs

 

 

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I do think they look busy, like they are trying to do too much and to be things that they are not.  The bad ones, as pointed out, are truly hideous or at least very wrong.  The obvious nastiness is weird, and they seem a bit poserish.  I hate columns, too, they make it look like you have the sophistication and taste of a young Mike Tyson, but without the millions (when he had millions).

Would I live in one?   Sure, if the price was really right and if I could get past the outside.  It would be hard to buy one, though, but maybe because I like the older houses better.  

The commentary is hilarious.

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16 minutes ago, Randomguy said:

Sure, if the price was really right and if I could get past the outside.

Sadly, so many folks come and go via their garage and are never seen out and about in their yards.  It is all about what is INSIDE these days, so many folks really couldn't care less if they have too many fake columns or a clumsy bump-out.

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1 hour ago, Razors Edge said:

So, McMansions or McShacks essentially mean nothing regarding aesthetics. 

Did you skip your coffee this morning?
Mc·Man·sion
/məkˈmanSH(ə)n/
noun
  1. a large modern house that is considered ostentatious and lacking in architectural integrity.
     
    In suburban communities, McMansion is a pejorative term for a large "mass-produced" dwelling, constructed with low-quality materials and craftsmanship, using a mishmash of architectural symbols to invoke connotations of wealth or taste, executed via poorly thought-out exterior and interior design.
     
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18 minutes ago, Randomguy said:

  I see no benefit to doing yardwork at all.  It is just drudgery that produces little.

...I will think about you, and how sad I am for you, while I am drinking all my freshly squeezed orange juice and tangelo juice this winter. There's more to landscaping than lawns and shrubs.

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3 hours ago, Longjohn said:

I finally read the links about the McMansions. That guy sounds a bit jealous to me. I think the houses he hates because they don’t follow the rules are cool. But I never was one to like arbitrary rules. I’ll try to remember to take a picture of the latest Amish McMansions on my road. My next door neighbor Andy told me this was the largest house he had ever worked on and he had worked on hundreds of houses both Amish and English.

Those suckers can grow.  Son gets married - add more rooms for his family.  Second son gets married - add more rooms for his family.  Grandma dies - remodel her wing for the next son's family....

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2 hours ago, Prophet Zacharia said:

considered ostentatious and lacking in architectural integrity.

Oh, so if I claim it is ostentatious and lacking integrity, that means it is a McMansion.  I like this power!!!!  I'm gonna apply it all over the place - starting first with this architecturally suspect piece of ostentatious nonsense!!!:

Image result for brady bunch house exterior

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5 minutes ago, Razors Edge said:

Oh, so if I claim it is ostentatious and lacking integrity, that means it is a McMansion.  I like this power!!!!  I'm gonna apply it all over the place - starting first with this architecturally suspect piece of ostentatious nonsense!!!:

Image result for brady bunch house exterior

The Brady house was much bigger inside, as is proper.  And it was designed by a real architect.

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