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I grew up in a McMansion on a "lake" (code for huge man-made pond). It was very much a keeping-up-with-the-Joneses kind of neighborhood where people tried to show whatever "wealth" they felt compelled to display.
The funny thing is, as I grew up there and spent time in nearly every house on our lake, I realized just how much of a facade it all was. The exteriors would be beautifully, professionally landscaped with marble fountains and the like. A Range Rover/Jag/other status symbol vehicle perfectly perched on the apex of the driveway.
Then, you'd walk into these homes and instead the interior matching the exterior, it was just the opposite. People who literally had card tables in their dining areas. Nothing in the fridge except condiments and hot dog buns.
I don't have a problem with someone wanting to live in a McMansion if that's what they really want in life. It is a free country, after all. But I do have an issue with the cheap quality and unsustainablilty of materials used, as well as the hypocrisy and it often being financially irresponsible.
For me, personally, I love homes from the 1920s and prior. Not all of them are "rotting" lol and they have a level of quality and architectural charm that is of a bygone era. If anything, those McMansions will be the first to rot seeing what they are built out of of. Also, what good is a 4,000 square foot house if you can hear every squeak, creak, and tiny movement since the walls and flooring are so thin? My place was built in 1928 and bombs could literally go off outside, I'd still be sleeping like a baby.
Houses make noise and that has nothing to do with build quality. My custom house makes noise during the wee hours of the night. And yeah I can hear car doors slam every now and then. And insect life like crickets and wildlife such as toads croaking beneath my window. I actually don't mind it because it's so dang quiet much of the time.
I love the "Storybook" homes from the 1920s--crazy pastiches of turrets and wacky rooflines and rustic finishes. Think castle plus witch's cottage plus Tudor manor.. I wonder if they generated the same kind of hate as McMansions. Or maybe they are the inspiration for them.
I grew up in McMansion land. They are pretty awful. Also cheaply built. Used to sell windows in my younger days and when I hit a development with McMansions, I saw dollar signs. Wasn't uncommon to find 5 year old houses with cheap construction grade windows with seal failure and owners desperate to replace them. Talking to homeowners, they rarely had positive things to say about their houses and quality of construction, lol. Also had a couple people walk me around their fairly brand new house and the issues they were having already. I'd never move into one of these.
Once I saw the shelves made of particle board in McMansions, that's when my spouse and I said no thanks. I grew up in an old home that had real wood shelves that were built in. Also, notice how McMansions have lots of windows. That's because glass is a cheaper building material than brick.
Once I saw the shelves made of particle board in McMansions, that's when my spouse and I said no thanks. I grew up in an old home that had real wood shelves that were built in. Also, notice how McMansions have lots of windows. That's because glass is a cheaper building material than brick.
I see some of those homes that are say 3000 sq ft and sometimes one side is just a vast wall of siding with no windows. A lot of times there’s brick on the front and the other 3 sides are vinyl...I guess for cost cutting purposes. It looks pretty bad when the sides and back basically look like a 50 foot box covered in vinyl....especially when there’s 40+ homes lined up 10 feet apart and they all look identical from the back.
Then, you'd walk into these homes and instead the interior matching the exterior, it was just the opposite. People who literally had card tables in their dining areas. Nothing in the fridge except condiments and hot dog buns.
LOL . . . and so true. My friend sold food delivery packages ("load up your freezer every X weeks") and often found McManses to be half empty and under used. Plus, the owners rarely could afford 'luxury' like frozen food deliveries. He learned his lesson and avoided McMansion Land.
I see some of those homes that are say 3000 sq ft and sometimes one side is just a vast wall of siding with no windows. A lot of times there’s brick on the front and the other 3 sides are vinyl...I guess for cost cutting purposes. It looks pretty bad when the sides and back basically look like a 50 foot box covered in vinyl....especially when there’s 40+ homes lined up 10 feet apart and they all look identical from the back.
Oh yes I hate that too. Do they really think nobody can see the sides?
Once I saw the shelves made of particle board in McMansions, that's when my spouse and I said no thanks. I grew up in an old home that had real wood shelves that were built in. Also, notice how McMansions have lots of windows. That's because glass is a cheaper building material than brick.
It also could be a customer preference. Many prefer walls of windows. The more natural light the better.
Who cares? If you don't like them, don't buy one. I think this woman just sounds jealous of those people who can afford them.
She talks about "the nub" at the roof line. Well, where I grew up, which was an older, very established community outside of Philadelphia, there were plenty of houses that were decades old who had these "nubs." Those houses are closing in on 75 years old now. Those "nubs" she hates so much are not specific to modern "McMansions."
She talks about columns on a front porch that "just hold up a slab of cement." Well, that slab of cement protects people on the front porch from things like standing in the rain. It keeps packages protected from the same. It also keeps things like snow and ice from forming on the porch. As someone who used to live in a house that had no cover on the front porch, I will say I will never have another house that had an uncovered porch. So those "slabs" serve a purpose.
And it's not all about money. I would love a cute, older bungalow close to downtown. But guess what? Where I now live, that cute, older bungalow cost damn near twice as much as a large "McMansion" in the suburbs. But somehow the people who own the house that costs half as much are considered the "rich" ones.
Everyone's taste is different. Everyone's needs are different. For example, I hate, hate, HATE ranch-style homes. Same with split-level homes. But I don't disparage anyone who buys one on a webpage. I'm sure some people love them. I'm sure they work for those people.
Once I saw the shelves made of particle board in McMansions, that's when my spouse and I said no thanks. I grew up in an old home that had real wood shelves that were built in. Also, notice how McMansions have lots of windows. That's because glass is a cheaper building material than brick.
I grew up in a 200 year old house. We had original (real) wood floors, molding, and shelves. I love it too. But the particle board has nothing to do with McMansions. It has everything to do with new construction. If you buy a new condo or 1,000 square foot Cape Cod, chances are it will have particle board shelves.
I grew up in the midwest where there are McMansions a-plenty. I moved to New England many years ago where McMansions are frowned upon. My sister lives in a McMansion in the Midwest and she loves is--she loves an open-floor layout, loves the size of it, loves the neighborhood of kids that are close in age to her children, loves the neighborhood playground and pool, loves that it is "new". She even loves her small lot because she hates any yardwork. And the fireplace--she wants a gas fireplace so she can just push a button. A wood-burning fireplace has no place in her home. I totally understand all of that, and I love that she loves it. She doesn't think it's perfect (has had to replace a couple of builder-grade finishes), but overall the house and neighborhood fit her needs.
I live in a house that was built in 1775 and is the polar opposite. We live on a large, private lot and have tons of yard work. Our house is over 3K square feet, but the rooms are "cozy"...and separate. We have original wide-plank floors that have PLENTY of scuffs and marks (soft pine floors). We have multiple wood-burning fireplaces and I use them...in fact, they are a must because we will lose electricity during a nor'easter and we need to stay warm. I have plenty of gripes about my house as well...basically, anytime I have to repair something and the job has to be custom, which costs more time and money. But I absolutely LOVE old homes and our house fits all of my needs.
I would never choose my sister's house and she would never choose mine, but we're different people with different priorities!
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