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I think the thing I tend to not like about the McMansions is the 'sameness'....as in, if I went driving through the neighborhood, I can't tell one house from another.
I grew up in a subdivision that was built in the 1960's. Eight different house plans were available. But the façade of each house was different enough that it wasn't immediately obvious that the house at 1 Main Street was exactly the same floor plan as the house at 9 Main Street. 1 Main Street might have a red brick front and a red front door. 9 Main Street might have a gray brick front and a blue front door. 1 Main Street might have white circular columns on the front porch. 9 Main Street might have black metal ones. Little things like that which would make the two houses look vastly different, even if on the inside, they were exactly the same layout.
I go to some of these McMansion areas since I know people who have bought there, and gods help me if I can't see the house number, because there's no other way to tell the houses apart.
I personally think the McMansions wouldn't seem as bad if there were some variety in how the outsides looked. My two cents.
I do also find it a bit sad to see 'big houses/small lots'....I see it a lot here, especially in a neighborhood that's adjacent to mine. Not only are the back yards small, but they're on such steep slopes that I wonder where the kids living in those houses can play outside?
I think the thing I tend to not like about the McMansions is the 'sameness'....as in, if I went driving through the neighborhood, I can't tell one house from another.
I don't think that's either a McMansion thing or a new thing. Just a suburbia thing.
if you use the term "McMansion" the odds are that you are envious of someone with a bigger house than yours.
I’ll take my classic 1928 Spanish Revival with a mere 1800 sf over those overwrought, pretentious and clumsily designed piles in a McMansion wonderland like Franklin Lakes N.J. any day and am certainly not in the least bit jealous - I would be frankly embarrassed to live in such a house or place.
There are plenty of people who prefer smaller, well designed houses in quaint neighborhoods over just piled upon cheaply constructed space.
I’ll take my classic 1928 Spanish Revival with a mere 1800 sf over those overwrought, pretentious and clumsily designed piles in a McMansion wonderland like Franklin Lakes N.J. any day and am certainly not in the least bit jealous - I would be frankly embarrassed to live in such a house or place.
There are plenty of people who prefer smaller, well designed houses in quaint neighborhoods over just piled upon cheaply constructed space.
That and I don’t want to clean, heat/cool, maintain or pay property tax on such a large house that isn’t being fully utilized.
if you use the term "McMansion" the odds are that you are envious of someone with a bigger house than yours.
I'm not envious; I'm sad, and annoyed that they came in and replaced middle class housing stock with exorbitant, ugly and impractical structures.
They can do what they want, and it's a free country and so forth, but it's still a terrible trend in an era of tiny families or divorced singles. Most of the mcmansion dwellers I've seen are older childless couples or empty nesters with a lap dog.
People that don't like McMansions are usually those that can't afford them.
Maybe you actually live in one of those monstrosities? I sold my house and now live in a retirement apartment. My house was perfect for me at the time--spacious Cape with hardwood floors, rooms that you could close off in winter (this IS New England, after all), a huge central fireplace, large first floor master bedroom with three more bedrooms upstairs, two full baths, two car attached garage. It was fine and I didn't need anything larger, in fact, sometimes it actually felt too large for two people.
The front yard was professionally landscaped and full of colorful rhododendrons and azaleas in spring; the backyard had a shade garden and beautiful lilies, a large deck, and a wooded area for privacy and shade.
Seems that the millenials are wanting the same thing my generation wanted in a house:
1000-2000 sq ft, hardwood floors, gas stove, easy to maintain, a garage, easy to heat and cool, not in a development, not cookie cutter, walkable to stores.
In other words=practical. Easy upkeep, well built, convenient location.
No extravagant over the top, keeping up with the Joneses extra added uselessness. Form follows function. People are going to have trouble selling those gigantic, ugly McMansions.
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I sold my house and now live in a retirement apartment. My house was perfect for me at the time--spacious Cape with hardwood floors, rooms that you could close off in winter (this IS New England, after all), a huge central fireplace, large first floor master bedroom with three more bedrooms upstairs, two full baths, two car attached garage. It was fine and I didn't need anything larger, in fact, sometimes it actually felt too large for two people. 
