McMansions

[nccountrygirl]

Na, I don't think the good people of Charleston would ever allow that to happen, there's to much history there. My great grandmother Jessie had a house on Black St. and when she died in 1945 it was sold for 10,000. The same house today would probably cost a couple of million. My dad was born at #13 Orange St. right behind the battery. As a child we spent a lot of time there and at Isle Of Palms, my grandmother on my mothers side owned a motel there. I could never afford to take a vacation there now.

 

[joanm]

I definitely like the before better...

 

[chickbea]

Quote:
Sigh. So sad.

 

[mom'sfolly]

The pictures made me sad. In my grandmother's neighborhood, near Salt Lake City (Holladay), they have been putting up McMansions hand over fist. One of my gm's best friend lived on a one acre lot, with a tiny house and perhaps 1/4 acre planted in bearded irises. Now there are 5 huge (4500 sq ft +) houses on Wayman Circle where her old house stood. In this neighborhood there were big lots, a quarter horse farm and even some gracious older style mansions, hidden in the trees. Now it seems to all be huge houses with little design other than lots of roof peaks and bowed windows. It sad to see all these wonderful old homes torn down and a bunch of ugly huge beasts built in their place. I suspect my grandmas home will be a teardown, its a small cottage on a large lot.

 

[hearthnsoul]

I am so with the opinions of mcmansions, I don't have much use for them. No character at all. I am a real estate agent because I love love love homes, especially historic, antique and vintage, in fact I specialize in them because of my love for them. I am even member of the national historic preservation foundation and love going to their informative seminars.
I frankly can never understand why people don't understand that new is not always better especially with a home. The craftmanship and pride in fine detail work just is lacking in these mcmansions and preservation with well thought improvements is so much more superior.
I do absolutely love one modern architects philosophy though, sarah susanka who wrote quite a few books like the not so big house, not so big remodeling and so on. If only these builders would do a little reading and understand it's not always about money, but in legacy and contribution to their community.

 

[conny63malies]

We used to live in a MCMansion rented by the army for us and i hated it . The stupid sprinkler sysyem went down, the garage door didnt work right, the AC was on the frizz three times a year.... and the house was only three years old. My kids say it sooo boring when all houses look the same . Sure , we had a garden tub and a his and hers walkin closet and a 200sqf master bath , but i gladly traded it for my own late 50s build house in a REAL neighborhood.

 

[swampducks]

Quote:
They also are crammed together on postage stamp sized lots.

 

[country lady]

This is happening all over the country. DH and I keep saying, "Who is buying these houses?!" Even in areas with few good paying jobs, these monsters are being built. I agree with the rest of you; I will take my simple, small house any day. (What woman in her right mind would want to clean or hire help for these huge McMansions?!) DH says it is all about the EGO!

 

[The Chicken Lady]

We have a lot of the developer-built homes in our area. The neighborhoods are nice, and depending on who the builder is, you do get what you pay for. There is one company over here I wouldn't buy a home from; you have to do your homework and read reviews before you choose your builder.

A lot of the developers around here build pretty affordable homes in those types of neighborhoods ($150,000-$200,000), but, of course, it depends on what one's family considers affordable. It's diiferent for everyone, obviously.

What I *don't* like about the developer-built neighborhoods is the fact that most of them come with an HOA that one is required to belong to. HOA fees can be pretty high, and they can set rules that dictate a lot of things I would rather choose for myself. The other thing I don't like is that the yards are small. I think the yard should match the size of the house, but that's just my personal opinion. Land is pretty affordable here, so it's possible for most people to have a large yard if they want it. If someone hates yard work (like mowing and gardening), but wants to live in a big house, it would be ideal to have a smaller yard.

A big house has room for a big family...or, if one isn't interested in kids, there is plenty of room to devote to hobbies and entertainment. One can have a sewing room, or an entertainment room, or an exercise room. There is plenty of room for entertaining, or cooking and canning. In the winter, when there is a TON of snow outside (at least here in West Michigan), it's nicer to be in a large house than cramped up without a lot of room to move around. It's only warm enough to sit around outdoors for about 1/3 of the year. I (for one) get grumpy if I don't have a place to be alone once in a while.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, be careful not to criticize too harshly other people's homes.

I imagine there would be a huge outcry if BYCers with "McMansions" started a thread about how they hate all the trailer parks next door, or the houses built in the 50s, or whatever... Out of 30,000+ members, I'm sure some people here live in pretty big houses.

If your home is your dream, and it suits you and it's where you want to be, then it's good enough, and no one else has room to judge.

 

[chickenfeathers]

http://blogs.wsj.com/developments/2008/04/07/are-mcmansions-making-some-americans-unhappy/


http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200803/subprime