McMansions

[chickenfeathers]

I saw this mentioned on another site.

At what point would you consider the dividing line between a McMansion and a regular home?

Does the style or location of the house have anything to do with McMansion-ness?:

http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u16/gregg1971/250px-Mcmansion_under_construction.jpg

 

[Fancy Feather Poultry]

Thats just a modern house alot of achitects are
building houses like that now, my friend had the
same house except she didnt have the extra room. It doesnt
have to do with location, but more aless the
style. I have been seeing more houses like that around
here there making a lot with all those same kind of houses.
Sorta make me wanna move with all this snow.


Hope this helps.



SNOW DAY!!

 

[chickenfeathers]

Wikipedia Definition:

Mansion is a slang architectural term which first came into use in the United States during the 1980s as a pejorative description. It describes a particular style of housing that, as its name suggests, is large like a mansion, but is cheaply and hastily built, often in large neighborhoods at a time with almost no difference between individual structures, similar to the producing of food at McDonald's fast food restaurants.

In addition to ubiquity, almost every reason to poke fun at McDonald's has been applied metaphorically to "McMansions". These criticisms include the deviation from traditional local or regional architectural style; a gaudy, sterile, mass-produced appearance; and perceived negative effects on nature and neighborhoods.

 

[Fancy Feather Poultry]

...

 

[Rosalind]

The repeatedness of them is one aspect, but also the size. Usually built too big for the lot, without much imagination.

If you can pick the layout and architecture out of a booklet of 5-10 designs, with a choice of vinyl siding or brick fascia (as opposed to real brick/stone), and the whole place is being built by a developer as opposed to an individual builder, it's a McMansion. I don't think developers are capable of building much else when it comes to single family houses.

Mostly, compared to other mass-built houses (e.g. tract houses built in the 1940s and 1950s), they are HUGE. The 1950s tract house my brother lives in has about 1200 sq. ft. but the McMansions always have more like 2500-4000 sq. ft. Hence the "Mansion" part of it.

 

[Scrambled Egg]

All I know for sure is that I don't live in one, lol!! I think my house would be found more along the dollar menu items!! We've been in it for 21 years and owe just about 2 more years on it and it's ours. It was huge when we moved in but 2 kids later and 1400 square feet became "cozy", our lot is just a smidge under an acre and wooden fenced in. We are comfortable here and as all things seem to balance at some point, it will again be huge as our kids move out, so all is well...but definatley NOT a McMansion, lol!!

 

[nccountrygirl]

Do they have a 50 cent menu?

thats what I live in. 1100 sq feet on one acre it's mine in 23 yrs.

 

[lurky]

Quote:
I have been looking in NC for a farm type community to move to in NC....But those fancy type houses are all i have been finding. Some not so big, but lined up in rows 2 feet apart and all looking the same. I cant live like that. I know NC has got to have homes with trees/woods/land....but Everywhere i look just keeps making Kentucky (my first choice in the first place) look better and better.

 

[Scrambled Egg]

Kentucky is beautiful too, I doubt it would be considered chump change but I am partial to NC! OUr statewide population is ever-growing though and as Holly said in another post, even Chatham county which is a gorgeous rural, tree filled county, is in a building boom, so, don't know where you would look really!

ps-- funny post laura!!!! Darlene

 

[Wolfpacker]

I have been looking in NC for a farm type community to move to in NC....But those fancy type houses are all i have been finding.

Good luck. It is becoming so expensive to own land in NC that native North Carolinians can no longer afford to live here. There was a story in last week's paper about an 82-year-old man who bought his house for $28,000 in 1972. It has now be reassessed and valued at a little under 2 million dollars! Obviously, he's old, retired, on a fixed income, and can't afford to pay taxes on a 2 million dollar home, but he doesn't want to move.​