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My house was built in 1997. Brick "all the way around" except for the front porch area which is wood siding for effect (it goes with the style of the house in other words). Solid wood doors, gas OR woodburning fireplace, and no granite in the kitchen (tile but we're about to redo it and are putting in soapstone counter tops). Beautiful woodwork and molding throughout. We just installed hardwood flooring and we're about to put in travertine in the kitchen.
It's not a luxury home, but it's a nice home. It was custom built, in a neighborhood of custom built homes. We love it.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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McMansions do not have vinyl siding. They are at least 5,000 sf. with high end finishes, and typically are placed in an area where they don't fit in with the rest of the neighborhood. The OP is talking about the tract homes thrown up during the big boom years of home construction in the suburbs. The split level, or "mid-entry" as we call them here, is considered undesirable compared to a full 2 story, but they still sell fast in the current market. Just that the offers are not as much over the asking price as the 2 story and ranch homes. Vinyl siding is very rare here, as is stucco, most homes have cedar siding though some of the less expensive newer condos and townhomes are sided with Hardie cement/fiber.
I think of a split level as having 3 distinct levels and I like them as well. They started being built in the 60s. The split foyer is a product of the 70s and functionally isn't much different than a basement ranch - just that the entrance is in the middle.
I actually think mainstream cookie cutter two story homes in the 80's and 90's were much larger than you find now. The much larger two story homes are now usually built with better materials, whereas cookie cutter homes seem to have gotten much smaller.
I'm still seeing a lot of McMansion construction in urban (obviously smaller than in a suburb) and
in suburban areas. Found this report. Even though the average house-hold size of a family today
has decreased - homes are getting larger.
Most new homes aren't McMansions simply because most aren't large enough to claim the title. There are entire McMansion neighborhoods and infill McMansions. Typically they are thought to 'stick out.' Some neighborhood of grandiose 6000 sf homes in a corn field fits the bill. As does a teardown that goes lot line to lot line on a lot originally used for a bungalow.
I would guess that currently the majority of new homes are tract homes and utilize all the tricks in the book to maximize effect and minimize cost (& often quality). So hello 5-10' side yards, squarer floor plans, ostentatious roofs on a simple house, multiple types of siding on one house & often slab on grade construction.
Hardie/cement siding is actually a quality material so if that's the low end one is living in a nicer area. And WORD to whoever shared the hatred of brick fronts on a vinyl house. I've seen people do it decently before by atleast wrapping the corner with brick or having it appear as if the brick portions are bump outs. But last week I saw the most horrendous use of the brick front yet. The brick literally was only on one plane of surfaces- so the 2' front door setback had vinyl at the sides and this scrawny band of brick around the door. And the garage on the front had brick only at its front so between the front brick face of the main portion of the house & the brick face of the garage was a 12' wall ov vinyl. And having a ginormous 2.5 story house flat to the ground did not help the aesthetic. And yes- it was in a development by a national builder.
McMansions do not have vinyl siding. They are at least 5,000 sf. with high end finishes, and typically are placed in an area where they don't fit in with the rest of the neighborhood. The OP is talking about the tract homes thrown up during the big boom years of home construction in the suburbs. The split level, or "mid-entry" as we call them here, is considered undesirable compared to a full 2 story, but they still sell fast in the current market. Just that the offers are not as much over the asking price as the 2 story and ranch homes. Vinyl siding is very rare here, as is stucco, most homes have cedar siding though some of the less expensive newer condos and townhomes are sided with Hardie cement/fiber.
Mcmansions DO have vinyl siding. And their fans seem to love it! They can be tract homes, spot built or custom built.
Given the choice, I'd prefer a late 50s split level any day in the week.
I love my 70's split level house. I specifically didn't look at any houses built after 1980 because I can't stand any of them except some architect-designed ultra-modern ones. I always thought of McMansions as being cheaply built large (3000 sq. ft. plus, mostly suburban, tract houses built starting in the '90s. Give me the Brady Bunch house any day.
I would say that MANY post-1980s homes are not McMansion.
McMansions are characterized by two features.
1) They're ugly as sin and they're oversized, low-quality monstrosities built on traditional suburban lots. When they're infill, they're a real eyesore to the neighborhood. When it's a murder of McMansions, they're less hideous-looking.
2) McMansions encourage the idea of "individual compartmentalization." Each bedroom is more like a suite, with "bedroom suites" found at the end of hallways, each having its own walk-in closet/dressing area, private full bathroom, and oversized bedroom, so family members can stay as far away from each other as possible.
Conversely, "Craftsman-style bungalows," were built 100 years ago by people who actually had some skill and talent.
Check out this Aladdin kit home ("The Pomona") in Roanoke Rapids, NC. I love this photo because the house is RIGHT ON the rail line!
Here's an original image (from the 1919 Aladdin catalog). Please note, pre-1923 images are in the public domain, and no longer under copyright.
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