McMansions (countertop, bathtub, plank, carpets)

[nativeDallasite]

Originally Posted by dmetro

Your typical McMansion looks like this:




It's more or less the only thing they're building in the midwest and south right now, and most people who buy them are pretending to be rich, when they're really drowning in debt. Not that everyone who owns a house is like this: I have one and I'm quite the opposite. But many are...

Eh....that's what a lot of houses in the suburbs look like here, I wouldn't call that a McMansion. To me that's just a big house.

This is what I call a McMansion...this monstrosity is across the street from the house I grew up in:

http://www.realtor.com/realestate/da...30-1084319737/

Here's another in the same 'hood:

http://www.realtor.com/realestate/da...30-1092739893/

THIS is a mansion:

http://www.realtor.com/realestate/da...20-1089977354/

[Moth]

Eh....that's what a lot of houses in the suburbs look like here, I wouldn't call that a McMansion. To me that's just a big house.

You must have a lot of McMansions there because that is a perfect example of one.

[nativeDallasite]

Originally Posted by Moth

You must have a lot of McMansions there because that is a perfect example of one.

DFW is big house central. That house doesn't look quite big enough.

My BF, on the other hand, owns a classic McMansion. His house is a 4-bed house with over 3400 square feet and a tiny backyard; the front is brick, it has a two-story great room, and it has vinyl siding on the back and sides of the house. There's enough room between the houses on his street to squeeze in-between the houses, but that's about it. To me, that is a cheap suburban McMansion. The ones in my parents' neighborhood are more upscale, but are still classic McMansions.

[Noahma]

I think alot of people are getting the term mc mansion mixed up. Production builders do mcmansions, not custom builders. the Mc mansion term refers to a production like product, one that is turned out the exact same way, lot after lot.

The stuff listed above with links, are not mc mansions. unless every other house on the same street is that exact floorplan, same builder, same everything its not a mcmansion

within sub-divisions there are design guidelines, they specify the height of the house, the materials allowed to be used on the house, and the allowable style of the house, us as designers have to work within the guidelines set by the ACC (architectural review comitee)

the links above are great examples of modern tudor style. They do have some grace to them, and some very nice lines. They are also on larger lots than what you would find DR Horton, or lennar homes building on (classic mcmansion production builders)

[nativeDallasite]

Originally Posted by Noahma

I think alot of people are getting the term mc mansion mixed up. Production builders do mcmansions, not custom builders. the Mc mansion term refers to a production like product, one that is turned out the exact same way, lot after lot.

The stuff listed above with links, are not mc mansions. unless every other house on the same street is that exact floorplan, same builder, same everything its not a mcmansion

within sub-divisions there are design guidelines, they specify the height of the house, the materials allowed to be used on the house, and the allowable style of the house, us as designers have to work within the guidelines set by the ACC (architectural review comitee)

the links above are great examples of modern tudor style. They do have some grace to them, and some very nice lines. They are also on larger lots than what you would find DR Horton, or lennar homes building on (classic mcmansion production builders)

The whole street isn't like that yet, but it will be. Give it a few years. Plus, everyone else in the 'hood is calling them "McMansions" or "mini-mansions". Guess I'll have to forward this post to them so the HOA can correct themselves.

[Tesaje]

According to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McMansion), a McMansionis an "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." "The typical square footage is in the range of 3000 (280 m²) to 5000 ft² (460 m²)."

and "The term is less often used to describe houses situated within existing urban areas. Usually, smaller cottage-style houses have been demolished to make way for these homes. They are not usually built as a "development cluster" which is managed by a homeowners association; rather, they are built by their owners as a single dwelling."

[Greatday]

Here is my problem with this type of discussion:

If someone has the means, and wants to build a 25000 Sq ft home (or larger), so what? Good for them. They are building what they want

I frankly do not see any problem whatsoever with that.

[Noahma]

Originally Posted by nativeDallasite

The whole street isn't like that yet, but it will be. Give it a few years. Plus, everyone else in the 'hood is calling them "McMansions" or "mini-mansions". Guess I'll have to forward this post to them so the HOA can correct themselves.

the HOA is not the governing authority when it comes to style and architectural integrity in the sub-division, it is the City and the ACC (Architectural Control Committee)

they will all look basically the same due to the approved rules in design guidelines. They suck in a good amount of sub-divisions. It is a major pain in my rear when i read them and find out the house i have stared to design is only approved to have brick as the masonry item, or that stucco and stone are the only approved siding, with neutral colors such as cream and builder tan.

the two that were listed, were by all means the same style, my guess is the design guidelines require 50% or more of the front facade to be brick. They defiantly want a traditional elevation. they seem to be requiring the garage to not have a street presence (thank god)
these are not Mc. Mansions, they do differ in elevation, obviously semi-custom homes.

here is a sub-division that has customs along with mcmansions. the ones that are brought up, are from a spec builder in Colorado, along with several other states. these homes are designated to be set at least one lot apart IE you cannot have the same house in a lot next door, but you can in a lot two from the house, the streets are straight cut. They have very small front yards, very small backyards. Nothing special about them.

the ones on the following sites are custom and semi-custom homes. they are designed per lot, the floor plan is not repeated within the sub-division.
the first link is in the same sub-division. note they all have similar features, although I can tell you they are all custom designs for individual clients.
this sub-division requires 50% of the front to have masonry component, 30% masonry on the sides, and 50% on the rear. Stucco is the approved siding, along with concrete tile roofing. the front and the rear elevation are required to have one full height masonry component not to exceed 1 1/2 story's. they range in size from 2500 to 7500 sqft.
http://www.coenenhomes.com/gallery.html

here is the site map of the community where there is custom, semi-custom and spec homes.

tell me if you can see a very clear line as to where the custom and semi custom lots are, and where the "Mc. Mansion" homes are

hehe.

[nativeDallasite]

Originally Posted by Noahma

the HOA is not the governing authority when it comes to style and architectural integrity in the sub-division, it is the City and the ACC (Architectural Control Committee)

they will all look basically the same due to the approved rules in design guidelines. They suck in a good amount of sub-divisions. It is a major pain in my rear when i read them and find out the house i have stared to design is only approved to have brick as the masonry item, or that stucco and stone are the only approved siding, with neutral colors such as cream and builder tan.

the two that were listed, were by all means the same style, my guess is the design guidelines require 50% or more of the front facade to be brick. They defiantly want a traditional elevation. they seem to be requiring the garage to not have a street presence (thank god)
these are not Mc. Mansions, they do differ in elevation, obviously semi-custom homes.

here is a sub-division that has customs along with mcmansions. the ones that are brought up, are from a spec builder in Colorado, along with several other states. these homes are designated to be set at least one lot apart IE you cannot have the same house in a lot next door, but you can in a lot two from the house, the streets are straight cut. They have very small front yards, very small backyards. Nothing special about them.

the ones on the following sites are custom and semi-custom homes. they are designed per lot, the floor plan is not repeated within the sub-division.
the first link is in the same sub-division. note they all have similar features, although I can tell you they are all custom designs for individual clients.
this sub-division requires 50% of the front to have masonry component, 30% masonry on the sides, and 50% on the rear. Stucco is the approved siding, along with concrete tile roofing. the front and the rear elevation are required to have one full height masonry component not to exceed 1 1/2 story's. they range in size from 2500 to 7500 sqft.
http://www.coenenhomes.com/gallery.html

here is the site map of the community where there is custom, semi-custom and spec homes.

tell me if you can see a very clear line as to where the custom and semi custom lots are, and where the "Mc. Mansion" homes are

hehe.

According to the Wikipedia article posted earlier the links I posted are clear McMansions, and they make the house in that other photograph look like a shack.

My parents' HOA does not dictate many things at all which is how the McMansions wormed their way in in the first place. The woman in charge of the HOA has refused to consider doing a thing about it but she's outta there next year and the people in that neighborhood are planning to band together to stop the onslaught. Oh, and those homes aren't custom-built. They are mass-produced pooped-out generics sold by higher-end builders and built by illegals. I watched them build one in six weeks. Would you want to pay $1.6 million for a house built in 6 weeks with clear inadequacies in its construction? The one across the street from mom and dad was not built for or by someone; it's been completed and for sale for a few months now and they have an open house almost every weekend. My parents saw the inside; it's shoddier than hell...we're talking mistakes in tile patterns, mistakes in wood plank patterns, countertops that don't fit correctly, improperly sealed bathtubs and toilets, baseboards that don't fit properly, incorrectly stretched carpets, crooked switchplates, etc. It's a piece of crap, and from the outside looks to have the same floor plan as one 2 streets away.

McMansion, definitely. Dunno why you insist on arguing about it!

[nativeDallasite]

Originally Posted by Greatday

Here is my problem with this type of discussion:

If someone has the means, and wants to build a 25000 Sq ft home (or larger), so what? Good for them. They are building what they want

I frankly do not see any problem whatsoever with that.

25,000 sq ft isn't a McMansion, it's a mansion full stop. You can't build 25k sq ft on 1/2 acre unless you build a mini skyscraper.