What do locals in the are think of Chanhassen, Eden Prairie, and St. Louis Park?

[DaPerpKazoo]

You're 100% right. But what makes the distiction between a neighborhood of large newly built homes and one full of McMansions? That's what I was trying to get at with my comment about being designed with floor space as the main concern, but Uptown Urbanist did a much better job of making that point than I. His comment about mixed/mismatched architectural styles hit the nail on the head.

[Slig]

My take on it is you are in a good situation if your biggest complaint is that your neighbor's house is too big and doesn't match the architecture of other houses in the area. I don't know which is the bigger problem in that situation, the house or the control freak neighbors.

[Minnehahapolitan]

Originally Posted by Slig

My take on it is you are in a good situation if your biggest complaint is that your neighbor's house is too big and doesn't match the architecture of other houses in the area. I don't know which is the bigger problem in that situation, the house or the control freak neighbors.

Amen. I suppose it is like porn...you know it when you see it.

[KevinForEleven]

nice

[uptown_urbanist]

It doesn't bother me if a new neighborhood out in the 'burbs somewhere wants to build big splashy ugly homes. Well, the ugliness factor doesn't bother me (I won't live there) and I acknowledge people's rights to do what they want to do, within reason. They do bother me from an environmental standpoint, though - do we as a society really need all these new huge homes? It's one thing if your family has six kids, but really, how much square footage does the average family really need?

I also hate the term "starter home," in part because it's often even applied to houses with up to three bedrooms and 1,000+ square feet; I just wish the larger socially-sanctioned American dream was to live in a smaller, more sustainable footprint rather than having the goal be to build your own new gigantic home in some car-dependent exurb. There's nothing wrong with living in a smaller "starter home" for your entire life, even if it is smaller or perhaps in a less posh neighborhood.

Again, I'm not anti-choice, I just think that cultural pressure is pushing people in the wrong direction.