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I agree with many of you. The finish work on a home is what it the tell-tale sign for me. We have several McM around here which are easy to spot as the home is so out of purpotioned to the lot and have cheap looking facades. Our home is in a mixed neighborhood of tract and custom homes from the '70s and '80s. And they all look different. The lot sizes are in proportion as well. A few years ago, it was looked down on if you lived in a "ranch". Well, here in TX, they are still common and I am glad I am in one now. Wife has chronic illness and my knees are getting to the point that stairs are not my friend anymore ( after doing high impact aerobics in the '80s). Therefore, you can have the stairs, we will prefer to be on one level. I used to want a 2 story colonial but not now! Most McMs I see are 2 and even 3 story. UGH.
just wondering what you mean by cheap looking facade? is it the brick, vinyl or some other quality?
I live in a neighborhood with 4000-6000+ square foot homes. But the lots are at least half an acre, and all the homes are custom built. That is what I like.
My ex bought a 1400 sq ft home on a 7000 sq foot lot. That is what she likes.
I have a McMansion. I don't consider it a derogatory term for my home either.
At the end of the day, I think it comes down to execution. In my neighborhood, there are only 3 homes total that have my floor plan. One is mine, another has same floor plan but completely different front elevation, and the other does have the same elevation as mine but the plan is the mirror image of mine. At this price point, the builder puts in a lot of custom touches and finishes. I would classify it as a semi-custom home. Build quality is very good, there's a brick/stone facade, covering 2x6 exterior walls.
My parents old home was completely custom, but the quality overall wasn't much different from my home.
The only time I really think "McMansion" living in TX is when you have a lower quality home with the largest floor plan possible. Think, a 5k sq ft home with absolutely no custom finishes whatsoever, built as cheaply as possibly just to maximize space/budget.
My parents lived in a McMansion for about 20 years - it was (is) a beautiful sought-after neighborhood, with tons of trees (their own backyard had a large canopy of trees and they had an amazing Willow tree in the front side yard). They were on 2/3rds of an acre - their front yard was a great size and their backyard was large and very private because of the trees. Large deck and a beautiful screened-in porch. The finished basement was an in-law apartment with it's own kitchen and full bath. Sure, the entire house was almost 6,000 sq ft house and had a similar floorplan to many other homes in the neighborhood, but it was a lovely home.
That home enabled them to:
1) Let my uncle live in the finished basement for 9 months while his home was being rebuilt after burning down
2) Let my sister live in the finished basement for a few years when she couldn't afford local rents (which were very high)
3) Let me live in the finished basement for the year before I got married in order to save money
4) Let friends (a family of 6) live in the finished basement for a few months when their house sold before their new house was finished being built
5) Let friends (a family of 5) live in the finished basement for a few months before moving to Italy for a mission trip
6) Enabled my mother to eventually convert the basement into an at-home business space that became very successful
I don't begrudge people their McMansions and why they choose/need to live in them. Same reason I don't begrudge people wanting to live in a 200 sq ft tiny home. To each his own!
Hello,
I just read a long passionate thread about mcmansions and how awful they are? Im almost embarressed to admit that I actually like them. I find they have all kinds of bells and whistles I want, sq footage, beautiful master baths etc etc that I am looking for in nice neighbourhoods.
So please let me hear from people who bought and like living in them!! and please elucidate WHY...thanks so much!
Obviously loads of people like them. They sell like hotcakes in my neck of the woods.
Hello,
I just read a long passionate thread about mcmansions and how awful they are? Im almost embarressed to admit that I actually like them. I find they have all kinds of bells and whistles I want, sq footage, beautiful master baths etc etc that I am looking for in nice neighbourhoods.
So please let me hear from people who bought and like living in them!! and please elucidate WHY...thanks so much!
If you live in a McMansion neighborhood you'll be solicited by canvassers wanting money
wow you are certainly lucky...you got all you wanted with quality build as well. we are struggling buying into a toll home ( such horror stories) into a nice neighborhood with good schools. the only issue is resale value for the toll and its investment potential in the future. any thoughts?
It's funny that people who complain about "all the houses look the same" probably love neighborhoods closer in to the city center that were built in the 1940s-50s. Well guess what? When THOSE houses were brand new, they probably looked very cookie cutter, too! And what about row homes? (like in Philly, Chicago, etc.) Those are all alike, have no yards, but have "character" just because they are old? Please.
Most ALL new neighborhoods lack character until the landscaping and trees take off & mature, and the homes go through a couple of remodels/refreshes that changes them enough on the outside to differentiate the neighborhood a little.
And repetitive floorplans are NOTHING new. Think about how many 50s-60s era ranch style houses you've been in. You know the one....the front door opens directly into the long living room that runs across the front of the house with the dining room at the other end. Kitchen is right behind dining room with a small den right behind living room. All bedrooms (usually 3) were off 1 hallway. Master had a small half or full bath attached and the "main" bathroom was off the bedroom hall. How many millions of homes were built with that SAME exact plan??? And most of them looked very similar on the outside, as well. But now those neighborhoods have tall, leafy trees and mature shrubs and slightly larger lots than you see today, and McMansion snobs eat those neighborhoods up. Give today's new neighborhoods 15-20 years, and they will have a lot more character than they do now, too.
This is what I was talking about in my previous post. How ubiquitous are these in any city in the USA? Of course they've been remodeled & opened up in a lot of instances, but there are plenty that still are just like this on the inside.
The only difference is that back then 1800 sq ft was probably considered a "large" home. Now you have to be well over 3000 sq ft to be considered large in most areas.
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