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This is just one person's opinion, of course, but I found it quite interesting with the photographic examples.
Quote:
Sometimes people ask, why is xyz house bad? Asking this question does not imply that the asker has bad taste or no taste whatsoever - it means that they are simply not educated in basic architectural concepts. In this post, I will introduce basic architectural concepts and explain why not all suburban/exurban/residential houses are McMansions, as well as what makes a McMansion especially hideous.
A house is like art....... if you love it....... that is all that matters.
True, but I found it a helpful explanation for why many people find McMansions unattractive, or at least some of the stereotypical versions. I could have pointed out balance/symmetry and proportions as specific issues, but I wouldn't have been able to identify the masses and voids so specifically even though those are characteristics that IMO contribute to many of these houses being aesthetically unappealing. There are also plenty of houses that might be called McMansions based on size, but which still can be quite attractive because they don't have the kinds of issues described in the piece.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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Hmm, I find the McMansions shown in the article to be far more attractive than the boring, symetrical, homes they are promoting (which look a lot like mine). In fact, those homes with the masses and voids are very popular now, with many new developments selling quickly at over $1 million, and they are not McMansions, just 4,000 sf tract homes on 5-6,000 sf lots.
"What makes a McMansion Bad Architecture? The inability to afford it."
Ha, spoken like a true prole. But I mean it in a good way believe it or not.
But realistically, folks, there will always be some people who grow up with the financial security, cultural exposure, and for lack of a better term, good breeding, that it takes to distinguish good taste from bad. I kid you not, having grown up in a wealthy suburb of DC I got to the point where I could tell quite a bit about a person's life history merely from looking at the house they live in. For example I know a guy who is a VP of a big financial services company, Presbyterian of course, and grew up in the same suburbs of DC. He now lives in North Carolina. He could have afforded a big hideous McMansion, but someone with background chose a more "modest", classier looking place among the city's older housing stock. New money usually doesn't have good taste because they didn't have time to develop it. They were too busy becoming new money...which is fine, I'm not saying those people are better or worse than anyone else. I don't think people with "good taste" are superior people...sometimes I find them insufferable (including the guy I mentioned who is a friend of the family, not a friend). But that they have good taste is an actual fact and reality, just like some people are tall and some people are short.
Even if you look at celebrities and denizens of Hollywood, the ones from old money background, such as it were...often live in a way that is indicative of that background.
BTW though that tumblr post is actually one of the best I've seen that actually breaks down why McMansion architecture is often hideous. Kudos to the writer.
I agree with the article and can afford one of those ugly things, but people buy them and like them, so that is all that really matters. Personal tastes differ. All the homes I have owned were older classic homes that I updated in a tasteful manner and in keeping with its architecture. I have been in the real estate business for over 20 years, so that may make a difference.
"What makes a McMansion Bad Architecture? The inability to afford it."
Ha, spoken like a true prole. But I mean it in a good way believe it or not.
But realistically, folks, there will always be some people who grow up with the financial security, cultural exposure, and for lack of a better term, good breeding, that it takes to distinguish good taste from bad. I kid you not, having grown up in a wealthy suburb of DC I got to the point where I could tell quite a bit about a person's life history merely from looking at the house they live in. For example I know a guy who is a VP of a big financial services company, Presbyterian of course, and grew up in the same suburbs of DC. He now lives in North Carolina. He could have afforded a big hideous McMansion, but someone with background chose a more "modest", classier looking place among the city's older housing stock. New money usually doesn't have good taste because they didn't have time to develop it. They were too busy becoming new money...which is fine, I'm not saying those people are better or worse than anyone else. I don't think people with "good taste" are superior people...sometimes I find them insufferable (including the guy I mentioned who is a friend of the family, not a friend). But that they have good taste is an actual fact and reality, just like some people are tall and some people are short.
Even if you look at celebrities and denizens of Hollywood, the ones from old money background, such as it were...often live in a way that is indicative of that background.
BTW though that tumblr post is actually one of the best I've seen that actually breaks down why McMansion architecture is often hideous. Kudos to the writer.
^^^ this! Absolutely. I see McMs as conspicuous consumption. And yes I could probably afford one, but choose not to. I have not yet seen one that didn't have to be updated within 10 years (sometimes less) because it was falling apart due to shoddy builders.
Quite a lot more people could afford them if keeping up with the Jones was more important to them than savings for retirement, having a second home, paying off credit cards monthly, etc...
I guess I should read the article now
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