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Aside from the pillars, it looks fine. It's not the most interesting house, but it's got lots of windows and a great view from them. From the choice of vehicles, I'd say it's a family (probably a large one) that aren't rolling in dough. Like the cars, the home is inexpensive and practical. I'd take the pillars off it and would have gone for more attractive masonry on the gate... other than that, it's fine. Probably plant a row of privacy trees facing the road so I don't see the boring side of the house and to block road view/noise.
Aside from the pillars, it looks fine. It's not the most interesting house, but it's got lots of windows and a great view from them. From the choice of vehicles, I'd say it's a family (probably a large one) that aren't rolling in dough. Like the cars, the home is inexpensive and practical. I'd take the pillars off it and would have gone for more attractive masonry on the gate... other than that, it's fine. Probably plant a row of privacy trees facing the road so I don't see the boring side of the house and to block road view/noise.
The owners (looking at the last name by the gate) are probably South Asian. The columns and general design of the house looks like what someone from that culture might favor if custom-building their house. The inexpensive and practical (at least to the extent a Prius is both of those) car choice is also common among recent South Asian immigrants, and it's possible that an extended family lives there.
Here's an article I found on McMansions. Magazine is reactionary, but liked some of the ideas:
Having just returned from a two-week visit, I’m struck by the visible demise of modest restraint, particularly in the homes. Driving about the countryside, for this is what one does there, I saw many new homes of a preposterous scale, many thousands of square feet (one even had an outbuilding to house all the mechanicals), with multiple garrets and turrets, all jutting conspicuously from the fields and into my purview… In the towns, a kind of segregation had taken place, with the older neighborhoods a mix of homes smaller or larger (but of a kind), but new developments on the far side of town housing looming monstrosities dwarfing the older places.
The exception is if it's a historic area/themed area, that I consider a bad thing.
I think it's so cool when you're driving around a plain jane area and then this gigantic flashy fancy suburban house pops out of knowhere and makes you look at it. I think it's amazing when you as one homeowner can add so much niceness to a block.
If I become rich one day then I want to one day live in a McMansion in an average area. Most wealthy [suburban] areas have huge lots with very little tight-knitness&interaction; those type of areas are not my cup of tea.
[Don't know if this is the right forum but whatever..]
I don't think I'd like one dropped on my street, though I'm not sure I'd really have a valid reason for that, other than disliking the looks.
One argument for McMansions is that they allow affluent families to stay in inner suburbs. Otherwise, the arguments goes, they might move out to the fringe. This argument carries more weight if the town is struggling or revitalizing, as opposed to say, Beverly Hills, which has seen its share of McMansion fights.
Of course, everybody is entitled to their own opinion. But I think a large part of opposition to McMansions is the contrast between flaunting wealth and poor materials. Imagine a woman wearing lots of jewelry for the purposes of impressing. Large flashy necklaces, earrings, bracelets, and so on. But the jewelry is also clearly cheap imitation stuff from WalMart. Would you not find her a bit much to look at, even if she is well with in her rights to wear as much jewelry as she likes? Many people find flaunting wealth in poor enough taste without the added complexity of doing a bad job at it.
McMansions just don't have any soul, because they magnify the materialistic culture in which we live, and for the most part they reflect the spiritual shallowness that resides within. They get slapped together wham bang thank-you-man, and no one shall speak with fondness of them when they [disgracefully] age. I agree with eastmemphis guy...well said!
That's kind of hard to quantify :-). My wife's house in Philadelphia was built around 1900; I didn't detect any perceptible soul there. I've been to Mount Vernon (George Washington's 10/0 on the Potomac)... again, didn't notice any soul. I've lived in houses built in the '70s, '80s, and '90s, also no soul. I'm not sure soul is even a characteristic of houses. Maybe it's just that these are all in the Northeast, maybe houses in New Orleans have soul...
Quote:
because they magnify the materialistic culture in which we live, and for the most part they reflect the spiritual shallowness that resides within. They get slapped together wham bang thank-you-man, and no one shall speak with fondness of them when they [disgracefully] age.
Well, at least the thread starter will. Personally I hope few mourn them; we have enough historic preservation, we need to have things which can be knocked down to build something new.
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