Does anyone else hate this building style? (Dallas, Frisco: homes, neighborhoods)

[Wittgenstein's Ghost]

Originally Posted by EP45

Here’s what I don’t understand about all this:

What does it matter? Does the physical exterior of a home that you don’t even live in impact your life in any meaningful way?

Does the physical exterior of a house dictate how it’s used or the layout inside?

Do hands get bruised by all this clutching of pearls?

While I don't think anyone's rights are being violated by having to look at bad design, I do think architecture is in some ways a public good. In the same way we might comment about a really ugly skyscraper or mural in a prominent location, commentary about the proliferance (understatement) of poorly-designed houses seems appropriate. We all have to look at it, and I think some real social criticism is ripe for the picking (McMansion Hell does this well).

If it were true that this was just the cheapest way to build a house, that would be fine. I don't think anyone is criticizing the person in a 1500 sq. ft. 3/2 for living in an ugly house. But mcmansions are the prioritization of size and appearance of wealth over the quality of design and construction. It is saying "I can't afford (or choose not to) a well-designed 5000 sq. ft. house on a nice lot, so rather than go with a well-designed 3,000 sq. ft. house, I'm going to cut corners." It's a statement about priorities and an unwillingness to forego excess in favor of taste.

Architecture is often a reflection of us. I don't think the mcmansion era is reflecting good things about us -- and I haven't even gotten into the notion that outdoor spaces are simply maintenance to-do lists that should be minimized as much as possible.

And I wish the outside wasn't an indicator of the inside, but this is often not true.

[mirotek]

I suspect that this is just another architecture trend that will look dated in another decade and people will ask "what the heck were we thinking?". These split level homes are so common across the Midwest and Southeast in neighborhoods that were built in the 60s and 70s. I think they look awful and can't understand why someone would think that looks good.



Rather than these dumb trends, I wish builders would put up houses that look normal and won't look dated in a decade. The Home Alone house is a perfect example of this. This house looks like it could have been built in just about any decade, but actually it's from the 1920s. Just make a smaller version of this house and call it a day.

[Leonard123]

Originally Posted by Roadking2003

The first one is better looking than the second one.

BTW, builders will build whatever you want. The market drives house styles.

Well, they used to. Now, it's just inventory. Builders don't have to care about people's tastes and preferences when buyers are falling over themselves to plop down a million dollars for anything they can get their hands on if it's in the right location.

Case in point:
https://candysdirt.com/2020/11/08/in...ose-to-nature/

Originally Posted by EP45

You’d be wrong. Talk to any builder rep in Frisco, Las Colinas, etc.

The beauty of building a home is that you can get whatever you want, in whatever style you want - there’s really no rule book.

Actually, the HOA will have a "rule book" on that.

[tcualum]

We are a 3 generation family. We had a great deal of trouble finding a suitable home that didn't require massive remodeling to work. We wanted to have a downstairs master bedroom/bath for us and a downstairs bedroom with an attached bath for my mother-in-law. She's getting older and now has trouble climbing stairs. I was glad we had a downstairs bedroom when I had to have knee surgery. We live in a community with an HOA where all of the homes were custom built. The Hoa specifies things like minimum home size, quality of roof, location of the garage, etc. There's a big diversity of home styles here, more than in a lot of neighborhoods where I've lived. On our street, we have a stucco home, a Colonial, a modern farmhouse, and a ranch. Since the neighborhood started in the 80s we also have beautiful mature trees. Diversity of styles in an HOA neighborhood is possible.

[Texan#1]

I’ve owned homes from the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, and 2000’s. They all had their pluses and minuses. The 50’s house felt like a solid build and I liked having a pier and beam, but not enough square feet. The 60’s house had nice trees, but the ceilings were too low. The 2000’s house was fairly generic, but we made several improvements and the construction wasn’t as solid.. took note of this in the attic. We’re currently in the 70’s house and we’re happy with it. 3300 sqft, single story, 3 car garage, tall ceilings, large trees… but the kitchen and the pantry are too small and the house is a tan/brown brick color that’s very common in the neighborhood and I don’t like it (the wife isn’t keen on painting the brick just yet).

[Leonard123]

Originally Posted by EP45

Then don’t build where there’s an HOA. Why is it so hard to understand that these things are all voluntary choices?

That doesn't really leave many options in the metro area, not to mention that finding someone for a custom build will be a challenge right now. I suppose for people with millions of dollars who have no trouble finding and securing their own lot somewhere, these may not be obstacles, but most buyers around here don't really have these choices.

[Sunbather]

Originally Posted by mirotek

I suspect that this is just another architecture trend that will look dated in another decade and people will ask "what the heck were we thinking?". These split level homes are so common across the Midwest and Southeast in neighborhoods that were built in the 60s and 70s. I think they look awful and can't understand why someone would think that looks good.



Rather than these dumb trends, I wish builders would put up houses that look normal and won't look dated in a decade. The Home Alone house is a perfect example of this. This house looks like it could have been built in just about any decade, but actually it's from the 1920s. Just make a smaller version of this house and call it a day.

A 'smaller version' of that house often just looks bad. (which is why you don't see them much). Architecture doesn't always scale. Of those two choices shown, I much prefer the smaller split level (though neither are really my preference).

[TheOverdog]

sporadic window sizing and shapes (I counted no less than eight window sizes and shapes), absurdly complex roof relative to the structure (look at the upper middle part of the roof.....how does that happen?), fake architectural features like brick timbering.....I could go on.

I've never gotten McMansionhell's complaint about window sizing. Rooms have different purposes and different window shapes and sizes reflect that. I think it's her personal 'autism' or something. As for the many rooflines, I prefer the newer 'farmhouse' style with 1 main roofline, but my house is from 1970 and it's a ranch and it has 3 different rooflines in the original section with the garage roofline stepping down for some weird reason. Overly complex rooflines have been around for a really long time, and aren't specific to mcmansions.

[Sunbather]

Architecture is of course personal preference, but I also agree about windows looking awful in that style house.

Yes, different rooms have different sizes and purposes but that's the trick to great architecture - marrying the use of the outside and inside so that both look great, serve their individual functions without impacting the other. It's pretty lazy architecture to say 'well of course the windows look out of sync on the outside, because the rooms on the inside have different functions and sizes'. That's precisely why that style of houses irks me (and most architects I know).

[Wittgenstein's Ghost]

Originally Posted by TheOverdog

I've never gotten McMansionhell's complaint about window sizing. Rooms have different purposes and different window shapes and sizes reflect that. I think it's her personal 'autism' or something. As for the many rooflines, I prefer the newer 'farmhouse' style with 1 main roofline, but my house is from 1970 and it's a ranch and it has 3 different rooflines in the original section with the garage roofline stepping down for some weird reason. Overly complex rooflines have been around for a really long time, and aren't specific to mcmansions.

I think the issue is when two windows could easily be the same size/shape but for inexplicable reasons aren't. Look at the house the OP posted. There are several windows that are almost the same yet aren't.

And I'm not saying overly complex rooflines are only the domain of mcmansions. I'm just saying it's a bad design practice. The thing that's happening in the middle of the roof on the house the OP posted should never happen.