Death of the McMansion-is This Happening in the Triangle? (Raleigh: apartments, houses)
Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, CaryThe Triangle Area
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I thought the most interesting part of the article was this:
What happened?
....self indulgence happened.
....unrealistic expectations happened.
....living on what one wants to pay for in the future happened.
....keeping up with the Jones's happened.
The older I get, the more I appreciate NC's state motto: To be rather than to seem.
I think part of the challenge is many folks still think of their house as an investment. So they really try to maximize the sg ft for resale comp issues as opposed to buying a home they actually want to live in.
I'm afraid that as soon as the finance folks figure out a way to once again finance $700K for a family of four with $75k in annual income we'll be right back to oversize houses.
Frank
I guess the better investment is to have a smaller home and a second smaller home as a rental?
And, as Vicki implied, people have many ideas of what consistutes a McMansion. For an interesting exercise, do a Google image search on the term "McMansion." You'll see the whole range from large-but-not-ostentatious to giant-hodgepodge-eyesore to estates that are undeserving of the "Mc" -- they're just mansions, plain and simple.
Have to agree with this. Just like someone pointed out a house with a gift wrapping room. If you have a seperate room dedicated to gift wrapping, thats just a plain old mansion (and in truth, the only home I have heard of that had a gift wrapping room was the Spelling estate and thats one of the largest and most expensive houses in the entire US).
McMansion is just the trendy perjorative term that people like to use to denigrate larger homes than they like.
As others have mentioned, size of a Mc-Mansion is very relative. Some of it matters on how many people are living in it.
We currently have a 2000 sq ft house for 5 people (2 adults and 3 small kids). We are somewhat cramped. We are looking for a 3000-3500 sq ft house. (which I don't think is excessive for 5 people and I often work from my home office.).
A 3000 sq ft house is a bit excessive for 2 people though. And a 3000sq ft house would be a bit small for a family of 7. (yes, it is doable. But if you have the income, why do you need to be cramped.).
McMansion is just the trendy perjorative term that people like to use to denigrate larger homes than they like.
I have to disagree with this statement. McMansions specifically refer to houses that are large but of mediocre quality. Think of the 5000 sf house that's brick on the front but vinyl siding on the other three sides. Think of the huge house with cheap cabinetry and other entry level finishes.
Many large houses in Raleigh aren't McMansions in my opinion. There are plenty of super sized but super high quality homes in the area.
I have to disagree with this statement. McMansions specifically refer to houses that are large but of mediocre quality. Think of the 5000 sf house that's brick on the front but vinyl siding on the other three sides. Think of the huge house with cheap cabinetry and other entry level finishes.
Many large houses in Raleigh aren't McMansions in my opinion. There are plenty of super sized but super high quality homes in the area.
As others have mentioned, size of a Mc-Mansion is very relative. Some of it matters on how many people are living in it.
We currently have a 2000 sq ft house for 5 people (2 adults and 3 small kids). We are somewhat cramped. We are looking for a 3000-3500 sq ft house. (which I don't think is excessive for 5 people and I often work from my home office.).
A 3000 sq ft house is a bit excessive for 2 people though. And a 3000sq ft house would be a bit small for a family of 7. (yes, it is doable. But if you have the income, why do you need to be cramped.).
My parents raised their family of 6 in a 2173 square feet with a one car garage. My mom would have preferred to have had a 2 car garage and room above it but that would have only raised the living footage be a few hundred. Our expectations have become higher over the last few generatations.
I grew up in a family of 6 living in a 1300 sq. ft. house (1 1/2 bathrooms!). Of course, we didn't have much money to buy stuff, so we didn't need many places to put it.
Hah! Gotcha beat! Raised in family of 8; 1500-square-foot home (built in 1910), 1 bathroom for most of the time, then they added a half-bath. (3 bedrooms: 3 boys in one, 3 girls in another, and parents' room.) No garage. FT mom at home. Private elementary school. We were an active, happy family. No one ever told us we were missing anything.
I don't know HOW we did it, but we also survived without granite countertops or stainless steel appliances!!! Imagine!
Quote:
My parents raised their family of 6 in a 2173 square feet with a one car garage. My mom would have preferred to have had a 2 car garage and room above it but that would have only raised the living footage be a few hundred. Our expectations have become higher over the last few generatations.
Quote:
I grew up in a family of 6 living in a 1300 sq. ft. house (1 1/2 bathrooms!). Of course, we didn't have much money to buy stuff, so we didn't need many places to put it.
I don't think anyone said you can't raise a family of 8 in a 1500 sq ft house. Just, if you have the money for a 4000 sq ft house, why not upgrade.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.