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If you go through the posts on this thread, a McMansion is any home bigger than I live in and can afford. Instead of saying I am jealous of that home, they call it a McMansion and look down on it.
My wife and I (both in our 80s), live in a 3,700 sq. ft. 4 level home (a garden level not a basement under part of the home). It is very, very, contemporary. Window wall soaring to 24 ft, in the living room. Moss rock on a soaring wall with a fireplace. Three bedroom, three bathrooms. Huge Kitchen. Two Dining areas. Lots of light, and wood is real oak, not painted throughout the home. Oversize double garage. An acre of grass and huge trees and other landscaping. Sits on 5 perfectly level acres with a barn and stables. Sits in the country, but across the street from the nicest area of town without city taxes. Taxes for next year, $2,448 so you can tell our taxes are cheap for a 20 year old house of this size and quality. And the nice thing is, it is free and clear with no financing (we have no debt of any kind). Fantastic view of the Rocky Mountains.
We don't need a home this size, but we love it. It is a home that our children and families, and grandchildren and their families can all gather. Some people would call it a McMansion, but we don't, we just call it home. I think that same feeling, is what other people with larger than average homes feel. It is a long way from our first home we bought in 1956 in Cupertino in the Silicon Valley for $13,750.
Of course due to our age, we don't take care of it ourselves. We have a housekeeper come in 3 days a week, to take care of it for us. This is not really much different as we have had a housekeeper come in since mid 70s, when living in another state. We have a handyman to take care of any physical problems. We have the lawn mowed and the yard maintained.
Due to our age, all these stairs are no longer safe. We have installed 3 chair lifts, that we just sit in a chair and are taken to the other floors.
Without hired help, and adaptations such as the chair lifts, we could not live in the home. We have the things we need, so it fits us to a T.
If you go through the posts on this thread, a McMansion is any home bigger than I live in and can afford. Instead of saying I am jealous of that home, they call it a McMansion and look down on it.
My wife and I (both in our 80s), live in a 3,700 sq. ft. 4 level home (a garden level not a basement under part of the home). It is very, very, contemporary. Window wall soaring to 24 ft, in the living room. Moss rock on a soaring wall with a fireplace. Three bedroom, three bathrooms. Huge Kitchen. Two Dining areas. Lots of light, and wood is real oak, not painted throughout the home. Oversize double garage. An acre of grass and huge trees and other landscaping. Sits on 5 perfectly level acres with a barn and stables. Sits in the country, but across the street from the nicest area of town without city taxes. Taxes for next year, $2,448 so you can tell our taxes are cheap for a 20 year old house of this size and quality. And the nice thing is, it is free and clear with no financing (we have no debt of any kind). Fantastic view of the Rocky Mountains.
We don't need a home this size, but we love it. It is a home that our children and families, and grandchildren and their families can all gather. Some people would call it a McMansion, but we don't, we just call it home. I think that same feeling, is what other people with larger than average homes feel. It is a long way from our first home we bought in 1956 in Cupertino in the Silicon Valley for $13,750.
Of course due to our age, we don't take care of it ourselves. We have a housekeeper come in 3 days a week, to take care of it for us. This is not really much different as we have had a housekeeper come in since mid 70s, when living in another state. We have a handyman to take care of any physical problems. We have the lawn mowed and the yard maintained.
Due to our age, all these stairs are no longer safe. We have installed 3 chair lifts, that we just sit in a chair and are taken to the other floors.
Without hired help, and adaptations such as the chair lifts, we could not live in the home. We have the things we need, so it fits us to a T.
Your home sounds lovely. More than I can afford and bigger than I'd want, but I would not call it a McMansion. I think a big part of what I would call a McMansion isn't strictly size and affordability, it's a certain cookie cutter sameness along with being large and perhaps a bit ostentatious but not necessarily high quality.
new "McMansion" houses if you mean large new houses aren't created equal. Even those built the same year! some in my neighborhood come with decent size yards while others sit on too small a lot. Most builders use a mix of color schemes, some different front elevation/exteriors to add variety. Recently I did visit in a neighborhood that of new houses with some nice/flashy finishes within, no yard to speak of, and strangely enough house after house all in variations of beige, tan, brown. No other exterior colors were seen! It was so confusing that if I lived there I'd probably have problems remembering which one is mine!
One thing we have to remember when we see big new houses on what we consider small lots. That is most often not the fault of the builder or home buyers. The fault lies with the cities.
Cities, are making it impossible to develop with big lots. They are doing it, so they do not run out of land to build on in the future. A good example is the Silicon Valley area, where it is getting very difficult to find land to develop and build on. That is one thing that has driven the prices of homes through the roof. People are buying up older post war homes, and building on the site. These homes are considered tear downs when sold. Only way that people can find building lots in areas they want to live. And this situation is happening in towns and cities all over the country.
Bigger lots, require more restructuring as an example. More streets to be maintained by the city. One reason they encourage HOA projects, where the streets, and utilities around the property are owned by the HOA not the city which saves a lot of money to put in and maintain infrastructure. Means a fire department has homes more concentrated to protect, and this list can go on and on. Back 25 to 40 years ago, it was so much easier to develop land for housing than it is today. If I wanted to put together a acre lot to 5 acre lot subdivision, I could easily find the land, and get it approved. Today land use restrictions put on it by the city, makes it impossible to do that today in most cities. Big lots will be 4 to 6 lots per acre. Remember an acre is just over 200 feet wide and deep. After room for streets, that does not allow very big lots to build on.
One reason we are holding onto our large home, is within 5 years I will be able to develop 4 acres into at least a dozen lots, worth about $75,000 net each at today's prices, and still have an acre with a large home on it. I have played that game a lot of times when in the business, so know what I will be able to do. I can keep it for 3 to 5 years, and it will make me about Three Quarters Of A Million Dollars net profit. If I don't live to do it, my sons will do it, as I will have everything laid out for them to follow to do it. One son went to law school, and then instead of getting licensed went back for a fine arts degree and is a well known artist in his part of the country. Owns an art gallery. Makes most of his money doing one commission after another mostly for government projects (cities, counties, universities, etc.) with life size figures as many as 5 people in one memorial. Does the art work, and owns his own casting studio so he also casts and finishes. The quality of his work is outstanding, and his ability doing his own casting, lets him bid below competition and gets commission after commission. He would head the subdivision. One Son, and my only daughter have died within the last 2 years due to serious health conditions they developed. That leaves only 3 children who are all healthy, and this will be a nice way to leave them an additional Quarter Million Dollars or more each.
A McMansion is just a large tract house. I'd say over 3000 square feet. Lots of people like them, based on the fact that they seem to sell for pretty good prices.
Most of the residents of the 909 moved there because they can't afford to live in L.A. or Orange County. Many of them are lower middle class, not college educated, and not well-traveled; so for them, a McMansion would most likely feel luxe.
HOWEVER, where I live (Pasadena, CA) a McMansion would NEVER fly. We value good bones, design integrity and architectural pedigree. It's not uncommon to see even modest houses in my neighborhood on the historical registry.
The reason McMansions were built out in the 909 is because simply the land was available and McMansions were/are popular. You simply get more for your money when you buy in 909. The same house in 909 selling for 500k would be 850k+ in OC. If you could find it. But they are still building houses in c as big as they can. But it's costing 800k+. Christopher Homes has a 80 home tract in Westminster/GG area starting at 810,000. And it's built on a major BUSY street. Same or bigger house can be had in south Corona for 5-600k.
I know quite a few people who have money and live in Corona, Eastvale, Rancho, etc.
To some people having a huge house or a nice car is luxury or the I'm successful feel. To some being in a 1949's bungalow and driving a gas getter is what they feel is great. Neither is right or wrong.
what do guys think of a new subdivison where the homes are similar, built by one builder ( not toll or lennar or pulte) but a local builder? would that also be considered a 'mcmansion'. these houses may actually have nice construction AND lotsa space with amenities.
Personally I despise subdivisions. The houses are generally WAY too close together. If I'm going to spend the money to buy a house, I don't want to be sitting right on top of my neighbor. I want some SPACE.
Obviously people like houses in subdivisions and McMansions, because they buy them, but they aren't for me.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nybbler
A McMansion is just a large tract house. I'd say over 3000 square feet. Lots of people like them, based on the fact that they seem to sell for pretty good prices.
I suppose, like many things, it depends on where you are. Here the new tract homes going up are all in the 3,200-4,000 sf range, on minimum 5,000 sf lots and starting at about $850,000. Those are tract homes, not McMansions. Here and there an older house is demolished or a custom home built that fits our McMansion type, and they are at least 5,000 sf, most coming in at closer to 7,000. I neither like nor dislike them. Having them around helps increase the neighborhood's property values, but at times they can have odd architectural design which is not suited to the homes around them and just look out of place.
is there anybody out there who actually LIKES mcmansions?
There have been times in my life when I would have killed for a McMansion of my very own! My brother had one just outside of Boston back in the 1970's, and I thought it was the most wonderful house ever, and something that anybody would want.
However, now I really don't want one. My present house is my "Dream House", and it is ~1500 square feet. I looked for just the right house for years before buying it, and could afford a McMansion at this stage in life if I wanted one. But I am a 67-year-old woman living alone, and any more space would simply go unused. So many unused rooms would seem creepy to me, and add to cleaning, maintenance, and taxes I suppose. Actually I don't even use two of the rooms I have except for storage, so probably 1200 square feet or less could have been fine for me too if I downsized a little.
I do like having a detached garage for my car, to keep it out of the weather. I am living in a relatively safe, walkable neighborhood and this house is one of the smaller ones in my neighborhood.
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is there anybody out there who actually LIKES mcmansions?
