McMansions

48 comments

• Icee Loco (asshole)

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  2 years ago

  They're built very poorly. For those over 30 years old you'll end up sinking a lit of money in to them. The pre-planned subdivisions are usually poorly located. Far from anything but strip malls with generic chains. Plus you have how fees. And a lot of the neighborhoods aren't that great. For example in las vegas. You get mcmansions with a lot of crime coz hood rats from LA sold their ghetto houses for a lot of money and moved to vegas. And one thing not many think about is why do you need that much space. Your power bill goes up. They're a pain to clean. And you don't have a huge yard or anything.
• Warrior15

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  2 years ago

  I think the term refers to people that sacrificed quality to get more square footage. I have a good sized home in an elite neighborhood . But my home is well built and not that large for the area. Plus, I"m on a 1 acre lot. So a lot of my value is in the dirt.
• Call.Me.Ishmael

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  2 years ago

  I wouldn't live in one, even if I could live in one. Also, I don't need or want that much space.
• Muddy

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  2 years ago

  I feel the same way actually (although not that I have choice at least in my area) I don't need that much space either but it's just me then again for the moment. All I need is a bed and a shower and a place to shit and I'll figure the rest out.
• Muddy

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  2 years ago

  That was to Ishmael not heaving.
• Call.Me.Ishmael

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  2 years ago

  I'm in a similar position. I would also prefer a more interesting home over a big house. And if it needs a bit of work, then I see that as a bonus. I'm relatively handy and like fixing or restoring things. I don't always know what I'm doing, but that's part of the fun. So, the thought of moving into a place made of pre-fabbed building blocks leaves me cold. But other people want to place the furniture and unpack the boxes and start living without all the fuss. That's fine, too.
• Call.Me.Ishmael

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  2 years ago

  "I don't always know what I'm doing, but that's part of the fun." Unless it's electrical...
• Huntsman

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  2 years ago

  I live in the boondocks and my house is nice, but hardly a McMansion. I’ve never seen the logic in having a huge house as a status symbol. I don’t begrudge anyone if that’s their thing but it doesn’t appeal to me. The mortgage payments on a McMansion don’t appeal to me either.
• mark94

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  2 years ago

  There’s a new neighborhood like this near me. Incredibly small lots. About 4,000 sf and $2,000,000. Subcontractors are selected by the lowest bid. Every house looks alike. Not interested.
• Huntsman

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  2 years ago

  In all honesty, I am a land pig, though. I like my acreage and elbow room. The house itself matters less to me.
• Icee Loco (asshole)

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  2 years ago

  I like being in a big city without feeling like I'm in one. My place is where I decompress. I like space. But not jn a mcmansion sense. My place is decent sized. And when I stay in Vegas it's a 1200 square foot one bedroom.
• Mate27

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  2 years ago

  McMansions are good for large households. It seems like common sense but many investors look at sq ft of a home and go from there for flipping. I think less will be built going forward. I had one and sold it to a large family. Smaller is easier to maintain so you can have time to go to the club once in a while.
• Papi_Chulo

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  2 years ago

  I’ve heard the term McMansion in the past but didn’t know exactly why they called them that – I just assumed it was in reference to the proliferation of unnecessarily large homes analogous to the proliferation of McDonalds. Per Google: McMansion - “a large modern house that is considered ostentatious and lacking in architectural integrity”
• Papi_Chulo

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  2 years ago

  In a competitive capitalist society like ours there is a lot of “keeping up with the Joneses”; as well as material-things, consciously or subconsciously, being used as a societal-measuring-stick; and thus the unnecessarily large/fancy houses and unnecessarily fancy/very-expensive cars, etc, as a way to show/let-the-world-know how successful you-are. Although; houses are often seen as investments and a big fancy house can be seen as appreciating in value in the future and thus the reason why some people buy them.
• CJKent_band

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  2 years ago

  @Muddy I will play along and answer your questions. Q: Do you live in one? A: No Q: What are you thoughts on this type of house? A: McMansions are “opulent” mass-produced homes, cheaply built as “statements” pieces, rather than practical places to live, to take advantage of the vanity of people with new wealth and a superficial lifestyle. The cost of maintaining such a home is high and not reasonable justified. “Some people want fast cars, a big, house and lots of money. Other people want a log cabin in the woods away from those kinds of people.” “It is the sufferings of the many which pay for the luxuries of the few.” ~ Greta Tintin Eleonora Ernman Thunberg ~ Born: 3rd January 2003 Stockholm, Sweden ~ Occupation: Student, environmental activist Awards: ~ Fritt Ord Award (2019) ~ Rachel Carson Prize (2019) ~ Ambassador of Conscience Award (2019) ~ Right Livelihood Award (2019) ~ International Children's Peace Prize (2019) ~ Time Person of the Year (2019) ~ Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity (2020)
• ilbbaicnl

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  2 years ago

  Not for me, just more to keep clean, and pay taxes on. Only seems practical if you have a big family and/or lots of visitors from out of town.
• B2C_UC

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  2 years ago

  Very interesting question and even more so with the responses. I too, never knew the true definition of Mcmansion and always perceived them to be large communities of homes built to appear and contain almost identical characteristic on the outside or as Papi Chulo quoted, "lacking in architectural integrity" The only unknown is what amount of square footage would justify a home a Mcmansion and fell within the other defined factors above. I always perceived these sorts of homes or communities were strictly on the coasts however that is incorrect since i'm in the middle of the country now, moving from west to east and I see the same features in all the communities around here. there might not be as many homes in a particular community but the builders greed for money is easily identified whether from the distances between the homes, the cheap fixtures used in new homes, or the evidence of shoddy workmanship when touring the model homes in new communities. I followed the rules, well most of them, in my previous life on west coast. The young starting out family bought a condo early phase of brand new sprawling master planned community, quickly sold after 2 years, and bought the bigger brand new single family home to accommodate our increasing family size. The builder requested all the buyers complete a survey once they closed and moved into home, my only remark on the survey was i believed the home would not outlive the life of the loan. I didn't know what to really look for when we were buying when it came to craftsmanship or quality although, i was pretty sure i wasn't supposed to feel half sunken nail heads under my feet when i walked on our upgraded carpet and padding during the initial days of living in the home. Now, i lease a brand new home in the middle of the country and to me, it's even worse with the craftsmanship and quality of fixtures and the owner wanted offered to sell it to me for 450k and i so badly wanted to tell him i wouldn't touch it for 350K. And for reference, none of these homes were over 3000sqft either 4-5brms but nothing insanely huge in my eyes. someone said there waiting for the valley or downturn, i'm doing the same. I've kept an adequate amount of my proceeds so when this thing bottoms and it will, I will take my pick of what will serve my needs and wants. My only two issues/concerns will any of us still be here when it bottoms and do i want to go further off grid or back to civilization and the debauchery i sorely miss. TL/DR: Practically all, new homes under 7 figs are built very poorly, have minimal variance to neighbors home, and the lot sizes are no more than 1/3 acre with most being much smaller those our homes where i came from on west side of country and that's being generous.
• blahblahblah23

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  2 years ago

  What little I know is that they tend to be made from trash. Can hear everything from 1 corner of house to the next. Etc. But they tend to have lil extras like ur fucking granite or quartz countertops and whatnot
• twentyfive

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  2 years ago

  In my area older neighborhoods east of I95 which were built prior to 1970 have small homes on medium sized lots with few ordinances regulating size ratio to lot size are now being squired and torn down, and huge homes are being built on these lots, that’s why in some areas the homes appear to over shadow their neighborhood, but these homes aren’t usually cheap, costing several millions of dollars to aquire those lots and more to build these monstrosities.
• mark94

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  2 years ago

  In my experience, homes built in the upper Midwest are of much higher quality of construction than in the sunbelt. In the sunbelt, these tract homes are built by teams of subcontractors who are less stringent about legal work papers. In the upper Midwest, homes are built individually by skilled craftsmen. At least, that’s the way it used to be.
• twentyfive

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  2 years ago

  ^ I don’t find quality to be a major problem here in Florida if you’re looking for a home in my area you’ll need to be prepared to spend close to a million or you won’t find very many acceptable homes in decent neighborhoods, quality improved tremendously after hurricane Andrew and all of the lawsuits that came with it, forcing the three south Florida counties to toughen their building codes and hire many more inspectors
• rickdugan

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  2 years ago

  As much as I would love to locate to a rural area with a lot of land, the reality is that it's very hard to do when you have kids. It generally isn't old single retirees and confirmed bachelors living in those subdivisions, with larger houses built on smaller plots, nosy neighbors and pain in the ass HOAs. It's people like me, who have school age children and want access to top rated schools and ample kid-based activities and support services. In my area it's virtually impossible to access some of the most highly rated public schools in the entire state of FL without living in a subdivision. But on the bright side, once the kids are out, I can do what I want. It might be different in some states, but in this part of FL virtually every new construction in the last 2 decades has been a subdivision. Same in places like the expanded Dallas metro area, which I was exploring as an alternative to NE FL when looking to move about a decade ago. And like NE Florida, to access the best Dallas metro suburban schools in McKinney TX, subdivisions were hard to avoid.
• motorhead

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  2 years ago

  I remember in the early 90’s when a new portion of the Beeline Expressway opened between I-4 and the Orlando Airport. It was mostly empty land and in no time houses quickly were built. They seemed so close it looked like you could reach out a window and touch your neighbor. I don’t think I want to be that close
• twentyfive

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  2 years ago

  That’s how Florida has been all along, new areas are built on formerly Agricultural land, that had been deemed low tax farmland in return for cash paid to the Florida government officials to use as discretionary funds(a/k/a bribes)
• orionsmith

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  2 years ago

  I looked up the term McMansion. Generally between 3,000 to 5,000 sq ft in size. The last time I moved which was only a couple years ago I moved from a tiny 1200 starter home to a larger one but it is next to the smallest size in my neighborhood. I dislike the hoa except they keep others from trashing the neighborhood. I still live in a house below the size of the national average. I see bigger houses as costing more in annual power bills and maintenance costs both in terms of price and time. I saw a story on the news the other day about side hustles. Think I’m going to hire myself to clean and organize all the clutter in my new house. Of course no money involved but whatever works in your head. I’m probably going to donate a lot of stuff. Going through my house full of too much stuff is like a second job. A bigger house would have given me even more things to take care of and a higher mortgage. No thanks. I miss my small 1200 ranch style house. It had everything I needed and no stairs and no overbearing HOA sending me violation letters for a weed or something stupid. I was drafted as President of the old HOA for a year but all I had to do was go to 2 meetings and listen to some information. The new one wants approval before you even do any significant work in your yard. There is even a paragraph in the 26 page of covenant rules that you can not mine, drill on your property and absolutely no fracking allowed. Gosh darn it, if I see black gold in my back yard, I wanted to set up an oil well. Against HOA rules where I live now. Just kidding.
• Daddillac

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  2 years ago

  I'm on just under an acre, on the 6th tee box of the country club. I have 4 sides brick and 5980 square feet heated. Pool, hot tub, full basement, 3 car garage. Just upgraded my kitchen with new counters, cabinets, and Viking appliances. I'm probably in a McMansion as described. I agree with Rick though, I kept this house in my divorce so my kids could stay in this school district, I have two more years. I'll probably get a condo in town and primarily live in my lake house, it is a little bigger and a lot more private.
• Tetradon

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  2 years ago

  Having to waste a weekend on home maintenance sounds like two steps above death. I live in a very new condo building that's convenient to anywhere I need to go. Tradeoff is space and a condo fee, but I don't own a ton of extra shit and would rather pay someone to handle things. My place has already appreciated 15% in a year. Close enough to town, there's always going to be strong demand from tech, biotech, medical industries. If I get a wife and family, I'll need to upgrade and rent this place out, but for a bachelor pad, I couldn't ask for better.
• ilbbaicnl

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  2 years ago

  Acreage probably helps to limit the neighbor hassles. But, unless you're out in the serious boonies, I'd think you'd have trespasser hassles instead.
• whodey

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  2 years ago

  I would never buy a McMansion, not because of the quality issues some have mentioned (I have seen some that were very well built), my issue is that these McMansions are usually way oversized compared to the size of the property and are generally in subdivisions or other closely packed together neighborhoods. I made the mistake of buying my first house right after college in a neighborhood where all of the homes were sitting on about 1/4 acre and I absolutely hated it. I grew up on a farm in the middle of nowhere and after experiencing the nightlife that comes from living in the city during college I thought that was what I wanted, but after buying my first house I changed my mind quickly. Having neighbors so close on all sides gets real annoying really fast once you get close to your 30s. Now I am perfectly happy with my 1400 sq ft ranch house sitting on more than a dozen wooded acres out here in the boonies. There is a 200 acre farm that surrounds my property on two sides, about 90 acres of woodlands with a small creek on the third side and a 250 acre farm across the street. It is nearly half a mile to the nearest neighbor's front door and I love that. At night the only lights I can see are the stars and the faint glow of the light on the barn across the street but even that is blocked once the corn gets above a certain heightin the summer. I wouldn't give up this $150k slice of heaven if you offered me one of those multimillion dollar McMansions in a subdivision in Florida or California for free.
• B2C_UC

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  2 years ago

  Honestly, that sounds like a nice slice of heaven whodey, the fat bastard. I just worry, I'd pull that trigger and would go further insane w/ boredom and lack of entertainment. Still, i catch myself having visions of a quiet place w/ land on all sides and a small lake/pond for fishing. Then, I always see myself patiently waiting for trespassers or the "authorities" to venture up my driveway to tell me, I'm not living properly and i need to conform or else. That's when I start to roll the old Bronson, Norris, or Stallone movie clips in my head and my little slice of heaven turns into a blood bath of vigilante justice or a final stand-off to the latest perceived encroachment of my God giving rights and i think, maybe i need the grounded and intrusive lifestyle that comes with neighbors being 5ft from my bathroom window or the oversight of an HOA drunk on power informing me my trash cans must be out of sight within 12hrs of trash being collected. When honestly, I just want a quiet place where I can invite a woman, of age, to my home for a stimulating and flirtatious conversation that leads to her and i naked and ultimately her leaving w/ far more money than she had upon arriving. The trifecta would be her asking when we can do it again. I'm sorry, I've seemed to gone astray. All these responses are quality responses and further complicates someones decisions of where to call home and what that home should look like. I have a soft spot for the ranch brick homes you see in some areas of the US. i could envision that w/ above normal land, and the pond/lake nearby and vacation to all the spots i'm compelled to when the beast must feed.
• ilbbaicnl

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  2 years ago

  My goal now is to rent a well-maintained studio apartment, with reasonably quiet neighbors and no parking hassles. With little worry of break-ios and sketchy loiterers even in the small hours. I'd consider a condo with a well-run association. But those seem to be harder to find than Bigfoot. Because I've accumulated a fair amount of crap that I'm sentimentally attached to, I'd probably need a small, nearby storage unit too.
• ilbbaicnl

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  2 years ago

  Oh and I'd get a bigger place if nicespice finally agrees to move in with me.
• 48-Cowboy

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  2 years ago

  It is funny how all these boomers think their house is an investment. With population declines on the horizon as boomers move on the real estate market will be flooded with inventory and prices will drop on housing. Millennials are by nature minimalist and don't see a need to live in a bug house. Many of these houses will end up cut up I to multi family housing driving the costs of real estate even lower. Boomers need to enjoy their wealth on paper while they still can lmfao
• NinaBambina

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  2 years ago

  Imo, for a house to be considered a "mansion," it needs to be huge, like 8,000 sq ft. I have never lived in a house that big, but close. My current home is a litter over half of that. Couldn't picture myself living in either. Nothing over 5-6K sq ft. I don't plan on having a large family. I couldn't imagine living permanently in a dwelling over 8k sq ft. I care about houses with character. I live in a gorgeous home, but plan on building a new home in the next couple years. I'm very into architecture, and architectural styles. The home I will build will be a mid-sized mid century modern. Years after that, when my future kids are growing up, I will want a bigger Mediterranean style house. And I will probably retire in some sort of traditional or Victorian home with a wraparound porch. I'll be drinking spiked lemonade from my rocking chair.
• Mate27

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  2 years ago

  I, I, I, I, I. Me, me, me, me. I, I, I, I, I, I, I don’t care what you have to say, because it only concerns you and nobody else.
• skibum609

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  2 years ago

  Icey is first to post and the post is such a fucking moronic post, its actually fucking tragic. STFU you loser know it all. Let me translate Cowboys statement from gibberish and lies to fact: "Millennials are minimalist by nature" = "We are lazy, stupid and poor. Having no money means we cannot buy anything, except a false sense of worth". "Millennials don't see the need to live in a big house" = "We cannot afford a family and have no friends; therefore, a tent is fine". "I don't see the need to live in a bug house" = Only honest thing said, and the other bugs are grateful.
• skibum609

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  2 years ago

  Mc Mansions. A family member of mine lived in Waterford Virginia, just over the border from Maryland and right after the US 15 Bridge over the Potomac. Beautiful area, with huge, well-constructed houses on minimum 5 acres lots. Wanted to give brother shit fir his 8,200 sq. ft. house for 4 people, but their next-door neighbors had a Moorish castle, with 10, 800 square feet. They owned "fat bastard" wines. Nice houses, but why? 2 funny things: The neighborhood comes with a H.O.A. that made my brother tear down his shed because it was 1/4" of an inch too long and no one had nice landscaping because the deer ate all the flowers. I wish my brother had told me his landscaping had cost $40,000.00 before I busted a nut laughing. We have a small house of 2500 sq. fft. on 1/2 acre with a pool. More than enough and we're staying home all summer.
• mark94

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  2 years ago

  “as boomers move on the real estate market will be flooded with inventory “ Anyone in a home now, with a 2.5% mortgage, won’t sell the house. Ever. That will be up to his heirs.
• twentyfive

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  2 years ago

  I think those mortgagees will be paid off soon, better to pay down on an appreciating asset, than sit with money in a tanking market, that's getting chewed up by inflation. my guess is folks with the ability to pay off their mortgages will either do so or purchase more real estate for cash, I know I'm actively looking to buy more dirt, and hold it as long as necessary.
• Cashman1234

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  2 years ago

  I’m not a McMansion type. I know many folks who’ve traded up and up, and are now in big beautiful homes, with mortgages and lots of expenses. Those homes are very nice and spacious! A friend has a massive home on a hill, that almost looks like a hotel! I love to visit, and see all the cool amenities and status symbols. But, I’m good in a smaller place, with lower expenses and decent savings.
• ilbbaicnl

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  2 years ago

  The large houses of the wealthy do tend to be hotel-like. Being rich correlates with having many friends and associates. Freely inviting people to dine and stay over at you home cements those relationships.
• B2C_UC

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  2 years ago

  I can't seem to keep my 600ish sqft bdrm very clean so I'm probably a good candidate for that tent community someone spoke of. If I ever choose to entertain guests, I'll obliviously erect at least one additional tent but also consider the option of setting up another next to mine or just call a maid to clean up the rats nest, pig stye, etc.. that is currently my bedroom. Once thing is for certain, decisions like these are most often made while drinking spiked lemonade from my rocking chair. Side note, I am not now, nor have I ever been, a Millennial although, I wish them the best!
• Jascoi

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  2 years ago

  my Mc mansion in Arizona is 900 sq.ft. and the family cabin in California is 400 ft. both hundred years or more old. I guess I just have different priorities.
• Jascoi

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  2 years ago

  I admit I made some bad choices... after I split from my wife.... especially where to club early on... I wiped out my savings... but I got a smile on my face and damn good memories that i keep adding to!
• MackTruck

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  2 years ago

  I got da McMansion dat eats other McMansions [view link]
• Icee Loco (asshole)

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  2 years ago

  Luxury has to do with the features you have. Not the size of the place. Things like warming bathroom floors. Luxury toilet. Nice view. Quality windows. Nice amenities. I'd rather pay for that than just size.
• mickey48066

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  2 years ago

  Why does that fool 48 cowboy keep saying stupid things to further show just how little she knows? Here's some advice, stop posting.
• conan_mac_morna

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  2 years ago

  I have a reasonable (1500 sqft, 3/2/2) house on a reasonable (6000 sqft) plot of land in central-ish Phoenix. Bought it new-built in 2018, very energy-efficient. Meets all my needs and doesn't look like it was designed by an architect with ADD.