McMansions Define Ugly in a New Way: They’re a Bad Investment

[Piecake]

Lately, these homes have been the subject of fresh scorn, thanks to an anonymously authored blog that breaks down the genre’s design flaws in excruciating detail. Posts lambasted builders for erecting garages bigger than the homes they’re attached to, dropping giant houses on tiny lots, plus shoddy construction and a mishmash of contrasting styles. (Gothic Tudor, anyone?)

It’s fun reading that nevertheless raised the question: How well have these homes kept their value? Not well, compared with the rest of the U.S. housing market.

McMansions cost more to build than your average starter ranch home does, and they will sell for more. But the return on investment has dropped like a stone. The additional cash that buyers should be willing to part with to get a McMansion fell in 85 of the 100 largest U.S. metropolitan areas. For example, four years ago a typical McMansion in Fort Lauderdale was valued at $477,000, a 274 percent premium over all other homes in the area. This year, those McMansions are worth about $611,000, or 190 percent more than the rest the homes on the market.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...ne-ugly-in-a-new-way-they-re-a-bad-investment

link to the blog
http://www.mcmansionhell.com/
Its hilarious. Read it

Poor McMansions

 

[BreezyLimbo]

You know this brings up the question for me

would it be like

if you got the proper paperwork

To basically build a castle? Like I would want a castle. With a moat. And dungeons.

 

[Strimei]

Wow, $477,000 for one of these?

The ones that took over my old neighborhood were like $1.5 million each.

 

[Team Alucard]

.

 

[GhostWriter24]

McMansions were a thing in NJ all through the 90's during the internet boom, then shit popped and no one could afford their mortgages anymore. Why is this getting publicity now?

 

[demon]

I've never liked McMansions. Usually in boring ass, side-of-the-highway cultural deserts, design that's a cross between gaudy and boring, dull interiors, and construction that just feels cheap. I'd much rather live in a nice 80 year old house that's half the size.

 

[karasu]

This is the very definition of a first world problem.

 

[Byakuya769]

The ones near me are ugly, look cheap and out of place. Brick front McMansion surrounded by a sea of all brick colonials.. No thanks.

 

[RyanardoDaVinci]

You know this brings up the question for me

would it be like

if you got the proper paperwork

To basically build a castle? Like I would want a castle. With a moat. And dungeons.

That's what I'd do if I had Facebook/Minecraft money.

 

[Jarrod38]

We don't have any near me but when you go to the next city over they are a lot.

 

[nabe_shogun]

There's quite a few of these near me. I wouldn't buy one new though. When I drive through those neighborhoods it seems like there's always a lot of them for sale.

Posts lambasted builders for erecting garages bigger than the homes they’re attached to

I'll be honest though, this would be part of my dream house.

 

[HariKari]

I'll be honest though, this would be part of my dream house.

Yeah, a climate controlled garage where you could work on your car collection all day? I'm in. Probably better detached from the home itself, though.

This specific style seems like an east coast thing. Equally gaudy stuff out west where I'm at but I doubt you could fault them for trying to imitate classic old homes.

 

[Grizzlyjin]

It isnt a McMansion, but my mom lives in one of those modern gated communities and it's the creepiest thing ever. The entire community was built in the midst of the housing collapse and it's still a ghost town. It feels like a Twilight Zone episode walking around. Your mind tells you there should be a lot of activity going on around you but there aren't any people around.

I never really saw the appeal of these.

 

[five flying fish]

I've read somewhere that McMansions are incredibly expensive to re-roof. Never thought about it before, but it makes sense with all the odd angles and geometry.

 

[ThusZarathustra]

Yup

Tract "mansions" are kinda shit. They're often not built all that well and are rarely well-designed, usually relying on size and surface level "nice" finish work to be appealing. They don't age all that well and need more upkeep sooner than houses of their size and price should.

The sad thing is that soft-costs and building regs designed around large-scale developers mean that custom building more unique or interesting homes has dropped off massively outside of the ultra rich.

 

[Goro Majima]

I guess I'm one of the weirdos because I really like the look of McMansions.

Unfortunately, St. Louis (specifically St. Charles county where we were looking) doesn't have many of those particular types of homes. Mostly just large colonials and ranch style homes around here. Kind of a stark contrast compared to Houston where we just moved from.

 

[Amagon]

We don't have any near me but when you go to the next city over they are a lot.

What episode was this?

 

[EatinOlives]

I feel like the term "McMansion" has lost most of its definition over the years. Big-house-in-tiny-lot is obviously verifiable, as is size of garage relative to the rest of the house, but once you move past a small amount of well-defined traits you start getting into a bunch of random things that turns the term into essentially "middle to upper class houses that weren't custom built". So is the complaint about specific kinds of houses, or just every single suburb comprised of middle to upper-class houses that weren't custom built? I've seen houses dubbed as "McMansions" that...actually, don't look like McMansions. Other than gaudy as shit car in the OP's picture, I honestly wouldn't classify that house as a McMansion. It looks like your average upper middle class house. Hell, I'm willing to bet that thing was custom built as well.

There's definitely a discussion to be had about the decline of suburban living, from cost to loss of culture, but going with the "McMansion" term to basically mean "any suburban house I don't like" doesn't facilitate any kind of discussion. Identifying it as suburban housing and neighborhoods actually points to a bigger problem. It actually undersells the problem.

 

[DarkKyo]

What episode was this?

The Left 4 Dead crossover.

JK obviously, it's from Square-Footed Monster.

 

[kirblar]

Wow, $477,000 for one of these?

The ones that took over my old neighborhood were like $1.5 million each.

They're a scourge in lower cost of living areas because of the big difference.

 

[TemplaerDude]

That's what I'd do if I had Facebook/Minecraft money.

Seriously. I don't get what it is about these rich people and not owning castles like, come on, you're rich.

CASTLES.

DUNGEONS.

$^@&ING AWESOME.

 

[GoutPatrol]

So in 4 years they still gained over 100,000 in value...who the hell is still buying these?

 

[Piecake]

I feel like the term "McMansion" has lost most of its definition over the years. Big-house-in-tiny-lot is obviously verifiable, as is size of garage relative to the rest of the house, but once you move past a small amount of well-defined traits you start getting into a bunch of random things that turns the term into essentially "middle to upper class houses that weren't custom built". So is the complaint about specific kinds of houses, or just every single suburb comprised of middle to upper-class houses that weren't custom built? I've seen houses dubbed as "McMansions" that...actually, don't look like McMansions. Other than gaudy as shit car in the OP's picture, I honestly wouldn't classify that house as a McMansion. It looks like your average upper middle class house. Hell, I'm willing to bet that thing was custom built as well.

There's definitely a discussion to be had about the decline of suburban living, from cost to loss of culture, but going with the "McMansion" term to basically mean "any suburban house I don't like" doesn't facilitate any kind of discussion. Identifying it as suburban housing and neighborhoods actually points to a bigger problem. It actually undersells the problem.

You should check out the blog that I linked. It does a pretty thorough job of breaking down what a McMansion is and how they are different from large homes and actual mansions.

Pretty entertaining read as well.

 

[Googly Eyes Dog]

What are we defining as a McMansion? At what point does a McMansion transcend into a regular mansion? I feel like the most common complaint with McMansions is it's typical cheap build. Inexpensiveness materials, sidings, cabinets, etc... but that can all change on a case-by-case basis. Why the hate?

 

[Piecake]

What are we defining as a McMansion? At what point does a McMansion transcend into a regular mansion? I feel like the most common complaint with McMansions is it's typical cheap build. Inexpensiveness materials, sidings, cabinets, etc... but that can all change on a case-by-case basis. Why the hate?

http://www.mcmansionhell.com/101

 

[Googly Eyes Dog]

http://www.mcmansionhell.com/101

Edit: reading through everything, seems very interesting.

 

[Strimei]

They're a scourge in lower cost of living areas because of the big difference.

True, didn't think of that.

It boggles my mind to think of the houses going for almost $2 million in my old neighborhood. My parents bought that house for like $150k way back before I was born (mid 80s), sold it in '07 for $550k, house that replaced it was $1.6 million. And its not even a big lot! I don't remember the size but its what you'd normally see in suburbia, and the monstrosity they replaced my childhood home with (which, admittedly, was on the small side) almost takes up the whole lot and is dominated by this massive garage in front.

Like, seriously, they almost entirely removed the front lawn, its just a driveway. From the street it looks more like a garage with a house attached than the other way around.

 

[SpecX]

It isnt a McMansion, but my mom lives in one of those modern gated communities and it's the creepiest thing ever. The entire community was built in the midst of the housing collapse and it's still a ghost town. It feels like a Twilight Zone episode walking around. Your mind tells you there should be a lot of activity going on around you but there aren't any people around.

I never really saw the appeal of these.

There's some condominiums near me like this. They build the models, pool, and gates. The bubble burst and the builder bailed after selling the models. It's awesome for those that got in cause they have a private community, but it looks strange.

 

[jstripes]

I don't know what the hell happened to modern residential architecture.

Is it the architects that have bad taste, and people buy these houses because that's all that's available? Or do the architects build them because people have bad taste?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neo-eclectic_architecture

 

[Piecake]

I respect his attention to detail and this is definitely interesting to read over. I will say though that as someone from a poor as hell community, I would trade living in a McMansion over a inner city square any day. Would you rather live in this...

... over this?

I feel like a lot of McMansion hate is for political reasons, not architectural reasons.

I don't think you'll find anyone who would disagree with you that living in a McMansion is far preferable to living in a poor neighborhood in the inner city.

As for political or architectural reasons, I think it is a combination of both. I think they do look ugly and a mishmash of cheap building materials and styles meant to look opulent and wealthy when in reality they are just a huge cheap mess. They get made fun of a lot because they became synonymous with middle class families trying to ape the rich, but failing due to the shittiness of the house.

Obviously some McMansions are better than others

 

[alfredofroylan]

Wait, why chandeliers in the kitchen?

 

[Kayhan]

Crimes agains architecture and humanity.

 

[The Technomancer]

As someone obsessed with architecture from the age of like...five, I've always despised these developments. They're not just lacking in art, they're lacking in even basic craft

 

[BrassDragon]

Wait, why chandeliers in the kitchen?

I love this blog. The interior descriptions are particularly hilarious.

 

[Thelonelykoopa]

http://www.mcmansionhell.com/101

Oh god this stuff is awful looking .Its hard to even look at. who designs this stuff, I seen superior architectural designs in Minecraft.

 

[demon]

One way I like to describe McMansions is they look like they were designed by some sort of automated architectural procedural generator instead of an architect with a hint of taste and style.

 

[RS4-]

It's the kind of shit you'd see in the Sims. It's the shit you see in the burbs in the GTA

 

[entremet]

Suburbs gave us strip malls and big box stores, other aesthetic atrocities.

Southern California has some nice ones due to the Spanish architecture.

 

[The Technomancer]

One way I like to describe McMansions is they look like they were designed by some sort of automated architectural procedural generator instead of an architect with a hint of taste and style.

They look exactly like the houses I used to design in the architectural software I saved up all my money for

When I was twelve years old

 

[tokkun]

McMansions cost more to build than your average starter ranch home does, and they will sell for more. But the return on investment has dropped like a stone. The additional cash that buyers should be willing to part with to get a McMansion fell in 85 of the 100 largest U.S. metropolitan areas. For example, four years ago a typical McMansion in Fort Lauderdale was valued at $477,000, a 274 percent premium over all other homes in the area. This year, those McMansions are worth about $611,000, or 190 percent more than the rest the homes on the market.

> 25% appreciation in 4 years is still good for a house. Longterm average yearly real return is something like 1% nationwide.

 

[Coreda]

Seriously. I don't get what it is about these rich people and not owning castles like, come on, you're rich.

CASTLES.

DUNGEONS.

$^@&ING AWESOME.

Adam Curry bought a castle in Europe when he was loaded. He drove Segways inside it.

 

[SchrodingerC]

Wait, why chandeliers in the kitchen?

Because chandeliers are fancy, and people's wants conflicts with taste.

 

[-Minsc-]

It had an elevator.

 

[The Technomancer]

This one almost looks like some kind of statement. Like its some weird piece of anti-art

 

[TheSeks]

Wait, why chandeliers in the kitchen?

Forget that. The other sink is there so you can wash your food before you turn around and put it on the stove. It's practical. Yes, you could use the one you wash your dishes in (the one not near the sink) but if you're needing to strain noodles while making a sauce, those island sinks are pretty useful.

 

[Supermanisdead]

mcmansions are so fucking tacky my god

 

[Piecake]

Oh god this stuff is awful looking .Its hard to even look at. who designs this stuff, I seen superior architectural designs in Minecraft.

I almost had an anuerism looking at the house in Virgnia

I mean, what the hell is this?

 

[Kayhan]

I almost had an anuerism looking at the house in Virgnia

I mean, what the hell is this?

What is this I don't even

 

[Regiruler]

I've never liked McMansions. Usually in boring ass, side-of-the-highway cultural deserts, design that's a cross between gaudy and boring, dull interiors, and construction that just feels cheap. I'd much rather live in a nice 80 year old house that's half the size.

And deal with all the maintenance and upkeep of decay that goes along with it?

 

[The Technomancer]

Man that blog makes it super obvious how much of a giveaway window design and placement is. There's just such a consistent lack of effort and care shown towards any kind of proportion or balance