McMansions - Define Them.

[Lady Celeste]

so are the big houses on lake norman mcmansions?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I am not a Charlotte resident but from the homes I have seen for sale on Lake Norman I would say that the homes there are NOT McMansions. In my estimation, many of these newly built homes are mansions..........period.

When I think of McMansions, I think of one developer going into a suburb, clear cutting about 500 acres of land, dividing the land into about 700 lots. You then go into their model home and pick out your 5,000 to 8,000 square foot home from a book of plans totalling about 25 and they can build it for you in about 4-5 months. That's a McMansion. Can we say tract home?

McMansions could also be homes that are squeezed into .25 acre lots on a street of bungalows with about 2000 sq ft....yet this house has about 5000 sq ft. To top it off, they also build this home in about 4-5 months and it's pre-frabricated.

If it takes your builder 12-36 months to build your home (barring there were no financial concerns) and you are not barely paying your mortgage.....better yet most of your home was paid for before the builder even finished it, then chances are you are not in a McMansion.

[peaceloveunderstanding]

okay that makes sense. Thanks for clearing that up. That was actually my original question upon the posting of this thread.

[Jacob Norlund - KC]

McMansion:

*Excessive size (traditionally 2500 - 3500 sf, sometimes 5000 sf or even 7000 sf+), when you consider that most residents only put four into the house.

*Somewhat cheap building materials (not sure on this, but probably)

*Weird montage of building styles, with no fealty to any

*Extreme pretentiousness

*Way too many gables creating a skyline

*Large attached garages, sometimes with four doors

*Usually found in a suburban or an exurban development

*Often under HOA jurisdiction

[TheBostonian]

Let's not forget: A large, quasi-commercial kitchen that is rarely used except for refrigerating leftover Chinese food and pizza.

[electricmonk]

I haven't read all the replies so I'll just say that I think it's kinda like pornography, You know it when you see it.

This house drives me nuts and has been for sale for over a year now. I just can't understand how anyone thought the design was good enough to build in the first place.

If I had a million dollars to spend on a house this would be the last place I would consider. I would much rather spend 200,000 or less on an early 1900's inner-city mansion.

[TennBear]

I haven't read all the replies so I'll just say that I think it's kinda like pornography, You know it when you see it.

This house drives me nuts and has been for sale for over a year now. I just can't understand how anyone thought the design was good enough to build in the first place.

If I had a million dollars to spend on a house this would be the last place I would consider. I would much rather spend 200,000 or less on an early 1900's inner-city mansion.

Electricmonk, I agree that's one and an exceptionally ugly one to boot. I'm with you on houseing type choices.

[mcashlv]

Builders merely accomodating the poor tastes of a cultureless and uneducated populace. Won't last much longer.

I see this word around all the time, McMansions. What are the specifications for such a building? 5,000 sqft? Front Brick Siding on the sides? I am confused on what we are talking about.

[Charlotteman]

Did anyone see last week's episode of nip/tuck? A boorish, crass character played by Rosie O'Donnell had just won the Florida lottery and she bought a new McMansion in suburban Miami. She had previously been making $15,000 a year at the Jiffy Lube in Pensacola........

She had the house decorated in the most baroque, garish, tasteless frippery you've ever seen. The story line seemed logical to me. McMansions can't possibly appeal to someone with established taste. Can we say "new money"?

[tamias6]

McMansions are the housing industry's equivalant of the SUV. They are huge, packed with gimiky luxeries, expensive, and, most of all, a tacky status symbol. That's my opinion of them. However I'm going to throw a monkey wrench into works. What home should McPeople live in? If you had a six figure income what you do with it? How you reward yourself and family for working hard and climbing high up the corporate ladder? A lot of us maybe complaining about how McPeople are living now. But if we have the cash and power afforded to McPeople, would we still be complaining about their big SUV's and McMansions or would we be living and driving in them, thus becoming McPeople ourselves?

[Recchia]

I've always said that if I made it big, I'd buy a condo in the city and a small cottage on the water with a dock for a boat. That's all I would need to make myself happy. I'd keep my crappy Saturn to get me around the beachhouse in the summer and then leave it there during the winter where I wouldn't need it living in the city. Houses and cars as status symbols are so bogus IMO. Who cares what you have when you're happy? The sad thing is that I guess a lot of people aren't happy unless they have things they can show off.

[Charlotteman]

But the idea of "showing off" a McMansion seems like an oxymoron to me. They are usually so damn tacky~~

I think the main point is that folks with established taste, i.e. NOT "new money", will purchase homes of quality and stylistic longevity.

Does anyone happen to know who coined the term McMansion?

[tamias6]

Here's a Wikipedia article explaining the "McMansion".

Linky