r/McMansionHell Dec 12 '24

Discussion/Debate The invention that Accidentally invented McMansions

317 Upvotes

A fascinating video essay by Stewart Hicks on the invention of the modern truss and how that changed the way we build houses.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oIeLGkSCMA


r/McMansionHell Jul 14 '20

McMansions: A Short Guide

1.1k Upvotes

While everyone has their own opinion on what makes a true McMansion, there are several defining features or attributes that should be looked for to determine if a home fits the McMansion criteria. This post will serve as a guide to help users determine if they should use the "Certified McMansion" flair on their submission and to learn more about what a McMansion is. This guide will be edited as needed to make sure it fully explains the accepted properties of a McMansion.

Basic Principles of a McMansion:

  • Large: Generally above 2500 square feet and two story or more, sometimes way too big for the lot it sits on.
  • Built Cheap: They are built by cutting corners and using less than quality materials because they focus on getting as much size and appearance of wealth as possible from their money. It's the illusion of class that might fool the average person who doesn't have a sense of architectural integrity. McMansions will often use materials such as stucco, manufactured stone veneer, Styrofoam crown molding, or vinyl siding.
  • Fit Several Styles: They fit multiple styles of architecture by mashing together different elements from the individual styles in a distasteful manner. They also might poorly imitate a popular style.
  • Exterior After-Thought: They are designed with a focus on the interior first and the exterior is done as an after-thought which often results in features such as jutting masses and haphazardly placed windows.
  • Lacks Architectural Integrity: The house makes you confident that there was no licensed architect involved in its creation who cares about what they design

Specific Features To Look For:

  • An attached 2 or 3 car garage
  • A garage that takes up way too much of what is considered the house
  • Tall 1.5-2 story arched entry or "lawyer foyer"
  • Haphazardly applied dormers or windows
  • Windows of varying shapes/sizes/styles
  • Windows not aligned with those below them
  • Second story windows that are larger than the windows below them
  • Window shutters that if closed would not cover the actual window
  • Jutting masses or heavily asymmetrical
  • Multiple wall materials
  • Roof that contains varying slopes, roof types, or more than two roof shapes for the front facade
  • Roof nub
  • Roof with excessive roof lines and is in general just too complex
  • Dormers that are way too short, way too tall, don't match the rest of the house materials or style, or are placed terribly/spaced unevenly
  • Columns that don't support anything or are too thin/weak looking to support what they are appearing to support aka columns with inappropriate scaling
  • Columns with spacing that is over complicated or messy
  • Columns that are the incorrect architectural style for the house

Some Links To Check Out:

This is what I could come up with for now to touch base here on what a McMansion is. I'll make edits to this in the coming weeks until we reach a near final guide post on McMansions. If you have any suggestions for what we could add to this guide, comment below or send me a message.

Side note: the first "Appreciation Thursday" is coming up! Don't forget to prepare a suburban home that you think deserves recognition as the opposite of a McMansion and post it on 7/16 with the "Thursday Design Appreciation" flair.


r/McMansionHell 47m ago

Certified McMansion™ Drive-by photo doesn’t do it justice

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Upvotes

This dumb house is enormous and is located in a really dumb area! It’s semi-rural but there’s nothing picturesque about the area and it’s pretty close to a busy road. I couldn’t stop gawking at it.


r/McMansionHell 15h ago

Discussion/Debate Toronto Canada. I wish there were more pics but they have a short vid in listing. What y’all think?

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75 Upvotes

r/McMansionHell 1d ago

Certified McMansion™ What in the world I can't even right now.

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388 Upvotes

r/McMansionHell 1d ago

Certified McMansion™ Not sure if these qualify but…. I hate them so much.

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0 Upvotes

r/McMansionHell 1d ago

Certified McMansion™ Not terrible.. but big

6 Upvotes

r/McMansionHell 3d ago

Certified McMansion™ Home in Brooklyn, New York

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706 Upvotes

r/McMansionHell 5d ago

Thursday Design Appreciation A historic San Francisco home built in 1876

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795 Upvotes

Link: https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1818-California-St-San-Francisco-CA-94109/80754943_zpid/

Inside isn't that impressive to me but the outside is stellar.


r/McMansionHell 5d ago

Thursday Design Appreciation A 178-acre pueblo-style ranch outside of Santa Fe

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701 Upvotes

Look, I like a good MCM or queen anne mansion as much as the next person addicted to this algorithm, but right now I'm all about the adobe stylings of this mega ranch in NM. We had it on PriceMe the other day:

https://www.priceme.game/puzzle/260715/37-rancho-alegre-santa-fe-nm-87508

Here's the zillow link too if that's your preference


r/McMansionHell 6d ago

Thursday Design Appreciation “The Wave” House (1960) in Lambertville, New Jersey; designed by Jules Gregory as his personal home

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474 Upvotes

r/McMansionHell 5d ago

Thursday Design Appreciation Meet the Flintstones, 2024

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134 Upvotes

r/McMansionHell 5d ago

Thursday Design Appreciation Riverside, IL home built in 1878

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118 Upvotes

r/McMansionHell 6d ago

Thursday Design Appreciation [Thursday Design Appreciation] 1925 English Manor

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892 Upvotes

Built in 1925 for the British Empire exhibition to demonstrate the traditional use of English oak.

Source


r/McMansionHell 5d ago

Thursday Design Appreciation Will you take a $24M check, post-dated 2099?

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70 Upvotes

r/McMansionHell 6d ago

Thursday Design Appreciation Inside Tennessee’s Only Frank Lloyd Wright-Designed Home

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686 Upvotes

For the very first time since it was built in 1952, Tennessee’s one and only Frank Lloyd Wright home has just hit the market. The original stonework, walls of glass, and sweeping views inside this $1.6M Chattanooga time capsule are absolutely breathtaking to look through. If you'd like to see more, here's a link. Photos by Bruce McCamish Photography.


r/McMansionHell 6d ago

Thursday Design Appreciation Vietnam has my favorite architecture at the moment

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97 Upvotes

A beautiful custom home plus some random pix of stuff I love. Ok one other Pic. It won't let me add more.


r/McMansionHell 6d ago

Thursday Design Appreciation St Augustine, Florida

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104 Upvotes

One of the oldest and continually occupied settlements in the United States, the city is best known for the Spanish Castille and early colonial Spanish/English buildings, but is also has an amazing collection of Victorian and early 20th century buildings on the south end.


r/McMansionHell 6d ago

Thursday Design Appreciation Old-School English Charm in Pennsylvania

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360 Upvotes

r/McMansionHell 6d ago

Thursday Design Appreciation 6 bed farmhouse in 37 acres, Tuscany. Just needs a pool.

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johndwood-international.com
65 Upvotes

r/McMansionHell 6d ago

Thursday Design Appreciation Historic house in West Sussex, England. $5m

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128 Upvotes

Is this large enough to qualify as a McMansion, even on a Thursday?

This was the country retreat of Queen Elizabeth’s sister Margaret and her husband, the portrait photographer Lord Snowdon. The seven-bedroom property originally dates from 1481. It has been extensively rebuilt and refurbished over the centuries

particulars here

A nice place for a weekend retreat with friends if you have the spare cash.


r/McMansionHell 6d ago

Certified McMansion™ SoCal-iterranean Grandeur

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61 Upvotes

This is what $1.4M can buy you in the eastern suburbs of Los Angeles. Columns, windows, more columns, some wrought iron doors, and don’t forget the red tile roof. Dead grass front lawn added in for no extra charge. Seller willing to carry a note with 30% down.


r/McMansionHell 8d ago

Amateur McMansion Straight to jail

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495 Upvotes

The way the grey interior contrasts with the views of lush green and blue skies is comical.

I honestly feel like whoever created this should be prosecuted in some way... lol


r/McMansionHell 8d ago

Amateur McMansion Someone got roofied. $1.4m in TX

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173 Upvotes

r/McMansionHell 8d ago

Certified McMansion™ For just $1.3 million, you can be king of the suburbs

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323 Upvotes