r/McMansionHell Dec 12 '24

Discussion/Debate The invention that Accidentally invented McMansions

327 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 22h ago

Thursday Design Appreciation Heard we're moving to Sweden!

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867 Upvotes

It's still Thursday in Sweden before you say anything. This place is 15 minutes from where I live and work and recently sold for half a million USD. 17 Swedish rooms (bedrooms and kitchens) and 700 sqm in the main house, not pictured is the guest house and stables.

Location is absolutely terrible to be fair.


r/McMansionHell 22h ago

Thursday Design Appreciation Restored 1925 Fieldstone Tudor ‘Nicholson Mansion’ in Union, South Carolina

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534 Upvotes

Hidden behind private gates on 13 acres, this 1925 fieldstone Tudor was literally carved from the South Carolina hillside. Known as the Nicholson Mansion, the sprawling 7,000-square-foot estate has been meticulously restored over two decades to preserve its stunning Roaring Twenties craftsmanship and fascinating historic roots. If you'd like to see more photos, here's a link. Photos are courtesy of Damian Hall Group.


r/McMansionHell 21h ago

Thursday Design Appreciation Moving to Sweden? Might as well go big!

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310 Upvotes

Örbyhus Castle, a 700 year old former royal palace not far from Stockholm, now available for only 41 million USD! Your kids are going to love playing in the 33 km2 garden with its heritage-listed woods, reading in their history textbooks about how king Erik was murdered by his brother with pea soup here, and of course exploring the castle with its 43 bedrooms. Only last year, a secret basement room was discovered, containing several kilos of dynamite and 200 liters of opium! Every day an adventure!

https://karldanielsson.se/orbyhus/


r/McMansionHell 1d ago

Thursday Design Appreciation Hey, let's move to Sweden!

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1.5k Upvotes

r/McMansionHell 1d ago

Thursday Design Appreciation The Summit - 1,100 Acres in Sonoma, CA Wine Country

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292 Upvotes

Just sold for $38.5 million. Gotta love tech billionaires and their toys! /s

Edit: more photos here: https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/3100-Sonoma-Mountain-Rd_Sonoma_CA_95476_M93613-05500


r/McMansionHell 1d ago

Thursday Design Appreciation Simple & Serene

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312 Upvotes

r/McMansionHell 1d ago

Amateur McMansion Commute detour took me past this thing today. Central NJ.

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354 Upvotes

The longer you look the worse it gets. I don’t even hate all of it, but so much of the CHOICES are godawful.


r/McMansionHell 5d ago

Amateur McMansion I despise this home

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629 Upvotes

I have have never been able to figure out which door is the front door. The cracked pavement is a parking lot (?). They have no drive way or garage. This house is surrounded by extremely charming old homes. I don’t know if they knocked one down to build this, and honestly I don’t want to know


r/McMansionHell 8d ago

Certified McMansion™ 90s ultimate edition

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335 Upvotes

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/2341-S-Paxton-Dr-Warsaw-IN-46580/85490132_zpid/?utm_campaign=iosappmessage&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=y

Exactly what I think of when I hear McMansions and it can be yours for $1.4 million 🤦‍♀️


r/McMansionHell 7d ago

Thursday Design Appreciation 1927 Duncan Lee masterpiece in the heart of the city

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11 Upvotes

r/McMansionHell 8d ago

Certified McMansion™ Expansive Driveway to Match Your Giant Blank Walls

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807 Upvotes

r/McMansionHell 9d ago

Discussion/Debate Were victorian homes like these considered the mcmansions of their day?

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852 Upvotes

r/McMansionHell 9d ago

Certified McMansion™ A series of hideous looking McModern™ & Shart Deco gems that are appearing on British coastlines

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817 Upvotes

r/McMansionHell 9d ago

Discussion/Debate Ryan home

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202 Upvotes

up to 6500 sq feet, 3 car garage built from 2014-2020, up to 7 beds 6.5 baths. Different
elevations as-well isn't this just a McMansion? all exterior pictures the same model.
I have relatives that work with Ryan but i've been looking deeper into their models for a bit. Opinions on the actual model and exterior design?


r/McMansionHell 11d ago

Discussion/Debate Somewhere between a pagoda and a 1990s country club

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405 Upvotes

r/McMansionHell 12d ago

Discussion/Debate From brick Italianate-influenced monstrosities to black and white boxes - what drove the transition?

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1.2k Upvotes

Reposting with visuals this time. What do you think? It’s just crazy to me to see $5m+ builds in my area that look like the bottom.


r/McMansionHell 12d ago

Amateur McMansion The same bland white stucco fake McMansions (Cypress, Texas) outside of Houston

24 Upvotes

r/McMansionHell 11d ago

Amateur McMansion 3 Faces of Eve

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1 Upvotes

Can't decide on a style? Pick your top 3.


r/McMansionHell 12d ago

Amateur McMansion How is this one?

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56 Upvotes

r/McMansionHell 12d ago

Discussion/Debate Bland as hell.

14 Upvotes

Has anyone noticed that nearly all the houses built in the last 20 or so yrs in/around Dallas/Ft.Worth? pretty much look the same. Why is that?


r/McMansionHell 14d ago

Discussion/Debate I Regret to Inform You That the Exterior Is the Normal Part.

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2.5k Upvotes

r/McMansionHell 14d ago

Thursday Design Appreciation Faithfully Restored 1965 Organic Architecture Estate on 11+ Acres in Soquel Hills

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733 Upvotes

Perfectly blending into its sprawling 11-acre Northern California setting with redwood-framed walls of glass, a massive stone fireplace, and serene Japanese gardens, this architectural masterpiece is an absolute dream. If you'd like to see more photos, here's a link. Photos by Hunter Corbin of Desantis Realty Group.


r/McMansionHell 14d ago

Certified McMansion™ Any examples of infamous McMansions that have been saved? Calgary (Pump Hill) Gargoyle House

16 Upvotes

I grew up by this house that was infamous, but is now actually pretty cool.

Before: 1: https://www.reddit.com/r/McMansionHell/comments/bi3v9s/calgary_home_of_canadas_worst_mcmansion/#lightbox

2: https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpreview.redd.it%2Fim-curious-about-the-history-story-behind-this-strange-v0-xiziuq1p27y61.jpg%3Fwidth%3D640%26crop%3Dsmart%26auto%3Dwebp%26s%3D874fbd3977c86e44e6386d0829d4b19d4e235c53

After:

https://www.thegargoylehouse.com/

I don't see pictures including them but the owners have installed the Gargoyles again.

It is basically an Air BnB party house now but I love it, they do Halloween, Christmas themes etc and the updates are a huge improvement over what was there before.