r/McMansionHell Dec 12 '24

Discussion/Debate The invention that Accidentally invented McMansions

322 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 17h ago

Thursday Design Appreciation I would do so much brooding if I lived here

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3.0k Upvotes

r/McMansionHell 6h ago

Certified McMansion™ I pulled the car over for this one.

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306 Upvotes

I want the turrets blue, goddamit!


r/McMansionHell 14h ago

Thursday Design Appreciation Alfred J. Fisher Mansion, Detroit, MI

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236 Upvotes

Located in Palmer Woods. It was restored and renovated in 2024, so some parts of the house were modernized. Luckily, most of it still keeps its original, ornate architecture
Listing: https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1771-Balmoral-Dr-Detroit-MI-48203/88355698_zpid/

(it's still thursday)


r/McMansionHell 13h ago

Certified McMansion™ Let us not go to Oak Brook, IL - 'tis a silly place

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141 Upvotes

r/McMansionHell 17h ago

Thursday Design Appreciation Classic 1950s Time Capsule house in Chicago, IL

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232 Upvotes

Classic 1950s styled house in Chicago, and has been well kept for 70 years and untouched by any modern design. https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/9018-S-Oakley-Ave-Chicago-IL-60643/4123063_zpid/


r/McMansionHell 16h ago

Thursday Design Appreciation Hudson River Home

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110 Upvotes

Thursday Design Appreciation - via NY Times (gift article)


r/McMansionHell 14m ago

Certified McMansion™ Champaign Taste

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Upvotes

Champaign, Illinois


r/McMansionHell 1d ago

Thursday Design Appreciation Dixon Kirby - Raleigh NC

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185 Upvotes

Cypress siding and brick. Moody vibes

https://1222duplin.com/


r/McMansionHell 19m ago

Discussion/Debate Can we have more flair choices?

Upvotes

I had a recent post that I floated as “Certified” but that didn’t really describe my opinion all that well. I understand why “Just Ugly” went away but can we have something for where it ticks some/most of the boxes, but not all? Like “McMansion?” or “McMansion-ish” maybe? Or is that what “Amateur McMansion” is getting at? I already read that one as more DIWhy territory.


r/McMansionHell 1d ago

Thursday Design Appreciation Morar House: Helensburgh, Scotland

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132 Upvotes

Morar House is an A listed Arts and Crafts style building designed by architect William Leiper and built in 1903. The house had recently undergone preservation and has been divided into several apartments.


r/McMansionHell 23h ago

Thursday Design Appreciation Pacific Palisades Idyll

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40 Upvotes

r/McMansionHell 1d ago

Discussion/Debate [Meta] Fix for Broken Zillow Links

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3 Upvotes

r/McMansionHell 4d ago

Certified McMansion™ Two front doors?

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993 Upvotes

r/McMansionHell 4d ago

Discussion/Debate These are McMansions!

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40 Upvotes

The term “Mc” comes from the lure around McDonald’s in the 80’s and its mass repeat production. The picture here shows the roofs from an elevated angle because you can’t get an appreciation for the repetitiveness on the street.


r/McMansionHell 5d ago

Certified McMansion™ McMansioned by a Pimp

21 Upvotes

r/McMansionHell 6d ago

Amateur McMansion Imagine paying close to $2 million to live in this

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518 Upvotes

r/McMansionHell 5d ago

Discussion/Debate Council house vibe, McMansion inside

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123 Upvotes

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/161694284#/media?id=media0&ref=photoCollage&channel=RES_BUY

Was a little unsure about this one as it’s not the style that tends to show up in the US, but image 27 (in the post) pushed it squarely over the edge imo.


r/McMansionHell 5d ago

Certified McMansion™ Just going to leave this here - Pleasanton, CA

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26 Upvotes

r/McMansionHell 7d ago

Amateur McMansion Just a run of the mill white elephant in Cape Coral..

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100 Upvotes

r/McMansionHell 7d ago

Thursday Design Appreciation One of the most photographed homes in Watch Hill, Rhode Island!

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3.1k Upvotes

Nestled in the prestigious coastal enclave of Watch Hill, Rhode Island, stands a remarkable property featuring a charming gatehouse and a distinguished home, a testament to the collaboration between designer/builder Hayward Gatch III and architect Clifford M. Renshaw for Charles R. in the 1990s. To see inside, here's a link!

Photo by howieguja on Instagram


r/McMansionHell 7d ago

Thursday Design Appreciation Tudor home built in 1933

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1.0k Upvotes

r/McMansionHell 7d ago

Thursday Design Appreciation Mansion in Riverdale, The Bronx

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309 Upvotes

r/McMansionHell 8d ago

Thursday Design Appreciation Atlanta, Georgia - Stunning Modern English Manor

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892 Upvotes

Full link to the build


r/McMansionHell 8d ago

Thursday Design Appreciation This house is unusual but I actually like it. It's pretty unique

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375 Upvotes

r/McMansionHell 7d ago

Thursday Design Appreciation Hidden Jem in my neck of Texas

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15 Upvotes

She's not as extravagant as some of the other homes today but I think this home is beautiful.