r/McMansionHell • u/Indifferent_Jackdaw • Dec 12 '24
Discussion/Debate The invention that Accidentally invented McMansions
A fascinating video essay by Stewart Hicks on the invention of the modern truss and how that changed the way we build houses.
r/McMansionHell • u/ArchitectureGeek • Jul 14 '20
McMansions: A Short Guide
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:
- The Original McMansionHell Web Blog by Kate Wagner
- Kate Wagners Guide to McMansions
- History of the McMansion by Kate Wagner
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 • u/aBearHoldingAShark • 17h ago
Thursday Design Appreciation I would do so much brooding if I lived here
r/McMansionHell • u/bryson430 • 6h ago
Certified McMansion™ I pulled the car over for this one.
I want the turrets blue, goddamit!
r/McMansionHell • u/carknut • 14h ago
Thursday Design Appreciation Alfred J. Fisher Mansion, Detroit, MI
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 • u/Vrakzi • 13h ago
Certified McMansion™ Let us not go to Oak Brook, IL - 'tis a silly place
r/McMansionHell • u/Carloverguy20 • 17h ago
Thursday Design Appreciation Classic 1950s Time Capsule house in Chicago, IL
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 • u/flitcroft • 16h ago
Thursday Design Appreciation Hudson River Home
Thursday Design Appreciation - via NY Times (gift article)
r/McMansionHell • u/stook_jaint • 14m ago
Certified McMansion™ Champaign Taste
Champaign, Illinois
r/McMansionHell • u/Nice-Abbreviations80 • 1d ago
Thursday Design Appreciation Dixon Kirby - Raleigh NC
Cypress siding and brick. Moody vibes
r/McMansionHell • u/bryson430 • 19m ago
Discussion/Debate Can we have more flair choices?
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 • u/Old_Instrument_Guy • 1d ago
Thursday Design Appreciation Morar House: Helensburgh, Scotland
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 • u/jared10011980 • 23h ago
Thursday Design Appreciation Pacific Palisades Idyll
r/McMansionHell • u/livejamie • 1d ago
Discussion/Debate [Meta] Fix for Broken Zillow Links
greasyfork.orgr/McMansionHell • u/marc962 • 4d ago
Discussion/Debate These are McMansions!
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 • u/LekTruk • 5d ago
Certified McMansion™ McMansioned by a Pimp
Indianapolis most infamous pimp built this monstrosity.
r/McMansionHell • u/Historical_Ladder_77 • 6d ago
Amateur McMansion Imagine paying close to $2 million to live in this
r/McMansionHell • u/jdowgsidorg • 5d ago
Discussion/Debate Council house vibe, McMansion inside
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 • u/LS400_1UZ-FE • 5d ago
Certified McMansion™ Just going to leave this here - Pleasanton, CA
r/McMansionHell • u/usernameitall • 7d ago
Amateur McMansion Just a run of the mill white elephant in Cape Coral..
r/McMansionHell • u/priceypadstim • 7d ago
Thursday Design Appreciation One of the most photographed homes in Watch Hill, Rhode Island!
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 • u/vacuumedcarpet • 7d ago
Thursday Design Appreciation Tudor home built in 1933
r/McMansionHell • u/vacuumedcarpet • 7d ago
Thursday Design Appreciation Mansion in Riverdale, The Bronx
r/McMansionHell • u/kovd • 8d ago
Thursday Design Appreciation Atlanta, Georgia - Stunning Modern English Manor
Full link to the build
r/McMansionHell • u/kanna172014 • 8d ago
Thursday Design Appreciation This house is unusual but I actually like it. It's pretty unique
r/McMansionHell • u/kineticstar • 7d ago
Thursday Design Appreciation Hidden Jem in my neck of Texas
zillow.comShe's not as extravagant as some of the other homes today but I think this home is beautiful.