What is NOT ugly architecture?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I really dislike what I've heard called "garage-forward" or "car-forward" houses-- where the garage or the car pad is the first thing you notice about a house.

Many of these simply were compromises for houses built on lots that just aren't very wide. It is an ugly compromise to be sure. Much nicer if garage is on one side.

[Anonymous]

I judge “ugly” by the size of the house — not its style per se. I find large homes are self-indulgent gross, a prime testament to the fact that we’ve been drugged as Americans to surround ourselves with space and crap we don’t need and define ourselves by what we consume.

A multi-family dwelling or small SFH is always going to look prettier to me.

[Anonymous]

This is sort of country cottage. In the city but was built as an escape from the central congestion. Is it a colonial? I like it despite the need for a new kitchen and paint.

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/6803-N-12th-St-Philadelphia-PA-19126/10546223_zpid/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:McMansion Hell does a really good job explaining why certain houses are ugly. It's mostly to do with proportion - proportionate height vs width, use of visual "blocks," and proportion of windows to each other and the house.

To a lesser extent she points to symmetry, and to mixing architectural styles badly. I don't always agree with her on these - for example, I love Victorians, which are typically asymmetrical (but still proportionate and visually balanced, if done well). Her issue with mixing styles seems to mostly be about features that had a function in their original style, but putting them in a place that negates that function. So for example, gables on a roof that doesn't need them; unusable porticos that pop out like warts, huge tall foyers that need a catwalk-style upstairs passageway to get around.

I am not a fan of colonials, btw - and I love a Sears house. But when you look at what McMansion Hell points out and compare to an actual mansion, you see the difference.

Have you ever seen the McMansion Hell author? She should take some tips that explain why she is poorly proportioned and unattractive, because, I can promise you, she’s nothing to write home about.