What exactly is wrong with the mcmansion?

[Anonymous]

jk... but i drive past that Mc mansion on University everyday, how do they get into their gated driveway? they would have to stop in the middle of a 3 lane highway (going one direction) in order to pull in or out.

[Anonymous]

Hey to be clear 90% of the 30s-50s housing stock around here is mass produced crud that was not intended to be used 70 yrs later (these were not country homes built by artisans, but quick cheap housing for booming towns).

You again. Back this up with facts, or be gone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They are generally ugly monstrosities that require too much energy to heat and cool, etc etc. You're taking a lovely country drive through VA when - BAM! Here are some ugly-ass McMansions ruining the view with their cheap-looking, cookie-cutter construction. Barf.

Again, the new construction 3000 sqrft homes have the same or lower energy costs to heat and cool then the older non efficient homes half their size.

Cheap is subjective but if you look at insurance replacement costs for an older home and a new larger home the new home will cost more to build even taking into account the doubling of size. And who takes a country drive through VA? Where are you going that is the country?

Not the PP, but antiquing, bird watching, horseback riding, getting out of the city, hiking, visiting friends and family. It's Virginia, not the Gates of Hell. Lots of people go there, and on purpose, even!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I like the idea of everyone trying to live as economically (space-wise) as possible so we don't end up building over the entire planet. So the McMansion thing just bothers me. I guess it seems superfluous and greedy and inefficient. I would rather see cities with mass transit and lots of open parkland around them.

Here is what you want, soviet style, everyone has the same amount of efficient space and mass transit

That's a leap of logic. Are you the same person who hears "sensible gun regulations" and imagines Obama's jack-booted army of The Brotherhood of Islam paratroopers shooting your kids, taking your guns, and putting you to work in some gulag? Metaphors purposefully mixed to reflect a fun cross section of some of the wild eyed pro-gun comments I've read recently.

S/he's not suggesting an enforced policy of sameness, she's saying gently that maybe some people are using more than their fair share of resources.

NO this is about housing not politics and that isn't me .

Well it's a way of showing how some people want everything small, the same and have mass transit, this is what you end up. As an american I am proud of the fact that my country let's me live and buy a home in whatever manner I wish whether it be big small or medium.

And as an American, I'm sure you're aware of how zoning codes and policies create preferential treatments for sprawling SFHs, right? How "choice" in SFH new build is something of an illusion? I'm the PP who would love a newer, larger (than my tiny townhouse) home - I do not want a McMansion. If I want a new home and can't scrape up the cash for an architect's fees, I have no choices, basically. I can pick from huge, huger, or hugest.

Building a smaller home doesn't make much monetary sense because the fees, costs and time are very similar for a larger "mcmansion". As an investment it doesn't make sense to go through all that trouble for a small home.

[Anonymous]

what is a rambler?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:what is a rambler?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:what is a rambler?

So it's NOT just McMansions that are ugly.

[Anonymous]

that house looks eerie for some reason

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:what is a rambler?

Um my rambler certainly does NOT look like that.

A rambler is a home where most of the bedrooms and bathrooms, kitchen, living room, etc., are on the first floor. Then there is a basement or bottom floor.

FWIW my rambler has 5 bedrooms and 3 full baths and is quite spacious. We like horizontal living as opposed to a colonial style.

[Anonymous]

it looks like a baby that hasnt grow into its head

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
You're making the point that shoddy construction isn't a new thing? Thanks, I guess.

My 1908 rowhouse is quiet inside. Solid wood everywhere. We're one of those families who doesn't need to turn on the heat or AC until weeks after others do. The house is inviting and comfortable, with the right amount of space in each room for family use. True, when we entertain, things get a little cramped. But that's what, every other month or so? No big deal.

And as for "jealousy", as a PP said, if I sold my DC rowhouse, I could buy a giant cardboard box in the burbs and have money left over for a full-sized SUV and top-to-bottom Pottery Barn. Ain't gonna do it, though. I have more to add, but it's time for me to stroll two blocks with my granny cart to the grocery store. And I can't later, either, because I'm meeting friends at the restaurant a block away, unless we decide to go further afield, in which case I'll walk two blocks to the metro.

I think you protest too much. A 1908 rowhouse is vulnerable at any time to noisy neighbors, regardless of the quality of the masonry. You also likely have a small family/living room, one place to eat, and none of the amenities that most families, given a choice, would prefer. If you sold your DC rowhouse, you could not readily afford a newer home in a close-in suburb like Bethesda, Arlington or McLean. They cost considerably more. Instead, you'd be relegated to another older house or a newer house many miles from DC. And, I can't imagine wanting to limit myself to restaurants within walking distance of the Metro, when so many of the area's best - and most enjoyable - restaurants are outside the city.

Net net - you want to advertise your good taste, but just end up coming across as small-minded and parochial.

[Anonymous]

If you sold your DC rowhouse, you could not readily afford a newer home in a close-in suburb like Bethesda, Arlington or McLean. They cost considerably more.

No, PP, it is you who are "small-minded and parochial," because you have clearly never heard of neighborhoods like Georgetown, Kalorama, Dupont, Woodley Park and Cleveland Park, where rowhouses can fetch well north of $1M. Thanks for playing, though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I like the idea of everyone trying to live as economically (space-wise) as possible so we don't end up building over the entire planet. So the McMansion thing just bothers me. I guess it seems superfluous and greedy and inefficient. I would rather see cities with mass transit and lots of open parkland around them.

Here is what you want, soviet style, everyone has the same amount of efficient space and mass transit

Well, no, not exactly. I'm just trying to answer the question posed honestly. Say I get a few pizzas for my kid's birthday party. I'm not going to give every kid some cruddy 1/4 slice. They can have how much they want, depending on how hungry they are. But if some kid takes a whole pizza for himself, I'm going to assume he's taking more than he needs and feel annoyed. That's how I feel about people who live in giant houses--nobody needs that much space. It feels greedy and I just don't get it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:what is a rambler?

Um my rambler certainly does NOT look like that.

A rambler is a home where most of the bedrooms and bathrooms, kitchen, living room, etc., are on the first floor. Then there is a basement or bottom floor.

FWIW my rambler has 5 bedrooms and 3 full baths and is quite spacious. We like horizontal living as opposed to a colonial style.

Actually, that is more like a Cape Cod than a traditional rambler. And I disagree with the PP, ramblers are typically one-story homes where the rooms spread out and "ramble" across a bigger footprint than the same square footage in a multi-floor home. Ramblers are usually single-floor living and do not include basements or additional floors. My family has owned a lot of ramblers over the years and very few of them included a basement. But then, my siblings live in Texas and my parents live in Florida both places where basements are less common.

For some examples/photos, see the Wikipedia link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranch-style_house

[Anonymous]

Tell me about all the exciting restaurants outside DC! I can't wait to go visit them.

(and I assume we're not talking Inn at Little Washington, here.)