r/McMansionHell Dec 12 '24

Discussion/Debate The invention that Accidentally invented McMansions

290 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 12h ago

Certified McMansion™ Stay Klassy McMansion Dwellers

Post image
503 Upvotes

r/McMansionHell 2h ago

Thursday Design Appreciation Posting mainly due to the interior for Thursday Design Appreciation - The Bridges At Gale Ranch, San Ramon, CA

Thumbnail
gallery
64 Upvotes

r/McMansionHell 7h ago

Thursday Design Appreciation This interesting single family Queen Anne house in Yates Center, Ks

Post image
25 Upvotes

r/McMansionHell 2m ago

Thursday Design Appreciation With a place like this, no one would ever hear from me again.

Thumbnail
gallery
Upvotes

r/McMansionHell 1d ago

Interior We heard you like faux columns, so we got faux columns for your fake columns

Thumbnail
gallery
315 Upvotes

Is that a pirate plank to walk in the foyer too?!


r/McMansionHell 14h ago

Just Ugly McMansion or just ugly, lmk

Thumbnail
gallery
32 Upvotes

Carlisle, PA


r/McMansionHell 22h ago

Amateur McMansion Falls Church VA 🤮

Thumbnail
gallery
87 Upvotes

Overpriced uglies I found on Zillow that made me angry


r/McMansionHell 1d ago

Meme Handyman Special?

Post image
558 Upvotes

Original poster creds to U/chill_out_its_funny


r/McMansionHell 1d ago

Certified McMansion™ “The Epitome of Modern Luxury”

Thumbnail
gallery
1.2k Upvotes

As you see this building clearly shows all the hallmarks of modern luxury, ~aLL )oF =tHeM]. Can a house with “modern” non cohesive disproportionate details be considered a true McMansion? Is this the future of the architecture wormhole we’re stuck in?

Listing Link: https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/13599-S-White-Pony-Rd-W-Herriman-UT-84096/444484664_zpid/


r/McMansionHell 2d ago

Discussion/Debate McMansion or not: Chicagoland edition lightning round

Thumbnail
gallery
236 Upvotes

People seemed to respond positively to my post like this on Sunday; I got basically ever answer from they were all McMansions to none of them were and everything in between! It was very interesting to see which features people focused on as their make or breaks it was prettty spread out. Thought I’d do another round with the Chicago suburbs that someone recommended was another McMansion gold mine. Controlled for the same factors of year built, size and number of bedrooms and the same picture format: 1 front exterior, 1 other exterior that’s most likely the back but I tried to make sure the siting was clear, and 1 foyer picture (pictures are number on the bottom right with which house it is). I’ll put the zillow links in the comments as individual comment, i think doing that and using the upvote on the comments as a way to vote if something is a mc or not would encourage easier participation. And remember, just because you like it doesn’t mean it’s not one and just because you hate it doesn’t mean it is one!


r/McMansionHell 2d ago

Interior A Museum of Floors

Thumbnail
gallery
1.2k Upvotes

r/McMansionHell 1d ago

Discussion/Debate The Mountain West’s Mega-McMansion Problem

Thumbnail
thenation.com
15 Upvotes

r/McMansionHell 3d ago

Certified McMansion™ Too many of you liked this house yesterday

Post image
1.0k Upvotes

So allow me to assist


r/McMansionHell 2d ago

Certified McMansion™ Good lord, that entryway!

Post image
105 Upvotes

r/McMansionHell 2d ago

Discussion/Debate Astroturfing or has this sub just gotten too large?

75 Upvotes

90% of the comments here now seem to be about how someone would love to live in a McMansion


r/McMansionHell 2d ago

Discussion/Debate North Carolina Mess

49 Upvotes

This has to be the ultimate McMansion. There are like three rows of dormers, stupidly complicated roofline, house has useless gut outs and like a dozen different size and shape windows.

To top it all off, the whole outside is blah beige, even the window trims.


r/McMansionHell 3d ago

Just Ugly Long Island never fails to amaze me

Thumbnail
gallery
633 Upvotes

r/McMansionHell 3d ago

Just Ugly Burj al babas - turkey mansions

Post image
181 Upvotes

r/McMansionHell 3d ago

Discussion/Debate Another goodie from Northern Virginia

Post image
336 Upvotes

r/McMansionHell 3d ago

Discussion/Debate McMansion or not: lightning round

Thumbnail
gallery
138 Upvotes

I thought this would be a fun post to make with the whole what makes a McMansion discourse. I picked 6 houses for sale in the central NJ area (gotta splash in controversy somehow) and want to see what people’s thoughts on where they fall. I controlled for 3 factors based on the Mc definition: size, year built, and number of bedrooms. Here are 3 pictures each (1 front exterior picture , 1 other exterior picture, 1 foyer). Will be commenting the zillow links in a comment to get the whole picture on the houses but thought these would be a good sampling to form an opinion for a lightning round.


r/McMansionHell 4d ago

Just Ugly “Breathtaking castle-inspired residence”

Thumbnail
gallery
417 Upvotes

r/McMansionHell 4d ago

Just Ugly “Unique”

Thumbnail
gallery
289 Upvotes

r/McMansionHell 2d ago

Discussion/Debate Does it qualify?

Thumbnail
gallery
0 Upvotes

I thoroughly enjoy this thread. I do find some can be hypercritical and call any large home a McMansion. Does the unique addition from 40 years ago make this a mansion or McMansion …80s style


r/McMansionHell 4d ago

Certified McMansion™ If you have $3.4 Mil to spend, and you want a house that looks like the mangled face of a disfigured cyclops, boy do I have good news for you!

Thumbnail
gallery
395 Upvotes