McMansion or not?

[Piobaire]

The little lamp post is the most awful part of that picture.

 

[johnapril]

Originally Posted by Piobaire

The little lamp post is the most awful part of that picture.

Where ignorance is bliss, 'tis folly to be wise.

 

[yerfdog]

StephenHero, how do you feel about the numerous neo-[x] or [x]-revival styles of architecture, some of which date as far back as the 1700s?

 

[The Deacon]

Originally Posted by StephenHero

Housewarming party at my place tomorrow if anyone wants to come.

Take a left on 384th street and when you see the sign for Quail Valley Trail Estates, I'm the first and last house in the cul-de-sac.

Looks like my friend's house in Jersey with the 15 ft high ceiling in the finished basement.

 

[yerfdog]

Originally Posted by The Deacon

Looks like my friend's house in Jersey with the 15 ft high ceiling in the finished basement.

Sounds pretty awesome tbh, I mean you could have a regulation basketball backboard set up down there, or a small half-pipe, or a wine cellar stacked up so high you need one of those ladders on sideways wheels that rolls around the edge of the room.

 

[patrickBOOTH]

Originally Posted by StephenHero

Housewarming party at my place tomorrow if anyone wants to come.

Take a left on 384th street and when you see the sign for Quail Valley Trail Estates, I'm the first and last house in the cul-de-sac.

Looks like my parent's house in Jersey. With 15' ceilings in a finished basement.

 

[patrickBOOTH]

Originally Posted by The Deacon

Looks like my friend's house in Jersey with the 15 ft high ceiling in the finished basement.

Wait, do we know each other IRL?

 

[BBSLM]

Originally Posted by StephenHero

No, it's not. It's perfectly acceptable because as a building form, it is a very honest representation of its purpose and requirements.

The Georgian has a plain symmetrical front, narrow windows, a pitched roof, and minimal ornamental work. The symmetrical front has a purpose of standardization and simplicity of construction. The narrow windows are honest because they puncture a load bearing wall and thus have limited span lengths, and the pitched roof is a functional form that limits snow and rain accumulation on the roof.

All of those three defining elements are completely ubiquitous within the world of modern vernacular architecture. But if you add non-functioning shutters, then you've got a problem.

I found this post very interesting and informative. Can anyone recommend a book(s) that covers various architectural styles and their features, etc?

 

[CommercialDoc]

Curious what the take is on these:











They are in an urban, new neighborhood. Sort of the urban McMansions.

 

[otc]

Originally Posted by CommercialDoc

Curious what the take is on these:


They are in an urban, new neighborhood. Sort of the urban McMansions.

I like #1 and #3 reasonably well.

#2 looks McMansiony...maybe it is how the roof is super sloping and it has that small porch/deck popping out of the roof and the brickwork doesn't look nice.

#4 I find less appealing (but more so than 2)...the roofline looks super generic and not at all designed.

They do all look a little big for their lots by my taste which is sort of a defining mcmansion neighborhood trait...I don't know how "urban" this is but the house sort of sprawls onto the lot without looking like you are in the kind of neighborhood where houses and lots were designed that way (like ancient chicago neighborhoods).

 

[dtmt]

Well, probably the most defining thing that makes a house a Mcmansions is the poor quality, so being that those are all brick (assuming it's real brick) I would be leaning towards no for most of them, but would need to see them up close, especially the interior.

The second one I like the least, the design really reminds me of a typical McMansion only with brick instead of vinyl siding. I like the one with the porches, that is pretty anti-McMansion. Porches harken back to a time when people walked everywhere instead of driving, a typical McMansion will have a huge garage door in front and no outdoor space to hang out, because the only reason for the occupants to leave the living room is to drive somewhere.

 

[mordecai]

?

 

[Dakota rube]

All the houses in CD's post are McMansions. They are on tiny lots, in a new "upscale" development in some ******* suburb. There are probably 6 floorplans to choose from, with three or four exteriors for each. It's like Celebration, Florida.

All ******* smoke and mirrors.

 

[zjpj83]

The best are ones with 17 different exterior materials. Some stone, some brick, some wood - just throw everything on there. It's like a house quilt.

 

[StephenHero]

Originally Posted by mordecai

?

I have a habit of knocking on my interior brick walls. Sometimes I'll ask people where I can get fake bricks like theirs. They're always caught off guard. Losers.