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McMansion is a slang architectural term which first came into use in the United States during the 1980s as a pejorative description and an idiom. It describes a particular style of housing that—as its name suggests—is both large like a mansion and as culturally ubiquitous as McDonald's fast food restaurants.

In addition to ubiquity, almost every reason to poke fun at McDonald's has been applied metaphorically to "McMansions". These criticisms include the deviation from traditional local or regional architectural style, a mass-produced appearance, and perceived negative impacts on nature and neighborhoods.

Origins of the "McMansion"

Starting in the U.S. boom years of the 1980s, the houses now known as McMansions were a new concept intended to fill a gap between the modest suburban tract home and the upscale custom-designed home often found in gate-guarded, lakeshore, or golf-course communities. Some large tracts of these houses have been developed around such communities, while others are built in pre-existing neighborhoods, either in empty lots or as replacements for tear-down structures.

It has been suggested that their popularity may not be purely based on consumer desires. Adjusted for inflation, in terms of square footage and features, a house in 2006 costs about the same to build as a house in 1970. Therefore, in order to increase profit margins over previous years, builders need to build more expensive houses (more features and square footage) on the same tracts.http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3225775/

The Spread of "McMansion"

As developments of large houses have spread, a number of similar, related terms have been coined, including "Beltway Baronial", "Starter Castlehttp://www.flickr.com/photos/d0ug/78291693/", "Tract Mansions", "Mini-Taj Mahals", "Big Foot", "Gable-opolis" and "faux chateau". The term "parachute home" refers to the perceived disregard for regional and immediate site considerations (as if the home had just been dropped from the sky). Closely related, but significantly different in both physical characteristics and social associations, are the "Persian palaces" of Los Angeles.

The large tract house phenomenon has spread beyond the United States into other Western countries, such as Canada and Australia. In Canada, McMansions are quickly becoming a trend in suburban areas, where the land is cheaper. Many older, smaller houses are being torn down to accommodate these McMansions. In Australia, McMansions started to appear during the 1990s in outer suburbs of Sydney and Melbourne, often fuelled by new freeway projects such as the M2 in the Hills region of Sydney. These houses are generally built in the form of tract housing by companies such as HomeWorld and are often within their own gated communities.

The term is less often used to describe houses situated within existing urban areas. Usually, smaller cottage-style houses have been demolished to make way for these McMansions. They are not usually built as a "development cluster" which is managed by a homeowners association; rather, they are built by their owners as a single dwelling. Styles are often used with names such as "neo-Georgian" or "neo-Federation". In Melbourne, they are often referred to as "Toorak wedding cakes" because of the appearance of the front of the house, which is often multi-layered.

Some Middle Eastern nations, particularly those infused with oil wealth, have seen the large-scale importation of many U.S. American concepts, including sprawling but cheap pseudo-Mediterranean architecture, usually for hotels/resorts but also for domiciles.

Characteristics

McMansions vary greatly in their appearance and layout. While the following features are usually found among these types of houses, they are not all required in order for a house to be considered a McMansion.

Space and size

The foremost characteristic of a McMansion is the impression of its largeness, particularly when compared with smaller, older nearby housing.

This style of house will usually have two stories, although it is common for some ground floor rooms (particularly entranceways) to extend the height of the building. Simpler versions will have a standard rectangular footprint, while more complex (and usually more expensive) floorplans will have additional wings or projections. In addition, the roof will usually be voluminous in order to incorporate an additional story of rooms rather than attic space.

Construction and materials

While their general appearances may be quite similar, the quality of construction and use of materials often varies greatly between different developers, and even between different houses built by the same developer. McMansions are most commonly framed with generic materials to facilitate construction, using the same wood-framed studwall construction as smaller houses, typically with 2x4 (38×89 mm) studs, while also incorporating more expensive surfacing materials such as hardwood, stone, tile, ironwork, and upscale appliances. Architectural features typically include more and larger rooms and extra lifestyle conveniences.

Advances in building technology have provided easier and less costly ways for features to be incorporated. For example, large rooms, with large ceiling areas, would not have been possible without metal connector plates to unify the wooden struts, which can be nailed by hand. Alternatively, 5-way or larger pre-fabricated wooden trusses can be used. This allows much larger roofs over an unsupported span, without the expense of metal I-beams or concrete spans. The use of trusses also allows substantial flexibility in the partitioning of interior spaces to form rooms and is an advantage to both builders and homeowners. To builders, it eases the production of variations suitable for various family sizes and age ranges, and to homeowners, the lack of interior load-bearing partitions facilitates easy home remodeling.

Exterior style

In addition to the general impression of largeness, the other common feature among McMansions is their tendency to incorporate architectural elements from non-native historical styles. The styles most commonly drawn on are classical and neoclassical architecture, or the half-timbered European styles, particularly English, Tudorbethan, Jacobethan, and French chateau styles.

Elements taken from these architectural styles are often decorative, rather than design or construction features. The most common decorative elements used are roofs, porches, and windows. Roof spaces that contain rooms rather than attics offer ample opportunity for dormers and cross-gables. Porches, being the focus of the front elevation, are often columned and pedimented with oculus or "bull's-eye" windows. Windows, particularly in the reception rooms, are very large, and may take the form of French doors or Palladian windows (also known as Venetian and Serlian windows), in which a central arch-headed window is flanked by narrower rectangular windows.

Entrances
A formal entrance that provides a focus for the front elevation is a common feature. A porch or portico is commonhttp://www.architecturestudio.us/residential/sena/1.html; rarer is a porte cochere, a kind of very large porch taken from neoclassical architecture that was originally intended to be large enough to allow carriages to drive underneath. Doors for the formal entrance will often be large and ornate.

The formal entrance of the house is often echoed by large gatepiers at the driveway entrance, even in the absence of a gate or fence.

Garages
Houses may have sweeping driveways and an attached garage for three or more vehicles. Detached garages are typically for 3 or more vehicles and are oversized to accommodate storage and work areas.

Golf course or lakeside developments will often have an additional shed for a golf cart or small boat storage. Some developments offer the option of a taller and deeper third garage to accommodate an RV or boat on a trailer.

Interior arrangement

The interior is usually traditional in layout, with reception rooms and kitchen on the ground floor, and sleeping accommodation on the upper floor. There may be a single small bedroom somewhere on the lower floor for access by guests or should a member of the family become infirm and be unable to climb the stairs to the upstairs bedrooms. A full master bedroom suite (a combination of sleeping area, closets, and private bath) on the entrance level is becoming a highly sought after feature in multistory houses. Extra rooms, such as offices and entertainment areas, are commonplace.

Large spaces
Floorplans frequently include large rooms, often in the form of an atrium-style hall which extends upwards through the height of the house and which features a striking staircasehttp://www.dailyrecord.com/news/wherewelive/series3/, or alternately a "great room". The great room is often tall as well and may have a "cathedral" ceiling following the pitch of the roofline, a balcony that serves as part of the upstairs hallway, or both. The great room generally takes one of two forms: it is either an open-plan space that incorporates several uses, or a formal drawing room-style reception area. In the latter case, a formal dining room is often found as a complement.

Smaller reception rooms
Smaller reception rooms may provide alternatives to the great room, in order to preserve its formal character. A family room is quite common, as are additional rooms to serve as informal living rooms, libraries, or home offices.

Family rooms provide space for family entertainment such as casual television watching or playing video games; the most expensive McMansion may also contain an entirely separate home theatre. The family room is typically either adjacent to the kitchen or incorporated into an open-plan space that includes the kitchen and an everyday dining area.

Technical features
McMansions typically include a large number of modern, high-tech features. Often, these houses will have as many bathrooms as bedrooms, and the master bath will usually include additional spa-like features, such as dual sinks, a whirlpool tub, a separate shower, or a sauna.

Lighting systems may be complex, with large banks of switches or computerised controls. Television, telephone, cable, and Ethernet wiring will often be included throughout much of the house. Some McMansions also contain centralised audio, with independent volume controls for each room of the house.

Kitchens may also have high-tech appliances and features, such as walk-in refrigerators with panels that match the kitchen cabinets, built-in vegetable steamers, granite countertops, multiple ovens, or specialized wine-storage refrigerators.http://www.chicagotribune.com/classified/realestate/realestate/chi-0602190284feb19,0,1556819.story?coll=chi-classifiedrealestate-hed

Nomenclature

Larger homes are typically built on undeveloped land for the development of a subdivision. Developers often select names such as "Kingswood" or "Manorcliff" for these subdivisions in order to invoke an image of quiet, upscale living. Subdivision names may also refer to features that have been partially removed by the development. For instance, the names "Oak Ridge" or "Laurel Hill" may refer to native trees or shrubs that existed in large numbers prior to construction. Likewise, "Quail Hollow" would suggest the presence of wildlife that historically was associated with the area.

Other characterizations

Implicit in the term "McMansion" is that many people choose to live in them. The trend gives middle and upper-middle class households greater access to desired luxury housing options that were previously only available to much wealthier homeowners. This is a general indicator of the increasing wealth of the middle class: previously the middle class was generally only able to afford much smaller homes with fewer amenities.

Developers that sell such homes generally reject the pejorative use of the term 'McMansion'. They counter criticism by pointing out that they build what people want, they sell quickly, and that they use less land for these dwellings, conserving expensive building lots. "We call them luxury move-up homes," says Rob Parahus, a developer.http://www.dailyrecord.com/news/wherewelive/series3/

Broader criticisms associated with the term "McMansion"

Size

Even in affluent locations which already have a ready assortment of large houses, the construction of what seems to be too large a house on an existing lot will often draw the ire of neighbours and other local residents. In 2006 for example, a home in Kirkland, WA (an affluent suburb on the Seattle Eastside) was built that was only 4 feet (1.2 m) away from the neighbouring home. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003046945_lotsize08e.html

While the average American family has shrunk in size, the average American home has grown. In 1974, average single family home was 1,695 square feet (157 m²); in 2004 it was 2,349 square feet (218 m²). The average family size, on the other hand, has fallen from 3.1 people in 1974 to 2.6 people in 2004.http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Moms/story?id=1445039&gma=true

The larger amount of space in a McMansion means that much of the home's volume is not used as much or as efficiently as the space in a smaller house. Rooms often go infrequently used; this is particularly the case with great rooms and formal dining rooms.http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/19/AR2005111901445_pf.html

The large, numerous windows that are sometimes used in the great room can result in buildings that are more expensive to cool and heat, especially if the house has been designed without consideration for its orientation relative to seasonal sun paths or without proper insulation. Large rooms, especially those with high ceilings, are frequently more expensive to heat.http://www.oregonlive.com/realestate/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/homes_real_estate/1140204336201250.xml&coll=7

The extra space in a McMansion allows for new and unique uses for rooms in the home. One anomalous report describes a room solely for the family dog, with a special dog shower.http://www.boston.com/yourlife/home/gallery/mcmansions?pg=14 The large number of rooms, along with their vastness, sometimes leads critics to complain of conspicuous consumption in furnishing themhttp://www.chicagotribune.com/classified/realestate/realestate/chi-0602190284feb19,0,1556819.story?coll=chi-classifiedrealestate-hed.

Exterior lighting is often profuse and varied, usually designed more for dramatic effect than practicality. Critics sometimes assert it is both wasteful of energy and contributes to a growing light pollution problem.

In some jurisdictions, in order to combat perceived urban sprawl from nearby metropolitan areas, local counties have designated a minimum plot size. The plot size is often a matter of great local political debate between housing developers, county officials, and local residents. Developers will typically seek a variance to allow houses to be built on smaller properties, often with the promise of using some of the land for parks or open space. When a variance is not granted, plot sizes end up being "too small to farm, too large to mow," and are sometimes criticized as a poor use of land resources which ultimately contributes to further sprawl, rather than preventing it.

In other jurisdictions, there may be a minimum area household requirement, designed to keep out lower-income residents by forcing the houses to be larger and thus more expensive.

Social criticisms

The term "McMansion" is sometimes used as a criticism of capitalistic culture as a whole. It has been used in the context of "the biggest house on the smallest block for the lowest price" http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/08/26/1061663776473.html —- criticism of the quality of the construction, criticism of the perceived wastefulness of McMansion developments, and criticism of their effect on nature.

The term is sometimes also used to negatively stereotype the owners and residents or such houses, with reference to their taste (or purported lack thereof) and their aspirations. In this context, the term may imply conspicuous consumption: that the houses are bought on the principle of paying the lowest dollar-per-square foot price in order to "get more house for the money", or that the sizes of the houses display the owners' wealth and social status.http://www.dailyrecord.com/news/wherewelive/series3/http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/08/26/1061663776473.html.

While McMansions may be stereotyped in these ways, similar criticisms are sometimes made of large suburban developments in general, as development strategies, design, and construction methods are similar in these types of developments as well.

Aesthetic criticism of McMansions

Some aesthetic critics assert that the architecture of McMansions is poorly considered, ostentatious, not "properly" balanced against lot size, or otherwise undesirable in their proportions. Such criticism may also extend to the fact that traditionally functional elements of large homes have been adapted as ornamental, and have been juxtaposed to features alien to that original context. It is also asserted that these features are generally included frequently at the front of the house where they are most visible, rather than toward the sides or rear where they are more traditional and functional.

The use and emphasis on ornamental features visible from the front has been criticized as ostentatious or cluttered. The porch or portico, for example, may be infrequently used by residents, who come and go through an internal door to the garage.

The specific styles of architecture used are also sometimes criticized because they are not native to the United States and because features from various different architectural styles are mixed. Proponents of the McMansion style of architecture claim that the styles are popular typically because they are deemed attractive to the majority of buyers who wish for something other than a plain box in which to live.

Associated terms

Other (usually) derisive terms used to refer to McMansions and their parts:
  • Beltway Baronial
  • Big Foot House - referring to the relative large area of the site taken up by the building. Also can refer to the large size of the property on which the McMansion sits.
  • Carpet Bombing House - another term for McMansions, particularly those built in great swathes in a relatively short period of time.
  • Faux chateau
  • Gable-opolis - a reference to the overwrought complexity of rooflines used to emphasize the mass of the building.
  • Garage Mahals - custom-built large garages; or, garages renovated in to a home. Possibly associated with McMansions.
  • Lawyer Foyer - another term for McMansions. Also refers to the two-story entry space typically found on many McMansions which is meant to be visually overwhelming but which contributes little to the useful space of the house.
  • Mini-Taj Mahals
  • Parachute home - refers to the alleged disregard for regional and immediate site considerations (as if the home had just been dropped from the sky)
  • Starter Castle - see 'The spread of "McMansions"' above.
  • Tract Mansions
  • Monster Mansions

See also

References

External links

McWords | House styles | Mansions

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "McMansion".

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