What is a McMansion?
 

I keep seeing references to this. What does it mean?

- CDM

Re: What is a McMansion?
 

A large, brand new suburban house with a great deal of living space but virtually no land. Usually 4 bed 2 bath (sometimes with pool) on less than 500sqm.

In Australia, these monstrosities are frequently built in huge numbers with little more than 2 metres between them. All mod cons, but no character.

High density housing at its most crass and offensive.

:thumbdown:


PS. The term originated in America, where McMansions are king.

Re: What is a McMansion?
 

LOL yes and often not terribly substantial either.

Re: What is a McMansion?
 

And they have little or no eaves (takes up too much space which could be used for a media room or a rumpus or the fifth bedroom) so it's as hot as hell inside during the summer. A/C becomes a must which doesn't help the expenses or the environment.

They're relatively cheap, huge, flashy-looking houses.

Re: What is a McMansion?
 

....and typically when McMansions are mentioned the subject is people who are mortgaged up to the eyeballs and are going to be ruined with the next 0.25% interest rate rise. They're indicitive of the kind of consumerism / keeping up the with the Jones-ism a lot of people will claim doesn't exist in Aus.

Re: What is a McMansion?
 

You find McMansions on estates like these:

Apologies to those that live there - but my idea of living hell...

Re: What is a McMansion?
 

Hell on Earth indeed! I took these flying into Melbourne one day....spot the grass...any grass...anywhere!?? Not quite the Dandenongs!!

Re: What is a McMansion?
 

It wouldn't be any different if you took a photo from the window of a plane over Heathrow, Luton,, Gatwick, Manchester etc etc.

I don't really like them either, but there is quite a bit of snobbery on here. If you don't live on acreage or in the country/ hills you are classed as being a bit inferior

Re: What is a McMansion?
 

Quite - I know which view I prefer... this was at in autumn (it's much greener now). We drove past one of those estates on the way to Ballarat in summer and I couldn't believe how dry, flat and barren it was....

Re: What is a McMansion?
 

Why's it snobby not to like them? I think sometimes it's the opposite. We could have bought a big, shiny 4x2 on a new estate and we chose to buy an old house in need to cosmetic tlc in the hills.

Re: What is a McMansion?
 

A lovely big house , with a very small garden. Small meaning that its not on acres and acres of land ! :rolleyes:
People are not forced to buy these places, they choose to live there ! and i for one do not understand you get slagged off for it. Some people actually want maintainance free. I think on this site people look down there nose at you if you live in suburbia.

Everyone is different for gods sake !! :curse:


Nicky

Re: What is a McMansion?
 

Um, no snobbery at all. I live in a shared townhouse on about 150m2, if it's that big! I think those pics I uploaded look dreadful, looks like any shred of green which may have been there has been cleared away to make way for suburbia. I reckon it could be done a lot more sympathetically, or maybe it was barren in the first place...who knows.

Re: What is a McMansion?
 

I am not pointing a finger at you. just saying how certain people on here love to run new estates down.
I don't live on one, just a normal street in an outer suburb, but it wouldn't bother me if we did.

The last thing we wanted to do was move to a new Country, new life, job etc and spend every waking hour working on our house. We did this years ago when we brought a 1903 Victorian house in the UK and never again.

Don't forget that every house was new once, before we moved here we lived in a village in Essex and even though our house was 15 years old it was still referred to "as that new house down the lane"

Re: What is a McMansion?
 

I think it is fair to say that McMansion is intended as a demeaning term. When someone says "mrs jones lives in a mcmansion", they generally aren't paying a complement.

Re: What is a McMansion?
 

I don't think anyone is slagging anyone off - people are different and have different wants. I don't care where anyone lives as long as they're happy - that's all that counts :)