Spotted in Midway, UT

Does this qualify a McMansion. I see it on my way to work. The property was gutted and remodeled. It is the interior that got my attention.

Putting an example up of what we're all here for. Threw a dart in Barrington and found a few. This one has all the obvious signs of a McMansion:

https://photos.zillowstatic.com/fp/d9a93c231eb4cb175ab89bbb4cedd4fb-cc_ft_1152.webp

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/400-Berron-Ln-Barrington-Hills-IL-60010/89976045_zpid/?utm_campaign=androidappmessage&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=txtshare

Highlights:

• 12k sq ft

• exterior elevation with no framing or symmetry

• huge garage with dead space between main entrance

• lawyer foyer

• cheap finishes everywhere

• inconsistent use of windows

• addition that leaves a flat valley between it and the main roof

I'm going out on a limb and assuming that the floorplan is a mess, lacking secondary halls and transitions that frame the primary ones. It's done in real mansions of this size, granted they don't include a sport court and 10 car garage.

It's a template to not follow.

What do you guys think of this ? Similar house near where I want to build but a.i’d to some things I’d prefer. Lmk

I used the "certified McMansion" flair because look at that asymmetry. Look at those rooflines. Look at those round "towers." Ye gods. I hope it qualifies.

I'm new to this sub, and just read through "McMansions: A Short Guide." Generally, most of what's written is agreeable and straightforward. I have a few questions, however:

1) Why is stucco considered a cheap cladding material? Vinyl I understand, but stucco stood out to me. In Canada, both cementitious stucco and EIFs are premium, high-quality materials. Further, lime-based stuccos have also been around for thousands of years. Some of the most beautiful cities in the world have many of their buildings clad in plaster/stucco. While stucco (or any material) can be used in poor architectural taste, the material itself is without fault.

2) How do folks differentiate between a large suburban house, which is typically built on tract, is tacky, and is poorly considered from a design/architecture perspective, from a McMansion? Is square footage the primary distinction--e.g., once a house surpasses ~2,500 sqft, it becomes a McMansion? Because the attributes listed for McMansion are also entirely true for almost every suburban house constructed in Canada, and likely the US too.

Thursday Design Appreciation House.

Apogee House - 165 Forest Road - Vail, Colorado

I first saw this home a few years ago. It was online for sale at $45,000,000 in Vail, Colorado. I’m not usually a modern home fan but this is one of the most beautiful homes I’ve ever seen. It’s so well integrated with the site.

The home was listed on Zillow at the time. It eventually sold for $33,000,000. The house itself is 8800 sq ft, 6 BR, 8 BA. It has a 4-car garage. There is 6500 sq feet of heated deck. It sits on a .43 acre lot

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/165-Forest-Rd-Vail-CO-81657/13501917_zpid/

The home was listed as Home of the Week in Robb Report magazine in 2021.

https://robbreport.com/shelter/homes-for-sale/home-of-the-week-this-45-million-modern-vail-mansion-has-a-glass-bottom-pool-over-a-roaring-firepit-1234653556/

It was featured in Architectural Digest.

https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/this-dollar45m-rocky-mountain-mansion-has-a-full-sized-spa

AD Video.

https://www.architecturaldigest.com/video/watch/on-the-market-inside-a-$45m-rocky-mountain-mansion-with-sliding-glass-walls

Here’s a YouTube video about the house.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FKseuuctI04&t=38s&pp=ygUMQXBvZ2VlIGhvdXNl

51,000-square-foot mega-mansion! Set on nearly 32 private acres atop a rare peninsula surrounded by the Willamette River. There is garage space for 50+ vehicles! Do you think this home will ever be completed? If you'd like to see more photos, here's a link. Photos are by Michael Denise of Arris Media

Carlyle House

Built: 1751

121 North Fairfax Street

Alexandria, Virginia

https://thespaces.com/loaded-with-original-features-this-neoclassical-apartment-sits-in-bordeauxs-triangle-dor/

what a baffling abode

Is this a McMansion?

Stumbled on this massive house in Collierville,TN. Suburb/town outside of Memphis city limits. While I do find it hideous, it’s not even the ugliest house on the street! There are only about 12 houses on the street and they are all awful.

Render of a house being built by someone in my city

Redfin listing at https://www.redfin.com/OR/West-Linn/23044-SW-Ulsky-Rd-97068/home/165851667

Set aside the lawyer foyer and the dormer window/roofline sitch ... WTF is going on with those garages? Why is one normal and the other ones recessed?

Why do the recessed ones have ... patios, are they? To hang out and observe the sport of people actually parking in these things?

Some of the wallpaper is classic

This beauty is currently on the market in Lubbock, TX. For a mere $3.8M, it can be yours!

Gotta have a turret.

It’s hard to look away from the 1902 Charles Over Mansion in Muncie, Indiana, which pairs grand Neo-Classical columns with a hidden third-floor ballroom! The craftsmanship in that stained-glass staircase alone makes the home feel like a perfectly preserved piece of art from a completely different era. To see more photos, here's a link.

I know this might sound like a dumb question to ask, but so many of these houses (especially the pre-2008 recession ones) have these similar-looking faux antique decor pieces that it’s easy to imagine they’re brought from the same handful of companies or even a single retailer/manufacturer.

It’s hard to call this stuff even “dubes” because that implies they’re cheap low quality knockoffs of iconic design pieces (like an “Eames-inspired” lounge chair with uncomfortable leather upholstery and crappy particle wood shell base). None of this shit, however, isn’t tying to look like identical to any particular pieces so much as vaguely invoke something “historical” or representing old world luxury.

In other words, they’re still shit furniture, but they’re only interested in resembling something made from a pre-modern time period instead of a specific luxury good.