11 thoughts on “McMansion Hell”

  1. I think the house itself isn’t all that bad. It’s the drapes and furniture that give it that special…something. Give it a fresh coat of semi-gloss, and it’s just the right size for a rehab clinic or a half-way house.

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  3. Some of the most dismal homes that I have seen are the ones that were expensively done-up with all the trimmings of the 70s or the 80s. As taste changes, the dernier cri becomes positively revolting (Lileks has a fantastic book on 70s decor illustrating this fact). Even now, I’m repulsed by at least a quarter of the elaborate kitchens that I see in ads in home magazines, either by the appearance (especially the stuff that you can’t just paint over) or the maintenance issues raised by the materials chosen. There’s a current fad to use wooden countertops even around sinks (rot), or to use tile backsplashes behind stoves (grease). And let’s not even talk about the practicalities of having lots of open shelving in a kitchen, a look which has been very popular lately.

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  4. OMG, I agree with Amy. (Or 90% anyway, the Lileks book being pretty good actually, rather than fantastic.) Somebody mark the calendar.

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  6. What they don’t picture is that it’s also right next to power lines and off of a main road. I’m truly repulsed by the decor but was even more shocked when I looked at the master bedroom/bathroom. There’s no DOOR! Who on earth wants to have the bathroom and bedroom combined? I’d like some privacy, please!

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  7. They also don’t show the 12 faux Grecian statues on the front lawn and the bunker-like shape of the house. It’s totally a mob house.
    Ugh. Let’s not get too huggy-wuggy in the comment section.

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  8. “I’m truly repulsed by the decor but was even more shocked when I looked at the master bedroom/bathroom. There’s no DOOR! Who on earth wants to have the bathroom and bedroom combined? I’d like some privacy, please!”
    In this case, that might have been because of mobility issues, but I’ve seen that elsewhere, including in a spec home near campus (although there, maybe they just ran out of money).
    If you love architecture and design, socketsite.com is very good. It’s a frequently updated blog and they do high end San Francisco homes. The readership is encouraged to go out and look at the houses and report back.

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  10. Heh, makes me think of the movie “Married to the Mob,” starring Michelle Pfeiffer, Alec Baldwin, and Matthew Modine. I remember seeing it with a friend, native North Carolinian, and her shock when I told her there really were people who dressed/lived like that.

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  11. I missed the whole mob aspect (not having ever been around that sort of thing), but it explains the size of the house. They’re never going to get that price for that house, unless there’s some sort of fraud involved (and what would be the chance of that?).

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