Crimes against architecture? Design blunders of the hundreds of McMansions that litter suburbia after Nineties construction boom
- Architect's blog 'Worst of McMansions' chronicles how many of the cookie-cutter suburban homes are flawed and not balanced
- The site is authored by a woman who simply calls herself 'Kate' and was created in late July
- She has cataloged examples of McMansions, and provided criticism about homes explaining all that is architecturally wrong
- Kate said McMansions were 'never designed to last forever' and were 'built cheaply to get maximum items checked off list for the lowest cost'
- Premiums paid for McMansions declined significantly in 85 of the country's biggest cities
From the 1990s to mid-2000s, cookie-cutter suburban homes known as McMansions soared in popularity in neighborhoods across the country.
But now the once popular design for home building is being deemed out of style and ugly, as the premiums paid for McMansions declined significantly in 85 of the country's biggest cities, according to a report from Bloomberg.
With the decline in sales of McMansions over the years, an architect has pointed out all that is seemingly wrong with the homes on a blog titled 'Worst of McMansions'.
The site, which is authored by an architecture educator, writer, and critic, who simply calls herself 'Kate', was created in late July and chronicles how McMansions are not balanced homes as they often have flaws including inconsistent window sizes, gables of contrasting style and dormers.
A blog titled 'Worst of McMansions 'is pointing out all that is seemingly wrong with McMansion style homes. The photo above from the site shows how the columns on the home are the 'unforgivable' part of design
The creator of the site claims that some McMansions have 'fake brick patchwork' (above) that was 'tacky literally instantaneously'
'Horrible': This property features on the site thanks to its patchwork of many different types of brickwork
She has cataloged the most outrageous examples of McMansions, while providing the criticism about the homes explaining all that is architecturally wrong with them.
In one picture of a McMansion on her blog, she claims that the 'fake brick patchwork' featured as a design for the home was 'tacky literally instantaneously'.
Another picture calls out how the design of an oddly shaped home with long columns is 'unforgivable in so many ways.'
'An engineering marvel': McMansionHell exposes properties such as this for having columns made out of foam
'Peel and stick architecture': This house has a number of decorative extras on the exterior
Kate says on the site that McMansions which feature columns, use them incorrectly and often times aren't supporting the home at all.
'The McMansion was never designed to last forever ... [it] was built cheaply in order to get maximum items checked off the check-off list for the lowest cost,' she told Business Insider.
'The designing of houses from the inside out caused the rooflines to be massive and complex.'
The blog list numerous details about why certain McMansions are just flat out horrible, with pictures and diagrams pointing out all of the faults with them.
In her 'McMansions 101' posts, Kate explains how the homes don't have balance like normal houses because McMansions a jumble of features that don'e match like columns, oversized garages, and eaves to name a few.
The creator of the site claims that McMansions which feature columns, use them incorrectly and often times aren't supporting the home at all (pictured above)
She notes that some McMansions, like the one above, have a 'weird arched pediment with short columns and tall bases'
'Wrong, wrong, wrong'...: The blog points out that keystones , originally intended to hold an arch together, should be embedded in the surface rather than being tacked onto it
Keystone abuse! The blog points out that McMansions frequently have protruding keystones, as seen in this property
Keystones have been used decoratively for centuries, with varying degrees of success - as evidenced in this single property where they are used both correctly and incorrectly
In addition, 'Worst of McMansions' calls out builders for their bad designs including, creating garages bigger than the homes they're attached to, shoddy construction and a mishmash of contrasting styles within and outside the homes.
Before the 2008 financial crisis, many considered bigger homes to be betters and the McMansion style is what home buyers sought since they featured a three-car garage and cathedral ceilings in several of the five or more bedrooms.
Though they cost more to construct in that time period, McMansions also sold more than the typical starter homes would.
From 2012 to 2016, the additional money that home buyers were expected to be willing to pay to purchase a McMansion dropped by 84 per cent in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, according to data from Trulia.
In Phoenix, the premium fell by 42 per cent, while in Las Vegas it dropped by 46 per cent.
The site notes that McMansions also have incorrect muntins, like the home pictured above which shows them used backwards
The creator of the blog also claims that often times, 'wall dormers are out of scale' on McMansions, like the one pictured above
Shabby chic? This property with its faux exposed brickwork is described as having a 'sponge-paint job of architecture'
A basic McMansion style home would be valued at roughly $477,000 in 2012 in Fort Lauderdale - which is about 274 per cent more than other homes in the area.
In the same city in 2016, McMansions would be valued at roughly $611,000 which is 190 per cent above the rest of the market.
Kate is hoping that her site will help to finally end the architectural era of McMansions.
'Among the general population, a positive trend is emerging: People are starting to see that bigger isn't always better — this is evidenced by the tiny-house phenomenon that's been sweeping the nation the last couple of years,' she stated.
'However, I started McMansionHell with the goal of educating people about architecture and making them aware of the flaws of these houses (both architectural and sociological) through a combination of humor and easily digestible information in a way people who wouldn't otherwise care about architecture can get engaged with.
'If my work can stop just one person from bulldozing a forest to build an oversized house that's a blight on the environment, then I would call McMansionHell a very successful project.'
Too big! This property is huge - but is built on a tiny lot, as the proximity to the neighbor's house shows
Another property is criticized for being too big for its lot - and for blocking a neighbor's sunlight
Massive house, tiny lot: large properties are packed into small spaces
A crime against architecture? This property uses an oriel - a second-story bay window - but it's too big and completely overshadows the tiny first floor window right underneath
Some of the most remarkable oriels are from the Tudor period, which lasted from 1485 to 1603 in England and Wales. This is certainly not one of them
Incongruous and unnecessary: The first and second story windows here are better matched in terms of scale but don't escape criticism
The sign of a McMansion is the nub, according to McMansionHell. This is a section of roof that doesn't smooth out
Nub and dormer - with a patchwork of bricks thrown in: This McMansion has an uneven looking roof
Unusual feature: This home has a 'rare garage nub'
Shame about the nub: This property doesn't escape the blog's critical architectural eye
'Abhorrent!': McMansionHell creator Kate says the use of wrong style of muntin is a pet peeve of hers
Confusing: The muntins - the strips that hold panes of glass in a window - in this window don't even match the rest of the house
Another culprit: There's no end of examples of wrong use of muntins in McMansions
McMansions appropriated many architectural styles and mashed them together, sometimes making everything look off-center
Even the deer is appalled with this one
The one that got it right: McMansionHell says this is the correct use of a jerkinhead roof - on a property that sticks with one style
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