Are the builders building those in your part of the world, too? I call them "houses on steroids," but the term I see from architects and planners is "McMansions."
What IS it with these? Does anyone on the thread have one? Can you explain why? No offense, but I just don't "get" them. The American ideal used to be a big house, yes, but with lots of land. Around here the McMansions are on .18 acre lots. My husband jokes that you can reach out from your kitchen window and borrow the neighbor's Grey Poupon without leaving the house.
On the other hand, driving in Northwest D.C., I have noticed that the actual, old-fashioned urban mansions also have tiny lots, although the trees, landscaping and fences make it not so noticeable.
My guess is that the people who live in them are corporate executives, who are mobile, need upscale housing, and don't have time to spend on the yard.
But the phenomenon is so alien, it genuinely puzzles me. All the new housing in Fairfax is either townhouses or McMansions. And the McMansions remind me of the townhouses, three abreast, with a tiny yard separating them. Tricky rooflines, dormers and gables, that's what American women want today, courtesy of surveys by House Beautiful, Redbook, Life and Southern Living, the most desireable houses have dormers and gables, just because. |
