Compact Mansions.

[Monocrom]

Seems odd, but they do exist.

While picking up a lovely young lady for our first date, I had to drive down one particular street close to her neighborhood to pick her up. Working-class neighborhood with some small houses. Nothing fancy. But a few of the houses had clearly been torn down. And I saw more than a few compact mansions. The property each mansion is on was clearly sold with small houses in mind. An average, large, mansion simply isn't going to fit.

The opulance was very impressive. Yet, just seemed out of place. A handful of mansions scattered about a Working-class neighborhood filled mainly with small houses.

Perhaps I'm old-fashioned, but flaunting one's wealth that way isn't something that was typically done just a few generations ago. Two reasons, mainly. It was considered a class-less thing to do. And, even if you wanted to show off, you ran the risk of someone being too tempted and trying to take some of that wealth away from you. Just seems ridiculous to me to build a mansion in the middle of a Working-class neighborhood. Seems very odd. What do you guys think of this, and other open displays of wealth?

 

[adamjh3]

Ugh, my neighbor spent five years building his "mini-mansion."
The thing towers over my house, and he's certainly the joke of the neighborhood.

I don't know how I'd feel if I actually had decent money, but in a way, we're always displaying how (un)wealthy we are. The car we drive, the watch on our wrist, our brand of clothing. I dunno, it's late and I'm rambling

 

[StarHalo]

What qualifies as a compact mansion?

 

[jamesmtl514]

photos would help us know what you're talking about.

Where I am, there is an older neighborhood (1960s construction) nearby. The lots are a very good size. It has become fashionable to tear down the older homes and put up much bigger homes.

If it increases the value of the neighborhood, attracts money and makes the city more money in taxes I don't see the harm.

 

[TooManyGizmos]

~

Personally ..... I give them credit .... simply for NOT building it on a Coast line !

~

 

[jtr1962]

Yeah, we have some of these in our neighborhood. They look totally out of place. Interestingly, the purpose many were built wasn't to flaunt wealth. Rather, they were often built by real estate speculators who owned a number of houses in a neighborhood. Knock down one or two tract houses, replace them with upscale houses, even if you sell them at cost, and the price of your other homes appreciates along with every other home in the area. Good for real estate speculators, bad obviously for anyone seeking to buy a "normal" home in the area. The sooner this practice is ended, the better for all involved. Single family homes in areas like mine were meant for working class families to buy and live in. They're not "investments" for someone seeking a quick buck. Thankfully, the practice is on the way out with changes in zoning laws.

Here are good examples of the types of homes I'm talking about.

 

[Monocrom]

Here's one example of what I mean by a compact mansion. (Although generally there's an extra floor than what's shown in the example below.) The mansion barely extends further on either end. What you don't see is an intricate but thick and heavy bronze fence/gate surrounding the property. Basically the type of "house" that would cause your head to turn towards it while driving through a Working-class neighborhood.

 

[gorn]

Maybe they should just add a few "yard cars" to fit in with the area.
I see nothing wrong with those type of houses. If someone wants that and can afford it more power to them. I don't think they would spend that kind of money to make other residents feel inferior.

 

[StarHalo]

It's very rare you see that in real-estate-conscious California, everyone understands that the neighborhood your house is in sets a cap on its value. So the moral is, make your house as nice as your neighbors', then spend the rest on flashlights :thumbsup:

 

[TedTheLed]

heh, it's just a set, and probably as cheaply made as any other house in the hood; it's not so expensive to cut plywood into shape and shmear it with concrete lookin stucco or something..I kinda like the outdoor areas with just some roof over head..
you'd be amazed by what you get precast -- the roof looks like clay tiling -- not so expensive if you install it yourself, and great for fire protection.

I watched alot of houses goig up around here and it was quite ridiculous to see the workers jig-sawing a 'castle turret' shape out of plywood one day, and poof there it is in place the next day..

of course all the folks in Malibu who are against "mansionization" (the real big ones)-- especially on top of every hill, already built and live in theirs..

 

[kingofwylietx]

Around here, there are lots of very nice neighborhoods that have been in place [for what seems like] forever. The original homes are quite small, as mega-homes were not as popular then. In the most desireable areas, people will buy a home, tear it down, then build their dream home. Sometimes they just completely renovate. After a while, others do the same thing and you get this odd mix of homes. This is what we see in the most urban areas where there is no place to build. Typically, the lots are worth much more than the house.

 

[blasterman]

Here in the midwest we don't see much of this. With property cheaper and land more available well to do home owners typically go for nice piece of property or preferably lake front, and keep the house modest (if anything to deter attention from thieves). I have several multi millionaires in my family and they tend to follow this formula. They'll keep the outside of the house simple, but have an outrageous piece of land and spend the rest on interior design (or toys for the lake). Yeah, it's a different world I guess.

Obviously if you're land-locked in suburbia and want to stand out (for house flipping or just to show off) then you have to resort to other means. I just hope the inside of these houses matches the outside.

 

[Patriot]

I my goodness! I had no idea what you were talking about until you posted this picture. Now I feel your pain.

Our real estate unfortunately keys off of a lot of the California nonsense which is rarely good but in this case it's good because spending that much money in a neighborhood with homes half or a third the value is usually a poor investment. Nevertheless, I suppose you could always find the oddball who throws caution to the wind and do this sort of thing simply because they can. The concept seems fairly bizarre to me though.

 

[RA40]

Kinda reminds me what one of the newer neighbors did. The houses on our street range from the mid $600-$820K typically. The new neighbor bought the house at $825K, then gutted the inside. Took a year to complete and from the grapevine, he spent ~$275K in updates. The outside looks normal and what I gather, the inside is absolutely upscale.

One can buy a ready to go home in the $1.2K range the block over. At leats it will be surrounded by homes of equal value and in a gated community. He did it his way so possibly that is why. Me, I'd have bought the house a block over.

The city neighboring ours the homes are on large lots. Most those houses have sqft about 1,200 but the new homes that are going up range from 4000-5000sqft. Even after that, there is enough space for a mo-in-law structure, pool or man garage. Incredible to see these new mansion sized places next to 60 year old homes.

 

[LumenHound]

This is nothing new in the area of suburban Toronto I'm in.
Most of the houses on my street went up in the late 60's and early 70's and they were all in the 2200-2400 sq-ft size on 70ft wide X 150ft deep lots that backed onto a large heavily treed (mature oak, maple, chessnut, and willow) longish 10 acre public park.
More than 40% of these original homes have been "renovated" (cheaper than a full tear-down, permit wise) to the 4000-5000 sq-ft size. All of these homes had front yards that were 50 feet deep but the new Mc Mansions all seem to push the front and back of the house 20 feet forward and backward. They don't have a real lawn in front anymore, just a circular driveway with landscaping and a 3 car garage.
Some of these homes are really something. The attention to detail and high levels of finish craftsmanship is top notch.
The home owner 4 doors down from me put $250,000 worth of jet black Italian Uba Tuba granite/marble on the main floor of his "600 grand update & expansion reno" and now his home is worth 900 thou more than when he started.

 

[gadget_lover]

They are VERY common in Silicon Valley. They even coined the term "McMansion" to describe them, since the pop up like McDonald's franchises.

The rationale of these houses? The price of land is ridiculous. A middle class neighborhood with a 90 year old 2 bedroom house was selling for a million dollars. If you bought it and spent $300K you could have a real nice home in a nice neighborhood. The home itself could be as nice as the $2,500,000 one a mile away.

Most people dislike the McMansions. There have been many (local) zoning laws passed to slow down their spread.

Daniel

 

[LumenHound]

McMansions are sprouting up on my street because a developer can cover 44% of the footprint of the 70 X 150 ft. lot (49% if they ask for a variance) and still leave a 70 wide by 50 foot deep backyard.

Lots of room for a 25 X 50 foot pool plus 3 season 700 sq. ft. air conditioned guest cabana complete with full kitchen.

 

[BentHeadTX]

McMansions go for cheap, the owners defaulted on their mortgages

To me, value = land. The concept of gaudy houses to portray something to me is rather bizarre. Luckily, now that the housing market is still tanking--it allows reality to set in. I read somewere that new houses are getting smaller and that is a good thing.

To all the McMansion owners, thanks for paying the inflated taxes on those things. Looking forward, the cost of utilities will keep exceeding the inflation rate so I prefer a smaller house with more insulation, better energy conservation and less room. Less room equals less crap in your house which makes life easier.

I guess 25+ years in the military taught me that, the more crap you have the more hassle it is to move all that junk. Personally, I am looking for about 20 acres of land with a triangulated dome roof design that is made out of concrete and rebar. It can take an F5 tornado hit and uses 50 to 70% less energy. The cement/rebar/foam construction of it reminds me of a Soviet bunker--because, in a way--that is what it is. It costs as much as a McMansion but has over a 100 year life, no roofing to leak, no wood to be eaten by bugs and with automatic hurricane shutters--no damage from storms (including trees falling over on it)

Will the neighbors like it? I could care less--not my issue. If storms or flooding hit, they know that I will be the place to be. The shutters will be hooked to a NOAA weather radio and will trigger when severe thunderstorms are forecast. I'm looking into solar panels and a small wind mill to power a LiFePO4 battery pack to run A/C and LED lighting so this thing won't be cheap. When a massive power failure hits, I'm sure they will be much friendlier when they notice light in my windows and the A/C unit running.

McMansions--a great way to waste money and continue to waste money on a house. It makes me wonder why people spend so much time, effort and money trying to impress people they don't know?

 

[kaichu dento]

I follow all your logic except one point, and that is personal preference. I like the idea of your house design, but there's no reason to mind so much if they like their houses.

Some people do that to impress others, while some of them do it because they truly like it, regardless of what others may think.

Exactly like our flashlights, some choose a Ti light to impress, others choose simply to enjoy.

 

[Monocrom]

McMansions--a great way to waste money and continue to waste money on a house. It makes me wonder why people spend so much time, effort and money trying to impress people they don't know?

I never understood that either. Other than a giant ego boost, what's the point?

"Alright! A whole bunch of strangers whom I'll never actually meet think I'm Cool Mr. Money-bags."

:fail: