McMansions

[AliG]

A website I came across in the US discussing McMansions and general good and bad points of house design.

 

Some advice holds for here too and some of it is just fun.

 

https://mcmansionhell.com

[SteamyTea]

We need there local planning officers working over here. 

[AliG]

When my in-laws built a house in California they were basically given a box they could build inside.

 

After that they could build anything they wanted.  Lots of the neighbours complained that their house is three stories. It is on a slope with a garage underneath at the front. Two storeys from the back. Most of the houses in the street including the one next door are single storey with garages underneath. But that fitted inside the height limit so it was fine.

[Big Jimbo]

If you took little bits of all of them, you could build something...................?

[SteamyTea]

47 minutes ago, AliG said:

When my in-laws built a house in California

Reminds me of this tune.

 

 

[CharlieKLP]

I love that website, she’s so witty and knowledgeable. I wish all self builders knew about it, and avoided the mistakes therein.

 

mainly; complex and greedy mansard roofs, lawyer entrances, randomly placed windows, hideous garages given pride of place in the front elevation…

I designed a gorgeous Tudor-style mansion and the new designer described it as a ‘mcmansion’ and I died a little inside. They’re an awful person and I hope they read this ?

 

the sad thing is I think they were right. 

to avoid a McMansion, please listen to your architects ideas about style, hierarchy, massing, concept, approach… really all of the things McMansions shows re not important to people with more money than sense.

[PeterW]

14 minutes ago, CharlieKLP said:

mainly; complex and greedy mansard roofs,

what is wrong with a mansard roof done properly ..?? They actually allow for more internal space when roof height is restricted and doesn’t allow for the use of flat roofing. 
 

 

[CharlieKLP]

1 minute ago, PeterW said:

what is wrong with a mansard roof done properly ..?? They actually allow for more internal space when roof height is restricted and doesn’t allow for the use of flat roofing. 
 

 

I think if your house is deeper than it is wide, then having a ‘pyramid with a flat top’ roof is just cringe. There are so many better ways of breaking up the form that make more sense than that. It just strikes me as someone trying to fill the plot up out of greed rather than sense. This happens a lot in Surrey, which are the UK’s ‘mcmansions’. 

[joe90]

5 minutes ago, PeterW said:

what is wrong with a mansard roof done properly ..?? They actually allow for more internal space when roof height is restricted and doesn’t allow for the use of flat roofing. 
 

 

Quite, I often wondered if a mansard roofed house counted as a bungalow because the “eaves” are at first floor level ?‍♂️

[billt]

 

Looks OK to me.

[PeterW]

2 hours ago, CharlieKLP said:

think if your house is deeper than it is wide, then having a ‘pyramid with a flat top’ roof is just cringe. There are so many better ways of breaking up the form that make more sense than that.

go on then … plot that is 8.5m wide but 24m long, house can cover 50% but must be aligned to the road edge. 
 

client wants 250sqm of floor space, cannot have a basement due to ground conditions and the planners insist the roof can be no higher than 8m in line with adjacent properties. 
 

client is not prepared to have more than 20% flat roof. 
 

Let’s see a few quick pencil sketches 

[CharlieKLP]

I don’t have a problem with mansard roofs, I’ve a problem with massive ugly blobs.

 

They will usually have a grand, (curved) daylightless stair, a big porch, too many bathrooms and a home cinema.
 

People who just fill the plot deserve what they get.

[PeterW]

@CharlieKLP Can I suggest that when you meet the client you want to work with who says we can only afford £500k, we have £300k for the build and the place needs to give us our forever home with 4 decent beds but we live in the South so this is going to max out the plot as we can only get something for £200k, can you pass it on to someone in your practice who has read this book, and didn’t miss the charm lectures at architecture school ..? 
 

It will probably save everyone some heartache. 

[CharlieKLP]

The ‘book’ link just leads to this thread? 

 

If I think someone wants a big rectangle with a flat roof I do tend to give it to someone who isn’t a designer to be fair. It does cause me physical pain to draw up that kind of thing. Often the windows are all different sizes too.

[PeterW]

Ahh sorry ..

 

 

Link should work now too… buy it, it’s a good read … 

[CharlieKLP]

Haha I get you lol.
 

What kind of a friend would I be if I designed you a big ugly, lightless blob and charged you per m2 for it? 
 

And  to answer the earlier question, there are lots of ways to mitigate it. I understand the financial need to fill the plot to the brim. I just wouldn’t want to live in it.

[Radian]

What's the deal with the junkyard/desert just outside the walls of those places? I guess it's just because they're actually built in the desert. Seems pointless investing so much in such crummy surroundings.

[joe90]

2 hours ago, CharlieKLP said:

 I understand the financial need to fill the plot to the brim. I just wouldn’t want to live in it.

But your designing it fir the client to live in, not you. It’s their brief ?‍♂️

[SteamyTea]

12 hours ago, CharlieKLP said:

complex and greedy mansard roofs

Useful for putting PV on.  Can tune the angles and areas to benefit more from overcast days and winter days.

They are also part of the vernacular down here.

[CharlieKLP]

8 hours ago, joe90 said:

But your designing it fir the client to live in, not you. It’s their brief ?‍♂️

same with the McMansions, so what’s your point. Am I not allowed an opinion or something?

[dpmiller]

16 minutes ago, CharlieKLP said:

same with the McMansions, so what’s your point. Am I not allowed an opinion or something?

 

yes, but that's all it is. An opinion.

[CharlieKLP]

11 minutes ago, dpmiller said:

 

yes, but that's all it is. An opinion.

yes that’s just what I said?