McMansions: Identification

This is the first in a series of posts about McMansions, urban planning, and the slow backlash against the Mc Mansions. The series will focus primarily on the Mc Mansion craze in Los Angeles, since that's where I live, but I believe the information will be relevant to anyone who lives in or around a Mc Mansion neighborhood (which, sadly, is everyone at this point).


Mc Mansions are probably one of the worst plagues brought upon this country since the introduction of smallpox. And, just like smallpox, there is little chance of escaping McMansions. They pop up everywhere, without warning. Suddenly, whole blocks are infested with unsightly houses towering over the rest of the neighborhood. In L.A., McMansions are quickly becoming the norm. Modest, post-war tract homes are being replaced by bland, boxy behemoths with no backyards and a front lawn paved over with concrete.

In developing neighborhoods, especially east of L.A., out towards Rancho Cucamonga, whole McMansion developments are being built. Vast tracts of land along the foothills are being covered in beige colored homes with burnt orange tiles roofs, and fluorescent green lawns. The uniformity of design, when looked at from afar, is disgusting. If you are unfamiliar with the Mc Mansions, please refer to the photos below, which I personally took. None of them are more than 10 minutes away from me. Watch out, they may be closer to you than you think.

Exhibit A

Classic McMansion. Notice the scale of the house compared to the others on the street. There is also a ridiculously sized porch overhang and unadorned, cinder block wall, topped with excessive grill work. Another staple of the McMansion is its lack of grace and proportion. The second story is not well integrated into the structure, but rather plopped on top. The lack of variation in form, especially in the roof line, make for a boring and unsightly mess in an otherwise pleasant block of houses.

Exhibit B

This house also has an unnecessarily large entry covering, as well as a heavily decorated door, complete with beveled glass. The columns and glass wall on the balcony are incongruous with the home's other design elements. The house's flat front also make it look imposing. Notice how the house to the left has a gable, giving the front of the house and the roof line more dimension. The McMansion is also completely stuccoed and painted a pale peach color, which is typical of their type.

Exhibit C

This McMansion, while unacceptable, is better than the previous two. Its entryway is not as ostentatious and its front yard is neatly landscaped. Still, it suffers from a flat, box front, non-descript color, and pushes the limit of its lot size. Notice how much smaller the McMansion's lawn is compared to its neighbor's. This McMansion has included some stonework, which gives the front some texture, but it placement seems arbitrary. Plus, I would put money on the fact that those stones are fake.