People hate nice homes?

[ColoradoHusk]

11 minutes ago, B.B. Hemingway said:

 

Ha! Well part of our excuse/reasoning is that we're both business owners so we'd like to have "our space".... The plan is to add 3 'rooms'.... 2 of which will be smaller, and used as offices (our space).

Oh yeah, I am sure if you both are running businesses out of the home, the space runs out quick.  I am satisfied with the size of my home, but I would probably have bought a bigger one if I could have afforded it.  But, it's never good to be "house rich and cash poor".

[teachercd]

11 minutes ago, BigRedBuster said:

That is what I've never understood.  If someone lives in a 20,000 square foot house and they can afford it....who gives a rip?  It doesn't affect you.

 

In fact, the contractors and laborers that built the house probably are very glad that person spent so much money on their house.

Amen.

 

I am trying to think of the biggest house I have been in, probably like 7,000 sqft.  I didn't think to myself "I am mad" I thought "Dang, this is sweet"

[ColoradoHusk]

The only things about the McMansion craze that bugs me is that they pack on these "bigger homes" on tiny lots.  I understand that the developer generates more $ by doing it this way, and I don't have a problem with housing developers maximizing their revenue/profit.  However, I do like a bigger yard and the privacy that comes with it.  We have friends who live in a "McMansion" and their back yard area has about 15-20 feet from back door to a half-fence and the next property starts.

[Fru]

I always thought McMansion was a name for a cheaply built house that had the appearance it was much nicer than it was. 

[teachercd]

1 minute ago, Fru said:

I always thought McMansion was a name for a cheaply built house that had the appearance it was much nicer than it was. 

I think that also works.  

[ColoradoHusk]

I think there is a good chunk of the population that equates the McMansion building with the lending/housing/economic crises from the early 2000's.  These lenders were allowing people to buy big homes that they couldn't afford, and there was really nothing backing those mortgages.  It bit the American economy in the ass, so there are probably lingering negative feelings from those types of homes and home builders.  Again, personally, if the person can afford to live in the home, I don't really care how big it is.

[GSG]

I'm reading her website and it seems like she's focused on the architectural aspects of the McMansions and not the size or people (at least from what I've glanced at so far). 

 

 

I dunno. Just sounds like a nerdy architect nitpicking-fest

[GSG]

We're closing on a house tomorrow actually and while we are by no means buying a McMansion, I can see some of the aesthetic things she's talking about. The enormous garages that block most of the front of the house is one that I notice a lot. Another is the oversized entry with a "patio" on it that is not accessible to anyone but Spiderman.

 

Still, you could probably nitpick ANY house no matter the size. She probably wouldn't like our new house because there's 1 window that's different than the others

[B.B. Hemingway]

1 hour ago, ColoradoHusk said:

Oh yeah, I am sure if you both are running businesses out of the home, the space runs out quick.  I am satisfied with the size of my home, but I would probably have bought a bigger one if I could have afforded it.  But, it's never good to be "house rich and cash poor".

 

Absolutely. That has been one of the things we've discussed about adding on to the home.... It's a big decision, and we haven't technically decided yet. The drawings are costing me $500, which I was surprised by (though maybe shouldn't have been).

[ColoradoHusk]

Just now, B.B. Hemingway said:

 

Absolutely. That has been one of the things we've discussed about adding on to the home.... It's a big decision, and we haven't technically decided yet. The drawings are costing me $500, which I was surprised by (though maybe shouldn't have been).

I am sure you should be able to deduct the $500 from your taxes, since the addition to your home would be used for business purposes.

[JJ Husker]

I'm not even going to read the article after seeing the comments here. I don't care what size house or design features a person chooses to pay for. It's none of my business. Howabout we all buy and live in the type and size of house we like and call it good?

[B.B. Hemingway]

2 minutes ago, ColoradoHusk said:

I am sure you should be able to deduct the $500 from your taxes, since the addition to your home would be used for business purposes.

 

Probably so. Tax deductions are my friend, that's for sure. I still haven't gotten used to writing the check to social security at the end of every tax year. I don't like writing checks, though. Especially to something I may never see. 

 

We'll see. I change my mind everyday on whether I want to do it or not  (go on with the addition that is).

[B.B. Hemingway]

1 hour ago, GSG said:

We're closing on a house tomorrow actually and while we are by no means buying a McMansion, I can see some of the aesthetic things she's talking about. The enormous garages that block most of the front of the house is one that I notice a lot. Another is the oversized entry with a "patio" on it that is not accessible to anyone but Spiderman.

 

Still, you could probably nitpick ANY house no matter the size. She probably wouldn't like our new house because there's 1 window that's different than the others

 

When we bought our new house a couple years ago this was one of the things that I didn't like about it. I wouldn't say it blocks 'most' of the house from the front, but enough that it bothered me at first.  My favorite part was the huge shop (I run a lawn/landscape company), and it sits on 12 acres. It's an odd deal, but I like it---It was suppose to be a 'country subdivision' originally, but the contractor went bankrupt, so when we bought the house, we also bought the rest of the vacant lots. So we have our own little private road leading back to the house. Our own neighborhood!  The only thing that worries me is that we're the only taxpayer out there so I'm not sure how excited the county will get about resealing our road.

[BigRedBuster]

I have been in and around some very beautiful/big homes.  I have also been in or around them with people who sit around and comment negatively about the house.  I have always found that told me more about the people doing the talking than the people living in the house.

[teachercd]

When I was looking for my first house I had a price range in mind and when I would look it always seemed like the house that was just out of my range was the one that I liked more.  In the end I got a smoking deal on a short sale home and I really like my place.