Oooohh....I haven't had a craving for hot, buttery popcorn since....the last "Big Homes" thread! And you know, anytime they throw the "McMansions" word out there.....

I wonder if there are more 4 br homes because people are utilizing the "bonus space" now. I know that is the only reason that we will have a 4 br home.

I think that there are more 4 bedroom homes because kids don't share bedrooms anymore and a lot of people want dedicated guest rooms too, so a mom, dad, 2 kids and guest room equal 4 bedrooms. We built a 3 bedroom plus office, but our office is upstairs so could be a 4th bedroom if the next buyer wants it to be one or they could put a bedroom down the basement or maybe we won't be able to sell it because it's too small. But our 3 bedroom plus office (and no separate family room or media room) still took up 3192 sq. ft. I grew up in a 1,400 sq. ft 3 bedroom house with a sewing room (now I bet it's used as an office), so I'm guilty of the bigger house thing, but our house is tiny compared to the other houses in our neighborhood.

It was amusing to me because most of the people on this forum are building what I consider very large homes

AND....

U.S. homes are also becoming more expensive. The median home value jumped more than 40% form 1990 to 2005, to about $167,500.

Ok, what was your point again???

In SoCal anything under $200K would be in an extremely depressed area.
In SW Florida you're probably talking $175k for anything you would even consider putting your mother in.
In mid Texas a home for $150K would be a small starter home.

You know after 3 years of trying to build my home I really don't care what some newspaper says. I'm SO TIRED and I just want it done. I don't care if some newspaper thinks it's to big.
I don't care if people think it's above the average. I don't care if I lose every jealous friend in the world......it's MY home and I just want it done!!!!
But, because this forum is my sanity (thank all of you).... I'll go with Amyks... where's the popcorn....
and an apple martini (I've never had one but right now it sure sounds good... Sigh!)

In other news, buggy whip sales continue to decline...

This article from June 2006 says size is declining. I've read another recently that said the same thing.

Here is a link that might be useful: AIA Article

Boring, boring. Americans, following the lead of Bill Clinton, "do it because we can." And the rest of the world envies us and will do anything to get here and join in the fun. As an unintended consequence, we're supporting the consumer spending segment of the U.S. economy, which is the segment that protects it from recession. Providing more jobs, etc. So where's the problem???

I guess I always thought "McMansion" referred to a house that was built to impress rather than to meet the needs and preferences of the homeowners. One that appears to be grander than it in fact is. Where's my dictionary?

After living to age 59 in a 1400 sq. ft. starter home, we're building our first/last house. It's a teardown in a great, quiet neighborhood of 70s ranches. (We view it as recycling the land rather than raping some new acreage.) It'll look pretty much like them--no multiple gables and such. It'll be an unassuming, comfortable, very well built home that costs a lot more than it looks like it costs(most of our money is going behind the walls and into durable, energy efficient materials that'll save us money over time and won't need replacing, ending up in a landfill). It'll be about the same size as them. But it'll be 3000 sq. ft. because of all the dedicated spaces used for our hobbies and because it's all wheelchair accessible. Five foot wide halls and circulation spaces everywhere eat up a lot of square footage.

We're doing it because we can (barely). If everybody built like we are they wouldn't be wasting resources by repairing/replacing all the shoddy stuff that we've had to do through the years because we've lived in cheap, "builder's specials."

End of rant.

This popcorn could really use more butter.

This trend will reverse. Those houses are just too expensive to operate.

I moved from a 4000sf house (+mortgage and commute) to a 1600sf house (paid for and in the city, close to work) shaded by huge pecan trees mainly because I got sick of paying $600/month+ for A/C (set to 78F - so not unreasonably cold) and $8000/year in property tax.

I bought the big house in 2000 because I was impressed by the drama of a 2-story foyer, the airy, open feel, the big kitchen and the wonderful curb appeal. But a house is mainly a shelter and the rest is fluff and I'd rather not pay through my nose for shallow unnecessary fluff.

i'm with you bj. we're doing it because we can. we didn't live in a large house growing up and in fact, my dh lived in a cramped NYC apartment until age 16. so our parents didn't live "large" but you can bet they would have if they could.
we are building our home in an old neighborhood of ranches as well. all the homes are "knock downs" and are being bought up by younger couples with families. the trees and shrubs are mature and you can bet it will stay that way.
at a meeting with our architect yesterday my dh was mentioning how our house might seem "excessive" to some. a discussion ensued and we decided it didn't seem so to us and we are building a place that will be ours for many years to come. we will have christmas dinners there. we will also celebrate many big fat greek easter dinners for 24 people, not to mention the various bbq's, birthdays and sleepovers. i just realize it sounds as if i need to somehow validate our choices. i suppose we feel as if we do but that just goes to show how much thought really goes into this project, just as it does for those with much smaller homes.
i'm not sure where i'm going with this. i'm not even sure my house IS in fact big. we have friends living in a 14,000 sq ft home. it is no mcmansion i can assure you. built in 1902 it was the summer residence of the straus family, who perished on the titanic. in those days they referred to it as a cottage. my house will be half the size. expansive to me, quaint to them i'm sure.
large or small is a matter of personal opinion. either way it is what it is. God bless.

It's to early in the morning for popcorn. Can I have a bagel?

I guess my house technically qualifies based on the Wikipedia definition below but who cares? I love it and that's what counts. I really hate when articles (or posters) criticize where someone chooses to live. I'm just thankful to have a roof over my head and one that I poured my heart and soul into.

Here is a link that might be useful: Definition of McMansion

After reading a few responses I am concerned that people have taken my posting of the article as insulting to people who choose to build large homes. I hope that is not the case. I meant amusing in a coincidental way, not in a way that makes fun or criticizes. I just thought it was interesting information.

House-building trends and new-house-sales numbers are great indicators of how the country is doing, but you need to know how to read the information (consider all the factors).
If I had sufficient money and income, I'd build a bigger/nicer house, and in a different location. Also, I would travel a lot more in my motorhome. But, the reality is that I can NOT afford all the energy/fuel (and taxes) that I want. Therefore, I designed/built a small energy-efficient 2-bedroom house, in the city, close to all the conveniences.
Foreclosures are at a record high, right here in San Antonio. IMO the country is in for a rough ride, we've made a lot of mistakes.

My DH and I are building a 3400 sq ft home (with four bedrooms) on the farm he inherited from his family. Our children are grown, but since we've had the plans and the dream for 12 years, their bedrooms are still called Ryan's room and Mindi's room. People sometimes remark about us building a big house when it is just the two of us, but I tell them that lots of my friends are downsizing because they got to build the big house when their kids were at home and I didn't. We want the room now because we want our children and future grandchildren to have lots of room when they come to visit. And I'm looking so forward to having those holiday dinners and Sunday School parties and wedding showers at my house. I care nothing about trying to impress anyone with this house, I just want it to be comfortable and inviting and very homey. And now that we can afford to build it, we feel extremely blessed to be able to. It's a gift!!!
Susan
a href="http://photobucket.com"; target="_blank">

What's interesting to me is the different definitions of what constitutes a "big house".

After living in a 1400 sq ft home for 14 years, DH and I have moved into our newly built 3200 sq ft home. We started out designing a 1800-2200 sq ft house, but discovered that the footprint had to be kept small, and also that the basement would have to have exactly the same footage as the main floor.....so it grew....

It does have three bedrooms - one is an exercise room that is used daily. The dedicated guest room is the only one that does not get daily use.

To me, a "big house" is 4000+ ....LOL

On nearby Bainbridge Island, I've watched huge (4000+ sq ft) homes go up on tiny lots. (land is very expensive there). Some houses are mere feet from each other....