McMansions Near You

[Giggler]

Rogin the Armchair fan has probably seen this one if he goes for a walk around Cuerden Woods in Chorley, just as the palm trees would suggest, obviously. It always grimly fascinated me.

[Hot Pepsi]

I wouldn't say no To the house this lot are raflling off.

I'd replace the pool with a hockey rink.

[San Bernardhinault]

I fear that an infinity-edge ice rink is just asking for trouble

[hobbes]

Good for taking slapshots off.

[Toby Gymshorts]

Surely you'd want the plexiglass just so you could try to shatter it?

[ursus arctos]

To go back to a point that GY made, my father grew up in a semi-detached house, which were reasonably common in pre-WWII Eastern Pennsylvania (though many have been converted to single family use since)

They come in different styles, but here is one example

[Fussbudget]

I respect this sentiment. But I can confirm the snow is gone and the house is still ugly.

Please...enjoy. https://www.realtor.ca/real-estate/2...onto-rouge-e10

Jeez, imagine living in a house surrounded by snow for much of the year and painting all the walls slush grey. Depressing af

[Hot Pepsi]

I’m not sure what “semi detached” means. The picture UA posted looks like a duplex.

[ursus arctos]

Semi detached (in British English) means two residences that share a common wall (a detached house is surrounded by space on all sides).

In New York English, duplex is more often used for an apartment that is on two floors with at least one interior staircase.

All of this is more complicated than it needs to be.

[Sits]

Just looking at WOM's house (it's now known as WOM's house) it strikes me that it's a fashion in more opulent North American homes to have multi-plane feature ceilings. Mrs. S watches an interiors show on Netflix about the McPhees of Salt Lake. The houses are all vast grey McMansions and most have complicated ceilings.

The interiors post-McPhee tend to be the best feature but I can only imagine the budgets.

[Hot Pepsi]

In New York English, duplex is more often used for an apartment that is on two floors with at least one interior staircase.

I’m not sure if the rest of the country has a name for that.

That’s just an enormous expensive apartment, isn’t it?

[caja-dglh]

Just looking at WOM's house (it's now known as WOM's house) it strikes me that it's a fashion in more opulent North American homes to have multi-plane feature ceilings. Mrs. S watches an interiors show on Netflix about the McPhees of Salt Lake. The houses are all vast grey McMansions and most have complicated ceilings.

The interiors post-McPhee tend to be the best feature but I can only imagine the budgets.

Yes - tray ceilings are a bit old hat, but stupid coffered ceilings are super popular for spending money on things that need not happen / serve little purpose.

[ursus arctos]

I’m not sure if the rest of the country has a name for that.

That’s just an enormous expensive apartment, isn’t it?

They don't necessarily have to be enormous , though they often are. As to expensive,.most everything here is when compared to elsewhere, regardless of size or layout.

[caja-dglh]

Hot Pepsi - before the big movement on penthouses, the most common duplex apartments in NYC seemed to be when someone had an apartment and found a way to buy the one above and take on the project of combining them. It kind of reflects the absurdity of NYC for me.

I do love how the US managed to market terraces as townhomes / townhouses for the other contributor to the semi-detached world.

[Hot Pepsi]

Hot Pepsi - before the big movement on penthouses, the most common duplex apartments in NYC seemed to be when someone had an apartment and found a way to buy the one above and take on the project of combining them. It kind of reflects the absurdity of NYC for me.

I do love how the US managed to market terraces as townhomes / townhouses for the other contributor to the semi-detached world.

A friend of mine had something like that on the UWS, but I don’t think it had ever been two apartments. I think the building had once been a posh house that got chopped up.

The upstairs part was just a bedroom and a modest bathroom. It also had a tiny bedroom and a tiny bathroom for their au pair* that was a feat of engineering. I suspect ensigns on submarines get more space.

It was impossibly expensive by my standards, but it was probably about 1,000 sqft. Maybe more.


*In their world, she’s called an au pair. They aren’t quite in the “governess” tax bracket, but well above “nanny” or “babysitter.”

[Hot Pepsi]

This is encouraging, sort of.

[caja-dglh]

A friend of mine had something like that on the UWS, but I don’t think it had ever been two apartments. I think the building had once been a posh house that got chopped up.

The upstairs part was just a bedroom and a modest bathroom. It also had a tiny bedroom and a tiny bathroom for their au pair* that was a feat of engineering. I suspect ensigns on submarines get more space.

It was impossibly expensive by my standards, but it was probably about 1,000 sqft. Maybe more.


*In their world, she’s called an au pair. They aren’t quite in the “governess” tax bracket, but well above “nanny” or “babysitter.”

Au Pairs are *extremely* good value. it is awful how little they get paid through it being an educational experience (seriously - it is about $12k + room and board, but for a 40hr a week assistant for childcare)

I will edit it to note I am very much of the view it is exploitation, but it is also a predominant thing that happens in the US and there is a very good financial motive why. Plus have never even contemplated this for our family.

[Patrick Thistle]

The chap who bought my parents house is still turning it into a McMansion. My brother keeps sending me update pictures. When it's finished I'll post some before and after shots.

The new house has been built to within an inch of the neighbouring property and overshadows their conservatory. It's entirely clad in grey so doesn't match any of the brick houses around it. I can't be objective about it because it's obliterated the house I grew up in, but I've shown pictures to other people who all say it's ugly.

My brother met the man who bought it in a pub recently and he is very pleased with himself. It seems he's become known in the neighbourhood as the person who bought that house... I'm not convinced that's a positive thing.

[Fussbudget]

In New York English, duplex is more often used for an apartment that is on two floors with at least one interior staircase.

That's what it means in the UK as well

[DCI Harry Batt]

It's pretty new to me in the UK. But then lots of things are new to me that have been around for ages. In the olden days we had "maisonette", is that still a thing?

Don't get me started on the use of "villa"...

[WOM]

I didn't realise semi-detached houses were a thing in North America, especially that size.

Oh, and yes, out here in suburbia they definitely are a thing. They were traditionally a cheaper way into home ownership, so tend to be a bit grubbier than their detached counterparts in the same 'hood. The street I grew up on had slightly shabby semis at one end and nicer detached at the other. Same with the street I'm on now.

[DCI Harry Batt]

Au Pairs are *extremely* good value

It's a filthy scam. Evades minimum wage legislation in the UK.

[ursus arctos]

Manhattan (particularly the Upper East Side) still has a few "maisonettes", but they are increasingly rare and I don't recall having heard the term elsewhere in the US.

[Fussbudget]

It's pretty new to me in the UK. But then lots of things are new to me that have been around for ages.

It's mostly estate agent speak I think. I had friends who lived in a high rise in a small council flat that was split over two levels with an internal staircase (very weird layout) and no way would we have called that a duplex, maybe a split-level flat? But that's the proper term for it.

A maisonette is a two-storey flat with its own front door isn't it? I thought that was overwhelmingly a London thing (cue Scott Garcia earworm)

[ursus arctos]

The NYC definition of maisonette is a ground floor flat with a separate entrance in a muilti-unit building.tjat is larger than a brownstone/row house.

They are often, bit not always, two or three stories and generally feature private gardens in the back.