Clark 1

Daniel Clark

Composition II

Senter

29 April 2010

Supersize Your House

You begin to drive home to your average home and you see something large and

intimidating in the distance- something that doesn’t belong- something that you may see

destroying your community, they are called McMansions. McMansions are expensive

(but cheaply made) homes that are often thousands of square feet, have lavish features,

cause a host of environmental problems, and often are out of place in both in style and

size in their communities (Grabmeier).

Pre-World War II, most Americans lived in apartments, small homes, or farm

houses, usually with lots of children, with little space per person. These homes were often

built of very high quality materials that were made to last and would last nearly forever if

given very basic maintenance, as you can see by driving around older neighborhoods.

Soon, World War II began and ended and people began starting families, however there

were not enough homes in the current market for them. People began to flee to the

suburbs and small (983 square feet [Solomon], highly functional single level, affordable

homes began to be built in neighborhoods. The average price was $44,600.00 adjusted to

the year 2000 inflation [US Census Bureau]). These homes were often built of good

quality and most are still around today. In these homes, it was often assumed children

would share a bedroom and that many of the rooms would share purposes, such as single

bathroom for all the bedrooms, and combined living and dining rooms. These homes
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were built until the mid-late sixties, however, American’s desire for more space in homes

continued to grow.

In the seventies, Americans continued to increase the size of their homes despite

the stagnant economic environment (Carr and Conte). Many homes were built in a “split

level” style, which is a basement that is finished and slightly raised above ground with

the main part of the home being built on top of the lower level; this effectively doubled

the size of many homes. However, the seventies was also a time of an energy crisis and

was a wake up to America to build more efficient homes with many energy saving

technologies.

The eighties began to introduce a few new styles, and some amenities with the

growth of the economy and the return of cheap energy (Weiss, Charles, et.al.). Common

features were an overall increase in house size and the beginning of a strong demand for

two story homes, often still with basements. This now could be triple the size of the

homes from the fifties, and almost double the size of the seventies (Adler). Two common

features of eighties homes included the demand for two or more car garages, and the

adding of more rooms with specialty purposes, such as laundry rooms and a separate

formal dining room. The increase of the features increased the cost, and to remain

competitively priced, often built with carpeting instead of hardwood floors, Linoleum

instead of tile, and fiberboard instead of hardwood cabinets.

In the nineties, many of these themes from the eighties continued and the housing

market bubble continued to grow. The nineties were a time when economic prosperity

was very high (Carr and Conte), so many builders began to build even more expensive

homes, with features such as “multiple fireplaces, white oak floors, double staircases,
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swimming pools, elevators, wine cellars, and three-car garages”(Roland 11), along with

granite countertops, hardwood floors, and an increase in overall size.

The two thousands were when many people began to truly notice the revolution in

housing when the average home size had swelled to a 2,349 square feet (Adler). I

recently went to a neighborhood that had these homes that were built during this decade

and many were enormous and had huge fountains in front along with circle drivesways,

many even looked like castles with lots of cast iron fencing and large stone siding. I was

in shocked by the sheer size of the homes. Looking at the flyer of the many homes for

sale, although many claimed a price drop, many were still in the millions. I just cannot

forget that home prices were $44,600 with inflation (US Census Bureau) when many of

our parents and grandparents bought their first homes.

Many people feel that there are negative aspects to McMansions. An example is

that their size caused a scarcity of materials such as drywall. Due to this shortage many

builders began to use Chinese drywall, which today is causing a host of problems.

According to the Center for Disease Control, homeowners in 24 states and the District of

Colombia now have severe health issues related to the dangerous gases, such as carbon

disulfide, that these homes are now giving off by this drywall. Symptoms of exposure for

just hours in these homes can include eye irritation, sore throat, stuffy nose, cough,

shortness of breath, nausea, and headaches. If exposed for days or months symptoms such

as fatigue, irritability poor memory, dizziness, and insomnia can occur. Considering that

many families who bought McMansion have young children, who are especially at risk,

this is alarming. Many found out about these symptoms through a black dust appearing

on copper through their home, along with a strong smell resembling rotten eggs or
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fireworks. The sad fact is that the Center for Disease Control recommends these houses

be gutted of drywall, and have all furniture, plumbing, and appliances replaced.

This was not the only problem McMansions caused, however. A housing bubble

was created by the demand for homes, especially large expensive homes which required

lots of materials. Many people wanted large houses(many believe for status symbols) and

banks had recently created something called a subprime mortgage. A subprime mortgage

is a loan that would not normally be given out to someone with low credit, no credit, or

someone whose income is not sufficient for the loan being given.

Banks were giving these loans out to just about anyone. Lew Sichelman, in The

Orlando Sentential wrote back in 1997:

No cash for a down payment? No problem, at least not with a bold new

experimental loan now being tested in four markets. Under the so-called

"Flex Mortgage" that is being tried by Fannie Mae in Seattle, Dallas, and

statewide in Minnesota and Iowa, home buyers with impeccable credit

don't need any of their own money for a down payment. Borrowers still

need to have a minimum of 3 percent of the loan amount in cash, but the

entire amount can come from practically any source. You can even borrow

it--or charge it to a credit card.

Later in the article he quotes the Angelo Mozilo, the chairman of Countrywide Home

Loans, the largest loan provider in America, as saying “(I am) all for no down payments"

and “many people don't have 5 percent, but everybody's got zero.”

These banks and mortgage providers were making enormous profits from closing

costs and people being able to spend their savings to pay off the loans, however, people

began to run out of money or their adjustable rate mortgage spiked to where they could
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not continue to pay their mortgage. Banks began to foreclose on the homes and try to sell

them. This lead to a huge surplus of McMansions on the market that few could afford and

thus not worth what the bank paid for them. Banks and businesses that held many of the

loans began to go under and major bank’s stock prices fell dramatically. This caused a

snowball effect of people panicking and selling off all of their stock, which led to the

finical crisis of 2008.

That brings us to today, in 2010, where we have thousands of McMansions with

absolutely no one in them. Many people have proposed ideas of what to with them, in the

recent article in Time Magazine article “Reinventing the McMansion” by Barbra Kiviat,

she looks at some of the proposals of what we can do with these supersized homes. One

of the current uses for a McMansion in San Diego, California, is a home for young

Autistic adults. The home has a large bedroom that a caretaker can live in, private

bedrooms (with bathrooms) for the residents, and pool for therapy. A similar idea is being

proposed in Idaho for use as a group home for kids aging out of foster care. Yet another

idea is to simply split one into two separate houses, or even make them into green houses.

The possibilities for their uses seem endless and many groups and individuals have begun

to find uses for them.

Families and people who have lost their McMansions have begun to get creative

for places to live, one of the ideas is something called “minihomes.” Minihomes are

houses that are often less than 200 square feet and are made to fit couples or singles, but

they are often also modular so rooms can be added as a family grows. They can often be

made for under $15,000 and utilities are often under $15.00 a month. This is appealing to

families because the initial investment is extremely low, near free utilities, and is

expandable to any size (Gutierrez, Tamura).

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Today, in 2010, people are beginning to see that having McMansions is not

always the best choice. People that have been foreclosed on are beginning to understand

that no one needs a 5,000 square foot house for a normal sized family, and that living

within our means like our parents and grandparents is not always a bad thing.

Sources Cited

Adler, Margot. "Behind the Ever-Expanding American Dream House." National Public

Radio. National Public Radio, 4 Jan. 2006. Web. 1 May 2010.

Carr, and Conte. "Outline of the U.S. Economy." About.com. United States Department

of State. Web. 1 May 2010.

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Gutierrez, Thelma, and Traci Tamura. "Downsizing to 100 Square Feet of Bliss."

CNN.com. CNN, 22 Oct. 2008. Web. 1 May 2010.

Kiviat, Barbara. “Reinventing the McMansion.” Time. Time, 12 Sept. 2009. Web. 20

April 2009.

"Historical Census of Housing Tables Home Values." Cenus.gov. U.S. Census Bureau,

Housing and Household Economic Statistics Division, 02 Dec. 2004. Web. 1 May

2010

Roland, Amy. "Smile When You Call Them McMansions." The New York Times 7 June

2009, RE sec.: 11. Print.

Sichelman, Lew. "Cash Poor? A House Is Still in Reach." Orlando Sentinel 7 Feb. 1997:

D1-D2. Print.

Solomon, Christopher. "The Swelling McMansion Backlash." MSN Real Estate. MSN.

Web. 06 May 2010.

United States. Department of Health and Human Services. Center for Disease Control.

Imported Drywall and Health - A Guide for Healthcare Providers. Sept. 2009.

Web. 1 May 2010.

Weiss, Charles, and William Bonvillian. Structuring an Energy Technology Revolution.

Cambridge, Mass.: MIT, 2009. Print.