14 DAY TRIAL // As more and more houses appear with each day and neighborhoods are quickly expanding to accommodate more residents, a new type of construction has emerged. It is called “McMansion,” and it designates a special type of house that is higher and wider than any other on the block, making a very contrasting note with them and often getting the neighbors angry about the ruined aesthetics of the area.
Because of the many complaints authorities receive monthly, it has become clear that some sort of regulation as regards McMansions should be established. At the same time, it has also become quite obvious that regulating the construction of a house cannot be done if no one seems to know exactly what it is that is bothering people about it. Jack Nasar, professor of city and regional planning at Ohio State University, has undertaken a study to determine just that.
The conclusion Nasar has come to, after running a poll in neighborhoods where McMansions have already appeared, has been that what bothers people the most about them is their height and their width. Style is also an important factor in people rating this type of house as visually appealing, but the study has determined that it’s entirely dependent on the other two. Therefore, if a McMansion is of a different style than the rest of the block, but still manages to fit in in terms of size, it is not considered unaesthetic.
“The McMansion house didn’t have to be the exact same style as others in the neighborhood, but it did have to fit in for it to be rated highly. Keeping your new house no more than twice the size of your neighbors doesn’t seem to be too much of a constraint. Next-door neighbors and those who live across the street are probably the ones who have the most negative reaction when a McMansion goes up in the neighborhood.” Nasar reveals about the findings of the study.
Other than determining exactly what turns neighbors off when a new McMansion appears, the study also offers precise criteria that could be used for future regulations that authorities might consider. “We found that communities should try to maintain stylistic consistency and limit the size of new homes to less than roughly twice the size of the neighboring houses. Those are the factors that seem to concern people most.” Nasar explains.