Before-and-after photos of teardown spark outrage as beloved home replaced with towering mansion: 'Money doesn't mean you have taste'

A Redditor shared a photo of a massive house being constructed near them, inciting attention from viewers.

The house was posted to the subreddit, r/McMansionHell, on which users share high-priced, huge homes, pointing out the egregious use of money, and often, what they perceive as the owner's poor taste. This particular mansion was posted alongside the caption, "Looks like a bank." 

McMansions aren't the only displays have wealth that have drawn the ire of the public. Superyachts are another expensive, energy-sucking investment that call into question what positive changes could occur if the richest among us reconsidered some of their habits.

According to Oxfam, "the richest 1% are responsible for more than twice as much carbon pollution than the poorest half of humanity."

A University of Michigan Study in 2020 revealed that wealthy Americans have a 25% higher carbon impact than lower-income Americans. Mansions in particular require tons of energy to keep their temperature regulated, and lots of construction materials. Plus, they disrupt the habitats where they are built. Many people who own mansions usually have multiple homes, adding even more to their negative environmental impact.

The OP added a photo in the comments, showing what the mansion looked like prior to its unnecessary expansion and rebuilding. 

The before and after of the house highlights another major issue people have with mansions — they do away with classic, sometimes even historic, homes. As historic homes were often built in time periods before electric heat, they have passive methods of improving the temperature inside, acclimating to their environment in more sustainable, natural ways. 

Wealthy individuals could revamp or even copy the integrations of historic homes, like a 200-year-old adobe home in New Mexico, made from sustainable materials. Unfortunately, the reality is that they often knock historic homes down, replacing them with large, aggressively modern structures. 

As one commenter said, "Depressing as hell that they destroyed such a charming house."

"Money doesn't mean you have taste," another user added.

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