McMansions are a familiar eyesore in many residential areas. On streets where there used to be rows of single-story family homes, there are now random monstrosities that do not belong with the rest of the architecture on the street and likely use up more land and resources than necessary.
One Reddit user shared a Zillow listing of a McMansion that caught their eye, posting about it in the subreddit r/McMansionHell.
"A literal crime. Nothing like replacing a 200-year-old farmhouse's floors with LVP. For $2.5 million, I'd hope the window trims would match but I guess not? At least they kept the original staircase, I guess."
The photos included in the post share the before and after of the outside, the acre of land, and the updated inside after construction. The house was originally bought for $1 million and was listed with a new asking price of $2.5 million.
Not only does the 150% inflated price increase help to drive up housing prices, but the increase in square footage was also unnecessary. Larger houses with taller ceilings, large windows, and low-quality insulation increase the carbon impact of the property by upping the electricity bill.
However, if a larger home is something that is of interest to you, you can always curb your carbon output by adding solar panels, eco-friendly insulation, induction stoves, and by building your own greenhouse. If you install solar panels, it's always recommended to use a service like EnergySage, as it provides a free service that compares quotes in your area, saving you up to $10,000 on installations.
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If you do not need a large home, tiny homes are a more eco-friendly option that can reduce your rent by thousands of dollars a month, lower your home's carbon impact to almost zero, and give you the option of not being location-dependent if you choose a van or bus.
As for the McMansion causing a stir on Reddit, the comments were honest.
"I get that the modern world 'needs' wider staircases (our furniture is so much larger) but that is abominable. At least keep the same sort of feel - darker, wooden railings, closed back steps," one user wrote.
"This might be the worst thing I've ever seen," another user commented.
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