mcmansionhell posts
Posts: 414
Files: 255
Four More McMansions From the Chicago Suburbs File
Here are the extras that didn't make it into the post, but are still, I must say, absolutely dreadful:(The best part of this house is that the inside looks like an airplane hangar.)another one that makes less sense the more you look at it.this one is kind of a Long House but with less architectural consistency. It's just kind of a mess. It's like an unnecessary zoom call where nothing get accomplished because the topic at hand could h...
Suburban Chicago McMansions Follow a Dark Logic Even I Do Not Understand
That's right: I dug into the Barrington Archives.
December (abbreviated) Livestream
Howdy! I've got the 'rona! My voice isn't doing so great but I'm lonely in quar so I'll go for about an hour. Here's the link to bingo! https://mfbc.us/m/ug3b9fr
McMansion Hell December All-Patreon Livestream: December 30th, 8-10pm Central
Hello all! There will be an all-access McMansion Hell livestream Thursday December 30th from 8-10PM Chicago time. The link will be posted 10 minutes before the stream on patreon and there will be bingo! (2 winners!)Merry Christmas and Happy Kwanzaa! Look forward to a new post this week!Kate
MMH November Livestream 2
Bingo: https://mfbc.us/m/pdw2rtvGLHF!
The McMansion Hell Guide to Getting Sports-Pilled: Part 1 - Why You Hate Sports
Hello, and welcome to the McMansion Hell Guide to Getting Sports-Pilled. (Just in time for Thanksgiving!)I’ve written this up because several people have asked me on social media how to get into sports for the first time and since I’ve successfully gotten, uh, a lot of people into architecture, I figured I’d give it a shot here, in this most unconventional of places.This (small) series takes the form of two parts: the first addresses some o...
November Livestream 1
Bingo link: https://mfbc.us/m/f5p8suk
Good House of the Yearbook: 1981
Today's good house is a bit of a snout house, but it's got enough vintage charm to make up for it. In fact, it's a rather early example of a house that has a full-sized protruding attached garage, marking a transition from the integrated attached garages more commonly seen in 70s split-levels. In the 80s, the trend towards larger, two-story houses was exacerbated by increased exurban sprawl which allowed for larger lot sizes.This part...
PATREON-WIDE LIVESTREAM: November 22nd 9pm-11pm CDT, November 23rd, 8-10PM CDT
update: my lovely husband bought me Chicago Bulls tickets vs the Knicks on the 21st for my birthday so I’ve moved the first stream back to the 23rd! Hello! After my sabbatical following bike guys around Europe, I've come home to roost, and it's time to get back into doing the livestreams and other content. (Also I have a big announcement about McMansion Hell I will be able to share with you soon -- some of you know already, but hopefull...
Hello! I wrote about the Farmhouse Style!
The piece includes the line "the Yeti Cooler of houses." hope you enjoy.
Good House of the Yearbook 1980
Rounding out at $800,000, this 4 bed, 5 bath house in Ocean Township New Jersey (very close actually to where my grandmother lives) may not be everyone's cup of tea. But it is two things: architecturally interesting and of its time, which to me is enough to land it here.The house itself is modernist in style, however it's a late modernism, part a style we in the business sometimes call "New Formalism". New Formalism combined moder...
The McMansion Hell Yearbook: 1980
hope this was worth the wait!!!
short lease in a slick machine: a personal essay about apartments
hell everyone! I'm back after my short hiatus! thank you all so much for your patience, we now return with our regularly scheduled content, but first, this essay, which I wrote about moving, and by extent, living.
Hello I Will Be Talkin' Buikdings ON TWO FREE Livestreams This Week!
Hello everyone! I'm gonna be talking architecture TWICE this week on two different livestreams which I promise will be very funny! Check them out:THURSDAY: Guest Crit with Failed Architecture on Twitch: More Info FRIDAY: (more info at nyra.nyc/rsvp)SEE YOU TOMORROW WITH A NEW POST!
Good House of the Yearbook: 1979
I love a 70s cedar-shingled shed. I do. Genuinely. This Ann Arbor shed house has been left in rather pristine condition, too - all the cabinetry and trim has been preserved, the outside hasn't been modified much, and it's generally groovy, albeit in a clean, demure way.It's clear the people who live here want to keep the original spirit of the house intact, including with their decorative touches. The views of the forest are lush and ...
The McMansion Hell Yearbook: 1979
Let's get groovy.
The McMansion Hell Yearbook: 1978
strap in for valentine's day
Underground, Part 1
And now for something experimental and completely different: A short story in which two sleazy Las Vegas realtors get stuck in the Las Vegas Underground House and discover the meaning of life.
We Interrupt This Broadcast to Bring You an Especially Cursed House
some requests I cannot simply ignore
Good House of the Yearbook: 1977
Behold, the UFO house, nestled all unassuming-like amidst the normalcy of suburban Illinois! It has a two car garage, and it's oozing out like some underground machination while simultaneously descending menacingly towards earth. In the throws of this static motion, it somehow manages to be cute.The house is a combination of Frank Lloyd Wright's wedding cake-esque twilight years and a particularly creative municipal auditorium. It's t...
The McMansion Hell Yearbook: 1977
Fun times in Cook County once again!
October Livestreams
Howdy folks!The livestreams will be as follows:East Coast: October 30th from 8-10PM EDT (7-10PM CDT)West Coast: Halloween (October 31st) from 9:30-11:30PM EDT (8:30-10:30 CDT)There will be bingo and I will be dressed up for halloween in both livestreams!See you then!
Tonight's Livestream Postponed: New Date: Thursday October 1st from 9-11PM EDT (8-10PM CDT)
Note: this will not count as an October livestream, there will still be two full October LivestreamsHowdy folks!I'm feeling a little bit under the weather (not COVID, just a case of only getting 3.5 hours of sleep) and I don't think I have it in me to stay up past 9PM tonight. Hence: I'm pushing back the stream to tomorrow evening. Sorry for any inconvenience!See you tomorrow!
I'm back on my bullshit (writing about brutalism)
Spoiler alert: this story is sad.
hello! I wrote about professional cycling
Please enjoy this very sad essay about the Tour de France, if you're into that kind of thing.
Good House of the Yearbook: 1976
Today's house comes from the inner ring suburbs of Chicago and is a classic example of Chicago vernacular architecture: the raised ranch. At 3541 square feet featuring 3 beds and 2.5 baths, this cutie comes in at a relatively affordable $385,000.Raised ranches look like bungalows from the front but they stretch out deep into the lot, allowing for a more open floor plan that's definitely in the ranch family. They feature very cute mid-cent...
The McMansion Hell Yearbook: 1976
Get in, boys, we're going to brown town.
Good House of the Yearbook: 1975
Howdy, folks! 1975's Good House comes to you from Fairfield County, Connecticut, and, while being generally cute on the outside is definitely dated on the inside (in, like a great way.)This 4 bed, 4 bath 5300 square foot little chateau isn't cheap - it'll run you just under $900K, but what it lacks in affordability it makes up in charm. Reminiscent of the mountain houses of the Alps (but a lot bigger, in true American tradition), this...
The McMansion Hell Yearbook: 1975
Do not be deceived by the little house in the picture. This one's an absolute doozy.
