McMansion or not? - Page 32

I based my previous comments on the first exterior photo alone. Now that I'm looking at them closer ... comments as follows:

House 1:

a) Replace the stained wood arched double Front Door ... it's very out of character with and far to heavy for the style of the house. I'd also get rid of the little french door and balcony above.
b) Remove the soffits and built-ins in the dining room.
c) Kitchen cabinetry and hardware would need changing. Also the color of the room is a bit strong. I'd also replace the floor.
d) At the skylight ... I'd take the molding across rather than end it as it does. That's not correct ... but it would be better.
e) Kitchen fireplace doesn't work for me. Room is too narrow for fp.
f) Nix the light tracks (and their structure) in the billiard room
g) Upgrade the ceiling fans
h) More restrained window treatments at the master bath
i) Remove the pillars at the pool
j) Remove the hot tub w/ spill at the pool
k) Replace fixtures & cabinetry at Master Bath

House 2)

a) Eave returns at rake ends need correcting
b) Scale of rake ends bothers me ... small windows (due to low header height) ... lots of wall.
c) Porch would be more appropriate with square posts ... after all, this is more of a farm house than Southern mansion.
d) Interior scale is inferior to first house.
e) Where I see chair rails, it needs wainscotting.
f) Replace kitchen cabinetry & hardware.
g) Casing, trim, & molding should be upgraded.
h) Remove the plantation shutters
i) The 6'8" door (with transom) is too wide for the height ... might be better as an 8' door w/out transom.
j) Replace the stair newel, balusters, & handrail.

House 1 simply has better bones. House 2 has too many issues of scale. The 15 acres are tempting ... but House 1 has much more potential.

The above is not an all inclusive list ... being based on notes taken during a quick slide show of each house. Let us say ... it is a beginning.

Absolutely fantastic. Thank you so much. I also believe that House #1 doesn't have nearly as far to go as #2 and you have confirmed that. I took a drive down to House #2 today and those 15acres are so tempting. Perhaps they are blinding me from doing what feels like the correct thing to do. So I don't take the thread any further off course I'll refrain from continuing with this line of questioning... Ahh...here's one that seems quite a bit more like a McMansion but I haven't been able to take it off my list: http://tours.tourfactory.com/tours/t....com&t=713102&

Not real keen on either of the first 2 nor do I understand the desire for such size in a vacation home (given that, the 15 acres of the second one seem more appealing though, and in a sense it offers a more "flexible" design project) but this 3rd one? Most definitely McDaddy....

Again, you like the property! I've been through this myself.

I do like the scale of the interior ... but as venessian notes ... it's a bit Mac.

By "vacation" I actually mean the place I'll live when I'm not away on work but these places are very small when compared to the actual vacation properties that belong to my friends. I went with a friend to the Dom. Republic and couldn't help but ask why they needed 25k sq ft. I do! I do! If you can believe it I drove by that place as it is really close to House #2 and said "5 acres!? Doesn't look like enough room."

I'm no architect but the interior columns seem at odds with the pine floors. If you're gonna do pine you need to go for a more rustic feel. Neither the mouldings nor the furniture go with the floors at all imo. Kitchen is god awful ugly. It seems to want to be doing some country thing with the thick turned legs, but the cabinets are horrible and clash with the floors. Furniture choice is universally bad imo (not that you'd be stuck with it). Honestly dude, buy some land and get an architect to build something nice. This doesn't sound like something you need to have tomorrow. The first house you posted has been the best by far imo.

This is possible and was my original plan but If at all possible I would like to have 10+ acres in that area...which is very difficult to do. Knocking down House #2 or heavy reno on it would be one of the only ways to make that happen.

Oh, that changes things then. I didn't understand that at first. In that case, your instincts seem to be to select the best possible site you can, and I believe those are the correct instincts. You grew up there, know the area well, and for us it's impossible to gauge site qualities from real estate agent web postings, but that's the direction I would definitely advise. RSS stated it well in his first post: "Distance from neighbors means solitude." BTW, is the water on the second site natural or "man-made"? No kidding! I had the same experience visiting some folks in Panama..."Oh, I'm sorry...I didn't realize this was "just the servants' quarters...."

Is there anything available with a crappy small house you could bulldoze?

The fundamental question is whether there are 10/15+ acres available with services. If not, bulldozing anything (such as an old structure, or finding a great lot in an unincorporated area, etc.) and providing services can be a very costly proposition. However, I don't know this part of the country at all.

You are correct. That area is "the best" if one wants a large piece of land and very limited. I do believe the pond is natural No sir. Not close to the polo fields

I like the acreage on the second but the gravel driveways are a non-starter for me. The first really seems to have some character.

Gravel driveways are a plus for me. Going to see the first house in a couple of hours

Me too.

Enjoy the house tour! You should consider starting a new thread and getting out of McMansions.

Thank you I'll consider starting that new thread. Not sure what the angle would be just yet.