Five Ways To Fight McMansions

MSN Real Estate publishes a special on McMansionization, detailing the backlash, a new "less is more" movement, and ways to fight the trend.

1 minute read

April 7, 2006, 6:00 AM PDT

By David Gest


"Reeling from the towering megahouses that have been cropping up in neighborhoods nationwide, communities aren't just standing by and letting them flourish unchallenged anymore."

"From Atlanta to Austin, Texas, and beyond, more governments have started imposing stricter building limits and even temporarily halted new construction while they try to get a handle on the explosion of these 4,000- to-10,000-square-foot homes, sometimes sneeringly called 'garage mahals,' 'Hummer houses' or 'starter castles.'"

"Yet the backlash, too, is just getting started, say observers. 'You're going to see a lot more of this,' said Lang -- especially in places like southern California and Florida that have all but run out of virgin land to build on, and where builders are eyeing older suburbs. 'By 2020, this could be some nasty stuff; something could probably make its way to the Supreme Court.'"

Thanks to William Doane

Thursday, April 6, 2006 in MSN Real Estate

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