Meanwhile I saw something that intrigued me today, the Los Angeles City Council has approved restrictions on the size of homes in the city's flatlands. (Having only been to LA once or twice, I admittedly am not familiar with which part of the city this is.) You can read the whole deal online at the LA Times. The general gist though is that these enormous McMansions are being built and causing neighborhoods to resemble fields of monopoly boards, just stucco box after box. Even still, the house size limit will be 3,000 to 4,000 square feet. Now I know I live in a Cracker Jack box, but seriously people! That is like three times the size of my house, unless you have a gazillion kids, what do you need all that space for?
Some of you may be aware of my "disinterest" in newer style homes. I prefer older homes with all the neat quirks of personality, good and bad, that they offer (i.e. non-existent closet space—bad; really cool moldings and archways—good). I don't have a lot of sympathy for the folks that are building these oversized nightmares. I think of them as squatting, permanent Hummers, if you will. But the think that I think is most interesting about this article is the neighbors of these yea-whoos who talked to the city council about how these monstrosities have impaired their lives and communities, dwarfing their homes and taking away their privacy.
A man (or woman's!) home is his/her castle, but I mean that metaphorically.
4 comments:
i hate those mcmansions too. most often it's an older couple living in them or just a couple w/out kids at home, etc. it's a status symbol and a pathetic one at that. i too prefer older homes and not cookie cutter houses. where's the personality???
and what kid needs a 500 square foot bathroom of their own anyway??
And how can we sustain these large houses long-term? They take up so much space and require so much more energy to heat/cool. I think it just shows a lack of imagination. These homeowners have obviously made enough money that they are "rewarding" themselves for their success, but couldn't they renovate an older home or simply put some of their hard-earned money toward charity or something? I'm presently trying to figure out what to do with our enormous yard--I'd rather not spend all those fossil fuels mowing it. Maybe a garden in the front? I know it's a little hippie, and heavens knows I don't want to garden. I could just plant wildflowers, declare it a bird sanctuary and let the whole thing go to seed!
yeah if they are interested in a reward, go buy an overpriced coffee at starbucks. that usually makes me feel better.
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