31.12.11

The hackneyed McMansion

Caught this story last week regarding Michigan’s sluggish housing market. I thought the in-process home shown in the accompanying photo (shown below) was telling. Its overly complicated floor plan, which indicates a poorly considered design, unnecessarily leads to an increase in construction costs and the resulting increase in sales price.


In contrast, when the layout of the various rooms are considered by a capable designer, the floor plan may be simplified, leading to a corresponding cost savings without an apparent loss of space or privacy.

Additionally, the size of the pictured home, conservatively calculated at 1700 square feet on a single floor, suggests that this will be a very large home. The “design” of the neighboring home suggests the considerable likelihood that the home will occupy two stories. In which case, this house could cost as much as $500,000.


Is it inappropriate to suggest that the slump in housing sales is driven by the building, rather than the banks?