The McMansion Hell Yearbook: 1981

Hello everyone! We return to the great state of Illinois (where I live) to bring you this wonderful time capsule from DuPage County (where I don't live but have ridden my bike.) There is actually much... | Continue reading


@mcmansionhell.com | 3 years ago

Short lease in a slick machine: a personal essay about apartments

Hi Everyone, you may have wondered where I’ve been for the last few months. The truth is, I, like most people must at some point in their lives, needed to take a little break and figure some things... | Continue reading


@mcmansionhell.com | 3 years ago

What Is Brutalism? Act 1, Scene 1: The Young Smithsons

What is Brutalism? To put it concisely, Brutalism was a substyle of modernist architecture that originated in Europe during the 1950s and declined by the 1970s, known for its extensive use of... | Continue reading


@mcmansionhell.com | 3 years ago

Coronagrifting: A Design Phenomenon

We now interrupt our regularly scheduled content to bring you a critical essay on the design world. I promise you that this will also be funny.  This morning, the design website Dezeen tweeted a link... | Continue reading


@mcmansionhell.com | 4 years ago

States of McMansion Hell: Campbell County, Wyoming

Howdy, folks! It’s time for us to go home, (big, ugly) home on the range. That’s right: It’s time for Wyoming. Now, when I think Wyoming, I think of rolling hills, ranches, incredible landscapes,... | Continue reading


@mcmansionhell.com | 5 years ago

50 States of McMansion Hell: Fairfax and Loudoun County, Virginia

Howdy folks! This post has been months in the making. Scouring the hell that is the McMansion Trenches of Virginia for only the best (worst) houses for your viewing pleasure generated some truly awful... | Continue reading


@mcmansionhell.com | 5 years ago

The Brutalism Post, Part 2: What Brutalism Is Not

Why open a series about Brutalism by discussing what is not Brutalism? The answer is simple: of all of the terms in the history of architecture, Brutalism is perhaps the most misused and misunderstood... | Continue reading


@mcmansionhell.com | 5 years ago

The Brutalism Post, Part One: Introduction

This is part one of a five-part post about Brutalism.  University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth campus by Paul Rudolph. Photo via Library of Congress No style of architecture so passionately divides... | Continue reading


@mcmansionhell.com | 5 years ago

States of McMansion Hell: Waukesha County, Wisconsin

Howdy Folks! We’re continuing our out-of-order-for-dramatic-effect tour of the 50 States of McMansion Hell today with perhaps one of the most underrated McMansion counties in the country: Waukesha... | Continue reading


@mcmansionhell.com | 5 years ago

The Mail Order American Dream: An Introductory Guide to Identifying Kit Houses

Hello Friends! Today I will take a break from typical McMansion fare to talk about one of my most requested topics: mail-order houses and how to identify them.  NOTE: This is a long article - for... | Continue reading


@mcmansionhell.com | 6 years ago

50 States of McMansion Hell

Happy Halloween, folks! Today, as a special treat, I will be giving you something EXTRA SCARY: 10 (ten) 𝖊𝖝𝖙𝖗𝖊𝖒𝖊𝖑𝖞 𝖈𝖚𝖗𝖘𝖊𝖉 𝖒𝖈𝖒𝖆&#x … | Continue reading


@mcmansionhell.com | 6 years ago

McMansion Hell

If you love to hate the ugly houses that became ubiquitous before (and after) the bubble burst... | Continue reading


@mcmansionhell.com | 6 years ago

McMansions 101: What Makes a McMansion Bad Architecture?

Sometimes people ask, why is xyz house bad? Asking this question does not imply that the asker has bad taste or no taste whatsoever - it means that they are simply not educated in basic architectural... | Continue reading


@mcmansionhell.com | 6 years ago