What's Wrong With McMansions (And How We're Fighting Back)

You know them when you see them. The oversized colonial with the three-car garage dominating the front facade. The "Tuscan villa" squeezed onto a quarter-acre lot in suburban Michigan. The house with seven different rooflines, none of which make any architectural sense.

McMansions. And they're everywhere.

But here's what most people don't realize: the problem isn't just that they're ugly (though, let's be honest, many are). The real issue runs much deeper—and it's costing us more than we think.

The Real Problems With McMansions

They Prioritize Square Footage Over Quality

McMansions operate on a simple formula: maximize interior space, minimize cost per square foot, repeat. This means cheap materials, poor craftsmanship, and design decisions driven entirely by spreadsheets rather than how humans actually live.

You end up with 4,000 square feet of house where half the rooms never get used, bathrooms with builder-grade everything, and that massive two-story foyer that looks impressive but hemorrhages heat and serves zero functional purpose.

They Ignore Context Completely

Drive through any newer suburb and play "guess which state you're in." Can't do it, right? That's because McMansions are placeless—the same model gets copy-pasted from Texas to Maine, regardless of climate, culture, or local architectural tradition.

A home should respond to its environment. It should acknowledge where it is. McMansions act like geography, weather, and community don't exist.

They Age Terribly

Here's the thing about trends: they end. Those chunky columns? That specific shade of beige? The Mediterranean arch over the garage? They all scream "built in 2005" and they'll look increasingly dated every year.

Meanwhile, genuinely well-designed homes age gracefully because they're built on timeless principles of proportion, light, and material honesty—not whatever was hot at the home show that year.

They're Environmental Nightmares

Bigger isn't just more expensive to build—it's more expensive to heat, cool, maintain, and eventually renovate. All that unnecessary square footage means more materials, more energy, and more waste. And because they're built with the cheapest possible materials, they'll need major work in 15-20 years.

Sustainability isn't about slapping solar panels on a badly designed house. It's about building the right-sized home, in the right way, from the start.

They Destroy Community

When every house is an oversized fortress set back from the street behind a three-car garage, you get neighborhoods where people drive in, garage door closes, and that's it. No front porches. No street life. No accidental conversations with neighbors.

Architecture shapes how we live together. McMansion-dominated suburbs create isolation by design.

How We're Fighting Back

At Commonality, we've made a conscious choice to design differently. Here's what that looks like in practice:

We Build Smaller, Better Homes

Not every family needs 3,500+ square feet. What they need is the right space—designed thoughtfully for how they actually live. We spend time understanding your daily rhythms, your real needs (not your Pinterest wants), and create homes that feel generous without being wasteful.

We Design for Place

Your home in Northern Michigan should respond to Michigan. That means embracing local materials, respecting regional building traditions, designing for our specific climate, and creating something that belongs here—not something that could be anywhere.

We Use Materials That Last

We work with craftspeople who care about their work. We specify materials that age beautifully rather than just looking good in the showroom. And yes, this costs more upfront—but it means your home won't need a complete renovation in 15 years.

We Prioritize Connection

Front porches. Human-scaled entries. Windows that actually relate to the street. We design homes that foster community, not isolation. Because architecture isn't just about the building—it's about how that building shapes the life around it.

We Say No

This might be the most important one. We turn down projects that don't align with these principles. We won't design the biggest house possible just because someone can afford it. We won't ignore site context because a client wants a specific style. We won't compromise on quality to hit an arbitrary square footage number.

The Alternative Isn't Sacrifice

Here's what we want you to know: choosing thoughtful architecture over a McMansion isn't about settling. It's not about living in some cramped, austere box.

It's about having a home that truly fits your life. A home that feels right from the moment you walk in. A home that you'll love more in 20 years than you do today. A home that contributes something positive to the world around it.

That's not sacrifice. That's getting what you actually wanted all along—you just didn't know the McMansion couldn't deliver it.

Let's Build Something Better

If you're tired of suburban sameness and ready for architecture that actually means something, let's talk. We're not for everyone—and that's exactly the point.

We work with people who value quality over quantity, meaning over square footage, and long-term thinking over quick fixes. If that sounds like you, we should connect.

Because the best way to fight McMansions isn't by complaining about them. It's by building the alternative, one thoughtful home at a time.

Ready to explore what your home could be? Get our free Field Guide and start thinking differently about architecture.