It seems people keep confusing McMansion and Mansion. They are totally different. A big house does not make it a McMansion.
Per the internet (so it must be accurate):
Mc·Man·sion
məkˈmanSH(ə)n/
noun
a large modern house that is considered ostentatious and lacking in architectural integrity.
According to wiki (which is the highest authority in the world, lol), the term started in Cali in the 1980's. Here's a bit more from Wiki:
The term "McMansion" is generally used to denote a new, or recent, multi-story house of no clear architectural style,[8] which prizes superficial appearance, and sheer size, over quality.
Such very large, indeed expensive, but "mass produced" homes may sit on large lots: that is to say, an entire division of McMansions may be created (perhaps dozens or more at once), each on a large lot. However, in another usage "McMansion" is used pejoratively to refer to a house which replaced a smaller house, in a neighborhood of smaller houses, which seems far too large for its lot and thus crowds adjacent homes. (Indeed, such a McMansion may lack side windows due to the proximity to the boundaries - another McMansion-related cliché.[citation needed])
One real-estate writer explains the successful formula for McMansions: symmetrical structures on clear-cut lots with Palladian windows centered over the main entry and brick or stone enhancing the driveway entrance, plus multiple chimneys, dormers, pilasters, and columns—and inside, the master suite with dressing rooms and bath-spa, great rooms, breakfast and dining rooms, showplace kitchen, and extra high and wide garages for multiple cars and SUVs.[9]
Typical attributes also include a floor area of over 3,000 square feet (280 m2),[10] ceilings 9 to 10 feet (3 m) high, a two-story portico, a two-story front door hall usually with a large chandelier, a three or more car garage, usually five or more bedrooms and many bathrooms, extensive crown-moulding style features, and lavish - if superficial - interior features.
As noted above, a McMansion replacing a house in a community of smaller-sized houses, will cover a much larger portion of the lot than the construction it replaces; in the other usage McMansions are built en masse in homogeneous communities by a single developer.[11]
