McMansion Hell
dome sweet dome
As some of you may know, I have been going to language school for the last few months in order to...
2 weeks ago
As some of you may know, I have been going to language school for the last few months in order to learn the world’s most widely spoken and useful language: Slovenian. At this point, my Slovenian is about as coherent as, well, a McMansion. In order to feel better about myself, I...
McMansion Hell
here are some things i like
Often people say to me, “Kate, you’re an architecture critic! You must have an impeccably designed...
3 months ago
Often people say to me, “Kate, you’re an architecture critic! You must have an impeccably designed home full of wonderful design.” Haha, NO! However, I do think it’s entirely possible to collect design and live an aesthetically satisfying life on, like, a normal salary. Last...
McMansion Hell
daydream houses of oman
Howdy, folks! With all the terrible events unfolding in Ukraine right now, I figured everyone would...
a year ago
Howdy, folks! With all the terrible events unfolding in Ukraine right now, I figured everyone would like a little bit of a break from doomscrolling. Not wanting to add anymore negativity to the timelines, I’m going to share something on-topic but decidedly more cheery than the...
McMansion Hell
bonus mcmansion hell: terrible things are happening in McLean, VA
Read the bonus post on Patreon!
7 months ago
Read the bonus post on Patreon!
McMansion Hell
i draw cyclists
i draw cyclists:
hey so in my spare time, when i am not an architecture critic, i like to draw....
over a year ago
i draw cyclists:
hey so in my spare time, when i am not an architecture critic, i like to draw. this has merged with my other love in life (professional cycling) and as such i have dedicated the last six months of my evening hours to drawing cyclists.
tl;dr i made a tumblr...
McMansion Hell
The McMansion Hell Yearbook: 1979
Howdy, folks! I hope all of my fellow Midwesterners are enjoying this year’s false spring....
over a year ago
Howdy, folks! I hope all of my fellow Midwesterners are enjoying this year’s false spring. Seventy-degree days notwithstanding, the snow will indeed be back, and, as such, I have prepared for you a house to enjoy (?) alongside a miserably late-in-the-year hot cocoa.
Now, this...
McMansion Hell
a fine selection of bonker facades from the DC suburbs
Howdy folks! In honor of Halloween, here are some of the scariest houses currently for sale in the...
7 months ago
Howdy folks! In honor of Halloween, here are some of the scariest houses currently for sale in the ever-cursed suburbs of Washington, DC. It’s been awhile since I checked in on this particular hotspot, and once more, it did not disappoint.
I’ll just get this one out of the way....
McMansion Hell
The McMansion Hell Yearbook: 1981
Hello everyone! We return to the great state of Illinois (where I live) to bring you this wonderful...
a year ago
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 more house to get through than in the usual McMansion Hell post so Iet’s not...
McMansion Hell
The McMansion Hell Yearbook: 1980
(back of a quirky literary novel voice): Sometimes, things are not what they seem. An architecture...
a year ago
(back of a quirky literary novel voice): Sometimes, things are not what they seem. An architecture critic disappears for three months to follow bike racing around Europe, rife with questions of becoming and desire. A real estate agent uploads a listing to an aggregator, knowing...
McMansion Hell
this house may or may not be real
on grayness in real estate
Allegedly, somewhere in Wake Forest, North Carolina, a 4 bed, 5.5...
5 months ago
on grayness in real estate
Allegedly, somewhere in Wake Forest, North Carolina, a 4 bed, 5.5 bathroom house totaling more than 6,600 square feet is for sale at a price of 2.37 million dollars. The house, allegedly, was built in 2021. Allegedly, it looks like this:
A McMansion...
McMansion Hell
every small city has that one dictator chic house
I don’t know why, but every city, no matter how big, has some insanely stacked dictator-looking...
4 months ago
I don’t know why, but every city, no matter how big, has some insanely stacked dictator-looking McMansion somewhere outside the city limits. If you sort your Zillow results as Price: High - Low, this house will pop up first. It costs something like $5,000,000. It is 10,000 square...
McMansion Hell
everything’s bigger in texas
Howdy folks! Pardon my July hiatus, as I was uhhhh covering the Tour de France. Anyway, before I get...
9 months ago
Howdy folks! Pardon my July hiatus, as I was uhhhh covering the Tour de France. Anyway, before I get started, I’m back now and have some good news, which is that the McMansion Hell Patreon tiers have been updated – it’s never been such a good time to support McMansion Hell.
For...
McMansion Hell
hark ye oakland county
Howdy folks! Today I’ve decided to return to a long-neglected place of terrible vibes, Oakland...
8 months ago
Howdy folks! Today I’ve decided to return to a long-neglected place of terrible vibes, Oakland County, Michigan. The house on special is, one could say, fit for a king but like maybe one of those kings that sells used cars on tv in the wee hours of the night. Anyway:
This...
McMansion Hell
yet again we find ourselves in cook county
Živjo from Slovenija, where there are no McMansions. (I finally know peace.) And yet at the same...
11 months ago
Živjo from Slovenija, where there are no McMansions. (I finally know peace.) And yet at the same time I grew homesick enough to make my way back into the Cook County Suburbs, namely Barrington, namely South Barrington, namely McMansion Hell. If only in spirit.
This $3 million,...
McMansion Hell
McMansion Hell: revenge of cook county
Fans of this website will perhaps remember a certain house from the “worst of suburban Illinois”...
a year ago
Fans of this website will perhaps remember a certain house from the “worst of suburban Illinois” post. I’m here to alert you to the fact that the interior of said house may in fact be the pinnacle of what has been dubbed by my colleague Cocaine Decor as “Cocaine Decor.” This 1990...
McMansion Hell
r/McMansionHell - Hello r/McMansionHell, I'm Kate Wagner, creator of McMansion Hell and architecture...
r/McMansionHell - Hello r/McMansionHell, I'm Kate Wagner, creator of McMansion Hell and architecture...
over a year ago
r/McMansionHell - Hello r/McMansionHell, I'm Kate Wagner, creator of McMansion Hell and architecture critic at The New Republic. AMA!:
Howdy, Folks! If you’re not busy right now, I’m doing an AMA on the McMansion Hell Subreddit! Stop by and ask me some questions!
McMansion Hell
gatekeep, gaslight, girlboss
Howdy, folks! Today we will be heading down south to the Atlanta suburbs to view what may be the...
10 months ago
Howdy, folks! Today we will be heading down south to the Atlanta suburbs to view what may be the most yassified house in existence.(The quality of the photos is proportional to the quality of the estate, my apologies.) Also, special thanks to my friend Kristjan who contributed to...
McMansion Hell
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...
a year ago
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 out, needed to go on some long personal journeys, needed to meet some heroes,...
McMansion Hell
Suburban Chicago McMansions Follow a Dark Logic Even I Do Not Understand
For reasons architecturally unbeknownst to me, the McMansions of Chicago’s suburbs are actually...
a year ago
For reasons architecturally unbeknownst to me, the McMansions of Chicago’s suburbs are actually insane. Perhaps it makes sense that Chicago, America’s mecca of great and distinguished architecture would also give birth to what can be appropriately called the netherworld version...
Full Width 
Shortcuts 
Sign Up 
Articles 
Blogs & Substacks 
Reading List 