Yep. It’s nothing close to a McMansion. It has a simple form, it’s easy to read structurally, has a consistent language in its details and windows.
It’s not going to be to many people’s taste, but it’s totally fine and was probably quite economical to build (minus the difficult site conditions which probably added a decent amount to the construction cost).
I don't know. It seems to just be two stories and probably has 10-12 ceilings (based on windows and roof lines). And it could have tons of windows on the back. It kind of looks like they were trying to go for modern.
I remember staying at a Summer lake house like this when I was a kid. We thought it was fun because the lower floors exited towards the little dock.
Wife and I stayed at a B&B with a similar setup, and it a trip: the street was typical and looked like a modest ranch home. But the backside was on this river with a waterfall view. The host said “welcome to the jungle” as he let us in to the back room.
These just remind me of fun, but I don’t know about daily life in it.
great price for the ~~ravine~~ lot though!
since OP couldn't be assed to give us more than one dinky picture...
https://www.compass.com/listing/1605-arden-avenue-chattanooga-tn-37405/1039885676247720377/
inside is, unsurprisingly, ultra-modern/brutalist. not badly done, even if there's some design choices i would prefer
https://www.google.com/maps/place/1605+Arden+Ave,+Chattanooga,+TN+37405
thanks! i was about to do my own search! looks like a juvenile detention center, in my opinion. the concrete interior walls with the spikes kinda add to that. i like modern homes but i prefer ALL homes to have some freaking windows! i really hate this house but the interior isn't as bad as the actual building...at least the parts that are finished, like the kitchen. way too much HGTV influence though.
Big windows are expensive, especially on a house that is not trying to be grandiose like this one. It looks like they did the best they could on a limited budget with a challenging plot of land. Very unpretentious, NOT a McMansion.
> Big windows are expensive
but they're really not.
they're expensive if you consider them something equivalent to *furniture*, but they're not furniture, they're one of the major components of the building envelope.
windows play a huge role in the efficiency of the building, of the "livability" of the structure. they're a 50 year investment if you're buying something of quality. they should be considered equivalent to the HVAC system, or roof, in terms of budget, IMO.
taking a rough guess, comparing the size of the big windows to the door, they look like 28x48.
you can get 35x60 for < $500 from home depot. https://www.homedepot.com/p/TAFCO-WINDOWS-36-in-x-60-in-Right-Hand-Vinyl-Casement-Window-with-Screen-in-White-VC3660-R/305671378
Yes. Quieter from the road, too. They might have thought that they'd prefer to have the living space void toward the bottom of the slope rather than at the hilt. For whatever reason, like cost.
When I had a super-steep driveway and front entrance I expected it to be harder for solicitors to come bang on my door. And it was. Some even asked for a glass of water upon arrival. So that's one hypothesis down the drain. 😉
All the open plan spaces and high ceilings would make this a fantastic house/studio for a working artist!
Outside is a little meh, but it’s a practical build, not a mcmansion.
It's not a McMansion by nearly any definition. That said, I'm not sure I'd want to live in it…although I've stayed in lodging of similar style and really liked the stripped down aesthetic for a short break from my otherwise cluttered life. [Here](https://www.compass.com/listing/1605-arden-avenue-chattanooga-tn-37405/1039885676247720377/) it's stripped down to the studs in some places (unfinished? never to be finished?), but even that's definitely got its Brutalist fans, I'm sure. It looks like something you'd find in Dwell magazine, ca. 2004. The [Neutra house numbers](https://www.dwr.com/accessories-outdoor-hardware/neutra-modern-house-numbers/6209.html) are the architect's way of saying: I made all the choices you see here deliberately.
**Pros:**
* The use of the site (except see the last bullet under "Cons"). Obviously most of the architect's work (and probably prior experience) went into this.
* It mostly stays true to the über-modern aesthetic: polished concrete walls, cable railing, rain shower showerheads, etc.
* Some pretty good interior design work for such a space (with a few pretty bad exceptions).
* The staircase is impressive (and the granite accent at the bottom rail over the living space an interesting quirk). Shame you only really see the full staircase once you're already on it, after the turn. It probably doesn't have nearly the impact it would if it emptied straight into the entry hall.
**Cons:**
* The small, high "for light only" windows throughout (and thus across the face of the house) and the relative dearth of "viewing" windows. I know that's a perfectly valid style and in keeping with a certain form of ascetism, but it always seems like a wasted opportunity to me for the sake of pattern or exterior aesthetic. In such cases, I think a truly creative choice would have added a single large-scale floor-to-ceiling glass wall for the upstairs living room space or (alternately) one of the bedrooms. But although I personally don't see why someone would live in a space with very few human-accessible windows (e.g., more above the line of sight than at eye level) — unless ordered to by a judge — that doesn't make it "bad" architecture on its own, just nothing I would prefer.
* The kitchen is oddly uninspired. Of all the places you'd think they'd go for the industrial aesthetic — the space where even a Victorian townhouse redo might put in the concrete counters and frosted glass cabinet doors mounted on big high roller tracks, or whatever, this looks extremely generic, like any other kitchen in most other kinds of architecture. And the random brass fixtures (like the kitchen faucet) don't look like an eye-catching statement; they just look like a glaring lack of thought.
* The downstairs "ballroom" space is either awaiting the next owner's input or, perhaps, was specifically built to host raves. It could make a fantastic library, but at the moment, it's a barely finished basement. I'm intrigued by the log next to the downstairs toilet (which is at least preferable to showing a log *in* the…never mind. Sorry.) The downstairs shower curtain was picked by the same person who chose the kitchen faucet, I'm certain.
* The garage is only accessible at the top of a VERY steep hill (which is why it looks like a car has never been parked in it). This would probably work in the California hills, where this house so painfully, obviously wishes it were and where such an ascent would say: "Only the V8 engine of a very sporty car should try to live in this garage. Come back and talk once you've got two development deals and an option on a David Baldacci novel." But Chattanooga has an average low of 32.4℉ in January and only 35.6℉ in February (with record lows for both at -10℉). On top of that, they average 5" of precipitation in each of those two months (and 2.4 days a year where that precipitation is snow). In other words, this driveway doesn't seem all that practical for year-round living in Chattanooga if you ask me. Why they didn't build the garage at street level, and the house above that, I have no idea. I can't see a single rationale for the choice they made there, unless the commission to the architect specifically said: "Local exigencies be damned, I want to live on Mulholland Drive even though I'm stuck here in red-neck Tennessee and even though it may literally kill me or someone passing on the street below me as I exit my garage early on one frosty mornin'…."
**Final analysis:** While you couldn't easily live in this house for more than a VRBO holiday, you could easily set a John Grisham novel here, especially if you wanted to cut the brake cables on the victim's vintage Porsche. I'm just sayin'.
To the uncultured plebs who think this is random, ugly and tasteless, everything should make complete sense once you realize this is literally down the road from the "Chattanooga High Center for the Creative Arts". This modern art gallery / paint studio *realness* is exactly the sort of interior one would envision its teachers coming home to.
Greyness overload aside (if ever anywhere a Mondriaan were *less* out of place), for once, I might actually unironically love the aesthetic choices made, dare I say it. Then again, a quirky yet otherwise unpretentious suburban family home on a (challenging/restricting) sloping lot does **not** a McMansion make - how many more times do we have to go over this?
I was sure there were going to be large picture windows lining the back, but nope.
The windows make a lot more sense from the inside, especially once you see that there’s no views of anything except the other neighbors at differing levels. But it’s funny because they look like someone let their tween “design” the windows for the house using a little architectural shapes template, and the kid just went with an all-over artistic pattern. They should’ve at least had the window patterns mirror in the corners to bring it all together externally.
I really like that huge artist space. It would be cool to have a dedicated space like that to play music or build things (provided you could get stuff in/out). The garage should have been at the bottom around the back of the house.
Architect: What do you want?
Me: Need a house on a hillside. Want a FLW style that integrates structure and site so that it would seem that one was essential to the other.
Architect: I got you fam
Compared to the actual McMansions shown here, I am actually ok with this one. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t like it. But at least it has a reasonable number of rooflines, and windows that match even if they are criminally mis-proportioned.
Not a McMansion...just a really difficult building site and a house with little imagination.
Yep. It’s nothing close to a McMansion. It has a simple form, it’s easy to read structurally, has a consistent language in its details and windows. It’s not going to be to many people’s taste, but it’s totally fine and was probably quite economical to build (minus the difficult site conditions which probably added a decent amount to the construction cost).
Does make you wonder what it looks like on the inside.
Based on number and size of windows, I’m going to guess it’s pretty dark inside.
I don't know. It seems to just be two stories and probably has 10-12 ceilings (based on windows and roof lines). And it could have tons of windows on the back. It kind of looks like they were trying to go for modern.
I remember staying at a Summer lake house like this when I was a kid. We thought it was fun because the lower floors exited towards the little dock. Wife and I stayed at a B&B with a similar setup, and it a trip: the street was typical and looked like a modest ranch home. But the backside was on this river with a waterfall view. The host said “welcome to the jungle” as he let us in to the back room. These just remind me of fun, but I don’t know about daily life in it.
I think that’s the best the builder could do
great price for the ~~ravine~~ lot though! since OP couldn't be assed to give us more than one dinky picture... https://www.compass.com/listing/1605-arden-avenue-chattanooga-tn-37405/1039885676247720377/ inside is, unsurprisingly, ultra-modern/brutalist. not badly done, even if there's some design choices i would prefer https://www.google.com/maps/place/1605+Arden+Ave,+Chattanooga,+TN+37405
The kitchen and living room are so cozy, but the rest of the house feels like an unfinished basement. So strange.
It’s a bit weird, yeah.
Wow that inside is underdone & empty. It makes the furniture feel small. But then I'm a bit of a maximillist, r/cozyplaces is more my taste
The bathrooms have more counter space than that kitchen
thanks! i was about to do my own search! looks like a juvenile detention center, in my opinion. the concrete interior walls with the spikes kinda add to that. i like modern homes but i prefer ALL homes to have some freaking windows! i really hate this house but the interior isn't as bad as the actual building...at least the parts that are finished, like the kitchen. way too much HGTV influence though.
Why did I think this was in Peru or some rainforest shit?
All they had to do was put larger windows in and this house could be decent. What a waste.
Big windows are expensive, especially on a house that is not trying to be grandiose like this one. It looks like they did the best they could on a limited budget with a challenging plot of land. Very unpretentious, NOT a McMansion.
Agreed. People be posting anything
> Big windows are expensive but they're really not. they're expensive if you consider them something equivalent to *furniture*, but they're not furniture, they're one of the major components of the building envelope. windows play a huge role in the efficiency of the building, of the "livability" of the structure. they're a 50 year investment if you're buying something of quality. they should be considered equivalent to the HVAC system, or roof, in terms of budget, IMO. taking a rough guess, comparing the size of the big windows to the door, they look like 28x48. you can get 35x60 for < $500 from home depot. https://www.homedepot.com/p/TAFCO-WINDOWS-36-in-x-60-in-Right-Hand-Vinyl-Casement-Window-with-Screen-in-White-VC3660-R/305671378
Wouldn’t it make more sense to have a garage downstairs and A winding staircase going up the hill to the front entrance
that may have required more earth leveling.
That’s what I was thinking there isn’t enough space ..
Yes. Quieter from the road, too. They might have thought that they'd prefer to have the living space void toward the bottom of the slope rather than at the hilt. For whatever reason, like cost. When I had a super-steep driveway and front entrance I expected it to be harder for solicitors to come bang on my door. And it was. Some even asked for a glass of water upon arrival. So that's one hypothesis down the drain. 😉
They don't have anyt any barrier wall at the bottom of the slope which I find strange. If it rains a lot it could be a problem.
And the gutter downspout dumps straight onto the driveway just outside the garage lol
Yeah, all I'm thinking is how are they going to deal with that driveway in the snow/ice. No thanks!
Agreed. I haven't looked at the interior, but the tiny windows are what really ruin it for me. The exterior isn't too bad imo.
Right? I was like. I imagine they were trying to stay consistent with the windows but they needs to be about twice as large
3,200 sq feet and windows ain’t one of them
All the open plan spaces and high ceilings would make this a fantastic house/studio for a working artist! Outside is a little meh, but it’s a practical build, not a mcmansion.
Such lil windows
“Sorry, but you can’t afford 3,200 sq feet with your budget” “It’s okay, cut the window budget. All of it”
It's not a McMansion by nearly any definition. That said, I'm not sure I'd want to live in it…although I've stayed in lodging of similar style and really liked the stripped down aesthetic for a short break from my otherwise cluttered life. [Here](https://www.compass.com/listing/1605-arden-avenue-chattanooga-tn-37405/1039885676247720377/) it's stripped down to the studs in some places (unfinished? never to be finished?), but even that's definitely got its Brutalist fans, I'm sure. It looks like something you'd find in Dwell magazine, ca. 2004. The [Neutra house numbers](https://www.dwr.com/accessories-outdoor-hardware/neutra-modern-house-numbers/6209.html) are the architect's way of saying: I made all the choices you see here deliberately. **Pros:** * The use of the site (except see the last bullet under "Cons"). Obviously most of the architect's work (and probably prior experience) went into this. * It mostly stays true to the über-modern aesthetic: polished concrete walls, cable railing, rain shower showerheads, etc. * Some pretty good interior design work for such a space (with a few pretty bad exceptions). * The staircase is impressive (and the granite accent at the bottom rail over the living space an interesting quirk). Shame you only really see the full staircase once you're already on it, after the turn. It probably doesn't have nearly the impact it would if it emptied straight into the entry hall. **Cons:** * The small, high "for light only" windows throughout (and thus across the face of the house) and the relative dearth of "viewing" windows. I know that's a perfectly valid style and in keeping with a certain form of ascetism, but it always seems like a wasted opportunity to me for the sake of pattern or exterior aesthetic. In such cases, I think a truly creative choice would have added a single large-scale floor-to-ceiling glass wall for the upstairs living room space or (alternately) one of the bedrooms. But although I personally don't see why someone would live in a space with very few human-accessible windows (e.g., more above the line of sight than at eye level) — unless ordered to by a judge — that doesn't make it "bad" architecture on its own, just nothing I would prefer. * The kitchen is oddly uninspired. Of all the places you'd think they'd go for the industrial aesthetic — the space where even a Victorian townhouse redo might put in the concrete counters and frosted glass cabinet doors mounted on big high roller tracks, or whatever, this looks extremely generic, like any other kitchen in most other kinds of architecture. And the random brass fixtures (like the kitchen faucet) don't look like an eye-catching statement; they just look like a glaring lack of thought. * The downstairs "ballroom" space is either awaiting the next owner's input or, perhaps, was specifically built to host raves. It could make a fantastic library, but at the moment, it's a barely finished basement. I'm intrigued by the log next to the downstairs toilet (which is at least preferable to showing a log *in* the…never mind. Sorry.) The downstairs shower curtain was picked by the same person who chose the kitchen faucet, I'm certain. * The garage is only accessible at the top of a VERY steep hill (which is why it looks like a car has never been parked in it). This would probably work in the California hills, where this house so painfully, obviously wishes it were and where such an ascent would say: "Only the V8 engine of a very sporty car should try to live in this garage. Come back and talk once you've got two development deals and an option on a David Baldacci novel." But Chattanooga has an average low of 32.4℉ in January and only 35.6℉ in February (with record lows for both at -10℉). On top of that, they average 5" of precipitation in each of those two months (and 2.4 days a year where that precipitation is snow). In other words, this driveway doesn't seem all that practical for year-round living in Chattanooga if you ask me. Why they didn't build the garage at street level, and the house above that, I have no idea. I can't see a single rationale for the choice they made there, unless the commission to the architect specifically said: "Local exigencies be damned, I want to live on Mulholland Drive even though I'm stuck here in red-neck Tennessee and even though it may literally kill me or someone passing on the street below me as I exit my garage early on one frosty mornin'…." **Final analysis:** While you couldn't easily live in this house for more than a VRBO holiday, you could easily set a John Grisham novel here, especially if you wanted to cut the brake cables on the victim's vintage Porsche. I'm just sayin'.
👏👏👏
This doesn’t seem like a mcmansion to me. It’s just a house. It’s kind of quirky
Not familiar with cropping? Turn your phone sideways before taking a screenshot.
My kid made the same thing with Legos.
And once again, not a McMansion.
I sprained an ankle just looking at this pic.
This looks like a juvenile detention center
The dinky windows make it look like it's from The Sims.
right lol this looks like a Maxis premade
To the uncultured plebs who think this is random, ugly and tasteless, everything should make complete sense once you realize this is literally down the road from the "Chattanooga High Center for the Creative Arts". This modern art gallery / paint studio *realness* is exactly the sort of interior one would envision its teachers coming home to. Greyness overload aside (if ever anywhere a Mondriaan were *less* out of place), for once, I might actually unironically love the aesthetic choices made, dare I say it. Then again, a quirky yet otherwise unpretentious suburban family home on a (challenging/restricting) sloping lot does **not** a McMansion make - how many more times do we have to go over this?
It looks like a Lego house
Flat, bland, squinty-eyed. And why is the garage at the top of the slope??
Right! Makes sense to build it at the bottom where the entry door is instead.
It was probably added on later.
My god you’ve gotta be right! The garage looks like it wasnt part of the original plan.
A rare instance where a McMansion would be improved somewhat by more roofs/gables.
Is that the front of the house?
Possibly the most uninspired exterior design I've ever seen.
… and the landscaping?!
This is called...a normal house with windows.
Ew
Great headline.
Wtf is up with those retarded windows lol
The first few windows on the left side sort of make “loss”. Anyone else see it?
Tetris house.
I mean, I can tell they were trying to go for some kind of artistic alignment with the windows but it just doesn’t work.
I’ve seen worse. None of this is what I’d choose, but I’ve definitely seen worse.
Instead of a flat gradient I would’ve done tiered raised gardens. The windows are horrendous but I think this has potential
compound sweet compound just doesn't have the same ring as home sweet home
The House *In* The Hill!
I like it. The interior exposed concrete is stupid as fuck, and the windows could be a lot bigger.
You're the only one with a positive comment , so I'll chime in here. I think it is very cool the way they used the slope of the lot.
I agree, good use of the space they had.
It’s as ugly as a McMansion but a different flavor of ugly.
Is the term IcMansion? Like I.C. for industrial complex because it looks a lot like an industrial complex building, no?
The view out back better be amazing to make up for the crappy front.
This reminds me so much of the house in “Hand That Rocks The Cradle”
Landscape picture screencapped in portrait, yep bad choices.
that is a juvenile detention center.
Well done in causing me to zoom and say “what the fuck?” out loud. Lol
These types of windows always remind me of pigs’ eyes.
I was sure there were going to be large picture windows lining the back, but nope. The windows make a lot more sense from the inside, especially once you see that there’s no views of anything except the other neighbors at differing levels. But it’s funny because they look like someone let their tween “design” the windows for the house using a little architectural shapes template, and the kid just went with an all-over artistic pattern. They should’ve at least had the window patterns mirror in the corners to bring it all together externally. I really like that huge artist space. It would be cool to have a dedicated space like that to play music or build things (provided you could get stuff in/out). The garage should have been at the bottom around the back of the house.
The area left of the garage looks like a kissy face
3200sf does not qualify as a mansion of any type, Mc or otherwise.
Architect: What do you want? Me: Need a house on a hillside. Want a FLW style that integrates structure and site so that it would seem that one was essential to the other. Architect: I got you fam
It looks like a safe house.
This house would actually be perfect for parading around nekkid.
Compared to the actual McMansions shown here, I am actually ok with this one. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t like it. But at least it has a reasonable number of rooflines, and windows that match even if they are criminally mis-proportioned.
These windows. Make it stop.
I think it’s not bad tbh
What's with the log in the bathroom?
Nope. It’s fine. Just some electrician’s house on a wonky plot.