Bigger Houses, Fewer Children
Builders buy older smaller homes, knock 'em down, then build what have become known as McMansions.
Those little houses being knocked down were built in an era when people had bigger families. We're not talking huge families here. For example, my family had two adults and three kids. We grew up in a two bedroom apartment - which means one bedroom for Mom and Dad, one (only one!) for the rest of us. I think you can be arrested for child abuse these days if you have three kids in a room (just kidding). These days, everyone's got to have their own "space."
Of course, far be it from me to tell someone how to spend their money, or to judge someone's choice in a house. You want space, go for it. But doesn't it appear to be excessive when you think about it? Gargantuan house, two, three, maybe four people living there? You get lost in such and arrangement. The house echoes. Everyone has their own bathroom. Add in their own TV, their own laptops, phones, and other gadgets and no one every talks to, maybe even never sees, each other. Heck, they might as well have their own house. Indeed, many of us live that way today - as if we're in our own separate house.
I liked our arrangement growing up. It was cozy. We always knew where each of us were. Not only that, but we ate dinner together. Oh, and we had one bathroom.
It was a different world, for sure.
“The original homes don’t fit today’s market,” said Ryan Bensten, 35, a principal of Merion Homes, which he started with his father, Bill. “They don’t have enough bedrooms -- they’re too small.”The guy doesn't explain why these folks need more bedrooms. On the face of it, it sorta kinda sounds right. But then the thought occurs that people aren't having kids; or if they do, few. So with fewer kids we need more bedrooms?
Those little houses being knocked down were built in an era when people had bigger families. We're not talking huge families here. For example, my family had two adults and three kids. We grew up in a two bedroom apartment - which means one bedroom for Mom and Dad, one (only one!) for the rest of us. I think you can be arrested for child abuse these days if you have three kids in a room (just kidding). These days, everyone's got to have their own "space."
Of course, far be it from me to tell someone how to spend their money, or to judge someone's choice in a house. You want space, go for it. But doesn't it appear to be excessive when you think about it? Gargantuan house, two, three, maybe four people living there? You get lost in such and arrangement. The house echoes. Everyone has their own bathroom. Add in their own TV, their own laptops, phones, and other gadgets and no one every talks to, maybe even never sees, each other. Heck, they might as well have their own house. Indeed, many of us live that way today - as if we're in our own separate house.
I liked our arrangement growing up. It was cozy. We always knew where each of us were. Not only that, but we ate dinner together. Oh, and we had one bathroom.
It was a different world, for sure.
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