No, the house would be significantly less in the burbs which is why McMansions are so very popular. Construction on a new home runs about $150-$250 per square foot, depending on the amenities. Inside the perimeter here (which is a great deal less expensive than almost any other large US city) a lot in a sought-after school district would average about $550K. In the best neighborhoods (like the one in your picture), they run about $1 million for the lot alone.
That’s primarily why older in-town homes are much more expensive than a McMansion.
Related to the McMansion, I wouldn’t live in a “gated community”. The very idea of keeping out the hoi polloi in what should be a society of equals offends me. Extra points if it’s a gated community in a community of wealthy white people, where there’s no hoi polloi to keep out anyway, except your own Mexican gardener, Juan, and your Guatemalan housekeeper, Lupe. Examples include Henderson, Nevada, Rancho Santa Fe, California, and Amelia Island, Florida. No thank you.
I would stay in my current MiniMcMansion (I like the neighbors and the house is only slightly too small, but only because it was too big, then we filled it with crap)
Also, when we were looking (we didn’t do the McMansion either), the upkeep on older homes really increased the cost (this is Minneapolis). Either the home had gone through a remodel to get in new wiring, plumbing and a modern kitchen (because we loved the athestics of an older home, but I didn’t want a range from 1960 or cupboards and countertops that were designed for 1900s needs - and we wanted to be able to have circuits that would handle four computers, an energy efficient gas furnance and air conditioning) which inflated the price - or we were spending the same amount as we would have on a house in the 'burbs - but STILL need to spend money remodeling.
Totally agree here. But nothing beats arriving at a full service hotel after a long day’s journey–especially when traveling by car. It doesn’t have to be a Waldorf Astoria, but there should be adequate food and wine on the premises, with the dining room open from early to late, and perhaps a convivial bar on the site as well. When you are visiting a strange city you don’t want to have to go driving all over to find someplace to eat. This tends to be more of a problem in smaller cities.
If I won the lottery tomorrow (or any day, really) I would buy a new car, but it would not be the type of car that would blatantly flaunt my wealth and be a flashy, showy sportscar that just reeks of being a snobby and pretentious status symbol. I’d upgrade from the townhouse I live in now to a larger home, but it wouldn’t be a large home, being that I am single and will likely remain single (granted, winning the lottery would probably win me a girlfriend or two). I wouldn’t own a yacht or join a country club as the people who are part of these groups tend to be snobs (at least if what movies and TV portray is any indication). I might fly first class once just to see if it’s really worth it, but I’d probably stick to coach travel for relatively short flights. I wouldn’t start collecting expensive artifacts and turn my house (remember, it would still be a modest house) into my own personal museum. I’d spend my newfound wealth on more practical things like a kickass home theater system and all the computer accessories I could dream of having.
Yes, delete the gated community from my capitalist package. Also, delete gambling. I didn’t realize I might need to explicitly delete hookers, but just to be clear.
If I were rich enough that I didn’t have to compromise on anything, I wouldn’t buy a McMansion. But for smaller values of rich, I can see picking space and modernity over character.
Ummm, no. But if you’re going to pay to fly me out (First Class, I hope), the least you can do is email or PM me ahead of time to see what my booze and shoes preferences are!
No, you would be subsidizing the less fortunate travellers in coach. The more they can soak the rich, the less they need charge the … not rich.
I would travel first class, eat out a lot*, and hire as many ‘servants’ as I could think of, just to spread the wealth.
And I’d always have a house with a ‘front parlor’ and a dining room, seldom used and so always ready for guests, just to make things easy for the servants. (But I wouldn’t heat them all the time.]
Actually, I’d probably cook a lot more, and just pay some one to clean the kitchen.
Oh, I’d probably get some jewellery too; I just don’t like gold or diamonds, but rather silver (and similarly coloured metals) and coloured stones. (Also, most of the settings I’ve seen turn me off. I don’t care for women’s settings, and men’s settings tend to be huge, clunky attempts at going LOOK IT’S MANLY DESPITE BEING JEWELLERY! SEE?!)
I guess it’s the Scot in me, but I can’t see spending that much on a hotel when a cheap hotel is worth just as much for what I’m going to do in it, i.e. sleep. I’d rather spend the money on the actual vacation, i.e. my waking hours. Given the choice between spending 100 euro a night for a week in Spain and 20 euro a night for five weeks, I’ll take the latter.
Cool. If you had enough money, you could learn to design your own!
Well, the OP proposes things you can afford, which to me, signifies ‘without pinching the budget’. If spending several hundred a night on the hotel means I have to curb our daytime activities, then I agree with you completely! But if I can stay in an upscale (but not ridiculously pricey) hotel and still do all the other activities I wanted to do, I totally would.
No matter how much money you have, every dollar you spend on the hotel is a dollar you could be spending on something fun, the way I look at it. I mean, I’d probably give up youth hostels for nice little bed and breakfasts, but I wouldn’t stay in the Hilton just because I could. Whenever I have (on someone else’s dime), it’s always felt somewhat weird.
Try to join a country club. I play golf once a year when I have to play in the company golf outing and even then its a struggle to get through the day.
Buy an expensive watch. I use it to tell time, not impress my friends.
Eat in really, really expensive restaurants, more specifically in pretentious French restaurants. It just isn’t for me. The most I’ll ever splurge is a really nice steak at someplace like Flemings or Mastros.
