New Real Estate Model: “Post Luxury Ranch”

It’s no surprise that economic hard times, plus new environmental and social values, are key factors in the death of the McMansion craze.  You can almost hear the sigh of relief from some. And what is starting to take their place (albeit slowly) can be best described by Jeffrey Miller in the latest issue of Luxury Briefing: They’re “humble, ecological, and antithetical to the ….Mc Mansions.” My favorite is how he described the new version of the house, the “Post-Luxury Ranch” whose model has an open plan, a LEEDS platinum certificate, and a freestanding pavilion for study or privacy”.

Also consider a modern, single-residence, 2,675-square-foot house in Chicago that is attracting attention from both the neighbors and the world. The city’s one-of-a kind net-zero home, reports The Chicago Tribune, tucks 48 photovoltaic panels and a rainwater collector within a “butterfly” roof, among other green features, and will produce as much energy as it consumes, if not more.

Now an interesting question, as soon as the economy turns around, will we start to see Green McMansions?

By: Karen Weiner Escalera