> to live comfortably and safely... If the design goals for the houses presented on McMansion Hell were simply that - comfort and safety - I'd have to agree wi

> to live comfortably and safely... If the design goals for the houses presented on McMansion Hell were simply that - comfort and safety - I'd have to agree with your assessment. But houses appear there because they seemingly have one over-arching design goal which is to appear impressive and thereby signal the owner's wealth. Most of the content points to the sheer purposelessness of certain architectural features, highlighting the owner's need for recognition over utility.