A carry-over from Karen's blog

Okay, this is really bothering me, and I have to get this out there.....

So Karen and Jim are working out the getting a new house bit. I told her not to buy a McMansion. I have to define McMansion here....

By McMansion I am not necessarily referring to all new homes. I'm referring to the ones that are built cheaply. If it sounds too good to be true when you go to build/buy it, it probably is. When I say cheap, I mean the following:

1. Hollow doors- They look like they're made of wood, but you could put your fist through it with little effort.

2. Cheap molding- It may look fancy, but if it's painted, it's probably cheap. Go for stained molding so you can see the product you're getting.

3. Thin/sparse drywall- My brother has told me that on NUMEROUS occassions in 200K + homes, he's used caulk to seal gaps between the ceiling and the walls where the drywall people got lazy and skimpy and just didn't connect them.

4. Poor insulation/sealing of drywall- Once again, my brother has told me that he's used caulk to seal insulation into walls, especially in garages. Now you may say to yourself, it's the garage, but think about what's ABOVE the garage, most of the times some type of bedroom. Or next to the garage, usually a mud room, which means the inside of your house.

5. No basement- I'm sorry, but if they were too cheap to put in a basement then the house isn't worth it. Everyone should have a basement. We live in a tornado region people! Plus, where else are you going to store all of your useless crap? I'll tell you where...a spare bedroom! That's not what that room was built for! Where am I going to sleep when I'm a guest at your house? Not the crap room!

I hope this has entertained and educated you at the same time. So, my final plea to everyone looking at buying a new house...please don't buy a house that I will secretly and disdainfully have to call the "McMansion"!