Supersize it

Dallas is home to one of country’s biggest concentrations of McMansions

There are mansions, and then there are McMansions. Dallas has them all.

Photo courtesy of Allie Beth Allman & Associates

To be sure, North Texas is heralded for its massive ranches and sprawling estates. But it turns out the Dallas area also is a mecca for McMansions.

According to a new ranking from Realtor.com, Dallas is the sixth most McMansion-y metro area among the country’s 150 biggest metros. That’s based on the percentage of homes for sale measuring at least 3,000 square feet.

Realtor.com’s research unearthed nearly 9,000 of these properties listed on the website, up 35 percent from two years ago. This represents about 40 percent of the Dallas-area homes on the market, Realtor.com says.

Realtor.com did acknowledge a limitation in its McMansion sleuthing. The research encompasses all homes on the market that have at least 3,000 square feet, not just those that could be dubbed McMansions.

“Sure, this includes some tasteful, large homes and legit mansions,” Realtor.com says. “But it was impossible to separate those from the McMansions — it’s rare to see the word ‘tacky’ in a home listing.”

So, what qualifies as a “tacky” McMansion?

“The term was first attached to some of the brash would-be luxury homes cropping up in status-crazed Los Angeles,” Realtor.com explains. “Before long, developers went McMansion Mad. From coast to coast, they erected pricey, supersized homes that hogged just about every square inch of their lots. They were fancy. They were heavily ornamented. They were made to impress.”

McMansion construction largely stalled during the housing crash and the Great Recession, according to Realtor.com. But now that the economy is back on solid footing, McMansion construction appears to be making a comeback.

“If a buyer wants a McMansion, then come to Texas — I have some great ones,” Roxann Taylor, a broker at Engel & Völkers Dallas Southlake, tells Realtor.com. “Builders are putting up 4,000- to 6,000-square-foot homes, but they can’t build them quick enough.”

By the way, the average new single-family home in the U.S. has about 2,600 square feet. In other words, a lot of us don’t occupy McMansions.

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Made-for-TV listing

Chip and Joanna Gaines put fixed-up Waco mansion on market for $7.4M

Facebook/Magnolia Realty

A Waco mansion fixed up for TV by Chip and Joanna Gaines is on the market for $7.4 million.

A Waco estate that will star in Chip and Joanna Gaines’ latest TV series, Fixer Upper: Chip Bought a Mansion, has gone on the market for $7.4 million.

The more than 14,000-square-foot mansion sits on a 5.7-acre site at 5305 Hillcrest Dr. that boasts views of Lake Waco. The listing, held by Amanda Nesbitt of the Gaineses’ Magnolia Realty, says the home “will be thoughtfully reimagined to reveal a timeless, more neutral-leaning palette for a future owner.”

Listing photos show the pre-renovation state of the mansion.

The European-style mansion, featuring a red-brick and cast-stone façade, looks similar to luxury homes you’d find in Preston Hollow, Highland Park, and other high-end neighborhoods in the Dallas area.

A light-filled, two-story foyer with a floating staircase and ornate iron banisters greets visitors, as do parquet flooring and stately columns.

Gaines Waco mansion The mansion foyer before the renovation.Facebook/Magnolia Realty

Venturing into the six-year-old home, you’ll find six bedrooms and 11 bathrooms. The first-floor primary suite offers two bathrooms, several closets, and courtyard access. A guest suite comes with a bedroom, bathroom, living area, kitchenette, and private entrance.

Amenities include:

$\u200bGaines Fixer Upper mansion$

Facebook/Magnolia Realty

A Waco mansion fixed up for TV by Chip and Joanna Gaines is on the market for $7.4 million.

Private study
Billiard room
Media room
Wet bar
Wine cellar
Butler’s pantry
Gym with a steam shower

Outside, several covered porches, an outdoor kitchen, an infinity-edge pool, and a pond let residents and visitors soak up nature. A motor court and four garage bays provide ample space for parking.

As part of the Fixer Upper renovations, the home’s architectural details, such as trim, moldings, and millwork, “will be preserved and elevated in order for their craftsmanship to shine,” the listing says.

Gaines Waco mansion The mansion has a splendid view of Lake Waco.Facebook/Magnolia Realty

Meanwhile, the kitchen will be turned into the “central heart” of the mansion, according to the listing.

“Additional design refinements throughout the home will set an elegant, renewed vision for all that Hawkesdene Estate will become,” the listing says.

Fixer Upper: Chip Bought a Mansion, a six-episode series, is scheduled to debut Dec. 27 on the Gaineses’ Magnolia Network and HGTV. New episodes will be available to stream the next day on HBO Max, according to TV Insider.

Chip purchased the mansion three years ago as an investment property, People magazine reported. The series follows the Gaineses as they confront budget challenges and a three-month deadline to sell the property.

“This will be the biggest fixer we’ve ever done,” Joanna says in a clip from the show.

Chip and Joanna recently sold a 136-year-old Waco castle that served as the foundation of another series, Fixer Upper: Welcome Home – The Castle. They listed 6,176-square-foot Cottonland Castle at nearly $2.7 million. The sale price wasn’t disclosed.

chip and joanna fixer upper hgtv luxury mansion texas waco home-for-sale