Mega-Mansions Sprouting In L.A.

Despite the housing downturn, houses in excess of 20,000 square feet are still being built by the very wealthy — with no sign of a slowdown.

1 minute read

June 15, 2008, 9:00 AM PDT

By Andy J. Wang


The unabated construction of mega-mansions has a few explanations:

"People are spending much more time at home. They want to be comfortable," says one real estate expert, while another has a different take: it just happens. "You keep adding the rooms you think you need. The ballroom. The screening room. Masters with his and hers and a beauty salon and a massage room. And the house keeps growing." Then there's that age-old explanation: ego.

Whatever the reason, the incursion of mega-mansions into some neighborhoods has also ruffled some feathers.

Prospective neighbors often complain that "mansionization" ruins the character of neighborhoods, and that the rumble of trucks during construction are a nuisance. A homeowner in such a neighborhood: "We used to know all our neighbors. We'd socialize with them. If they had a project, moving furniture, we'd help them out. The sort of thing neighbors do. . . . That doesn't exist anymore."

Thursday, June 12, 2008 in The Los Angeles Times

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