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I hate this kind of class envy but I hate something even worse. In El Dorado hills, it used to be a pretty exclusive quiet community and all of the houses looked different.

Then came this tract called, Serrano. ALL of the houses look like they were based on one plan yet they're called custom homes. The must go for around a million and they dot the hillside when you go through the area on highway 50. They are what the term McMansion was created for. Not only do they all look alike, they barely have enough room to get a lawnmower between the houses and yet the houses must have at least a 3000 sq foot floor plan.

Now the commute is longer and we have all of the pretentious people who think they live in Beverly Hills. They're ruined the landscape. Anyone who goes by on 50 knows what I'm talking about.

They should never have been approved as they stand now. They ruin the character of the community. The older houses look great because they all look different with different sized lots and different house designs.

They should never have been approved as they stand now. They ruin the character of the community.

You sound like a nosy Democrat. You know what's best for the property owned by others, right? You have the rare taste and sophistication to decide how the homes of others should look?

Not only do they all look alike, they barely have enough room to get a lawnmower between the houses and yet the houses must have at least a 3000 sq foot floor plan.

The minimum floor plan on my street is 3500 sq ft. My house is the small one on the street. Only 3900 sq ft. It does sit on 1/3 acre. It is a custom house. Not to my specs, but to the specs of the original builder. Every house on the street is different. All owner occupied.

A couple new, custom houses were built about 300 feet from my house. Both are over 6,000 sq ft. Both have a large theater built in the basement. The developer lives in one of them. After a year in the house, he figured to sell it and build another. The house was on the market for a year at $797,000. The "for sale" sign was removed in the last few weeks. I assume he gave up. A realtor would have had a brass band and balloons if the house had sold. It doesn't bother me. A successful sale would have driven property values way up. I own mine free and clear. Just property taxes. I really don't want those going higher.

"Not only do they all look alike, they barely have enough room to get a lawnmower between the houses and yet the houses must have at least a 3000 sq foot floor plan."

Not my idea of a high-end home to be sure, but not a new idea. Many expensive homes were built in cities in the 19th and early 20th centuries, right up against each other on relatively small lots. In any case, from my "dream" house's yard you wouldn't be able to see any other houses.