Mansionmania Tournament: Round 1, Heat 8

[Rain Man]

Mansionmania continues. I'm going to show you the most expensive homes in every state and a few territories, with a few extras thrown in from the largest states to get the tourney up to 64. It'll be a single-elimination tournament.

You will choose among each pair of houses with the following assumptions:


The purchase price for you is $0.
All maintenance, utilities, property taxes, and cleaning is included.
You must live in the home for the rest of your life.
You can't travel more than 100 miles from home (via google maps drive time) other than 1 two-week vacation each year.
You get $250,000 per year as a living allowance
You get an additional living allowance at the cheaper home, which will be valued at 1% of any cost difference annually. I will note this amount in the poll.
You get the furnishings. If unfurnished, you get an allowance that will give you mid-grade furniture in every room.
You get any vehicles in the garage. But only the garage - nothing parked outside.


I encourage you to click on the maps in the listings to see the general location and neighborhood.

Also, I will only enter contestants if they have a sufficient number of photos to judge, as determined by me.

Your entries in this heat are:

West Virginia:

https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/4428-Irish-Heights-Dr_Summersville_WV_26651_M98462-49944

Wyoming:

https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/1445-W-Hansen-Peak-Rd_Jackson_WY_83001_M88490-96176

This is bugeater's house that started my interest in the tournament.

[TLO]

Country roads, take me home
To the place I belong
West Virginia, mountain mama
Take me home, country roads

[Bearcat]

I feel like the West Virginia house was decorated by 4 different people with 4 vastly different views on how a mansion should be designed.... and 3 of them were born blind.

And of course the Wyoming mansion is what started it all.

Easily Wyoming for me.

[KCUnited]

Country roads, take me home
To the place I belong
West Virginia, mount yur mama
Take me home, country roads

fyp

[Rain Man]

This is a really, really easy one for me.

I don't understand why West Virginia is so expensive. It's not in a great location, the house isn't that notable, and the interior design makes me cringe. I hope they didn't pay a designer for that. I'd spend a lot of my stipend making the interior not drive me crazy.

Wyoming has some wall finishes that I don't like, but that's kind of the only notable fix that I'd do. It's a gorgeous setting and Jackson is a pleasant little town. I'm not getting to any big city amenities there, but I can live with that.

This is my easiest decision of the tournament other than maybe that California/Mississippi matchup earlier.

[Rain Man]

I feel like the West Virginia house was decorated by 4 different people with 4 vastly different views on how a mansion should be designed.... and 3 of them were born blind.

And of course the Wyoming mansion is what started it all.

Easily Wyoming for me.


Heh. Beat me to it on the design. What's up with that? I feel like maybe the homeowner did the design herself and had no eye for it at all.

[Shag]

WY in a landslide. That WV house is one of the ugliest things I've ever seen, and the stipend isn't enough to gut it. The WY house is incredible, plus those views. Committing to a pretty solitary life there, but between the bar and the golf simulator, I could entertain myself in the winter.

[Chief Roundup]

Big sky country should always win over the feel of Deliverance.

[HonestChieffan]

Jackson is awesome but full of rich west coast asshats. WV got the nod

[Rain Man]

Jackson is awesome but full of rich west coast asshats. WV got the nod

I think some of them are from Texas if that helps.

[Chiefnj2]

Many runner ups in other rounds I’d take over these two. 65 mil for only 55 acres in WY? No stocked ponds, no blue ribbon trout stream or that much land to hunt game?

Someone needs to tell WV that less is sometimes more.

[Zebedee DuBois]

I would echo Bearcat's comment on the WV house design. Most of the wallpaper is nausea inducing.
Both houses seem to have a well stocked wine collection.
I'm going with Wyoming (seems to expensive, but I'm not paying)

[Shag]

WY in a landslide. That WV house is one of the ugliest things I've ever seen, and the stipend isn't enough to gut it. The WY house is incredible, plus those views. Committing to a pretty solitary life there, but between the bar and the golf simulator, I could entertain myself in the winter.

Can't believe I forgot about Jackson Hole being right there, which puts it even higher - one of the best resorts in the US, and can go during the week to avoid the crowds. WY for the win.

[Bearcat]

Heh. Beat me to it on the design. What's up with that? I feel like maybe the homeowner did the design herself and had no eye for it at all.

Yeah, it's one thing to say you want different vibes for different rooms, or completely different designs.... but, not only did they go that route, most rooms look awful as well. The bad/outdated wallpaper, the color choice of the pink room, etc.

There was one bedroom in all of that which was surprisingly adequate, plus one of the bathrooms.

And for 10k sq ft, it just doesn't look roomy at all... partly because of all the shit they have in each room, but besides the kitchen, most rooms seem cramped.

[WhawhaWhat]

Jackson is awesome but full of rich west coast asshats. WV got the nod

I'll take the asshats vs the hillbillies of WV.

That Wyoming house looks incredible.

[jd1020]

I have to go with the West Virginia home even though I don't really care for it. That home is decorated in such a way that its like going on that HGTV show with the twins. They show you the house and you have your list of needs or wants and the house you are going through has the potential of meeting your list but you have to look beyond the clutter and maybe knock down a few walls. But, like I said when the Wyoming house was first posted, having to walk down all those paths to get to the various sections of the house is going to get old really fucking fast and there might be days where I want to chill in the pool but then I'm thinking about the 200 steps I have to take to get there and its just like fuck it.

[mr. tegu]

Wyoming is better here but it still feels overpriced.

[Bowser]

Someone needs their ass beat for decorating the West Virginia house with that wallpaper and paint. How in the actual hell did that seem like a good idea to someone.

That said, I think I like it this much >< more. This is a tough heat - both of the houses are right in my wheelhouse of like, but the WV house calls to me. Bwana's second home would be amazing with those views and creek right there, though. There isn't a bad choice here, imo. I look forward blowing my first year's stipend on redecorating that ugly bitch.

[Buehler445]

This is a tough one. I'd be all about the half million additional stipend but man that WV house is awful. I mean the bones are awesome but it would be a major overhaul, and what I could maybe stay in the office until a bedroom gets refinished? That's probably better than a years worth of work. Depends on when the stipend gets cashed I guess?

I gotta go with Wyoming. All I have to do is throw out that goddamned reclaimed wood table. What kind of pretentious douche do you have to be to make a house with as clean of finish as that and say, YEP I need a reclaimed wood table.



Yeah, it's one thing to say you want different vibes for different rooms, or completely different designs.... but, not only did they go that route, most rooms look awful as well. The bad/outdated wallpaper, the color choice of the pink room, etc.

There was one bedroom in all of that which was surprisingly adequate, plus one of the bathrooms.

And for 10k sq ft, it just doesn't look roomy at all... partly because of all the shit they have in each room, but besides the kitchen, most rooms seem cramped.


I guess maybe I could sell ALL THE SHIT in the house and buy some wall finishing.

[Rain Man]

I have to go with the West Virginia home even though I don't really care for it. That home is decorated in such a way that its like going on that HGTV show with the twins. They show you the house and you have your list of needs or wants and the house you are going through has the potential of meeting your list but you have to look beyond the clutter and maybe knock down a few walls. But, like I said when the Wyoming house was first posted, having to walk down all those paths to get to the various sections of the house is going to get old really ****ing fast and there might be days where I want to chill in the pool but then I'm thinking about the 200 steps I have to take to get there and its just like **** it.

I recognize that I'm not a sun worshiper at all, and that other people actually like being in the pool on a sunny day. But from my perspective I can't imagine building my own $20 million home and not having the pool indoors. Even more so in a four-season climate.

[stumppy]

Wyoming for sure. The location alone is enough to tip the scales, then looked at the WV house and my eyes want to throw up. Hell yes, a house on the Snake River, not far from several top notch national parks. A hundred miles in any direction would be fine with me.

[MagicHef]

It's too bad that there isn't an easy way to determine the best house in a state rather than just the most expensive, because there have to be better houses in WV than that one, even if they're priced lower.

[Perineum Ripper]

The Tetons might be my most favorite place in the world. So Wyoming all day everyday

[kepp]

The only good thing about the WV mansion is the wine cellar...and that was ALMOST enough to give it my vote. But it's still WY for me.