It's no secret that Las Vegas has a hot and dry climate. However, one wealthy family or developer apparently decided to disregard that by building a 10-acre luxury estate featuring expansive grass lawns — and possibly more room than anyone would need unless they were running a hotel.
In Reddit's r/McMansionHell community, a local resident shared photos of the "behemoth" equestrian estate featuring more than 11,000 square feet of livable space and three detached guest houses, according to Luxe Estates & Lifestyles.
"I live nearby this place and occasionally ride my bike through the neighborhood it's in, which is a mix of equestrian properties/new money larping as rural despite being in the suburbs," the poster wrote. "One of the neighboring properties even has a functioning ranch, which probably existed before the sprawl grew around it."
Several of the commenters got right to the point when discussing the "certified McMansion," which the OP revealed had exchanged hands multiple times.
"How do they keep their pastures green in Vegas? I live in GA and the lack of rain was a problem for my pastures," one person observed. "With that much money you could build an incredible courtyard home that has rooms opening up to an interior garden. This is just eh."
"Having horses (a stable full!) in Las Vegas is like the most 'I am spitting at God and telling him I am better than him' hubris I can imagine," someone else suggested, highlighting how a water-intensive hobby in the desert may not be the best use of resources.
While the buyers of such a massive estate were surely not concerned about having enough money to pay their water bills, vast grass lawns require extensive work and investment, whereas native plant yards can thrive solely on rainwater. All in all, The Plant Native estimates that native gardens take 2400% less time to maintain, all while supporting biodiversity.
There's also the fact that the huge mansion likely gobbles up power — and based on the images, it doesn't appear to have upgraded to solar panels, a savvy move regardless of budget because they reduce utility bills as they provide homes with non-polluting energy.
The United States has made strides toward adopting clean power. Nonetheless, in 2023, 60% of the grid still relied on dirty fuels connected to severe health complications and millions of annual premature deaths, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
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In other words, the Vegas mcmansion is almost certainly having an outsized impact on the environment compared to the actual needs of its occupants, whereas any home built with passive design principles is far more planet-friendly and can be even more luxurious. Others are transitioning to tiny homes to reduce energy usage and enjoy the health benefits of reconnecting with nature.
One commenter on the Reddit post pointed out that agriculture is an essential part of Nevada's economy, making them less critical of the Vegas mansion's potential resource waste. The OP put that notion to rest, though.
"They deff have a massive sprinkler system, not only for the lawn, but for the horse 'trotting areas' or whatever they're called," they explained. "Some of the properties in this neighborhood will literally just flood their big lawns in 2 or 3 inches of water as irrigation."
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