Executive home


Executive home is a marketing term for a moderately large and well-appointed house.
Such houses were formerly described as mansionettes or bijou residences. The word mansion historically denotes homes with more character than an average executive home. This is because executive homes are usually constructed among homes of very similar size and type by a subdivider on speculation; they are generally built en-masse by development companies to be marketed as premium real estate. Executive homes can differ from traditional mansions mostly in their parcel size, since many of these newer homes are built on increasingly small lots so developers can maximize available acreage.
Executive homes are generally found in outlying suburban areas because lot sizes in older neighborhoods generally are not conducive to new residences of this large scale. However there have been many instances of developers buying large lots or multiple lots in historic neighborhoods, demolishing the older homes and building executive homes. This may have the effect of destroying the setting of older neighborhoods, and adversely impacting the integrity of historic districts. These lots are in desirable neighborhoods, and desirable school districts, and are close to urban centers, so the trend will likely continue. However, some communities such as Wellesley, Massachusetts and Austin, Texas have created policies and ordinances to retain older neighborhoods against these development pressures.