Everyone likes a home that gives them plenty of space to spread out and make themselves comfortable. Any family can appreciate having a hideaway all to themselves, too, and more space means more opportunity for headspace – and a potentially calmer, happier home environment all round.
But for most people, a few thousand square feet is more than enough. That’s not the case for the very rich. With little else to spend their wealth on, the homes of the rich and famous often exceed 10,000 square feet and are almost always complete with an inconceivable number of bedrooms, bathrooms, and extra rooms that most normal people would never dream of planning for.
Some ultra-wealthy people across the world aren’t satisfied with just an extra thousand square feet or so. Some need upwards of fifty, sixty, seventy, and even one hundred thousand square feet of living space. These sprawling houses have at least a dozen bedrooms, even more bathrooms, swimming areas, massive car garages, along with just about every other function of room a homeowner could possibly dream of.
Though most of the ultra-wealthy live in homes that could fit a small town, only a few are the proud owners of homes so large that they are ranked among the very largest houses in the world.
10. Hala Ranch – 56,000 square feet
The 56,000 square foot house is larger than the White House and contains 15 bedrooms and 27 bathrooms. Amenities in the house include reflection pools, sculpture gardens, and fishing ponds.
It also has a car wash, gas pumps, and mechanic shop to care for Paulson’s many vehicles. The exterior of the house includes heated horse stables, tennis court, racquetball court and cross-country skiing trails. And, as an added bonus, the home is equipped with its own sewer treatment plant.
9. The Manor – 56,500 square feet
Candy and Aaron Spelling were once the proud owners of this 56,500 square-foot dream house situated in Holmby Hills, a neighborhood for the uber rich in Los Angeles, California.
The home sits on 47 acres of land and houses seven bedrooms, one of which was used by Prince Charles of Wales during a visit to Los Angeles. The home is well known for its grand double staircase that was created to mimic the staircase in the classic film, “Gone with the Wind.”
After Aaron Spelling’s death, Candy Spelling sold the mansion to Petra Ecclestone, the billionaire daughter of Formula One CEO Bernie Ecclestone. It went for $85 million. Just three years later, and over $20 million in renovations, Ecclestone is looking to unload the house for $150 million.
8. Maison de L’Amitie – 60,000 square feet
In 2005, Trump used his mansion in the third season of The Apprentice as a challenge for the winner Kendra Todd. Todd was given $25 million to renovate the massive home, and she used every penny to line the entire house in gold and diamond fixtures. In 2010, Trump sold the property to Dmitry Rybolovlev, a Russian billionaire. The house sold for $95 million.
7. Xanadu 2.0 – 66,000 square feet
At 66,000 square feet, the house is just as eco-friendly as it is tech savvy. The home is built into its natural surroundings and utilizes the overhead tree canopies to reduce heating and cooling usage.
The Medina, Washington estate took seven years and $63 million to build. The interior of the home features built in speakers for continuous music selection. It is also fitted with wall art that can be changed at the touch of a button. For guests of Xanadu 2.0 who enjoy reading, there is a 2,100 square foot library.
When guests enter the house they are given a pin that allows them to adjust the temperature and lighting of their room without having to adjust a thermostat. If that isn’t enough, guests of the Gates’ house can lounge beside a man made river as well as sunbathe in sand that was imported from the Caribbean. Altogether, the house is valued at $123.54 million.
6. The Pensmore Mansion – 72,000 square feet
Positioned near Highlandville, Missouri, the mysterious Pensmore Mansion is owned by entrepreneur and engineer Steve Huff. Upon completion, it will be capable of withstanding nearly all man-made and natural disasters.
Huff invested in a company called TF Forming Systems, Inc. As the creators of insulated concrete forming systems, TF Forming Systems in partner with Steve Huff are working to bring the super strong and highly efficient building technology to more builders and commercial contractors throughout the United States and Canada. Why? Because the ICF system is highly durable, sustainable, safe, and very energy efficient. The home is still undergoing construction and there is no deadline for its completion.
5. La Reverie – 84,626 square feet
However, Sydell Miller takes the prize as the owner of the single largest home in Palm Beach County, Florida. Miller, the co-founder of Matrix Essentials hair products company, purchased the site of his home for $4.9 million in 1995. Miller now uses the home not just as a living area, but as a place to host charity balls and concerts.
4. Versailles – 90,000 square feet
Versailles, a 90,000 square foot house in Orange County, Florida has been a stop and go project from the start. After the recession hit, David Siegel, the CEO of Westgate Resorts, and his wife Jacqueline Siegel, were forced to halt the construction of their dream house.
After several years of sitting on the market for around $75 million, the couple was able to restart construction in 2013.
What’s inside Versailles? Two movie theaters, an 8,000 square foot master suite, 30 bathrooms, 15 bedrooms, 11 kitchens, six pools, and an underground 30-car garage.
3. Fairfield Pond – 110,000 square feet
Owned by Ira Rennert, an American investor and junk bond businessman, Fairfield Pond totals a whopping 110,000 square feet of livable space. The main house, which totals 66,000-square-feet, includes 29 bedrooms and 39 bathrooms.
Aside from bedrooms and bathrooms, the house is equipped with a formal dining room, a basketball court, a bowling alley, two tennis courts, two squash courts, and a hot tub that is estimated to cost $150,000.
With a value at $170 million, Fairfield Pond is the most valuable home in the Hamptons. Recently, Rennert was accused of cheating MagCorp, a company he previously owned, out of $118 million in the late 1990’s. It’s believed the ill-gotten gains paid for the design and building of Fairfield Pond.
2. Antilla – Mumbai, India – 400,000 square feet
With an estimated cost of over $2 billion, Antilla is home to Mukesh Ambani and his wife Nita Ambani. And the couple can afford to spend billions on their home considering Mukesh Ambani, the head of India-based petrochemical giant Reliance Industries, is the fifth richest man in the world. He has a net worth of $43 billion.
With so much money available, the Ambanis wanted to build a custom home. After four years of building and designing, the massive home is a startling 550 feet high with 400,000 square feet of interior space. What comprises the 400,000 square feet?
Besides six stories of parking lots, the living area begins with a lobby that consists of nine elevators and several lounges. There is also a ballroom that features crystal chandeliers, LCD monitors, an entertainment stage, and embedded speakers. The rest of the house includes a bar area, swimming pool, yoga studio, ice room, a four story open garden, movie theater, wine room, and of course private sleeping areas for the family of five.
1. Istana Nurul Iman Palace – 2.15 million square feet
There are 1,788 rooms and 257 bathrooms. Aside from the normal rooms that are found in almost every home, the Palace of the Faith Light contains 5 swimming pools, a 110-car garage, an air conditioned stable for 200 polo ponies, a banquet hall, and a mosque that can accommodate 1,500 people.
The palace was designed in 1984 by Leandro V. Locsin and constructed by the Filipino firm, Ayala International. The cost of the 2,152,782 square foot house? Around $1.4 billion dollars.
I want to visit these homes of the rich and famous once as these are priceless to visit these places this is my biggest wish
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