The average size of a new home built in 2010 was about 2,400 square feet. But don’t you sometimes think you need a little more elbow room in that modest Cape Cod — like, maybe a whole other wing?
Welcome to the way the 1% lives — or maybe the 0.1%.
With help from our partners at Realtor.com, we’ve tracked down 10 of the largest U.S. homes for sale, from West Coast castles toMichael Jordan‘s homage to basketball outside Chicago. They’re massive. They’re opulent. They’re frequently over the top and also fun to gape at, with their dozens of rooms and their garden fountains.
So grab a lottery ticket and check out these gorgeous properties. Here are my top 5 favorite homes:
1. Tampa, Fla.
Size: 28,893 square feet, 10 bedrooms, 13 bathrooms
Year built: 2004
Price: $14.9 million
Modeled after a 17th-century English royal palace, this estate in Tampa’s most esteemed gated community was finished in 2004 after nearly seven years of design and construction. Surrounding the home are five acres of landscaped grounds, including a topiary and swimming pool. Open and covered terraces cover 15,500 square feet of the estate.
Inside is a striking foyer with big pillars and a grand marble staircase. There’s also a formal ballroom, a wood-paneled library, a basketball court and a wine cellar. Amenities include 14 fireplaces.
2. Warrenton, Va.
Size: 38,500 square feet, 22 bedrooms, 16 bathrooms
Year built: 1776
Price: $22.95 million
You can’t see another home from the main house on North Wales Farm, a 1,466-acre estate of pine ridges and rolling fields west of Washington, D.C. In fact, it’s so big that it has its own 100-acre shooting preserve.
The four-story, Georgian-style manor house was built in 1776. Colonial Revival-style gabled wings were added to either side in the early 1900s. The estate (PDF) also comes with several tenant residences and a carriage house; all are included in the listed square footage.
The main house, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, has been a sportsman’s club and has been owned by a member of the Chrysler family.
3. Highland Park, Ill.
Size: 32,683 square feet, 9 bedrooms, 19 bathrooms
Year built: 1995
Price: $29 million
How would you like to own NBA legend Michael Jordan’s home? Now you can.
With more than 56,000 square feet of livable space on three levels — including the lower level, garages and patios — the expertly furnished home is pretty swanky. But the best part is the attached indoor basketball complex. It features a regulation-size basketball court with specially cushioned hardwood flooring, adjustable backstops and baskets, and competition-quality lighting. The court also has a one-of-a-kind sound system with speakers tuned to provide excellent acoustics.
4. Pass Christian, Miss.
Size: 33,000 square feet, 14 bedrooms, 18 bathrooms
Year built: 1960s; enlarged in 1990s
Price: $15 million
Talk about a Southern Belle. This mansion in Pass Christian, a small town west of Biloxi, Miss., along the Gulf of Mexico, was the winter home of shipbuilder J. Edgar Monroe and his wife, Louise. The couple also owned the spectacular Rosecliff in Newport, R.I., setting of Jay Gatsby’s home in the 1974 film “The Great Gatsby.”
The home, originally 11,000 square feet, tripled in size with the addition of two wings in the 1990s. Today, it takes an hour to tour the place.
The house sits on more than eight acres high on the bluffs, with lawns and gardens overlooking a white sand beach and passing boats.
5. Weston, Fla.
Size: 34,039 square feet, 9 bedrooms, 14 bathrooms
Year built: 2009
Price: $7.8 million
This mansion in a gated community about 15 minutes west of Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport was built by the co-founder of Mattress Giant, who then changed his mind and never lived in it.
He missed out: The home, one of the largest in South Florida, has a movie theater and a 6,000-square-foot ballroom that can also be used for full-court basketball or tennis. It also has two swimming pools and borders a lake on three sides. Former Miami Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino used to live across the street.
For more pictures and more properties click on http://realestate.msn.com/10-super-huge-homes-for-sale#1
Source: Christopher Solomon of MSN Real Estate
