The biggest house in the world is quite a title. Luxury properties are everywhere but you might be wondering what the biggest house in the world actually is. Not surprisingly, the largest home in the world is a palace. However, a range of others rank at the top when it comes to size and excess.

Biggest House in the World Takes Many Forms

Actually, the biggest mega-residences are more than luxury homes: They are grand estates, important pieces of history, and sometimes a rich man’s folly. 

The Biggest House in the World is a Palace

Istana Nurul Iman – The Biggest House in the World is a Palace

Istana Nurul Iman Palace in Brunei is a staggering 2 million-square-foot residence that is still home to the country’s royal family. It has also become the official seat of the Bruneian government and headquarters of the Sultanate.

The royal palace boasts 1,800 rooms and 257 bathrooms and a banquet hall. To navigate their way around the house, residents can use any one of 44 marble staircases and 18 elevators.  

The name of the palace translates to “Palace of the Light of Faith” and was built at a cost of US1.5 billion.

The palace also has plenty of amenities, such as five swimming pools, a helipad, an air-conditioned stable for the family’s horses and a garage big enough to house hundreds of the royal family’s luxury cars.

Buckingham Palace is One of the Largest Homes

Likely one of the best-known homes is also one of the largest houses in the world. Buckingham Palace, the official residence of the Queen and the royal family’s headquarters, is located in the City of Westminster.

Encompassing 830,000 square feet, Buckingham Palace has 775 rooms, including 188 staff bedrooms, 92 offices, 78 bathrooms, 52 principal bedrooms and 19 staterooms. Added features are its own post office, swimming pool, cinema, doctor’s office and a jewelry workshop.

Built in 1703, it officially became the London home of the British monarch when Queen Victoria took the throne in 1837.

Perhaps most surprisingly, Buckingham Palace is not a UNESCO world heritage site.

Mukesh Ambani’s Antilia, India – 400,000 sq ft – is a Skyscraper

Antilia is an unusual stacked building towering over Mumbai, India. It is the most expensive and largest private residence in the world. The asymmetrical tower is 60 stories tall but actually has 27 floors because the interior ceilings are so tall.

Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani built a personal skyscraper that is 400,000 square feet. It includes all the modern amenities along with astounding features like three helipads, an ice-cream parlor, a 50-seat theatre and a swimming pool. There’s also a snow room that artificially generates snowflakes and maintains a below-zero temperature.

Chicago architecture firm Perkins + Will built this massive house to withstand an 8-magnitude earthquake. Not surprisingly, the family requires a staff of 600.

Biltmore Estate, Asheville, North Carolina

Synonymous with historic opulence, the Biltmore Estate, Asheville, North Carolina is another contender. Although today it is a historic house museum and tourist attraction, it was built as a private residence for George Washington Vanderbilt II.

The Biltmore Estate is still owned by his descendants and remains the largest privately-owned house in the United States, covering 178,926 square feet.

Once the Gilded Age Biltmore Estate opened on Christmas Eve of 1895, it played host to a string of famous guests over the years. These included novelists like Edith Wharton and Henry James and a number of U.S. presidents.

Oheka Castle – A Historic Hotel

More than a century old, Oheka Castle was built by the late financier and philanthropist Otto Hermann Kahn and is the second-largest residential estate in the United States. The 443-acre Cold Spring Harbor property on the highest point in Long Island boasts a residence that is 109,000 square feet.

The 127-room estate was used as a summer home and hosted countless dignitaries and celebrities in the 1920s.

The French-style chateau was one of the first totally fireproof residential buildings. This is because Kahn built it after a previous country home burned down. He was also motivated to build it because Jews were forbidden entry to clubs and golf courses in Morristown, New Jersey.

Kahn died in 1934, and subsequently, the estate was broken up and the gardens bulldozed. Eventually, a developer purchased the property and restored it to its original beauty. Now it serves as a luxury historic hotel, with 32 guest apartments and rooms.

New Bel-Air Mansion Has 5 Swimming Pools

A new mega-mansion in Bel-Air, California is the largest private residence in America as well as one of the biggest houses in the world. Under construction for about seven years, the huge mansion called “The One” was created by former film producer and current developer Nile Niami. Sadly, Niami defaulted on $165 million in loans and the property was auctioned at a fraction of its original price.

At 105,000 square feet, this ultra-luxury estate has 20 bedrooms, including a 4,000-sq ft master bedroom — the size of a large suburban home. It also has 30 bathrooms, five swimming pools and a wine room.

The home also features a 36-seat home movie theater — what Hollywood house wouldn’t have a private theatre? There’s also a bowling alley, a night club and other recreational amenities.

Landed Historic Estate

When construction was begun in 1905, the 100,000-sq ft Arden House certainly had a place on the list as one of the largest houses in world.

The historic estate near Harriman, New York was built by railroad magnate Edward Henry Harriman. The secluded 450-acre estate on a mountaintop includes a 125-acre private lake.

Today, the Research Center on Natural Conservation, Inc., a Chinese-backed nonprofit which runs the property as a conference center.

One Largest House in the World is Modeled After Versailles

No, not that one. This Versailles is in a gated community in Windermere, Florida. At 85,000 square feet, when completed it will be one of the largest private homes in the US.

Modeled after the famous palace in France, this expensive private residence is on a man-made hill on 10 acres of lakefront property.

It will have nine kitchens, 14 bedrooms, three indoor pools, two outdoor pools, a video arcade, a ballroom that can hold up to 1,000 people. It also has a 20,000-bottle wine cellar, two-lane bowling alley, and a two-story movie theater.

Outside, the property boasts two tennis courts, a baseball diamond and formal outdoor gardens. Founder of Westgate Resorts, David Alan Siegel, owns the home.

Relaxing Villa Leopolda

Nestled along the luxurious French Riviera, Villa Leopolda in Villefranche-sur-Mer was once the third-biggest house in the world.

This dreamy getaway has a storied history, starting as a gift from King Leopold II of Belgium to his mistress Blanche Zélia Joséphine Delacroix.

Built in 1929-1931, Villa Leopolda is an 80,000 sq ft residence. It served as a World War I military hospital on the French Riviera. After that, Villa Leopolda has had a string of wealthy and famous owners, including current owner Brazilian billionaire Lily Safra

The 18-acre waterfront estate boasts a massive villa with 9 master bedroom suites, 14 bathrooms and 12 swimming pools. The breathtaking French Riviera location includes manicured gardens.

Christopher Wren-Inspired House  

After having secured their place with the Biltmore, the Vanderbilt family also constructed Florham, an 80,000 sq ft Gilded Age estate.

Built in the 1890s for Hamilton McKown Twombly and his wife, Florence Adele Vanderbilt, it is one of the 10 biggest houses in the US.

Boasting 110 rooms, Florham was inspired by Sir Christopher Wren’s late 17th-century expansion of Hampton Court Palace. The interior was outfitted with luxuries like magnificent Renaissance fireplaces and a Louis XV ballroom.

When the last heirs died, it was broken up, with part of the property now a corporate park. The mansion, with its 178 acres of gardens and greenhouses, was sold to Fairleigh Dickinson University.

Controversial Fair Field House in Sagaponack, New York, USA

Another one of the biggest houses in the world is in the Hamptons. Fair Field was controversial before the first shovel hit the dirt. Junk bond billionaire Ira Rennert built Fair Field in Sagaponack, New York. The massive 62,000-square-foot mansion is equal to 1.5 acres. Residents in nearby Southampton opposed it due to the project’s impact on the area.

The Italian renaissance home sits on 63 acres of prime south shore Hamptons beachfront. Zillow reports that the main house has 21 bedrooms and 18 bathrooms, 12 fireplaces, a 164-seat movie theatre, and a 91-foot-long dining room — nearly as long as two semitrailers!

The Fair Field property includes has a 100-car garage, helipad, two pool houses and an outdoor kitchen. There’s also a playhouse, in which you’ll find an indoor basketball court, two-lane bowling alley, billiards room and two tennis court and squash courts.

The Largest House in London’s Most Prestigious Postcode – Kensington & Chelsea

A corner residence in one of Knightsbridge’s most prestigious postcodes is also among the huge houses in the world. Although it’s not as massive as some, this Queen Anne-style home has 11,855 square feet in a city where space is costly to come by.

Stuart House is six floors of grand interiors. Designed in 1880 by architects F.G Knight and Hunt Steward, it is the only property with a swimming pool in Cadogan Square.

The expensive house has seven reception rooms, five bedrooms, a family ‘den’ and study, as well as a teenage retreat on the top floor. The staff accommodations are located on the lower level.

The Biggest Celebrity Houses in the United States

Celebrity homes are known for their grand size and often their over-the-top amenities. Whether or not a celebrity home is one of the largest houses in the world, each one is special for its location, design and/or architecture.

Here are some of the biggest houses celebrities own:

Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s Bel Air Home One of the Largest

The first couple of the music world, Beyoncé and Jay-Z, have a home that is definitely one of the largest celebrity homes as well as one of the most expensive celebrity homes. The Bel Air residence has 30,000 square feet that include eight bedrooms, 11 bathrooms at the most basic description.

From there, it has luxurious features that range from a 15-car parking space garage, a spa and a home cinema, to four swimming pools, a hot tub and a basketball court.

It reportedly is outfitted with bulletproof glass as well state-of-the-art security technology.

Sitting on 1.88 acres, it features a massive outdoor living space of about 10,000 square feet.  

Oprah’s Montecito Home a Large Celebrity Property

Oprah Winfrey owns many properties but her home in  Montecito, California is probably the best known. The 23,000-square-foot neo-Georgian home sits on 65 acres. It’s one of the biggest houses in the region and one of the most expensive celebrity homes.

Named Promised Land, the home has six bedrooms, and 14 bathrooms and plenty of indoor amenities. The sprawling estate also has a 5,000 square-foot ranch home that she acquired in 2016.

Outdoors, the expansive property has landscaped terraces, fountains and rose gardens. It also features a pool and spa area with a pool house and a carriage house that serves as an art studio.

Dwayne Johnson’s Property is Like a Resort

At 18,000 square feet, Dwayne Johnson’s Beverly Park home is one of the biggest houses and also one of the most expensive celebrity homes. The Mediterranean-style main house sits on 3.6 acres of land high in the mountains above Beverly Hills and has six bedrooms and 11.5 bathrooms.

There’s also a separate 2,500-square-foot guest home. At $27.8 million, it’s not the priciest property but it has been described as “a complete resort.”

Among the amenities are a world-class gym, a music studio that was installed by previous owner Van Halen, an elevator, movie theater, full-size tennis court, baseball diamond and both indoor and outdoor swimming pools.

The Outdoors Are Magical at Ryan Seacrest’s House

Ryan Seacrest’s $85-million Los Angeles estate has a star-studded history, having been home to other Hollywood royalty like Ellen DeGeneres. Seacrest had the five-structure property renovated and purchased more property next door to create a massive main house and a unique private ecosystem.

At 9,000 square feet with 22-foot ceilings, the large house feels expansive even though it might not be the biggest. The gourmet kitchen features an attached outdoor pizza oven and other amenities include a professional gym, movie theaters well as a pool with a pool house.

Tom Cruise Sells Telluride’s Most Expensive Home

Tom Cruise just sold his fabulous Colorado home which might not be the biggest in the world but it certainly is one of the most stunning pieces of property. Totaling a relatively modest 11,512 square feet, the seven-bedroom, nine-bathroom home was the highest residential sale ever in Telluride.

Sitting on a magnificent plot of 320 acres, the $39.5 million home sits at the end of a mile-long gated driveway in an Aspen forest. Bordered by a national forest on three sides, the property has a pool and spa, massage parlor, horse stables, and a helipad.

Conclusion

Most of us will never live in one of the world’s most massive homes. Still, we’re fascinated by the luxuries and extreme amenities these properties have. It’s fun to dream and, you never know. You might find an idea for a little luxury that you can incorporate into your own home.

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