A grand 32,000 square foot mansion being built in Naples, Florida is almost complete. Owned by industrialist Neil Whitesell, once finished the estate will be Collier County’s largest home.

The total square footage includes garages, storage and outdoor living. The house is being built on two waterfront lots that span 1.56 acres. The main house will feature 6 bedrooms and 7 full and 3 half bathrooms. Located on Gulf Shore Boulevard, the home is just south of Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club.

The largest completed home in Collier County for the moment belongs to Sandra Gerry and is located at 3400 Gordon Drive. It is more than 30,000 square feet with 16,772 square feet of living space.

To put the enormous size of these homes into perspective, according to the Census Bureau, the median new home size was 2,135 square feet in 2009. The White House is 55,000 square feet.

The average home grew from 983 square feet in 1950 to 2,393 square feet in 2010, however the growth of house fell last year, with square footage dropping by 46 square feet between 2009 and 2010. Despite this average, the U.S. Census Survey of Construction reported that home with more than 3,000 square feet grew from 13% of the market in 1991 to 26% in 2007.

Randy Kurtz, owner of Kurtz Homes Naples LLC, said large homes are great for accommodating larger family gatherings and providing owners with space to indulge in hobbies or display collections. “The type of home they want varies. We have some clients that want really ornate homes and others want more contemporary architecture. They all want easy of maintenance.

Of the 10 largest homes in Collier County by living area, seven were built after 2011. Beverly Lutgert’s home in Estuary at Grey Oaks is the most recently built and was completed last year. Jerry Galeana’s home is the oldest of the top 10, having been built in 1991.

Kurtz said there is an obvious trend toward newer homes. He said he has actually participated in tear-downs of homes that are sever years old or newer. “We have done a lot of renovation work in condos where the people are gutting them,” he said. “The architecture is outdated or they have bought something that isn’t their personality.”

Source: Homes of the Rich

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