Couple still plans to finish modern palace in Florida

How big is your ideal house? Is it 1,050 square feet, the average size of a Canadian home in 1975? Or is it more like 2,100 square feet, the average in 2016? Or do you channel Dr. Evil in Austin Powers and declare, “One million square feet!” — preferably with some menacing music and a pinky set coyly to lips?

For the couple in the 2012 documentary The Queen of Versailles, the answer is 108,381 square feet, just bigger than your average Home Depot.

In that film, viewers met Jackie Siegel and her husband David Siegel, CEO of the time share company Westgate Resorts. We saw their unfinished home in Windermere, Fla., which they started building in 2004 with the goal of creating the biggest modern house in the U.S.

The construction has hit some snags — namely because of the recession of 2008, the death of the couple's daughter in 2015, and a small fire last year — but Jackie told New England Cable News the mansion will soon be ready.

“We have a year and a half to go, and I'm going to document the whole process of finishing the house in the form of a TV show ... which is going to be out next year,” she said, though didn't give further details.

The three-storey house will have 13 bedrooms, 23 bathrooms, a 20-car garage and multiple pools. There'll also be a ballroom, a stained glass dome, two-storey wine cellar, 50-person dining room and a two-lane bowling alley. And don't forget the four fireplaces and 10 “satellite kitchens,” in addition to the main chef's kitchen.

Named after the historic Palace of Versailles in France, the house is valued at just under US$4 million and has a US$65,000 annual tax bill, according to Fox Business.

News of the Siegels' nearly done home comes as the tiny home trend continues to gain steam. Research company Technavio reported in August that the market is poised to grow by US$5.80 billion globally from 2020 to 2024 with environmental efficiency the key factor, and North America seeing the biggest gains.

In Canada, online searches for “tiny homes for sale” have increased by 55 per cent since January, according to trends data provider Semrush. In particular, those in Atlantic Canada were most interested in smaller properties.