"A winding drive leads to a splendid circular motor court with a fountain and space for 100 cars. Italian limestone enwraps the sumptuous living spaces. A magnificent entry with double staircase begin with dramatic 30-foot ceilings and walls adorned with French silk," - an excerpt from the listing description of the 56,500-square-foot Manor in Los Angeles, the largest private residence of the county.
The majesty of such big mansions may bowl over visitors, but only the owners know how difficult it is to maintain the elegance of such homes. Maintaining a huge house is like caring for an exotic pet with added expenses. The Wall Street Journal recently published a feature on how living in large homes is a headache.
While 10 bedrooms and 17 bathrooms might look like fancy numbers on the listing, one would actually require "a small army" of housekeepers to maintain living standards in the home.
Communication becomes a problem too. The husband doesn't know if the wife is home. He would probably have to bellow into a loudspeaker to say "Honey! I'm home". Visiting guests would probably need a tour guide to avoid getting lost in one of the many powder rooms or sitting rooms. Maybe they should get a GPS service activated for these mansions!
"It took me six months to find my way around and feel comfortable," said Norm Snyder, owner of a 14,000-square-foot house. Snyder has already put his large home on the market as he and his wife plan to move closer to their grandchildren in Severna Park, Md.
The Huffington Post also points out that a big home usually takes longer to sell.
"When you purchase a larger home, you should be aware that the pool of potential homebuyers is limited. The pool gets even smaller when you consider that not everyone is looking for, say, a theater or car garage that's bigger than most apartments.," the website states.
With families shrinking and people spending more time at work, smaller homes are more in demand now.
Ryan Mitchell, the author of "Tiny House Living: Ideas For Building and Living Well In Less than 400 Square Feet", and a blogger on tiny homes, explains that living in smaller homes has more environmental and economical benefits. In an interview with Salon magazine, Mitchell said:
"It's just ... it is an extreme; it's definitely an extreme. It's not something that is for everyone. But I think a lot of people can see maybe not 150 square feet, but maybe like a 500- to 600-square-foot home compared to the average home today, which I think is about 2,600 square feet. So, I think people are kind of shocked at that initial size, but when you actually get to step into one of these tiny houses, things click, and you really understand how they could actually work, just because of how well they're laid out and how well they're designed and the thought that went into the furniture and the storage and the layout, things like that."
