Canada's Largest Home Hits the Market

It's bigger than the White House, completely unfinished, and yours for $25-million. Even Bill Gates wouldn't feel cramped in this Haileybury, Ont. home

Written by Paul Waldie -

From Monday's Globe and Mail Published on Monday, Apr. 12, 2010 7:34AM EDT Last updated on Thursday, Apr. 22, 2010 8:09AM EDT

It's a Canadian fixer-upper but, if you want a home to grow into, it might just be what you are looking for - provided you don't mind the thought of dusting 65,000 square feet or its $25-million price tag.

Believed to be the largest home in Canada, it's also a little off the beaten path.

You won't find it Toronto, Vancouver or Calgary. To see it, you'll need to go to Haileybury, Ont., about 140 kilometres north of North Bay.

The house sits on 40 acres along the shores of Lake Temiskaming and it's about the same size as Bill Gates's property near Seattle.

That makes it as big as the White House, which is about 55,000 sq. ft., and 24 Sussex Dr., home to Prime Minister Stephen Harper, which is approximately 11,000 sq. ft., put together.

Until now, the largest home sold in Canada was a 48,000-sq.-ft. house in Oakville, Ont., which went for $45-million in 2006.

"It's quite the property," said Troy Wilson, a Royal LePage agent in New Liskeard, Ont., who is handling the Haileybury sale. "This thing is just, wow, jaw-dropping."