Home going up in Highlandville,one of country’s largest. ( Modern Castle)

Christian County Headliner News ^ | January 12, 2011 12:00 am | Brady Brite

[Candor7]

The stretch of U.S. 65 between Ozark and Branson (MO)has some of the Ozarks’ most impressive scenery. There are lush, rolling hills, distant horizons and, if you look east, one of the biggest homes in the United States.

A house currently under construction near Highlandville spans almost a full acre from wall to wall, on a 500-acre site. The ambitious project, nearly three years in and barely at the first floor, totals 72,000 square feet.

Putting that figure in perspective might require a few comparisons. According to the Census Bureau, the average new home size over the last five years was between 2,100 and 2,500 square feet. Springfield’s Pythian Castle is between 34,000 and 39,000 square feet, said owner Tamara Finocchiaro. Microsoft founder Bill Gates’ house is 66,000 square feet.

The White House, with three wings on six levels, totals 55,000 square feet.

As for comparisons to local private homes, there may not be any.

“I’m not sure it does compare,” said Todd Wiesehan senior planner with Christian County Planning and Zoning. “It’s a one-of-a-kind project.”

The blueprints attest to that.

Beginning with a 23,000-square-foot basement, the house’s ground level is only slightly smaller and the second story is a little less than 22,000 square feet.

Garage space alone accounts for 4,000 square feet.

Interior plans include two elevators; 15 bedrooms; 14 bathrooms; a two-story, 1,600-square-foot library and two-story, 1,970-square-foot great hall.

The master bedroom is 1,275 square feet.

Perhaps the only unsurprising parts of the massive project are the rumors.

“It’s all concrete, and I’ve heard it’ll have bulletproof glass and a concrete roof,” said Steve Johnson, neighbor to the Woods Fork Road property. “My wife was told it’s supposed to be a corporate retreat.”

At least one part of that is known to be true.

“The walls are all concrete,” said Sheriff Joey Kyle. “It’s large enough to fit two or three homes inside it.”

After hearing about the project, Kyle drove to the site to introduce himself and see it first hand.

The building permit application lists the cost of materials at nearly $6.9 million.

Johnson, who lives just yards from the gated and locked entrance, used to expect little traffic along the secluded road. Now, “hundreds” of construction trucks are the norm.

“One right after another,” Johnson said. “It’s been like that for over a year now. From what I’ve seen and heard, this place is unbelievable.”

So just who will live there? That’s hard to say with certainty.

Records show the building is owned by the Steven T. Huff Family, LLC, but exactly who Steven T. Huff is, is largely unknown. His brother, Joe Huff, Ozark, verified the ownership of the property but was reluctant to disclose any more information.

“The technology involved with the construction is proprietary in nature,” Joe Huff said. “it’s not information we are prepared to talk about right now.”

Joe Huff also verified that the structure is being built as a personal residence and identified himself as the “project manager.” However, available information online and in public records indicate Steven Huff is involved in technological engineering.

The property’s deed says the Steven T. Huff Family, LCC is located in Leesburg, Va. Available online records of political campaign contributions show a Steven T. Huff of Leesburg to be an engineer and chief technology officer of Overwatch Systems, Ltd. According to the Overwatch website, the company “delivers multi-source intelligence (multi-INT), geospatial analysis and custom intelligence solutions to the Department of Defense, national agencies and civilian organizations. ... More than 25,000 analysts in the U.S. Department of Defense and the larger intelligence community utilize Overwatch solutions.”

A company overview of Overwatch on the Bloomberg Businessweek website says Overwatch was formerly known as Sensor Systems.

Overwatch also owns the Medical Numerics company, which, according to its website, “enjoys powerful collaborations with the world’s leading medical imaging research organizations, including The United States National Institutes of Health, Harvard Medical School, Yale University, UCLA School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Georgetown University, and Oxford University.”

The Medical Numerics website says Steven Huff founded Sensor Systems—now Overwatch—in 1993.

Whether the manor is soon to be inhabited by the Huff family or just owned by it, current P&Z restrictions guarantee only one family will live there. P&Z records from March of 2008 show the application was approved with the condition that “the structure can only be occupied by one family at a time.”

In a four-member family, that would equal 18,000 square feet per person.

[Candor7]

The construction of a techno-elite castle, predicts hard times due to the current administration of leftists in power.

This is a fact that no one should ignore, and should hasten resolve to send these leftists in control of our nation packing in 2012.

[MHGinTN]

On another note, if we little guys were building a house given what is looming, I would reccommend building an underground house, with perhaps 1500 sq feet of floor space and a Southern exposure. I’m contemplating it ...

[Responsibility2nd]

Piddly little house compared to this one....

 

 

World’s Largest and Most Expensive Family Home Completedby Diane Pham, 10/14/10

filed under: Architecture,Greenwashing

The “Greenest of All Buildings” was recently completed in Mumbai, India and we couldn’t be more appalled. The Antilia house which unveiled its first renderings just over two-years ago has become a frightening reality, egregiously boasting 27 stories at 568 feet high, with a total area of over 398,000 square feet of living space. What at first glimpse looks and sounds like a typical skyscraper is far from it – the Antilla is in fact a $1 billion family home built for India’s richest man (and Forbes’ fourth richest man) Mukesh Ambani, his wife, and three children. Constructed within a country estimated to have one-third of the world’s poorest population, the Antilia truly exemplifies the disease of excessive consumption, extreme wastefulness, and unsustainable living that is permeating today’s society.

 

more....

[Cletus.D.Yokel]

The easy and cheap alternative is to bury a short bus up to the windows, get a wood heater, a few guns and ammo.

Regards,
Ted K.

[Pearls Before Swine]

Cool. I’m not jealous of the house; I just want the cleaning and maintenance contract.

[IronJack]

Maybe my math is messed up but one acre equals 43560 square feet. At 70000+, this behemoth is closer to two acres, not one.

[Second Amendment First]

Two stories plus basement.

[EDINVA]

it’s multi-level

[Candor7]

PING to a modern castle construction with a presumed electronic moat.

An interesting indicator of our times , constructed by those in the know about the increasingly totalitarian population control of our liberal fascist, statist executive arm of government.

For those who know about the history of castle constructuion, like Fred Nerks, you will know that castles
are always related to security during times of invasion and unrest, historically for the preservation of knowledge and family during a coming dark period.If they can afford it today, can’t say as I blame them much.

[bert]

——bury a short bus up to the windows,-——

How about a a medium size RV..... already furnished, wired and plumbed.

I’ll provide solar collectors for heating water to keep it warm...... if my grant comes through

[Candor7]

I think your math makes sense, maybe it was altered a bit to satisfy the application for a local construction permit? LOL.

Or perhaps the 1 acre refers to the footprint of the place and doesn’t include the floor space of the second floor and basement.

[Cletus.D.Yokel]

Decorating the interior of the bus would keep you busy between hunting excursions in the woods.

[stephenjohnbanker]

He will have plenty of ammo, no doubt ;-)

[MHGinTN]

Let me know when your grant comes through, I’m in the market for solar collectors better than black pvc tubing.

[Candor7]

I think your math makes sense, maybe it was altered a bit to satisfy the application for a local construction permit? LOL.

Or perhaps the 1 acre refers to the footprint of the place and doesn’t include the floor space of the second floor and basement.

[fieldmarshaldj]

Hideously fugly.

[Candor7]

I bet he will have roof based radar aimed morters and a firing range on his 500 acres. He has all the pull he needs to get the federal permits IMHO. Lucky guy.

Anyone who tries to touch this guy may walk away in tatters, if they be walking at all.

Sort of admirable in its own way, a statement of individualism in the face of burgeoning statism from DHS.

[ozark hilljilly]

Jeez I live around that area and this is the 1st I’ve heard of it!
Pays to read FR!
: )

[Theo]

Sounds to me like Ambani poured $1 billion into the Indian economy, employing lots of people in the process. Sounds very generous to me.

[investigateworld]

A lot of these types of projects are being built by these ‘intel support types’ or retired military types. Lot's 0’ Warrant officer (all retired) in Idaho/Montana.
Share a few beers with them and you'll hear 2012 is a real event.
Things that make you go Hmmmmmm.....