Space race

Shelter is one of the essentials to exist as a human. A roof over our head, a wall to hang a photo, a place to call home. But how much home do you need? It depends on your needs. The average American home is 2,500 square feet. Enough for the average nuclear family, with some room to spare. But where do you put the game room? And the bowling alley? And the 103-seat movie theater? Seriously? There's a guy in Connecticut with this exact dilemma. But he's not going for average. He's going for 50,000 square feet. 20 times the average house in this country. That game room? 4,900 square feet. And the kicker? two-thirds of the house is below ground. Only 17,000 square feet is visible. Where else are you going to put that bowling alley and theater?

Obviously, the guy building this castle has the scratch to do it. Maybe it's his reward after living a good and prosperous live. But 50,000 square feet? With sustainability being a watchword these days, maybe that's a bit much. The bills to heat, cool, water and power that place are sure to be astronomical. And the property taxes! Hey, if you have to ask how much...