Canada's largest house goes on sale in Abbotsford

The residence at 29444 58th Ave. in Abbotsford is no plain farmhouse.

It is possibly Canada's biggest single-family residence stretching 47,000 square feet from a cathedral-like front entrance to a grand dining room, spacious conservatory and tunnel that leads to a serpentine pool.

And it can all be yours for a cool $9.9 million, said listing realtor Danny Evans with Homelife Benchmark Realty Corp. in Langley. He thinks it's perfect for an ultra-wealthy family or company looking for a private retreat nestled in the Fraser Valley farm belt.

The home contains a modest number of bedrooms, seven in the areas classed as the main house and coach house with an additional three in the staff house. It boasts five "engineering rooms" to manage state-of-the art heating systems and a backup generator.

The main house, which includes the master bedroom, den, hydraulic elevator, breakfast room, morning room, sewing room, formal dining room with marble and Brazilian cherrywood foyer, billiard room, movie theatre and small library.

It's topped with a glassed-in cupola with a grand view of Mount Baker. Stretched out, the home's square-footage would cover more than half a CFL football field.

"I've been selling 27 years in real estate, and never have I come close to [representing] a property like this," Evans said.

Carmen Wright, with the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board, said her staff has been unable to find any single-family homes as big as the Abbotsford residence, although there is rumour a 55,000-square-foot house might be being built somewhere in Ontario.

However, compare that with the $37.5 million singer Billy Joel is asking for his 14,000-square-foot mansion on Long Island, according to the Wall Street Journal. Or the $8 million CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric is reported to have spent on a 5,000 square-foot Southampton, N.Y. estate.

The $9.9 million -- $210 per square foot -- is relatively a steal, according to Evans, representing a steep price reduction from the $12.5 million owner Donald Beaupre put it on the market for a little over a year ago.

The home's 2006 property assessment by the B.C. Assessment authority was for $3.31 million.

That price also represents a substantial loss from the $15 million Evans said the 77-year-old Beaupre, a retired telecom inventor and entrepreneur, poured into what was to be his dream home for himself and his wife, as well as a family retreat for the families of their seven grown children.

Beaupre, founder of the firm SR Telecom, bought the 20-acre Abbotsford farm property for $475,000 in 1992, then starting in about 1997, began working full time with designer John Anthony Lewis to build his grand vision.

Alas, Evans said Beaupre was hit by deteriorating health as the project progressed. The owner is now too frail to continue with the project and wants to sell. Evans said there is still finishing work to be completed.

Who would buy it? Evans said a couple of offshore parties have looked at it in the past and are still interested. Another party has also enquired with a mind to making it a retreat.

Evans is holding a realtors' open house today as a means to "get the word out."

(prepared by Derrick Penner/Vancouver Sun)