[JanH]

I, too, wonder what on earth people in this area are putting into these humongous houses and how many people actually live there. I'm not sure it is a totally new phenomenon. Last century, my great grandmother lived in a high-ceilinged, large roomed, three story house in town with a full attic and basement. Her neighbors did, too. We have Historic homes in this area that are fairly large, and plantations and other areas have mansions for the Vanderbilts and other high society. In other countries, there are castles and estates. I am sure there are many more of these huge homes than ever before, but the reasons for building them probably have been around for a very long time.