Jeff Vance knows his home in rural Hancock County is getting a great deal of attention from gawkers, but he said he designed it with only his family in mind.

"I kind of wanted to build something with a little character around the area," said the owner of a mortgage bank in Findlay. "It's just something for my family's personal satisfaction."

With 9,400 square feet of living space (which can grow to 16,000 square feet if all space is finished someday), the two-story house is the largest in Hancock County, according to auditor records. It is appraised at nearly $900,000 by the county auditor.

The home, in Blanchard Township on the outskirts of McComb, is one of at least 23 with more than 9,000 square feet in Lucas, Wood, and Hancock counties and Bedford Township.

The auditor's offices in Fulton and Ottawa counties and the clerk/register of deeds office in Monroe County, Michigan, did not provide information about their large houses, despite requests over three weeks.

The Vance home in Hancock County, however, pales compared with the biggest in Lucas and Wood counties, each with more than 12,000 square feet.

Those are mirrors of the two type of large homes found in northwest Ohio: soaring mansions built by industrialists in the early part of last century on prime river lots, and the modern sanctuaries favored in recent years by doctors and young business owners with growing families.

In Bedford Township, just north of Toledo in Michigan, the largest house has 9,300 square feet and is along a two-lane road dotted with bungalows and small ranch homes.

Out of 83.9 million housing units in the nation, just 3.4 million have more than 4,000 square feet, according to the National Association of Home Builders. "A lot of these monsters get a lot of publicity, but they're just a fraction of the percent of homes," said Steve Melman, the group's economic services director.

The size of new homes has been on the increase, to an average of 2,414 square feet last year versus 2,366 the previous year and up nearly 40 percent from 1,750 square feet in 1978, the trade group said.

Mr. Vance's home is patterned after 17th-century manor homes in the English countryside. He and his wife, Sally, have seven children, aged 1 to 17.

"I just kind of like the big old houses," said the 39-year-old. "It turned out exactly the way I designed it."

The largest home in Lucas County is in the Wildewood subdivision, off Corey Road in Sylvania Township.

It has 12,874 square feet, was built in 2000, and has two stories. It is reminiscent of a French chateau, has a stone facade, sits on nearly two wooded acres, and has seven bedrooms and nine bathrooms. It is appraised by the county auditor at nearly $1.5 million.ries. It is reminiscent of a French chateau, has a stone facade, sits on nearly two wooded acres, and has seven bedrooms and nine bathrooms. It is appraised by the county auditor at nearly $1.5 million.

In Wood County, the biggest house is a two-story brick built in 1930 on more than 5 acres along the Maumee River in Perrysburg. It has 12,135 square feet, according to the county auditor, with 18 rooms, including four bedrooms and four full and two half-bathrooms. It is valued at $1.1 million.

The motivation behind building a house with so much space is easy to explain, said the owner of the Lucas County home, who spoke only if his name were not used.

"We have four children and we wanted to have a little more control of the situation with our kids," said the father of a daughter and three sons, ages 6 to 13.

With a large finished basement and an outdoor area that includes a swimming pool and a swing set, the home is aimed at pleasing children.

Whereas owners from last century may have lived in large homes to show off their status in a community, owners opting for today's McMansions have a different motivation, said Joe "Jas" St. Jean, a registered architect with Scholz Designs Inc. in Toledo. The firm designs homes across the country.

"Typically, they're trying to re-create an environment that's safe for their family and their friends," Mr. St. Jean said.

"All the fun is right there. The homes may back up to a golf course or a lake, and they have swimming pools and may have horses on the property," he said. "People are putting as much into their houses as they possibly can."

That was exactly the hope of Jim McGowan, Jr., several years ago when he envisioned the Wildewood subdivision in Sylvania Township. All 51 of the wooded lots sold in three months. About 30 homes are built, he said.

Homeowners opting for 8,000 square feet or more aren't worried so much about resale value as they are about designing the home of their dreams, said Toledo-area builder Rick Macek.

"What I'm finding is that they're willing to invest that kind of money in our area because they love our area and plan to stay here for a long period of time," said the owner of Macek Custom Builders.

Many buying large homes are in recession-proof businesses or the medical profession.

The Vance property in Hancock County is on nearly 60 acres. Mr. Vance has plans to turn much of the land into a working farm, including a vineyard and a fruit orchard.

He had a large barn built attached to the house as a work area. The house has a classroom for the children, who are home-schooled.

The structure has wood species from across the globe, including African mahogany in one room and pecan floors from California in another.

The front entrance has Gothic-style mahogany double doors, and a spiral staircase runs from the attic to the basement.

The family is living there, but Mr. Vance said work is unfinished, including hanging doors, picking out lighting fixtures, and landscaping.

Despite the attention, he said he doesn't regret his decision.

"I'd do it again. It's not that big a deal to build a house, regardless of the size," he said.

Contact Mary-Beth McLaughlin at: mmclaughlin@theblade.com or 419-724-6199.

First Published August 13, 2006, 1:32 p.m.