The world's largest log home is nearing completion in north B.C The 56,000- square-foot home hugs the Shore of Moberly Lake, located off Highway 29 between Chetwynd and Hudson's Hope. "It's 330 feet wide and three stories high,� says the owner, a publicity-shy 59 year old stockbroker and life insurance salesman. "I suppose I could roller skate around a lot."

So what sort of crazy person would build such a big home? No one, in this case. "It started out as a lodge, and we planned to have 24 rooms in it," the owner says with a sigh. "I have a sign over the door that says Moberly Lake Lodge." I would never build a personal residence that huge." He'd already got the log frame up � enough logs to stretch 21 miles end-to-end � when neighbors' concerns about the water table forced him to abandon the lodge concept.

Given the choice of giving up or converting the lodge to a mega-home, he pressed on. "I'm the oldest of six children, and my wife is the youngest of nine, so I'm sure we'll have plenty of visitors," he says with a laugh. "We have nine guest bedrooms, and, as soon as they find out about it, I'm sure they will come by for a visit." It's clear even the man who built it is amazed by the sheer size of the home. "Right now there are 35 or 40 people working on it, and you can hardly notice them," he says. "I've done everything I can to use local materials and craftsmen."

So what would make someone build such a grand home? "I grew up in row houses, and I always said one day I'd build a home out in the country." The difference, perhaps, is that most people who build their dream cabin on a lake manage to do it with out building a fireplace containing 100 tonnes of rock. So, how much, you ask? Try a cool $10 million.