What is a mansion?

A mansion is not just a big house, though the term may be colloquially used as such. Technically, to be considered a mansion a house must have more than 5,000 square feet (465 SQM) of space and at least 5 or 6 bedrooms. A mansion will also typically be situated on a small acreage, because homes on large properties are considered estates.

For the homes of today, around 8,000 square feet (743 SQM) may be needed for the dwelling to be considered a modern mansion. This is because the average home has been steadily increasing in size over recent decades – and mansions even more so due to the billionaire boom.

The core social definition of a mansion, however, is a home of absolute luxury. When people think of a mantion house, they picture opulence something big, fancy and beautiful which exudes extravagance. More bedrooms than a family could ever use, gym rooms and theatre rooms, sweeping kitchens and multiple living rooms are just a few of the interior amenities. The exterior is likely to have leisure facilities too, depending on the location – some examples of outside leisure centres mansions may have include a courtyard, firepit, tennis court, pool, spa and/or sauna.

Comparison: what makes a mansion different from a regular home?

First of all, a mansion should have at least 5 or six bedrooms. The average Australian dwelling has 3 bedrooms and a floor size of 186.2 square metres – less than half of what a house needs to even be considered a mansion. Australian homes are already among the largest in the world on average, with the USA coming in second and the UK barely touching Australia with a tiny average of 30-45 square metre homes.

This gap is only set to widen as homes are being built larger and larger. If we take a look at the average size of a newly built home, it is almost double the current standard and is on-track to eventually reach mansion status in its own right. The average size of homes built between 2019 and 2020 was 235.8 square metres, a 2.8% increase on the year before (the largest increase in decades). Because the average house is almost large enough to qualify as a mansion, some believe that mansion size should now be considered anything above 743 square metres.

How much is a mansion?

The million-dollar question. There are a number of factors which influence the price of a mansion – particularly, whether you plan on building or buying. If you intend to build your own house, you can usually expect to pay over $4,300 per square metre for a 5 bedroom project.

Buying a house is not much better. The average Australian house price shattered records in early 2022 when it reached over a million for the first time, a devastating blow for prospective homeowners. The cost of buying an average Australian climbed by more than $1,000 a day during the Sydney lockdowns and has increased by 25.2% in the past year alone. Mansions are among the most expensive houses on the market. Keep in mind that these homes are the average – for a mansion you are looking at potentially more than double these prices.

Another factor that may influence price is floor plans. Mansion floor plans are incredibly varied as there is no one standard design for a mansion. Commonly, a mansion will be more than one story (although some single-story Australian ranch houses are considered mansions). Here are some of the best examples of mansion designs and mansion house plans that we could find.

Blueprints, pictures and layouts for mansion design ideas

Mega Mansion

A mega mansion is the height of extravagant living. This gigantic home by ePlans is a whopping 7366 square feet, with 5 bedrooms and 5 baths.

See the plans below for more or take a look at the ePlans website summary.

Victorian Mansion

If you’re paying for a castle, why not invest in something that looks like one? This magnificent Victorian mansion design features two floors, a basement and a bonus attic room.

Featuring 6 bedrooms, 6 full baths and more than 7507 square feet of exclusive living space, this mansion home is the picture of luxury. Purchase the plans here from archival designs.

Luxury mansion

This opulent 2-story mansion features a sophisticated design inspired by the architecture of modern Europe. Featuring 5 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, a butler’s pantry, a dining room, a family room, a great room, a home office, master closets, a fireplace, a guest suite, two laundry rooms, breakfast areas and a rec room, it truly has everything you could ever need.

Purchase these incredible plans here from DFD house plans.

Two Story mansion

A fairly standard layout for mansions is the classic two storey. This allows for the house to comfortably dwell on its small acreage without sprawling so far as to take up valuable land and backyard space. Two-storey layouts are not very common in Australia (although this is set to change with two-storey homes on the rise in new buildings), because the classic one-storey is intrinsically linked to the Australian identity.

The two storey mansion pictured above by Jack Preston Wood features 6 bedrooms including a master suite on the ground floor as well as the other 4 bedrooms on the top floor. On the first floor there is an abundance of family and bonus space, with a study, dining, living, breakfast and family room as well as a three-car garage. The second floor features a media room, raised game room, two bathrooms and multiple balcony spaces.

Note that this mansion is on the small end of the mansion spectrum. Some may argue that this is merely a large house, if they subscribe to the harsher modern standards for mansions. You can purchase the floor plans for this mansion here from Jack Preston Wood.

Architecture & Design Team

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