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Despite what billionaires and heiresses have led us to believe, bigger is not always better. Though they may have been romanticized on Instagram – mega-mansions can be nothing more than a photogenic headache, especially if custom-built. However, for the naysayers who have bought into the idea that large is in charge – we submit the Peter Grant Mansion for your consideration as one of the most unfortunate uses of wood, steel and brick in Canadian history.

Recognized as the largest abandoned home in the entire country, this absolute beast boasts 65,000 square feet of (now unused) space and sits on 43-acres of prime lakeside real estate in Haileybury, Ontario, about 5 and a half hours north of Toronto.

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Named after its intended owner who was the CEO of a well-respected lumber company, this uniquely designed palace could have been a modern marvel – with waterfalls, two indoor pools, a small golf course, a squash court, and an indoor boat garage that could fit his 40ft yacht.

Sadly, following the 2008 financial crisis, it was abandoned mid-construction and now it sits desolate, unfinished, and unsettling.

In an interior tour posted by YouTuber Noah.Nowhere, the mansion can be seen rotting and vandalized, mostly forgotten by everyone – except those in the area and urban explorers, who come from all over the country to take pictures of the home.

It’s unclear who owns the property now or how much they had purchased for it, though it was reportedly listed for $25 million in 2010.

As for the man who earned his spot on the ‘build and beat it’ hall of shame? Don’t fret. Grant, (who according to Canadian Business Magazine was once worth $381M) is still alive, well and reportedly living in a different ultra-pricey property elsewhere – which he could still afford even after the hit his company, Grant Forest Products, took the same year he left this home to collect dust.

To be frank, if this isn’t a cautionary tale, we’re not sure what is. As the saying goes, don’t buy (or build) outside your means and if you do  – do so where there are enough trees to hide your mistake from everyone else.

If you’d like to see more of the Peter Grant mansion, check out the video above – and show those like Noah (who were brave enough to actually visit this place in person) some love. Yonce knows we wouldn’t step foot into that place. 

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