Since 2000, Paul Miklas, of Valleymede Homes, has transformed the Bridle Path neighbourhood with his unique and breathtaking custom-built mansions. After 16 completed projects and a 40,000-square-foot home ready for delivery, he has just broken ground on his biggest and the country’s biggest project to date: A mansion that clocks in at a mammoth 50,000 square feet. 

“This is going to be the pinnacle for us,” said Miklas.

The home is located on High Point Road, on what the builder said is the most desirable stretch of the city’s most upscale enclave. In addition, Valleymede Homes has two more homes over 30,000 square feet in the works in the same neighbourhood. 

Miklas, who starred, along with his wife Holly, in the HGTV series Mansion as well as a web-based version of Dragons’ Den for CBC, started out as a carpenter and then site supervisor for Green Park Homes, Canada’s largest building company. He started Valleymede when he was just 26 and built his first home in The Bridle Path 17 years ago. 

Building lots in the area go for upwards of $7 million, with the most coveted locale being the south end of High Point and Park Lane Circle. 

The Bridle Path neighbourhood has its share of celebrity inhabitants but received a boost in reputation when it was confirmed that hip-hop icon Drake was building a home, one that Miklas was originally approached to build.

As Miklas explained, most of his clientele are now from Beijing, China, where Valleymede is enjoying a growing reputation thanks in part to his Dragons’ Den series airing there. 

For his current 40,000-square-foot home, it is a two-and-a-half-year project from drawing to the final nail. The home is unique for many reasons, perhapsthe most startling being the gigantic 80-foot indoor pool. 

“It’s the biggest we’ve ever done,” said Miklas, of the pool housed in a separate wing extending to the south of the main building. 

The home also has a cutting-edge mechanical and electrical system including natural gas generators. 

“You can run the whole house if the power goes out,” he said. 

Miklas’s budget for the project is around $26 million not including the cost of the land. But as he explained, the homes he builds have enjoyed built-in equity. Just like when a condominium unit appreciates during the long construction process, a Valleymede home can as well. In fact, Miklas revealed that another buyer from Beijing offered to buy the 40,000-square-foot home for $40 million outright, but the owners refused. 

When finished, the mansion will be home to six residents, including a young child, as well as approximately four staff.