Real estate and building industry experts say the bigger homes reflect the values placed on the land. Owners are tearing down simple homes, some of them built on leasehold land, that at one time matched the value of the land. They are replacing then with structures that reflect the value of the land today.

With waterfront properties costing millions today, it's a rule of thumb that the houses cost about as much as the land, said Tim Gutierrez, president of Pyramid Development LLC.

"It doesn't make sense to build a small house on a $10 million lot," Gutierrez said.

He said most of the houses being built are designed for extended families and are in the 5,600 to 6,600 square-foot range. By contrast, the average home is about 1,500 square feet.

But then, we're not talking about average neighborhoods.

4815 Kahala Ave. is more than one house. It consists of several buildings and a fountain. Bruce Asato • The Honolulu Advertiser

Bob Armstrong of Armstrong Builders, who works on upscale projects, said there is a trend toward homes of 8,000 to 12,000 square feet.

"You have to think of what people who live in these houses do," said Armstrong. "They entertain and need living rooms as big as some people's homes."

Take Cha Thompson, owner of Tihati Productions, a Polynesian and convention-themed entertainment company. She and her husband raised their 12 children in an old, two-story, L-shaped home.

The Thompsons bought on Portlock Road in Hawai'i Kai 27 years ago, long before most people understood the value of the area.

Today, those home values are approaching $1 million. Two years ago, she and her husband decided to level the house and build their dream home.

"The house got to be 50 years old," she said. "We lived there 27 years. When we decided to rebuild, we decided to be sassy."

The new home is big enough to accommodate all her children, their spouses and their children, about 40 to 50 in all for Sunday brunch.

The Thompson home has four bedrooms, six bathrooms, a great room off the kitchen, a Polynesian room, koa banisters and a wrap-around veranda, all in a house so big that you need an intercom to talk to people at either end.

And there's still enough yard to play in.

"We got fancy. We wanted to make it cultural, like a turn-of-the-century house," Thompson said.

Some homes result of dot-com money

Some of the biggest projects were started before the Mainland economy began to cool and reflect the earnings of dot-com entrepreneurs who cashed out before the boom busted last year.

Vincent, the architect, said at least five of his clients come from the San Francisco area. He said the super-size boom is being fueled by owners who have the cash reserves to ride out the economic downturn.

Vincent and other architects say that while the new homes may be bigger, they more closely reflect local sensibilities about design, with many of them borrowing details typical of kama'aina architecture.

On Noela Street, one home has been something of a curiosity, not only for its appearance but because it is three times the size of the old Balding home that once occupied the site.

This is the home of Andre Tatibouet, whose parents founded Aston Hotels & Resorts and is the chain's president-on-leave. He declined to talk about the home he paid $8.1 million for in 1990.

At 19,000 square feet, the home, with its lanais, courtyards and office space, took about a year to build, said Armstrong, the Armstrong Builders president.

"It's the biggest home I've built," Armstrong said. "It's a home for people who do a lot of entertaining. It's not just for a family."

What makes Tatibouet's home stand out is its striking resemblance to the Lodge at Ko'ele on Lana'i. A graceful veranda stretches from north to south, offering a sweeping view of the Pacific and Waikiki.

Tatibouet's neighbor, Calvin Lui of Noela Street, a resident of the area since the 1970s, said the early charm of smaller, more quaint homes is being replaced with newer, bigger, more "California"-type homes.