The 38,000-square-foot ?private palace? is poised to be completely overhauled by a developer One of London?s most important landmarked buildings, Doughty House, is poised to undergo an ultra-luxury renovation that ?rivals Buckingham Palace.? The 38,000-square-foot abode in the Richmond district was built in 1770 and purchased in the mid-1800s by wealthy British merchant Francis Cook. An art fan, Cook expanded the home with a 125-foot-long gallery to show off his art collection of Old Masters. More recently, the home has been uninhabited and moldered a bit in disrepair.
Now, developer K10 Group is undertaking a complete overhaul of the property. Over the span of 18 months, the home will be restored to its former glory with 20 different kinds of marble and stone, 48 chandeliers, $6 million worth of bespoke joinery, and a cleaning of its Roman-era floors and columns from the ruins of Pompeii. The home?s underground car museum will be reworked with 70 tons of concrete and a car elevator. The home will also have modern additions like a theater room, spa complex, and 50-foot-long reflection pool on the lawn.
Lawrie Cornish via The Spaces

Of course, the developer is urging buyers to get in on the ground floor: ?If a discerning buyer purchases Doughty House now, they will have the advantage of working with us over the next two years to totally customize and refine the current plans and design scheme to their personal tastes and lifestyle,? K10 CEO Kam Bab...