Oak Bay councillors are balking at plans for a 12,300-square-foot house in the Uplands, saying it's just too big.

The design for the two-storey house planned for 2880 Beach Dr., which would likely cost $3 million to $4 million to build, includes six or seven bedrooms, a swimming pool and atrium and a second kitchen for frying.

"While I don't think it's any of our business, I find two to three living rooms, a huge number of bedrooms each with their own bathroom and living room -- well, it sort of looks like a hotel under a different name," said Coun. John Herbert.

"I very seldom look at the design of a house and say it's good or bad, but I really do not find this house very attractive, no disrespect."

Several councillors asked why the house had to be so large, particularly given concerns about carbon footprints.

Councillors can't accept or reject a house design based on whether they like it -- only on whether it conforms to the bylaws and building code. But this house is in the Uplands, where there's one more hoop, based on an act of the legislature dating back to 1935. The Oak Bay Special Powers act says new homes in the Uplands must get the approval of council on siting and architectural design.

The proposed Beach Drive home is large even in this region, said Chris Markham, president of the Victoria Real Estate Board. "In our world, when we start getting 8,000 square feet, that's a big house."

But the home might not be out of scale given the size of the lot -- 32,350 square feet, he said.

When the economy declined, real estate agents expected people might want to downsize. Not so, he's found.

"Houses are getting bigger."

Alan Lowe, architect for the Beach Drive project, said he has designed larger houses than this, including one of 13,500 square feet at the top of Bear Mountain. In houses of that scale, people tend to want private bathrooms and sitting rooms for each bedroom, he said.

Lowe, who plans to go back to his clients to discuss design changes, said the home is not out of scale in the Uplands, home to many large houses.

His clients intend to live in the house with their two children and possibly one set of in-laws, he said. The couple and their children now live in the existing house on the lot.

Lowe said he tried at first to make the house look smaller, but the municipality's Advisory Design Panel suggested the design needed some grandeur, so he did things like making the porte-cochère larger.

Coun. Nils Jensen asked if any thought had gone to green features, such as solar heating.

Not yet, said Lowe, saying his clients wanted to get approval before moving on to that part of the design phase.

kwestad@tc.canwest.com