iceberg home
n. A home where what is seen at ground level is only a small part of structure, with the rest being underground.
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Examples
2017
Mr. Graham already infuriated neighbours five years ago with plans to dig four storeys below his mansion in Knightsbridge to build a swimming pool, a three-car garage, a gym, a ballroom, changing rooms, a hot tub, wine cellars, an art storage room and servants’ quarters. His subterranean escapade became a hot topic in London and shed light on the growing trend among the superrich for "iceberg homes," named because most of the house is below ground.
—Paul Waldie, “Canadian businessman David Graham’s home expansion enrages London neighbours,” The Globe and Mail, February 09, 2017
2016
The new property, dubbed an “iceberg home” because so much of the development is underground, will house a 65ft swimming pool, bar, hammam or Turkish bath, games room, gym, massage room and hot pool.
—Jamie Grierson, “London bubble-bath tycoon gets go-ahead for huge 'iceberg' basement,” The Guardian, March 21, 2016
2015
I observed that there was a vogue for digging out enormous basements beneath London properties—creating so-called “iceberg houses”—and asked him if he approved. “I don’t have a problem with people digging a big hole in the ground and living in it,” he said.
—Ed Caesar, “House of Secrets,” The New Yorker, June 01, 2015
2007 (earliest)
These "iceberg" houses, so called because the below-ground additions extend well beyond the property's street-level footprint, are becoming more common in all types of neighbourhood, as homeowners realise that staying in an expanded version of one's existing home is often less expensive and less hassle than finding, buying and moving into another, bigger house.
—Lucy Warwick-Ching, “Digging deep,” Financial Times, November 03, 2007
Notes
Many thanks to Karen H. for spying this term.
Plans for an iceberg home. Source: Labour Westminster
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