By Scott Christopher
Most of the homes dotting the hillside in Alpine, Utah are jaw-droppingly large. Speed limits through the area seem almost pointless - most people drive at a turtle''s pace anyway, ogling the monstrous dwellings as they creep by.
Aaron Frazier''s house is easily one of the largest. It checks in at a dainty 25,000 square feet.
It has a racquetball/basketball court, a 1,500 square foot home theater and two AMF bowling lanes that are just one foot short of regulation.
The house is the size of an LDS stake center.
So, what does Frazier do? Is he a plastic surgeon? A Fortune 500 CEO? A movie star?
He owns storage units.
His father started the business 25 years ago with a few units on 1200 West in Orem. They now have several locations throughout the state and a few in Louisiana and Florida.
A respectable business, no doubt, but shouldn''t this be the palatial estate of a J.K. Rowling, a Bill Gates or a Noni Juice millionaire?
Aaron drives a pickup. His wife Lynn? A minivan.
Three years ago the Fraziers were planning to build another, slightly less massive, home.
'We were looking to build about two blocks from here,' Aaron said. 'I was designing a house that would have been 7,000-8,000 square feet. That was as big as I ever wanted.'
Lynn said that house would have taken a couple of years for them to complete, doing most of the work themselves.
But the mammoth house they now own became available when it went into foreclosure before the owner had even finished construction. Aaron said the original builder had spent about $1 million on it, having raised the walls and roof and little else.
'It became a real eyesore in the neighborhood,' Lynn said. 'All the neighbors formed a little group trying to raise money to buy it and tear it down.'
Aaron decided to talk to the bank that held the loan. He said the deal they offered was a no-brainer.
'I got it for about $150,000,' he said. 'All we had to do was finish it up.'
Finishing it up cost about $650,000. As a contractor in the storage business, Aaron said he was able to use his own crew and complete the house in about nine months. It took some trading and lucky deals to get it all done.
'The front door assembly had been custom ordered by the previous owner for $13,000,' Aaron said. 'But since the factory had it and couldn''t do anything with it they sold it to me for $3,000.'
The wood floor of the racquetball court is taken from the floorboards of old railroad cars. Frazier''s neighbor owns a salvage yard and sold him the wood for a dollar a foot.
Another home in Alpine was being gutted and Aaron said he was able to haul off all kinds of cabinets, kitchen counters and fireplace mantels for just a few hundred dollars.
The seats in the home theater are from the Jordan River Temple. Frazier said he traded quantity for quality -- he dealt about 200 well-worn theater seats for the 50 nice ones.
He traded a day''s use of his backhoe for the two bowling lanes, pins, balls and accessories.
The payoff? After spending a total of about $800,000 the home was appraised for $4.5 million.
David Nibley, a recent visitor to the home, said the house felt empty and devoid of details.
'I didn''t see much of it, mostly the entryway and hall to the theater, but there wasn''t a lot of character or details,' he said. 'There were a lot of empty spaces.'
Furnishing a house this size is a long-term project, Lynn said.
'We got more couches from garage sales and other good deals we found,' she said. 'When we can afford it someday and it''s no problem, we''ll go out and furnish it.'
Without a lot of decorations and knick-knacks to dust, cleaning the house is more manageable, she said.
'I do have different people come in once a week for the vacuuming and cleaning the tiles,' Frazier said. 'My kids are really good about keeping things clean, too.'
If the kids behave they can go to the grandparents'' house down the block, a tiny, 12,000-square-foot chantey, and play in the pool.
'We''ll never have to get a pool,' Aaron said. 'Not while they live there.'
The Frazier''s house doesn''t have an intercom system either.
'Our cell phones have intercoms, so we page each other,' she said. 'Sometimes we just dial each other up.'
Lynn said she has never felt scared or insecure in the home, even when alone. They have a security system and they rent out the 5,000 square-foot mother-in-law apartment to another family.
'It feels pretty safe,' she said. 'Aaron''s parents live just two houses away.'
The Fraziers both said the best part of owning the home is sharing it with friends and neighbors.
'We have youth groups come in and play downstairs,' Lynn said. 'On Mondays the missionaries will come by for P-day and just play.'