ST. GEORGE, Utah — A St. George homebuilder has turned childhood nostalgia into reality by constructing a $7 million replica of the iconic McCallister family home from the beloved Christmas movie "Home Alone."
Nathan Shaffer, partner at Strata Construction, says they built the 14,000-square-foot Georgian-style home as his company's entry into February's St. George Parade of Homes. The six-bedroom, 8.5-bathroom house sits on one acre just blocks west of Crimson Cliffs High School.
"I mean, it could be viewed as certainly nerdy for somebody to go and invest $7 million into a home that's based on a movie that they happen to love when they were kids, right?" Shaffer said.
The exterior closely mirrors the original Chicago-area home, complete with an Oh-Kay Plumbing van parked nearby featuring a "wanted wet bandit" sticker — a nod to the movie's bumbling burglars.
"I feel like the ‘Home Alone’ home is possibly America's favorite home, in my opinion," Shaffer said.
It’s not the first time Shaffer’s team has had a theme. Their home in last year’s Parade of Homes had a “Beauty and the Beast” theme.
But this one was closer to Shaffer’s heart.
Architect Josh Warner said the team used 60 to 70% of the actual Illinois home's layout to model the interior, since the movie's indoor scenes were filmed on a soundstage. They got lucky when the original house went up for sale, allowing them to study online listings for accuracy.
"Well, the challenge was just the research, right? So we spent time, we got lucky that Zillow was posting this house for sale at the time we were doing the design," Warner said.
The replica includes movie-accurate details like a front-door mail slot and an attic space, but adds modern St. George amenities, including an indoor pickleball court, a swimming pool, a steam shower and a sauna.
But something authentic one might not find in most area homes: A veranda with glass walls that open up.
"I've always wanted to do a veranda," Warner said. "I'd never done a Georgian home, so it allowed me to do a lot of study as to what makes up a Georgian-style home. So that for me was rewarding."
One notable omission: there's no basement with the threatening monster furnace that terrorized young Kevin McCallister in the film.
Shaffer and Strata Construction plan to host community events leading up to the February parade, where visitors can put themselves in Kevin McCallister's shoes and hunt for movie references throughout the home.
"We want them to just come and like be looking and using their creativity and their imagination to find the things from the movie," Shaffer said.
The company has already begun marketing the project by driving the replica movie van around town and posting "wanted" posters for the Wet Bandits throughout St. George.
The Parade of Homes typically draws more than 40,000 visitors over its run. Shaffer acknowledges that the unique nature of the project presents both opportunities and challenges.
"Our buyer pool definitely shrinks way down for a product like this," Shaffer said. "And I think because of that, it's so important for us to nail all the points and make sure it checks every box. If you're going to spend $7 million, it better sing and dance for you."
The home, dubbed "McCallister Manor," is expected to be completed by late January, just in time for the February parade.
