Wealthy Kurd building replica of the White House in northern Iraq

By RYAN GORMAN

An Iraqi businessman has decided to build his dream home in the city of Erbil -- a replica of the White House.

The to-scale replica is being built in a gated community called "Dream City" in the Kurdish capital and has already been valued at $17 million despite not even being finished.

"It's outrageous, really fancy, and well-built," Tony Hozeph, the general manager of Dream City, told ABC News.

The building includes layers of 21-carat Italian gold leaf covering banisters and ceilings and Greek marble columns that grace the entrance, among other luxuries.

"It's not finished yet completely, there's no furniture and the interior construction still needs to be done," Hozeph added.

Dream City is one of many gated communities being built in Iraq. Land in the wealthy enclave starts at 250 per square foot and houses sell for about $1,000 per square foot, Hozeph told ABC.

Erbil is one of many cities threatened by ISIS, but recent U.S.-led airstrikes appear to have staved off further attacks by the terrorists. At least for now.

The original White House was designed by Irishman James Hoban, completed in 1801 and burned down by the British during the War of 1812. Second President John Adams was the first to live in the iconic building.

A rebuilt White House was completed in 1817 and first lived in by President James Monroe.

Further additions were made over the years bringing the Neoclassical six-story building's square footage to more than 55,000.

It is not clear how big the Iraqi White House is. There is also no word on any measures being taken to prevent possible fence jumpers.

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