UPDATE 1-Canada Nov building permits drop unexpectedly

* Permits tumble 11.2 pct vs estimate of 0.5 pct gain

* Both residential and nonresidential permits fall (Adds details)

OTTAWA, Jan 10 (Reuters) - The value of Canadian building permits unexpectedly tumbled 11.2 percent in November from October because of a decline in both residential and nonresidential projects, according to Statistics Canada data released on Monday.

The sharp drop, the biggest since February 2009, surprised investors. Analysts in a Reuters poll had forecast a 0.5 percent increase in building permits in the month.

Total permits were down 10.3 percent from a year earlier but still at levels comparable to September 2009.

Housing permits fell 7.2 percent, the second straight monthly decline, largely because of lower building intentions for multi-family dwellings in the western province of British Columbia.

Overall, permits for multi-family buildings plummeted 22.4 percent while those for single family houses gained 3.4 percent.

Permits in the nonresidential sector slid 16.1 percent, pulled down mainly by dwindling construction plans for commercial and institutional buildings. (Reporting by Louise Egan; Editing by Padraic Cassidy)