Knowledge | Posted by Aye Myat Thu
Bill Gates may have more money than he could ever spend, but there’s one thing he’s not willing to let go of: his sprawling Lake Washington estate, Xanadu 2.0.
Despite being single and an empty-nester, the Microsoft co-founder, 69, has no plans to downsize from his massive 66,000-square-foot compound, which he originally purchased in 1988 for a mere $2 million.
It’s now worth upwards of $130 million.
“My house in Seattle, I admit, is gigantic,” Gates, who long held the title of the world’s richest person, told The UK Times. “My sisters have downsized. I can’t. I like the houses I have.”
(The home sits right on Lake Washington near Seattle.Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“My kids like to come back — that is a luxury. I don’t cook, I don’t make my own bed, but I don’t mind if no one has made it — I wouldn’t notice.” Xanadu 2.0 — which he named as an ode to the 1941 film “Citizen Kane” — is the epitome of billionaire luxury, featuring six kitchens, 24
bathrooms, an indoor trampoline room, a private library and a swimming pool equipped with an underwater music system.
(He originally purchased the property for $2 million in 1988 and invested $63 million over seven years to transform it into a 66,000-square-foot luxury estate featuring six kitchens, 24 bathrooms, a trampoline room, an indoor pool, and a private library. Pictured is the Gates family: Phoebe, Bill, Jennifer, Melinda and Rory.Instagram)
It took Gates seven years and $63 million in renovations to craft the estate to his exact specifications, making it more of a personal retreat than just a home.
Ref: Bill Gates says he will never downsize from his mega-mansion with 24 bathrooms — despite being a single empty-nester Photo Credit- Bloomberg via Getty Images, Instagram