Bill Gates’ Washington home is everything you’d expect it to be and more.
The 66,000-square-feet estate, named Xanadu 2.0, was build on a large plot of land in Medina, Washington.
Gates bought the Lake Washington plot in 1988 for just $2 million.
The name comes from the homes’ inspiration: Charles Foster Kane’s home in Citizen Kane.
READ MORE! The first American billionaire could also be one of the richest people to have ever lived
Bill Gates lost his number one spot on Forbes’ list a while back and never regained it.
It gets crazier: his former assistant and trainee is on the verge of becoming even wealthier.
Even so, Gates is still wildly rich.
Per Forbes, Bill Gates’ current net worth is $120.3 billion – and he made number seven on 2024’s rich list.
And there’s one character trait you might not expect that psychologists believe spurred Bill Gates’ success.
Of course, Gates spared no expense in building his own futuristic home.
According to reports, when you enter Bill Gates’ home you receive a pinlike key.
But it’s less about coming and going when you please and a lot about knowing where you’ve gotten to.
As well as the security measure of tracking inhabitants’ location, the key also stores your preferences for room temperature, lighting and music.
But we’re not entirely sure what happens when a Swiftie sits down to dinner with a Drake fan.
If you’re crossing the floor with no key detected sensors embedded in the floor will trigger an alarm system.
In the US today, 22.3% of households use smart tech – from basic programmable thermostats to Alexa products.
However, the impressive tech-forward mansion boasted these futuristic touches long before the smart home of today.
Wha’s more, Gates paid $14 million to buy the properties surrounding the estate to ensure his privacy.
Construction under architects, James Cutler and Peter Bohlin, involved 300 laborers and took seven years to complete.
The Pacific lodge-themed house was constructed from 500 Douglas fir trees and seven types of stone.
Valued at over $127 million today, it cost $63 million to build – largely due to its impressive integrated technology.
Melinda Gates is said to have appointed architect and designer, Thierry Despont, to design the interior.
At one stage of the construction process, Melinda is said to have told workers to down tools due to the amount of state-of-the-art software and high-tech displays.
Anyone can make the $80,000 worth screens display their favorite paintings or photographs, which are stored on devices worth $150,000.
Before the pair separated, Melinda said she longed for a simpler, cozier home in the future.
Unfortunately the seven-bedroom and 24-bathroom home was said to make inhabitants feel like they were living inside a video game.
In addition to the tech for humans, the flora isn’t left behind.
Gates’ favorite 40-year-old maple tree is also constant surveillance.
While they’re not too worried about it setting off the floor sensors, water is pumped into it automatically when it’s too dry.
Xanadu 2.0 also features a trampoline room with a 20-foot ceiling, six kitchens, steam room, sauna, and a 25,000-square-foot gym.
What’s more, an artificial stream along the lake is filled with sand delivered from St. Lucia by barge annually.
The pièce de résistance, however, is the mansion’s 2,100-square-foot library.
In addition to book-filled shelves, it boasts two secret bookcases, a hidden bar and a quote from The Great Gatsby on the ceiling.
The library contains the Codex Leicester, a 16th-century Leonardo da Vinci manuscript that Gates bought for $30.8 million.
In 2009, a tour of Xanadu 2.0 was auctioned off for $35,000 for charity.
