Inside Bill Gates House

It would be more productive of me to sip a glass of water than take time to introduce Bill Gates, but I'll do it anyway. Bill is the guy who is known for making the world a better place through his Microsoft company. He is also incredibly generous with his billions, doing his best to make the world a better place. An esteemed customer to the Forbes rich list, Gates has managed to achieve milestones in his 64 years of existence. Today, we will spare his blossoming friendship with fellow billionaire Warren Buffett and focus a little more on his place of residence. For a man who would rather ignore picking up a $100 bill if he drops it, only because it would take about 3 seconds to bend and lift the cash leaf, the same amount of time he can make 10 times more. So technically, it's unproductive to do that. Solution? If he drops $100, he'll save time and just keep moving. Bill Gates is a man with such exorbitant luxuries. It is only fair that he goes back to a place he can call home, and a home that genuinely serves his desires. That is the exact thing his Medina home offers. Lying on expansive 5.5 acres of land, the mansion christened Exanadu 2.0 is a massive 66,000 square feet structure, currently valued at a colossal $148 million. The unique design of this architectural masterpiece and its in-depth technological incision makes it stand out from the rest. Located in the leafy suburb of Medina in Washington, the home is placed strategically, offering the tech mogul and his family with an audacious view of Lake Washington, right from their living room. Designed in a collaborative effort of Pennsylvania-based firm Bolin-Kawinski-Jackson and Cutler-Anderson Architects, the home is a jewel to the eye. It took Bill Gates about $63 million and seven years to have the structure erected just the way he wanted it. The features of the lakeside residential home are over the top. Firstly, the eco-friendly environment the house is built on is breathtaking. Not only does it enhance the beauty of the place, but it also helps keep the area's climate regulated naturally. The structures of the home are dominated by wood extracted from rare and indigenous trees. According to the architects responsible for creating the design, the unique style is referred to as Pacific Lodge. An artificial stream, stuffed with some beautiful fish, is visibly snaking its way downstream, giving the home a Jurassic Park feel. Moving inside the house, you can decide to take the 84 wooden stairs to the reception, or if your muscles are lazy, an elevator is available to unburden your sorrows. A 2,300 square feet reception and accommodation hall with a seating capacity of 200 guests will be the first glance of your visit to this megastructure. As a corporate big shot and philanthropist, luncheons and dinners are unavoidable things, and so the need to create the space. The main house boasts of 24 bathrooms, 10 of which have bathtubs. Each family member can pick up five bathrooms and still spare the rest for home workers. Even though the house is vast, there are only seven bedrooms. Each of the seven bedrooms has features exceeding the one at luxurious hotels, with giant dressing mirrors and two bathrooms per bedroom. When you have a net worth of over $110 billion, no one can blame you if you shower in one bathroom in the morning and use a different one in the evening, with both in the same room. The walls of this home are made with shiny and slippery, well-polished mahogany exotic wood. The ceilings stand tall, made of handcrafted metallic pieces. Bill Gates is a man with money, lots of it, and money automatically attracts power. Respect is what one is left to earn. For me, I would generously respect you when a 20-foot trampoline room is in your residence. While most of us find it as a playing item, Gates and his family employ the trampoline as part of their fitness routine. Unto the main fitness center, the residence gym spans 2,500 square feet and is furnished with modern equipment, from treadmills, weights, and even exercise bikes. An in-house fitness trainer is put on the payroll to make sure nobody breaks a bone while in quest of stronger muscles. It is a common practice to connect with family members during dinner time. After long hours of office work and getting stuck in traffic, the dining room at Gates' residence is massive, spreading across 1,000 square feet, in the process creating room for some 24 seats. Do you realize, unless they host guests, the dining area always leaves 20 seats unoccupied? For a man who is an ardent lover of books, a research enthusiast, a home like this doesn't feel like one without a library. In this regard, a 2,100 square foot of an oval-shaped wooden library is found right in the heart of this medina palace. Unlike other home libraries, this one can be easily considered as a national heritage, reason being some of the books on its shelves. For example, the manuscript belonging to the Italian polymath Leonardo da Vinci, which is commonly referred to as Codex Leicester, is a piece which Gates paid a fortune for and has it stocked in this library. In 1994, right before he joined the Billionaires Club, Gates splashed $30.8 million to get custody of the 72-page book, which is reported to have been written somewhere between 1506 to 1510. Another conspicuous feature in the library is the engravement of a quote from the great Gatsby, which reads, he had come a long way in this blue lawn, and his dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it. Xanadu 2.0 is as technical as it sounds. The technological advancements in these premises will completely blow your mind. For example, for the visiting guests, they are equipped with a microchip that interacts with inbuilt sensors in each room, handing them the autonomy of changing temperature, lighting, and even music just to suit their preferences. All this without touching a single thing. Quite frankly, everyone expects the Gates home to be scientifically run, but these levels are just unreal. The system also allows your favorite music to follow you like a shadow from room to room, automatically switching off the places you're leaving. The artwork on the walls is also fully automated. Just a button click and the decor magically appears on the walls, including one single painting bill bought at a staggering $36 million. I almost found it weird on noticing the taxes of this property surges above $1 million annually, but now I'm humbled. Anyone who even for a second thought of competing, this is your chance to tap out. A home is not complete without a swimming pool. Gates and Melinda understand that perfectly well. That is why at their home, you will run into an expansive 60 foot by 17 swimming pool. The pool is made of glass walls and a fossil motif floor. The tech touch is not forgotten here either. It is equipped with an underwater music system, allowing them to jam to their favorite playlist while having some connection with mother nature. The pool is so vast. You can pull a few backstrokes moves and appear on the outer terraces. There is also a sauna and a steam room on the side. Back on the inside, family moments are further made entertaining by the 20 seater state of the art movie theater. There is a total of six kitchens, two used exclusively for the family, the other for the staff and guests who visit occasionally. Bill, despite being filthy rich, is not a flashy man. He wears simple clothes and drives simple cars, but his monster side rigorously moves him to spend big occasionally. In the living room, you will spot a massive aquarium tucked to the wooden walls with several sea animals granted permission to roam about. Did you know that nobody is allowed to enter the Xanadu 2.0 with an iPhone? For whatever reason, if a guest has an iPhone, it will automatically lose network the moment you set foot at this home. Are we allowed to guess it's a technological feud? I don't think so. Since the property is located right on the beach of Lake Washington, Bill Gates thought it wise to make it feel more Caribbean. To quench his curiosity, he annually imports tons of Caribbean sand, mostly from Hawaii, just to beachfront. I mean, who does that? Well, it's Bill, and he has the will. Bill is a frivolous spender, and his appetite for vintage cars, more specifically, Porsche, is unmatched. He owns quite a number of such timeless machines in his 23-car garage. This home is heavenly, and by the way, it is open to public visit. But make sure you can cough roughly $35,000 without breaking a sweat. Just like an anonymous man did back in 2009. Don't overthink. Though, your entrance fee will be well spent, as Bill usually channels all of the money to their foundation, the Bill and Melinda Foundation. So there you have it, inside Bill Gates' house. Which feature impressed you the most about this house? Let us know in the comments below. If you enjoyed this video, make sure to leave a like and subscribe.