Bill Gates House: Inspiring Facts About Xanadu 2.0

Ian Mutuli
Updated on
Ian Mutuli

Ian Mutuli

Founder and Managing Editor of Archute. He is also a graduate architect from The University of Nairobi, Kenya.
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William Henry Gates, often known as Bill Gates, who is internationally known as the co-founder of Microsoft Corporation, businessman, and  a philanthropist is among the richest people on earth, with a net worth of more than 129 billion US dollars. Hence it might come as no surprise that his home is worth more than $130 million, and that means paying an annual property tax of $1.155 million.

The 66,000 square feet mansion stands tall over the lake Washington in Medina, a suburb of Washington in Medina. It was created by Bohlin Cywinski Jackson and Cutler-Anderson Architects who also constructed one for Steve Jobs. The house took the businessman more than $63 million to build. Its construction took so long ; it was completed in 1995 after seven years of constructions.

The mansion is a work of art and class, with stunning features that makes the guests feel they are in the middle of class than a hotel. Bill Gates has often referred to the house as ‘the coolest house of all time’. He may refer to the features or that the house is always cool because of the creep of the natural environment.

The house is called Xanadu 2. 0 – the name was inspired by the title of the palace of Charles Foster Kane, a movie character from the ‘Citizen Kane’ movie. This article will focus on the interesting facts over the house of this genre starting from the exterior wall to more interior and intricate part of the house that makes the house unique among the typical houses in the country.

1. It is an earth-sheltered house

The first thing you are likely to observe regarding this house is how environmentally friendly this structure appears. There is a green cover of trees around it to ensure that extreme heat around it is well controlled. In better terms, this property is an earth sheltered house.

Pacific Lodge style architecture was adopted for the building and all constructional materials were procured from the pacific northwest. This mansion take half a million wood log from fir trees which are 500 years old and add to the rich eco friendly look.

2. It has a private tunnel entrance

The house has an entrance from a tunnel that was built in 2006. It links the mansion to the Highway 106 as to enable Bill and Melinda’s guests to have easy access to the house. Like the gates farm road, Watermark Estate Services commissioned this tunnel in one of the gates properties.

There is a choice for the guests to descend 84 steps to the ground level or simply use the elevator opened from the entrance.

3. It is surrounded by lots of water

The magnificent Xanadu 2.0 offers spectacular views of Lake Washington and the skyline of Medina, notably, 475 feet of the house front the lake. Besides, this natural water body. there is this water element in form of artificial streams and estuery systems that give the house that class of the complex.

So far, this stream has a house in the salmons and the trout which makes this mansion even more environmentally friendly. This stream was meant to eliminate chances of runoffs that a very high wall of the mansion could create.

The complex also has a sixty-feet swimming pool which can be able to play music underwater and has a vista made of glass for the lake and city view. Another of the myriad of unique feats incorporated into this building complex is a special place for recreation on the sea shore. Its sand is sourced from the Caribbean and is not originally found in Washington and complement a quirky water experience for this family and guests.

4. Trees play a significant role

Since the trees are so important when cooling this mansion, it is important that they receive proper attention. There is even a story that the slightest favorite maple standing on the terrace of Gates house can be watered electronically, be it day and night or after any period of time whenever it bringing signs of dehydration.

5. The house has enough parking space

As it would be expected of any house that has a private tunnel from the highway and is owned by one of the world’s most influential business tycoons, Bill Gates house should have adequate parking space. It does not disappoint, as the mansion has different garages that park a maximum of 23 cars at the same time.

These garages are located at various positions in the building; an underground one contains concrete and steel to represent a cave. It has the capacity to accommodate not less than 10 cars.

The Mansion’s Interior Architecture

Bill Gates house Interior features

1. It is a smart home

Even though smart homes have become more common today, few people can think of Bill Gates who has had a smart home since 1995. This house has a very innovative sensor installation, which can regulate the primary functions, such as climate, illumination and leisure.

When guests enter this complex, they receive their entrance pin, which allows them to set the necessary lighting and temperature. From that point, the house switches to these settings of any room that the guest may get into. Also, if a person opens a song in one room, the loudspeakers fixed at the walls of the house play the song to any other room they gain entry.

Unlike most houses that display actual paintings or arts on the walls, Bill Gates's house has walls with screens where art and paintings are depicted. Depending on the value range of these wall screens, these estimated to be worth at least $80 000, and the art is stored on devices worth about $150 000. These screens are excellent in the sense that as a guest, either commercial or residence, you can display your favorite pieces on them.

2. The house features a 2,100-square-foot library

The mansion boasts of a vast library which has enough to entertain a family besides the screens. The design includes construct ion of a dome roof and a oculus. Two of them are actually secret bookcases in the library, and the other is a genuine 16th-century Leonardo-da-Vinci manuscript you may have heard of by the name of Codex Leicester, which Bill Gates said he spent an estimated $30.8 million on.

Imposing to the professional career of Bill Gates, the ceiling gives the visitors a glimpse of one of the most celebrated and powerful quotes from ”The Great Gatsby,” – “He had come a long way to this blue lawn, and the dream that he had started to pursue could not have seemed further from his reach.

3. The house features a plush home theatre

The private home theatre includes facility for 20 people. t is art decorated with comfortable armchairs and couches, good lightning and even a popcorn maker to make the atmosphere perfect.

4. It features a large reception hall

The reception hall can accommodate 200 guests. It has two thousand five hundred area feet of hall space and can comfortably sit a company of one hundred and fifty or stand one hundred and ninety-five people. As for the original receptions and dinner parties, the hall has one 6 feet wide limestone fireplace on one side of the enlarged closet and a 22-feet wide video wall on the opposite wall.

5. The exercise facilities include a trampoline

In addition to other sport amenities like swimming pools the house also has a 25000 sq feet of gymnasium, which has a huge room full of trampolines designed to reach the ceiling, which is 20 feet high. The construction team probably put this in for Bill and Melinda Gates when they were still young but this remains one of the most fun features.

6. The mansion has many rooms

Bill Gates' mansion is arguably one of the largest homes in the country with a powerful seven bedrooms, 24 bathrooms, and six kitchens. In total there are 24 bathrooms and only 10 of them are full baths which should suffice most visitors. It also has a sauna and steam room the two having their own changing rooms.

Also, there is dining room  measuring 1 000 square feet having the capacity to accommodate 24 people.

Other Facts About Bill Gates House

1. Construction workers tested the concept of the home’s high-tech construction on a guest house in the complex

The one-bedroom one-bath 1900 sq. Smart guest house inside the complex under construction was the first to be constructed. The builders used it to establish if the technology currently in the main house would be effective and it was.

2. The complex needed a large number of workers to complete

With all the features of this house and the fact that it belongs to one of the smartest and the richest person in the world, it required the best workers.

More than 300 construction workers participated in the construction for 7 years. Out of these workers, one hundred were electricians who monitored the integration of distinct intelligent characteristics in the house.

3. A single tour of the house can cost $35 000

In the Microsoft auctions that generate revenue for the company’s charitable causes, a Microsoft employee auctioned $35 000 for a personal tour of the house.

Also in the past, Bill Gates has organized private tours of his beautiful home with a view of donating it to many charities.

4. The lot did not cost bill Gates a fortune

Originally, the lot was bought by Bill Gates for $2 million in 1988 before the building’s construction started. And for more working space and security he also purchased the adjacent buildings for thirty five thousand dollars more making the total of fourteen point four million dollars.

5. Bill Gates has hosted a party for Governors in this estate

In 2004, Gates was hosting the National Governors Association party in this Xanadu 2.0 building. Instead of the highway, the Governors traveled by boats which came through the Lake Washington which was closed shortly for the event.

Ian Mutuli

About the author

Ian Mutuli

Founder and Managing Editor of Archute. He is also a graduate architect from The University of Nairobi, Kenya.
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