Bill Gates house

(All information and images presented in this document are from publicly available websites on the Internet)

ill Gates’ house is a modern design in the BPacific lodge style, with classic features such as a large private library and a big dome-shaped room. The house occupies 50,000 square feet (4,600 square meters) on a 5.15 acre (2.1 hectars) lot. Garage space and outbuildings may occupy an additional 16,000 square feet (1,500 square meters). Property records indicate eight bedrooms, 25 baths, and four building levels. According to King County public records, as of 2005, the total assessed value of the property (land and house) is U.S. $ 135,758,169 and the annual property tax for 2006 was U.S. $ 1,012,321.

The address of the mansion is 1835 73rd Avenue NorthEast, Medina, WA 98039.

The lot was purchased in December 1988 for U.S. $ 2,000,000 and construction occurred over a period of seven and a half years with nominal completion in 1995. The house is located on the east end of the lot, which is located on a hill.

Bill Gates often entertains the rich and powerful at his home. Once, when he had a private party for the National Governors Association at the house, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced a "temporary security zone" around Gates' Lake Washington home which locked down all of Lake Washington south of the Highway 520 bridge and stayed in effect for two days.

Here are images (in this order) of: hallway, fireplace, swimming pool, and guest house.

Building officials from a dozen local municipalities toured Bill Gates' house in 1998 during constructions. Here are some of the comments:

Currently 300 workers including 104 electricians.

Theme throughout main floor is high tech lodge. Primary structure is all exposed similar to large logs in a lodge except the logs are perfectly finished. All timbers used inside and out are finished the same - inches have been removed from the exterior of the wood and then sanded to a satin finish. All timbers are nearly perfect in that there are almost no knots.

All woodwork is flawless. Much of the woodwork is of various rare species from all over the world - imported especially for the Gates.

All bolts throughout the house are stainless steel and oriented the same direction.

No visible electrical outlets anywhere. Gates does not like "clutter". Many doors are blended so well with the walls that it is hard to see them. Some of the interior passage doors weigh over 800 lbs, but are balanced for easy use.

All connectors are structural grade stainless steel.

There is a 28 foot high cantilever retaining wall.

Reinforcing steel in all concrete is four times the code minimum. No. 8 steel wrapped with no. 5 ties was common for simple columns.

Floor is heated everywhere including the driveway and walks. Ventilation system also conditions the air for health and comfort.

Roofing is stainless steel.

Two steps from the main floor to the main entry (or take the elevator).

Wood columns from main floor to roof in entry area are over 70 feet long.

Acoustics are a concern throughout. Various woods and fabrics are being used. Acoustic panels in the Ballroom move out of sight on their own. If you wish, your music will follow you throughout the house - even at the bottom of the pool. Security system (automated and personnel) is redundant. Hidden cameras everywhere including interior stone walls. Sensors in the floor can track a person to within 6 inches. System is monitored at the Microsoft campus.

Entry gate senses when your car approaches and opens fully by the time you arrive.

Bill Gates has a personal 4-car garage. The house for the maintenance staff has its own car garage. Nanny parks in the 6-car carport across from the main entry. An additional 10 cars can be parked in a subterranean arched concrete building which through an electronic transformation becomes a basketball court.

Nanny lives in plush quarters in the main residence near to the Gates' bedroom.

Existing cedar tree was determined by Gates to be in the wrong location and moved 6 inches.

Gates insisted on saving a 40 year old maple adjacent to the driveway. The tree is monitored electronically 24 hours per day via computer. If it seems dry, it gets just the right amount of water automatically delivered.

There will be an 8 hole putting range. A salmon hatchery is being finished.

Theatre (underground in a concrete shell) is the most state of the art theatre in the world according to specialty contractor.

Very old antique cabinets from China have been brought in and built into the walls with adjacent paneling built to match the cabinets exactly.

There are 52 miles of communication cable in the building.

Shower curtain next to the spa is a 4500 lb slab of granite.

Melinda Gates has 42 lineal feet of clothes hanging space in her closet operated like a dry cleaner's rack.

Master bathtub can be filled to the right temperature and depth by Gates as he drives home from work.

Only two guest bedrooms.

There is a loading bay within the building.

All work is virtually flawless.

An interior designer disagreed with the layout of a portion of the home. Demolition resulted and 60 cubic yards of cured, cast-in-place concrete was removed.

All building officials were suffering "sensory overload" shortly after the tour started.