When it comes to billionaires, size matters. How else can one explain their obsession with big homes and big boats? Florida native Ken Griffin planned to build the world’s second-most expensive home in Palm Beach, worth $1 billion. Now, Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg is grabbing headlines for the same reason – building one of the biggest homes in U.S. history, Koolau Ranch. The billionaire founder of Facebook owns over 1500 acres on Kauai, known as the “Garden Island” for its extensive tropical rainforests. With a net worth of $121 billion, he is ready to turn plans into action with a $270 million development that will include several mansions, an entire village, and a 5,000-square-foot underground bunker for the estate.
The man who only sports gray t-shirts, hoodies, and jeans will splurge excessively on what can be called one of the largest personal constructions of all time. The sprawling, self-sufficient compound, spread across at least 57,000 square feet, will house two residents with 30 bedrooms, swimming pools, saunas, conference rooms, and a library. In a very top-secret, James Bond way, the homes will be connected via an underground tunnel. The large soundproof bunker will feature a living area, library, and escape hatch, all made of metal and concrete, per NYmag. If the bunker sounds bizarre, what do you have to say about the network of 11 tree houses connected via a series of rope bridges? Whether it’s for the billionaire couple’s three kids or themselves is not clear.
The Zuckerbergs and their guests never have to worry about leaving, as the estate will have its own water and food supply. In addition to the amazing guest houses, there are fantastic amenities like a gym for the toughest CEO of Silicon Valley, a sauna, several swimming pools, a hot tub, a cold plunge pool, and a tennis court.
While the luxurious Hawaiian real estate project sounds like a dream home, it is already laced with nightmares. An online petition demanded that Zuckerberg stop “colonizing” the Aloha State, with over 1 million signatures. However, that didn’t stop the tech tycoon from owning beachfront land the size of two Central Parks in Kauai.
Zuckerberg had a tiff with neighbors in 2016 when he constructed a 6-foot wall around his property to reduce highway and road noise. This wall blocked access to Pila’a beach for the locals. The incident was followed by another ordeal where Zuckerberg filed a lawsuit against the families who claimed ownership of parcels of land within his property. The billionaire couple plans to extend farming, ranching, conservation, and wildlife protection work on the land, but for the locals, it is nothing but neo-colonialism.
