I truly do not enjoy reposting celebrity news from the rags, but every now and then there are stories that resonate on different levels. Above is the newly-completed $20 million "home" of pro football quarterback Tom Brady and his supermodel wife Gisele Bundchen, as reported in the Daily Mail:
The mansion, which is 22,000-square feet and boasts eight bedrooms, has a six-car garage, a lagoon-shaped swimming pool with spa, a weight room forn Tom to train in and a wine cellar. The two wings are connected by a bridge and there's a nursery for Benjamin, a lift and a butler's room. The couple bought the land in 2008 for $11 million and had plans drawn up for the property which they then had amended as they didn't think the building was big enough...I'll defer any commentary, but I can't resist appending this related story:
Gisele came under fire from environmentalists for building the huge home but she insisted that its construction is very environmentally-savvy using solar energy, energy-saving lighting, rainwater recovery systems, waste reduction and recycling programs, energy-efficient appliances and sustainable building materials.
Tiger Woods's ex-wife has defended the decision to flatten her $12m home without ever moving in. Elin Nordegren ordered a demolition team to level the house so that she could build a new home from scratch at the Florida waterfront property...This is nice:
But her realtor has said the plan was always to flatten the home as it was in such a bad state of repairs. 'The home had fallen into disrepair, the roof needed to be replaced, the shutters were falling apart and the pool was not functioning.' Adams said the home was only worth $2m while the land with its views of the Atlantic Ocean was worth $10m.
Before ordering in demolition crews Nordegren allowed a local charity to take what they wanted from the building. Habitat for Humanity were given two weeks to take anything they wanted from the house and sell it off. Bargain hunters have been flocking to the charity's store in North Palm Beach to snap up the items.Their local Habitat for Humanity branch has a website where you can view donated items; the merchandise appears to be a step up from that carried by Goodwill and St. Vincent dePaul (but perhaps that's a reflection of the location). Some of you might want to check re branches near your own home (there's one in Madison).
It just makes me want to punch all of them in the back of the head!
ReplyDeleteProof that money can't buy taste.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Anonymous above, but in fairness to Tiger's ex, the home (1920s vintage) was infested with termites. I'm from Florida, I know that by a certain point anything wooden that's all termited up is a total loss. The press hasn't widely reported this because the outrage generated over its partial reporting is beneficial to them, and reporting the entire story will be disadvantageous to them as it will confirm they were sloppy in their original reporting.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, it sounds like she's always gettin' stuck with rotten Woods.....
ReplyDeleteSo there are very rich people in the world, what else is new? And Brady-Bundchen isn't really any more expensive than most big-time celebrities' homes. Why is this interesting?
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ReplyDeleteThey earned the money.They didn't rob a bank or anything. And it looks like they care about recycling and green tech. Who are you to judge how they spend their own money?
ReplyDeleteBecause, oh Anonymous, this type of behavior illustrates how far individuals in our capitalist economy can drift from a practical sense of shared responsibility. People like this use up more resources and cause more environmental destruction than entire third world countries!
ReplyDelete"Yes, I'm an environmentalist. I chose bamboo for flooring in my private jet." - Tom _____y
Regarding Habitat for Humanity 'Restores', I shopped our local one actively during the remodel of our home and one we bought for rental. They definitely have good deals, but they also have many items priced at higher than you would pay for similar on Craigslist. The 'damaged in shipping' goods they receive from local building supplies such as Lowes can be a bargain, or an albatross, depending on the damage.
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