The man who won the US$2 billion (CAD$2.8 billion) Powerball last November has dropped a few bucks on a new home in the Hollywood Hills, overlooking Los Angeles..Edwin Castro chose to the cash payment of US$997.6 million, before taxes, rather than an annuity that would have paid out the prize over 29 years. The taxes? Castro would likely owe 37% in federal income taxes, as well as California taxes, which would reduce the prize to a lump sum of US$634,785,984 (CAD$877,493,231)..Still enough to drop US$25.5 million to get the keys to his new 13,000-sq.-ft mansion in the LA neighbourhood, where his new neighbours include the likes of Ariana Grande, Dakota Johnson and Jimmy Kimmel.. Bedroom with a viewBedroom with a view .Castro’s hillside mansion is aggressively extroverted, putting its ritzy design on public display to the peasants residing in the valley far below, says real estate website DIRT. .The home sits on a ridge, built into the side of a nearly sheer cliff, five bedrooms, five baths and two powder rooms. The $25.5 million paid was a discount off the nearly $30 million original ask, says DIRT.. Every room has a viewEvery room has a view .The home, which was featured in Robb Report has three storeys with a main level featuring a central living area anchored on opposite ends by a giant fireplace and a kitchen sporting black granite countertops. Walls of glass make a seamless connection to the hardscaped backyard, which offers a full outdoor kitchen and infinity pool..The house is unapologetically austere in its hard-edged, modern persona, with exterior walls painted masculine shades of gunmetal gray, charcoal and black, says DIRT, but inside, things get softer with beige-toned stone and decadent touches. . Patio with a viewPatio with a view .The lower level is recreation-themed lower level, with a gym, cold plunge pool, wine cellar, movie theatre and sauna. On the penthouse level, the master suite has its own private balcony and a bathroom clad in exotic slabs of black-and-white marble. There’s also a rooftop deck.. Pool anyone?Pool anyone? .Two separate garages house up to seven cars, plus a flat motor court for several more, a rarity in these tightly-packed hills, says DIRT, adding gardening bills are non-existent as the estate is essentially landscape-free, save for some drought-tolerant plantings around the front and side..Every room in the mansion has vistas of the entire LA city skyline, from downtown skyscrapers to Century City, the Pacific Ocean and Catalina Island.. Nice area for morning coffeeNice area for morning coffee .That’s a view worth the gamble.
