Mr. <PERSON> paid $1.55 million for the property in 1999, and spent about $14 million building the estate, he said. 'My wife and I had a vision,' Mr. <PERSON> said. 'Our design objective was to create a home that spoke of no era and had a welcoming vibe.' The idea was to build something timeless that would be just as beautiful in 30 years, he said. The house took 3 and a half years to build, he said.