Lottery winner builds his own luxury home with fake lake and floating fireplaces

Gareth Bull spent four years building the house, which he said helped him survive during the coronavirus pandemic lockdowns, after scooping £41million with EuroMillions ticket

Former bricklayer Gareth Bull built his luxury dream home by hand after landing a £41million Euromillions jackpot.

The 52-year-old spent four years building the house – which he said helped him survive during the coronavirus pandemic lockdowns. The dad-of-two hit the headlines in 2012 when he scooped the giant payout with then-wife Catherine. But they split after Gareth met bar owner Donna Desporte in Tenerife while on a lads’ holiday in 2016.

He bought the two-acre site in Nottinghamshire two years later – and set about creating the ultimate bachelor pad for himself. The 6,000sqft house boasts a giant artificial lake filled with hundreds of re-homed goldfish and koi carp. It also features a swimming pool with programmable waves, an in-ceiling sound system, floating fireplaces, three bars and two hot tubs.

Work began on the four bedroomed house in the summer of 2019, but disaster struck early the following year when the pandemic hit. Gareth recalled: “I was living here on my own at the time. I didn’t know what to do, so I threw myself into work on the home. It saved me from getting too lonely. This turned into my ultimate lockdown project.