Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey’s mansion build enters its 14th year

Even billionaires can’t buy peace and quiet.

Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey has spent nearly 14 years transforming his sprawling $US32 million ($A45 million) San Francisco estate into a luxury retreat — complete with a massive sauna complex, plunge pool and rooftop gardens — while his affluent neighbourhood has turned into a seemingly endless construction zone.

And his utlra-wealthy neighbours are over it.

“I’ve been listening to 24-7 construction noise in the distance for years now,” one local told the New York Post on the condition of anonymity. “One day it will end. I hope.”

The tech mogul’s two adjoining properties in the exclusive Sea Cliff enclave overlook the Pacific Ocean and Golden Gate Bridge, occupying a combined 1.21 acres along El Camino del Mar.

But instead of the tranquillity that comes with a multimillion-dollar oceanfront address, the neighbourhood has been filled with the sounds of jackhammers, cement mixers and construction trucks for over a decade, according to SFGate.

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Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey has spent nearly 14 years renovating his sprawling $US32 million San Francisco compound. Picture: Getty Images

Google Maps shows Jack Dorsey’s property at 830 El Camino del Mar in San Francisco. Picture: Google Maps

Dorsey expanded his Sea Cliff estate in 2018, purchasing the neighbouring property for $US21.9 million. Picture: Google Maps

Dorsey, 49, who now heads financial technology company Block, purchased his first property at 830 El Camino del Mar in February 2012 for $US9.99 million ($A14.3 million).

The modernist residence, built in 1965, originally featured just two bedrooms and two bathrooms.

Construction began within months of the purchase and has continued in various forms ever since.

City records show that a major redevelopment application submitted in December 2013 proposed $US3.7 million ($A5.2 million) worth of improvements, including seismic upgrades, additional living space, roof decks and a planted roof.

That permit alone took three and a half years to secure.

Another redesign submitted in 2020 brought changes to the property’s windows, courtyard and exterior finishes, with approval arriving in July 2022.

And the paperwork kept coming.

San Francisco’s exclusive Sea Cliff neighbourhood is home to some of the city’s wealthiest residents. Picture: Bloomberg via Getty Images

Subsequent applications covered everything from solar panels and landscaping to fire sprinklers, retaining walls, an underground water tank and a cold plunge pool.

Architectural plans reveal an elaborate coastal sanctuary featuring three vegetation-covered roofs, reclaimed redwood siding, stonework and expansive windows overlooking the ocean.

The primary bedroom opens onto a private hot tub perched above the Pacific, while other amenities include a steam room, a plunge pool and an extensive sauna complex with its own vestibule and dedicated passageway.

There’s also a gym with a punching bag, an outdoor fire pit, cedar benches and 34 solar panels.

The home’s fire protection system alone required plans for 122 sprinklers and a dedicated 145-foot water line.

As the renovation dragged on, Dorsey expanded his real estate holdings.

In November 2018, he purchased the neighbouring property for $US21.9 million ($A31.3 million), bringing his combined acquisition costs to approximately $US31.9 million ($A45.6 million). That five-bedroom, three-bathroom residence sits on 0.62 acre.

The oceanfront enclave boasts multimillion-dollar mansions overlooking the Pacific Ocean and Golden Gate Bridge. Picture: Bloomberg via Getty Images

Although restrictions separating the properties were subsequently removed, the architectural plans do not show the two houses being combined into a single building.

Dorsey is hardly the only tech titan assembling a sprawling residential compound.

Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg has acquired neighbouring estates in Lake Tahoe, while OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has assembled multiple adjoining properties around his San Francisco mansion.

But Dorsey’s seemingly never-ending renovation is only part of a much bigger construction frenzy in Sea Cliff.

The prestigious neighbourhood, which has counted late comedian Robin Williams and actress Sharon Stone among its residents, is also home to Salesforce co-founder Marc Benioff and billionaire investor Tom Steyer.

Along the eight-block stretch of El Camino del Mar, at least 24 homes have filed building permits since the beginning of 2025, according to planning documents.

During a recent visit, the outlet documented mansions covered in scaffolding, construction crews occupying sidewalks and heavy equipment operating outside multimillion-dollar homes.

Even the spectacular views have become a source of irritation.

When a visitor stopped to photograph the Golden Gate Bridge through a gap between two houses, a nearby resident complained about the constant attention.

“This always happens,” the neighbour told SF Gate. “It’s so annoying.”

The Post has reached out to reps for Dorsey for comment.

Parts of this story first appeared in the New York Post and were republished with permission.

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