A retired postmaster beat 41 million-to-1 odds Sunday night to win the 2007 HGTV Dream Home near Winter Park.

Bob O'Neill Sr. was speechless when host Joan Steffend walked up to him at a Johnson City, Tenn., restaurant where the newlywed was dining with family and friends.

As a camera crew taped the event live, Steffend gave him the good news at 7:55 p.m. Colorado time and gave him a giant check for $250,000 to help defray taxes on the home.

"Is this a joke?" O'Neill asked.

But soon the moment sank in and O'Neill got a hug from his wife, Lorie, whom he married six months earlier.

"Oh my god. I can't believe this," the 69-year-old said. "Honest to god, we've been looking for a home since January 31st and couldn't find anything. Perhaps this is the reason why."

The dream home is a 4,400- square-foot rustic log residence at Bridger's Cache, a posh subdivision near the base of the Mary Jane Ski Area.

The $2.5 million giveaway also includes an SUV, furnishings, a plasma TV, doghouse and other gifts.

For the first time in its 11-year giveaway history, HGTV placed the dream home in Colorado.

"We were looking for a location with a dreamlike quality and easy access," said HGTV spokeswoman Emily Yarborough.

Though O'Neill will probably walk away a millionaire, previous winners have had a hard time holding onto the homes.

Nine of them sold their homes within about a year, and the 2005 Dream Home in Tyler, Texas, was recently on the market.

O'Neill could be liable for morethan $1 million in taxes on the winnings, said Butch Shoup, a Denver certified public accountant.

If O'Neill puts the $250,000 cash award toward that IRS bill and takes out a loan for $750,000 for the rest, the home will cost around $111,000 a year to own.

Ski lessons would be extra.

The O'Neills will be invited to get their first look at their dream home Saturday. The event will be televised.

Winter Park resident Andy Snow began building the home in September 2005. About the time the home's framing was finished, HGTV purchased the residence and Snow completed the work.

(HGTV and the Rocky Mountain News are owned by the E.W. Scripps Co.)

It's expensive up there

Wish you'd won the $2.5 million prize? Here's what some of your monthly bills would be:

$6,800 on a $750,000 loan to pay the taxes, if your credit's good

$686 for homeowner's association and clubhouse fees

$625 for property taxes

$350 for household insurance

$200 for auto insurance for SUV

$400 or more for heating, electricity and water

$200 gas and travel expenses to the home from Denver

lehndorffb@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-2792

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