Elin Demolishes $12M West Palm Home

[mvmac]

Not sure how much she got from the split, couple hundred million?  But she's building a new house in North Palm after buying the home on the property for $12.3 million.

http://www.golf.com/ap-news/tiger-woodss-ex-wife-elin-nordegren-building-new-home-florida

Quote:

NORTH PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) - The oceanfront mansion Tiger Woods' ex-wife purchased for $12.3 million has been demolished and she is planning to build a new home.

The Palm Beach Post (http://bit.ly/Avza2Z ) reports that Elin Nordegren (EE'-lihn NOHRD'-grihn) plans to build on the North Palm Beach lot she bought last year. The lot is about 140 miles southeast of Woods' home in Orlando.

The newspaper reports the mansion that was demolished was a two-story, 17,000-square-foot-home built in 1932. It had a swimming pool and an elevator.

Realtor John True of Oceanfront Realty says the lot is in the Seminole Landing development, among the most exclusive in Palm Beach County.

Nordegren divorced Woods in 2010 after learning he had a string of affairs during their five-year marriage. They share custody of the couple's two children.

[iacas]

http://www.tmz.com/2012/01/05/elin-nordegren-mansion-florida-destroyed/

Elin Nordegren is a human wrecking machine ... who just LEVELED her brand new $12 MILLION Florida mansion ... because, well, she can afford it.

Elin bought the 9,000 square foot North Palm Beach home in March ... right after she struck a $100 million divorce settlement with Tiger Woods.

Apparently, Elin felt the modest 6 bedroom, 8 bathroom pad wasn't quite up to her standards ... so she did the only reasonable thing -- KNOCKED THE WHOLE PLACE DOWN!

We're told Nordegren has hired a high-priced architect to build her dream home ... and sources say every single worker is required to sign a confidentiality agreement.

No word on how long the project is expected to take -- but we're told Elin is living in a nearby mansion inside the private community while the new place is under construction.

[Shorty]

It's amazing to think that some folk think that just because a house has a million bedrooms and bathrooms and cost a squillion dollars it must be wonderful  and it'd be crazy to demolish it.

If it was me, I'd do exactly the same. Buy the location I wanted, and if the house wasn't exactly what I wanted I'd start again.

That's what we all do with modest means. Change the houses we buy to suit us. She's being criticized for hiring an architect to design a modern house for her? Shame

For all we know, she might be building something a bit less ostentatious.

And BTW, check out the comments left by morons attacking her. Dear me.

[deasy55]

I got slagged on another website earlier today for defending her about this. There was comments calling her anything from an "ungrateful cow" to a "selfish idiot" and that "if she had self respect she would never have accepted Tiger's money". Also calls for her to give it to charity

The next time someone that lives near me decides to build an extension or something to their house I'm going to go protest outside and accuse them of being 'selfish and ungrateful' and to give all their money to me

[greenshit]

I'm afraid to know what I'd do with that kind of money.

[TourSpoon]

The lot is in Seminole Landing, home of the famed Seminole Golf Club, one of the most exclusive clubs in the US. Nice local for sure.

[jamo]

All of the headlines I've seen have been really weird, like she was actually out there with a wrecking ball and a bulldozer smashing it down room by room. News about her has been written almost unilaterally in a positive way since the scandal, but the tone of some of the writing about this has been different. Then again, maybe I shouldn't analyze the tone of TMZ... I'm with Shorty and deasy55 though. People (I assume multimillionaires in particular) buy houses more for the land all the time.

[RFetters]

I believe the TMZ article is somewhat misleading.  My understanding was that the actual home was fairly old, and was originally bought with remodeling in mind.  My guess is that the cost to remodel was more than she expected, and by just starting over, she gets the home she wants.

Its her money,,she's free to spend it however she wants.

Look on the bright side,,there is a contractor and all his employees that will have work for the next 6 months or so.

[x129]

The house was built in 1932 and was supposedly 17k sq ft according to the reports I read. I can easily imagine it being better to demolish than remodel. At some point you learn that the foundation needs work, the wood/pipes/electrical all need replacement (80 years of salt water spray is rough), and so on. It sounds bad because we think it is a 12 million dollar house. It isn't. It is more like a 1 million dollar house on 11 million dollars worth of land. Similiar happens all the time in any place where land is valuable. In the bay area, people buy 1920s houses, tear down all but one wall (for tax purposes) and put in a modern house.

Originally Posted by RFetters

I believe the TMZ article is somewhat misleading.  My understanding was that the actual home was fairly old, and was originally bought with remodeling in mind.  My guess is that the cost to remodel was more than she expected, and by just starting over, she gets the home she wants.

Its her money,,she's free to spend it however she wants.

Look on the bright side,,there is a contractor and all his employees that will have work for the next 6 months or so.

[newtogolf]

Definitely cheaper to knock it down and start over than to get a house 80 years old remodeled and renovated.  There's a current trend to be anti-wealthy right now in the country so not shocked the news media would paint her in a poor light.

[TourSpoon]

Originally Posted by jamo

I'm with Shorty and deasy55 though. People (I assume multimillionaires in particular) buy houses more for the land all the time.

This is the case here. The lot is really close to Palm Beach Gardens and a lot of amenities. People pass by this neighborhood all the time not knowing it because it is well hidden.  This lot is extremely valuable for those reasons plus they quit making Atlantic Ocean lots a while ago. It is not uncommon for this to happen whether it is Juno, Palm Beach, or Manalapan.  One has to remember that this is the playground of the über wealthy.

[taxpayor]

Good for her.  She probably wants to get rid of Tiger's coodies for good, and I don't blame her.

[iacas]

Originally Posted by taxpayor

Good for her.  She probably wants to get rid of Tiger's coodies for good, and I don't blame her.

Tiger never lived there.

[sean_miller]

Read the article did you?

Originally Posted by taxpayor

Good for her.  She probably wants to get rid of Tiger's coodies for good, and I don't blame her.

[TourSpoon]

According to this story, she donated many of the items from the damaged home to charity.  This may shed some light for the critics.

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/home-donations-from-tigers-ex-wife-aid-habitat-2085291.html

[Stretch]

Unless she's planning to invite me around for a sleepover, I don't care.

[The Tin Man]

This is common practice with the wealthy, they build what they want. If it wasn't for Tiger it never would have made the papers.

My favorite is that loud mouth guy who used to do the "HEY, VERN" commercials. He built a Hillbilly Mansion, with a Rolls Royce on cement blocks in the front.

[zipazoid]

Originally Posted by TourSpoon

The lot is in Seminole Landing, home of the famed Seminole Golf Club, one of the most exclusive clubs in the US. Nice local for sure.

Land's worth more than the house.