Elin Nordegren: Why Tiger's ex demolished $12 million mansion

Tiger Woods' ex-wife, Elin Nordegren, shocked neighbors recently when she decided to completely demolish the extravagant $12 million home she shared with her two children. Word was, she was clearing out the 17,000-square-foot home to build her dream mansion.

Now, it turns out her decision to reduce the place to rubble wasn't just about the fun of it. People reports that her old place wasn't up to code when it comes to hurricane safety, which is obviously a priority in North Palm Beach, Florida. The renovations required to make the house hurricane-safe would have cost more than simply starting from scratch.

"We had an architect and a structural engineer out here and everyone agreed that it made more sense -- structurally and economically -- to tear it down and start over," her builder says.

Termites and carpenter ants also plagued the home, though those were discovered by Habitat for Humanity volunteers who came to the impressive mansion to collect cabinets, fixtures, and hardware before Nordegren demolished it. (She gave the charitable organization four weeks to raid her home of its expensive fixtures.)

The new home will have nine bedrooms -- the old one had six -- and three guest houses. Guess the former Mrs. Woods is planning on throwing some parties!