Why did Tiger Woods’ ex-wife level a $12 million mansion? Termites!

Last week, we brought you the story of Elin Nordegren's curious-at-the-time decision to knock down a $12 million mansion. It seemed, at first glance, a rather conspicuous display of wealth -- I've got so much money I can demolish a mansion and build a new one! A divorce from Tiger Woods, it seemed, was the gift that kept on giving.

Well, turns out that there was a pretty good reason for razing the North Palm Beach, Fla., estate: termites. A report in People magazine indicated that the 1920s-era mansion fell short of current hurricane safety codes, and combined with a termite infestation, that was enough to warrant blasting it down to the sand.

[ Related: Check out real estate listings for North Palm Beach, Fla. ]

Also of note: Nordegren offered a local Habitat for Humanity chapter a month to take whatever it could from the mansion before demolition. (No, don't go all, "Oh, so generous, donating termite-infested wood!" on Elin. It was a nice gesture.)

Still, as you can see from the pre-demolition photo, that was a good-lookin' little shack there, regardless of what evil lurked behind its walls:

Apparently Elin thinks so too, because she's filed plans with the Palm Beach County Department of Planning, Zoning and Building that seem to indicate that the new mansion will look a whole lot like the old one. There'll be nine bedrooms, two kitchens, two Jacuzzis, a pool cabana and a three-bedroom guest house.

Tiger Woods, meanwhile, will somehow manage to suffer through his day-to-day life in his meager $50 million-plus bachelor pad.

-Follow Jay Busbee on Twitter at @jaybusbee and on Facebook by clicking here.-

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