Tear-downs on rise amid housing boom

A demolition crew razes a 782-square-foot cottage in Manhattan Beach in October to make way for a 3,300-square-foot Cape Cod mansion. (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)

Jan. 3, 2014 12:23 PM PT

Builders are razing small, older homes in hot Southland markets to erect modern mansions.

In August, a Manhattan Beach City Council member described the city’s ongoing construction as a “tsunami.” (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)

A rebounding housing market has led to an increase in tear-downs as wealthy buyers seek to build larger, opulent homes. (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)

Builders in Manhattan Beach pulled permits to demolish 84 residential units from July 2012 to June 2013, the latest available data. That’s nearly double the number pulled for the same period a year earlier. (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)

A fixture hangs from the ceiling of a Manhattan Beach home moments before a demolition crew leveled the 1950s cottage in October. (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)