Mansions replace old homes in upscale makeover for US suburbs

Washington

MERION Homes bought two dozen rambler-style houses in Northern Virginia's Pimmit Hills community for about US$450,000 each, just to knock them down. Now it's selling customised residences three times larger, at prices topping US$1 million.

"The original homes don't fit today's market," said Ryan Bensten, 35, a principal of Merion Homes, which he started with his father, Bill. "They don't have enough bedrooms - they're too small."

Home teardowns are becoming common in US suburbs such as Pimmit Hills, a 65-year-old neighbourhood inside the Beltway just west…