So said a neighbour passing by, a couple of weeks ago. If the question had come within a few days of us moving in, I might have blushed, demurred, deflected, or all three. I might have been embarrassed to admit that yes, we are tearing down this characterful beach cottage. Perhaps because of the blue clogs, and the fact it'd been in the same family for so long, Casa Del Sol is a bit of a local landmark. People dislike change. And if you've lived in Hermosa Beach for decades, you see the influx of new, larger homes as part of a worrying trend of newbies and incomers who don't respect beach culture and as a result are destroying the charm of this little surf town. I have some sympathy for the anti-gentrification in that it would be a shame if the entire town was made up of soulless new builds. It's nice to see older homes being preserved and updated, and many are worth that treatment. But here's the thing. I've lived in this house for long enough now to kno