Small House

What is a "small house" in today's homebuilding arena? How do you know whether small is right for you? How can clever design make a small house feel like a big house? These questions were raised during a panel discussion called "Designing to Maximize Space in the Smaller House" at last week's International Builders Show in Orlando, an annual event that showcases the latest and greatest in trends and new products. After the excesses of the McMansion era, when houses ballooned out to 4,000 square feet and more and the average-sized...

When Colman and Richard Riddell bought a tiny Georgetown house that was once a 19th-century stable, they knew they were becoming the latest caretakers of a curious piece of history. The 1,700-square-foot home began life in the 1850s as the carriage house and stables for the mansion next door. The red brick property, tucked beside a quiet alley, was converted into a two-story, three-bedroom residence in 1923. Over the past 90 years, residents have left clues behind: terra cotta religious tiles, red and green stained glass windows...

When Colman and Richard Riddell bought a tiny Georgetown house that was once a 19th-century stable, they knew they were becoming the latest caretakers of a curious piece of history. The 1,700-square-foot home began life in the 1850s as the carriage house and stables for the mansion next door. The red brick property, tucked beside a quiet alley, was converted into a two-story, three-bedroom residence in 1923. Over the past 90 years, residents have left clues behind: terra cotta religious tiles, red and green stained glass windows...

D.C. architect Larysa Kurylas typically begins her residential projects by asking the homeowners to think hard about the rooms they will really inhabit. "I press people on the issue of doing away with formal living and dining spaces," she says. "Building spaces you don't use seems extremely wasteful to me. " Heeding her own advice, Kurylas, 55, pared down the dwelling she shares with husband Steve Lann, 60, from the more-is-more design of new homes in the area. Call it empty-nester economy: The...

He sat at the conference table next to Frederick Douglass as they tried to convince President Abraham Lincoln that African Americans should be allowed to fight for their own freedom. He served five terms in Congress. He ran a newspaper and helped found a state Republican Party. But first, he had to win his freedom. To do that, he conceived a plan that struck a blow against the Confederacy so significant that he was heralded across the nation. Carrying out his mission required bravery, intelligence and precision...

When Timothy "Reshad" Woods strolls out to the main stage of Patriot Center on Saturday night for his 185-pound fight against Ryan "The Rhino" Sturdy (11-3-1) as part of Ultimate Warrior Challenge 7: Redemption -- a nine-card mixed martial arts event -- his return to fighting after a deflating loss last April will be just one of many rebounds in his life. A 33-year-old resident of Sterling, Woods (4-2) has traveled a circuitous path that has taken him from a budding basketball career to a cell in an adult maximum security...

The approaching anniversary of the War of 1812, the place of Maryland in history and the predicted return of sunshine are expected to combine in Bladensburg today to give Washington area residents a chance to help dig up the past. The Maryland State Highway Administration and its partners in archeology are holding an open house today at the Market Master's House in the 4000 block of 48th Street in Bladensburg, a small Prince George's County jurisdiction with a long history. According to the highway...

D.C. architect Larysa Kurylas typically begins her residential projects by asking the homeowners to think hard about the rooms they will really inhabit. "I press people on the issue of doing away with formal living and dining spaces," she says. "Building spaces you don't use seems extremely wasteful to me. " Heeding her own advice, Kurylas, 55, pared down the dwelling she shares with husband Steve Lann, 60, from the more-is-more design of new homes in the area. Call it empty-nester...

Researchers say they've uncovered the oldest cremated human remains ever discovered in northern North America. The 2- to 4-year-old, found in central Alaska, is only the second Ice Age child discovered on the continent, according to the University of Alaska at Fairbanks. Archaeologists found the remains in a fire pit in an abandoned living area. The child probably died about 11,500 years ago, based on research by the university's Ben Potter and his team. The team uncovered small pieces of...

A dinosaur the size of a house cat that's described as a cross between "a bird, a vampire and a porcupine" has been identified in a piece of rock from South Africa. University of Chicago paleontologist Paul Sereno said in an interview with the Reuters news agency that he discovered the small herbivore (that means it ate plants) in 1983. Sereno, whose work involves mapping the dinosaur family tree, said he found the fossil while doing research. He got distracted, he said, and never wrote about the...

A dinosaur the size of a house cat that's described as a cross between "a bird, a vampire and a porcupine" has been identified in a piece of rock from South Africa. University of Chicago paleontologist Paul Sereno said in an interview with the Reuters news agency that he discovered the small herbivore (that means it ate plants) in 1983. Sereno, whose work involves mapping the dinosaur family tree, said he found the fossil while doing research. He got distracted, he said, and never wrote about the...

DEAR AMY: My 20-something daughter has a chronic illness that makes her feel miserable all day. Her dad and I recently bought a small house that we are renting to her (which she pays for out of her meager disability money) to allow her to be more independent. When she moved in, she requested that we respect that this is now her house and that we not invite people over without her express consent for two reasons: She wants control over her own environment, and she often feels too sick to interact.

He sat at the conference table next to Frederick Douglass as they tried to convince President Abraham Lincoln that African Americans should be allowed to fight for their own freedom. He served five terms in Congress. He ran a newspaper and helped found a state Republican Party. But first, he had to win his freedom. To do that, he conceived a plan that struck a blow against the Confederacy so significant that he was heralded across the nation. Carrying out his mission required bravery,...

What is a "small house" in today's homebuilding arena? How do you know whether small is right for you? How can clever design make a small house feel like a big house? These questions were raised during a panel discussion called "Designing to Maximize Space in the Smaller House" at last week's International Builders Show in Orlando, an annual event that showcases the latest and greatest in trends and new products. After the excesses of the McMansion era, when houses ballooned out to 4,000 square feet and more...

Never work with children or animals, the old showbiz saying goes. As a keeper at the National Zoo's Small Mammal House, Dell Guglielmodoes both. On top of educating kids about the zoo's collection, Guglielmo — along with the other 30 keepers and volunteers at the house — helps keep the 75 meerkats, naked mole rats, elephant shrews, sloths, monkeys and other animals fed, healthy and happy. Caring for them often means using household objects in new ways. A dog toy becomes a feeder for an...

DEAR AMY: My 19-year-old college-student son lives in an apartment 30 minutes away. He is in a great field and will have no problems finding work after college; it's unlikely he will ever live in his bedroom again for more than a three-day visit. We get along well. The problem is that I got tired of his bedroom color (a bright, "preschool" color he chose at age 9) and painted the walls a more reserved, adult shade. His room is within sight of the public rooms of our small house.

A dream house does not need to be huge or lavishly furnished to be beautiful. That's what Ann and Donald Brown learned while working with Richard Neutra, the celebrated architect who helped launch modernism in California. Their house, built in 1968, is the only one Neutra designed in the Washington area. His son said it was one of his father's favorites because of its spectacular setting on nearly an acre of wooded land overlooking Rock Creek Park. Neutra selected the site out of three that the couple were considering,...

Dear Amy: I have a very close and caring friend. "Susan" is wonderful and generous but does one thing that drives me crazy. Whenever I invite her and her husband to our house, she always asks who else will be there. She does this before giving her response (which is "yes" 99 percent of the time). She asks this in e-mails, so I cannot quickly parry her question verbally with: "Who are you interested in seeing?" What is a proper way to stop this question? I feel that it is none of her business who else I invited.

Dear Amy: I have a very close and caring friend. "Susan" is wonderful and generous but does one thing that drives me crazy. Whenever I invite her and her husband to our house, she always asks who else will be there. She does this before giving her response (which is "yes" 99 percent of the time). She asks this in e-mails, so I cannot quickly parry her question verbally with: "Who are you interested in seeing?" What is a proper way to stop this question? I feel that it is none of her business who else I invited.

It took nearly 10 years, $1 million and occasional periods of living in a construction site, but Angela and Jack Mahoney couldn't be happier with their dramatic downtown digs. Taking a cue from other residents in high-rises along Pennsylvania Avenue in the 1990s — notably media mogul Rupert Murdoch and U.S. Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan. — the couple combined adjoining apartments into one, creating a 2,210-square-foot urban aerie boasting high-end design flourishes and...