The Washington Times
  • Subscribe
  • Times News Services
  • RSS
  • Mobile Headlines
  • e-edition
  • E-MAIL ALERTS
  • REGISTER
  • LOG IN
  • E-MAIL ALERTS
  • WELCOME
  • Your Profile
  • Log Out
  • Front Page Image
  • Classifieds
  • Autos
  • Real Estate
  • Jobs
  • Special Sections
  • Customer Service
  • Home
  • News
  • Opinion
  • Sports
    • NFL
    • NBA/WNBA
    • MLB
    • NHL
    • Tennis
    • Golf
    • Motorsports
    • Soccer
    • NCAA
    • Olympics
    • Outdoors
    • Other
  • Culture
    • Home & Living
    • Family & Kids
    • Fashion
    • Food
    • Travel
    • Health
    • Washington Visitors
    • Books
    • Military History
    • Life
    • Auto
    • TV Listings
    • Movie Listings
    • Death Notices
    • Entertainment
  • Themes
  • Communities
  • Marketplace
    • Autos
    • Jobs
    • Real Estate
    • Classifieds
    • Shopping
    • Dining Out
    • Education
    • TWT Store
  • Videos
    • Two Guys
    • Birnbaum on Washington
    • Liz Glover
    • Amanda Carpenter
    • Morning Briefing
    • Documentaries
    • Joe Giganti
    • Video Game Minute
  • Podcasts
    • About Headlines
    • Audio and Radio
    • America's Morning News
  • World

    Stalled talks may kill Israel's Labor Party

  • Politics

    Bill Clinton urges Dems to pass health bill

  • Security

    Obama: No religious faith justifies Fort Hood shootings

  • Local

    Families meet as sniper's execution nears

  • Politics

    EXCLUSIVE: Warner: Obama misplayed health care debate

  • National

    Justices weigh juveniles' life without parole

  • National

    Leadership changes at The Times

Wednesday, April 19, 2006

Smaller house close to city can free time

Rate this story

Average 0.00
after 0 votes
Login or register to rate this story

  • Font Size -+
  • Print
  • Email
  • Comment
  • Tweet this!
  • Share
  • Article
  • Comments ()
  • Click-2-Listen
  • Videos

More Stories

  • Obama: No religious faith justifies Fort Hood shootings
  • 'We owe you,' Biden tells 7 slain soldiers' families
  • Bill Clinton urges Dems to pass health bill
  • Obama to send more troops to Afghanistan

By

While some homeowners sacrifice -- making do in a smaller home that is more convenient to work rather than moving to a larger house in a more distant suburb -- others literally make do by adding space and value to a smaller home.

Steeper prices, traffic, friends and community involvement all factor into the decision when families consider trading up from a smaller starter home. The decision between making day-to-day life work in a given space or devising a plan to upgrade to a larger space can be a difficult one.

Some choose to stay in their small home and face the daily challenges it brings rather than move to the outer suburbs. Increased home values might make a move to a larger home possible, but the trade-off often is a much longer commute and less time to spend with the children.

Tom and Alina Copeland rented a one-bedroom apartment in Arlington after they got married. In December 1999, they bought a 1,985-square-foot end-unit town home in Annandale. Mrs. Copeland was pregnant with their first child when they moved.

"When we moved in, it was so much space. We had rooms we never went into," Mr. Copeland says. "It was such a huge house after a one-bedroom apartment. Surely, we could never fill all this space. But lo and behold, we have."

The Copelands now have five children. The oldest is 51/2. Two of the children sleep in one bedroom; three share another in the three-bedroom home.

They have had to be creative about space. Mr. Copeland uses the laundry room for his home office. He often works there in the morning before heading to work in Herndon.

Mrs. Copeland runs her daily laundry load after he leaves for his job.

The Copelands say they are not quite ready to move to the outer suburbs just yet, although they could likely sell their house for around $450,000 and make the move.

What keeps them in Annandale? They say it is their involvement in their Alexandria church and good friends who live less than 20 minutes away. It is convenient to major highways and shopping, too.

1234Next »

Post a comment

There are comments on this article, submit your opinion!

Commenting is disabled for this entry.
If you feel there is still something worth mentioning about this entry please contact the author or the site admin.

Ask a Question

You Report

Do you have another point of view, photos, audio, video or more information about a story?

Top Stories

Most Read

  1. KELLNER: New Apple mouse really is 'Magic'
  2. EXCLUSIVE: Rare virus poses new threat to troops
  3. EXCLUSIVE: Warner: Obama misplayed health care debate
  4. Parents buying homes for kids at college
  5. EDITORIAL: Too scared to recognize terrorism
More Top Stories »
  1. PRUDEN: Fatal reluctance to see evil
  2. Families meet as sniper's execution nears
  3. Deer dies after leap into D.C. zoo lion exhibit
  4. Federal Reserve opposed as big bank savior by odd allies
  5. Court refuses to halt sniper's execution

Most Shared

  1. PRUDEN: Fatal reluctance to see evil
  2. KELLNER: New Apple mouse really is 'Magic'
  3. Defense nominee won't reveal potential conflicts
  4. 'Fuzzy math' could drive health bill cost higher
  5. EXCLUSIVE: Rare virus poses new threat to troops
More Top Stories »
  1. EDITORIAL: Too scared to recognize terrorism
  2. Deer dies after leap into D.C. zoo lion exhibit
  3. The siren call of Shariah
  4. Parents buying homes for kids at college
  5. Sinking dollar fuels new gold rush

Most Commented

  1. PRUDEN: Fatal reluctance to see evil
  2. 'Fuzzy math' could drive health bill cost higher
  3. EDITORIAL: Too scared to recognize terrorism
  4. Defense nominee won't reveal potential conflicts
  5. Lieberman vows probe of Hood rampage
More Top Stories »
  1. Jihadists in the military
  2. Health bill faces roadblocks in Senate
  3. EDITORIAL: Mr. Obama, stay away from this wall
  4. Hood suspect earlier came under FBI scrutiny
  5. 'Anti-vaccine' attitude hampers H1N1 effort

Listen to Washington Times Radio

  • America's Morning News

    with John McCaslin and Melanie Morgan

Blogs & Columns

  • POTUS Notes

    New Dem talking point on Obama approval doesn't wash

  • The Back Story

    12 arrested at Pelosi's office

  • Belief Blog

    New Vatican constitution released

  • Out of Context

    Foods that might kill libido

  • Technology

    Facebook wins round against phishing spammer

  • On the Fly

    United lifts some 'award' blocking

  • Redskins 360

    Hall, Portis on radio

  • Tara's Two Cents

    On their way to summer vacation..

  • SNOBlog

    Beyond 'Woody'

Videos

Advertising Links
TWT Store
  • e-edition
  • Print Edition
  • Weekly Washington Times
TWT Affiliates
  • Middle East Times
  • Golf
  • UPI
  • Arbor Ballroom
  • Washington Times Global
  • About TWT
  • Press Room
  • F.A.Q.
  • Work for TWT
  • Advertise
  • Sponsors
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Site Map

All site contents © Copyright 2009 The Washington Times, LLC.