by Barbara Kasey Smith

Created on: June 19, 2008

In today's world homes are being built like huge castle's overlooking a small piece of ground. Most of the homes in the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area has at least five to six bedrooms, three to four baths plus at least two powder rooms, and at least three car garages but most have four. These homes have a huge living room, dining room, office, family room, kitchen, dining area off the kitchen, huge foyers, open spaced staircases with sitting area space on the landings, laundry rooms in addition to the five or six bedrooms and then a media room or movie theater in the basement, bowling alleys, and sitting areas also in the basements. These homes are gigantic and people are still not happy...they want more and more because they do not want to be out done.

What's so amazing about these homes, they've been built on a lot with hardly enough space to walk between the houses. All of the homes look pretty much the same except for the aesthetics in the front of the house. Homes keep getting bigger and bigger and lots smaller and smaller. It's such a shame to see these beautiful homes sitting on such a small lot. It's like living in a huge town house development with the homes squeezed together. There's barely enough room for their big wrap around double decks.

These homes have everything you can think of in them. Beautiful cabinets, porcelain sinks, hardwood floors throughout, decorative crown moldings and base moldings, georgeous bannisters, elaborate lightings (inside and outside), plush carpeting (if desired), jacuzzi's, elaborate mirrors, temperature controlled closets, and many extra's most people would never think about.

Most of the homes have at the most three children and many have none. I sometimes wonder if some of the rooms have ever been walked in. The houses set there in all their grandeur looking as though "no" one is ever home. It's a showcase for those who happen to drive by to look at and admire but wonder how in the world anyone would ever be able to keep it clean. What happened to the days of a modest home where a family of five could live comfortably in a three bedroom home? The size of a home seems to mean so much to people these days. Do they realize the amount of real estate tax, utilities, and up keep these homes take? I hope one day soon to see this tragic mistake turn around and people get back to the smaller things in life...they're just as enjoyable.

Learn more about this author, Barbara Kasey Smith.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.