Good luck huffing and puffing.

As a recent home buyer, this makes me feel like the space I got isn’t so far out of the norm — Curbed wrote yesterday that the District leads the rest of the country in terms of how small our homes are.

Now, we’ve seen read about strange attempts at getaways, but here’s one for the record books.

For years, it has sat on the corner of 16th and Fuller Streets NW, a mansion whose regal trappings have been hidden under layers of neglect. But now, the residence that was once used as a home and office for the Spanish ambassador is seeing new life.

Oh, our Managing Editor will not be pleased: a tipster points us to this Solar Novus Today report, which states that the 2011 Solar Decathalon — the biennial U.S. Department of Energy-sponsored gathering of collegiate designers and engineers from around the world to show off brilliant, energy-efficient homes — will not take place on the National Mall. Why? The event is apparently “impacting” the Mall’s “long-term health.”

Photo by Mr. T in DC Atlantic business editor Megan McArdle is one of many buyers frustrated with the current D.C. housing market. In a recent blog post, she wrote that it seemed to her that well-priced homes in the city are being snapped up in as little as seven days, while “problem” properties are either overpriced or have other issues, such as an uncooperative tenant. In reality, these issues are not unique to…