State of play: Joseph Richardson of the D.C. landscape-architecture firm Richardson & Associates says his team has helped master-plan seven or eight of these bigger-yard projects around the DMV in the past year or so — an "unusual amount."

• A recent client purchased the home next door for double the yard, and has plans for a playset, garden and a garage with an art studio above it.
• Others convert neighboring homes into pool houses, sometimes adding saunas and cold plunges.

Zoom in: D.C. real estate agent Michael Rankin has also seen affluent clients in areas like Georgetown, Wesley Heights, Observatory Circle and Spring Valley buy part of a neighbor's yard to expand their own.

• "It's an option for people who really like their house and want to stay in place," he tells Axios.
• Some buy the neighbor's house, carve off the land they want and sell the rest, or redevelop it into a compound.

Reality check: These are a lucky few — many people can't afford one home, let alone two.