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Saturday, November 28, 2009
 Silvana and Gianni Zonin live part of the year on the Barboursville Vineyards estate north of Charlottesville, where Gianni is the winemaker. Their early 19th-century home, built by a former governor of Virginia, is used as an inn at other times. Also on the grounds are the ruins of Gov. Barbour's mansion, which burned down in 1884. 
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inhabit
For Barboursville's vintner, wine and design bridge Old World and new
"If I can sit in a comfortable chair with my book, and I can see something in the corner that pleases my eye, then I am at home," Silvana Zonin was saying.
where we live
A verdant neighborhood just beyond Old Town
On the second Friday of every month, someone in Marlan Forest or adjacent Marlan Heights will be serving cocktails. Neighbors agree that this is one of the best developments in recent years -- the TGIF gathering. "I have met so many people through these. It's a great way to get people together,"...
Go ahead. Break the chains. Stop paying on your mortgage if you owe more than the house is worth. And most important: Don't feel guilty about it. Don't think you're doing something morally wrong.
BOUNDARIES: Marlan Drive and Westgrove Boulevard to the north, Fort Hunt Road to the west, Marine Drive to the south, and Huntly Place and Sussex Place to the east.
DO-IT-YOURSELF
I want to paint several rooms in my house this winter and would like to use paint that is safe for the environment. How can I be sure I am getting that kind of paint? -- Maryann
I read the other day that a condominium building in Washington was recently foreclosed on. I rent a condo unit in a new building from the developer and am concerned about my rights should I face the same plight. Do I have any rights in the District?
My mother sold her house in 2002. The purchaser paid off the existing mortgage, and my mother financed the rest, which was $18,000 and which was due the next year. The buyers now pay $100 a month on the balloon loan.
I need to build some custom stairs outdoors. I was thinking of using stone, but I am open to other ideas. I was thinking of using custom iron stairs, but I don't know how to weld or fabricate them. Can you give me a few suggestions about what it takes to build a custom staircase? -- Laura S., Locust...
Many architecture firms have little interest in designing townhouse projects. Architects rarely pursue developers of these single-family attached homes as clients. Why should this be?
Landscaping jargon often leaves homeowners and part-time gardeners perplexed, and it's no wonder. In the garden, commonplace words can take on different meanings. For example, "exfoliate" is not a spa treatment, "pools" aren't always for swimming, "beds" are not a place to sleep, "percolate" doesn't...
Real Estate Notes
Average rates for 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages fell this week, matching a record low set last spring. Rates are more than a full percentage point below what they were a year ago, Freddie Mac said Wednesday.
© 2009 The Washington Post Company
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Digital Ink ®