How large an area? there are quite a few things that, once established, do not need a lot of water. Christmas ferns, epimedium, pachysandra, hellebores, mondo grass, arisaemas, arum italicum, skimmia, sarcoccoca, brunnera, corydalis, disporum, euphorbia robbiae (aggressive and spreading and deer resistant)! All of these are deer resistant. hakonechloa, heuchera, rodgersia, tiarella.

Hello. Just finished washing tools and pots while putting the garden to bed for the season so after all that work I thought I'd share my thoughts. 1) Give up container gardens except a welcoming pot outside whichever door you use most. 2) Plant perennials that work hard and give lots of visual pleasure, which for me would be Yuccas, Sedum, Daylilies, Peonies and Honeysuckle vine for more shade Hosta's paired with perennial Ferns and Lady's Mantel. 3) Plant some soft needled evergreen trees and Smoke Bush -large shrub or small tree depending on original pruning- and Service Berry trees, not only low maintenance but the textures are wonderful looking together. 4) If possible have hardscape/ deck at both entrance doors and use built-in benches on at least two sides -old and young love sitting on them- (greatly reduces outdoor furniture cost, maintenance, storage) and join them with a wide walkway/ boardwalk. Using the walkway between the two doors is especially welcome in Spring and late Winter when the ground is muddy, you can still sit out and enjoy nature and it's safe moving between the two doors so you don't feel so house bound. As much as I love wood we had our windows wrapped in aluminum and had the house covered in rigid foam insulation and then covered in a historically styled Vinyl Siding and yes we too added the gutter guards. The original large vegetable gardens were plowed under and grassed over and I built four small pie shaped raised gardens very near the house, down from the small deck. I planned everything to allow myself and my husband to stay here for as long as we can, together or alone we can get along without help and enjoy ourselves and friends and family too. Wishing you and your husband all the best on this new adventure,

"Traditional" residential architecture, which is truly architecture and not a McMansion or builder's tract development, is often regional. In other words, what may be "traditonal" in one area is not necessarily "traditonal" in another area. Another architectural term for this is "regional" or "regional vernacular", where commonly built homes vary by region and the architectural vernacular which is used. Regional vernacular may be characterized in a variety of ways. For example, materials. In much of Texas, for example, the native limestone is (or was before McMansions and tract developments) a common building material. Another example is form. The form of regional Texas houses tends to be 1-2 story, often rather rambling, houses and frequent use of overhanging and shaded porches on front and rear. Two story porches may also be common on historic houses. This "Texas vernacular" is far, far different than, say, the common vernacular in the New England region, where climate and weather encourage much more compact, multi-story houses, often without the outdoor living and shading devices so common in Texas. Climate and commonly available local building materials were often the two key influences which caused regional vernacular to vary region from region. The invention of airconditioning and the availability of common building materials across the country have largely doomed regional vernacular, especially as builders build large tracts of housing virtually identical in various parts of the country. A truly custom designed home, however, can easily be designed and built in a variety of regional vernaculars by talented and experienced architects and designers who have studied vernacular architecture sufficiently to be fluent in their design. And I will agree with an earlier comment that a Tudor style house on Texas ranch land is something of a misnomer, since "...the Tudor style movement is technically a revival of "English domestic architecture, specifically Medieval and post-Medieval styles from 1600-1700," says Peter Pennoyer, FAIA, of Peter Pennoyer Architects. Because these homes mimicked a style designed to weather colder climates with lots of rain and snow, they were best suited for the northern half of the United States, though they're popular in other areas of the country as well. These houses, with their myriad materials, solid masonry, elaborate forms, and decorations were expensive to build and mostly appeared in wealthy suburbs," Peter says. They were even nicknamed "Stockbroker's Tudors" in reference to owners who gained their wealth during the booming 1920s..." But if one likes the style, isn't concerned about the incongruity of one on a Texas ranch, and has the money to design and build properly..."go ahead on", as we say here.

One shouldn't compare durability of old brick buildings to current residential practices. Old brick is usually structural, three bricks thick or more. The weakness of brick is in the mortar and old professional work usually featured better sands with sharper, more varied particle sizes. Masons these days usually just stick with cheap, readily available masonry sand. Unfortunately, masonry is a dying trade. The biggest problem is that most residential brick work is a masonry veneer, covering wood-based construction. Along with stone and stucco, most brick veneer projects use inadequate vapor barriers and flashing. The masonry may look great from the outside, but the finishes are hiding mold, mildew and deterioration of the wood structure. Sometimes, this happens surprisingly fast. Masonry is considered a moisture reservoir cladding. It will soak up moisture from rain or sprinklers and send it towards the inside as the sun comes out. This makes it a more risky cladding than wood, metal, composite or vinyl. Masonry is one of my favorite exterior finishes but it takes extra effort than what is common in current construction practices. If you go with masonry, ensure your construction team understands the details like minding the gap and weatherproof window installations. When I was in Germany, there was a lot of troublesome renovation happening to the very old timberframe structures that had been stuccoed during times when stucco was considered more fashionable. The lime stuccos inhibited the drainage and drying of the wood, speeding up the timbers deterioration.