Being in Oregon, you aren't going to have the problem of your reproduction Colonial sitting next to the real thing. So in that sense, location does matter. Something else to keep in mind is that in this country, as much as in England, the fancy new landscaping school of Capability Brown and Humphry Repton destroyed practically everything that preceeded it. I think the old formality survived longer in the South, but at this point I don't think even there exist any original examples. Places like Monticello are 20th century reproductions based on archaological and written evidence. Even deliberate recreations of colonial era gardens are few and far between. In this area, which is practically swarming with house museums, the typical garden restoration target date is between the two world wars. The logic behind this is that this was the last time frame when major work was done on the estates. Economic changes after WWII, led to their decline, which kind of ended when they fell into public or quasi-public hands. This is true regardless of the original construction date of the house. Two of the biggest 1930's style gardens in the area are connected to houses with original construction dates before 1800. (Clermont and Montgomery Place)

How dense do you want it. For fast dense privacy, you can't beat plain boring Ligustrum japonicum. It's common because it's reliable. It makes a nice dark background for more interesting plants. Prunus caroliniana is pretty dense but you need to tip-prune it to get it really dense. It's pretty fast. They get really tall after a couple of decades. Most of the Pitts tenuifoliums are not super dense. Monrovia has a new introduction called 'Tasman Ruffles' I think that is supposed to be much more dense. Pitts are pretty fast, but not as fast as Ligustrum if watered. They can be a little fussy, and aphids, scale can be a problem. Beautiful, though.

Dymondia magaretae

I did not expect an update so soon. You have been busy. Now that I can see the side yard better it looks as if some lawn died due to shade. Could that be right? Anyway, i am move to share an idea I was too timid to bring up before. I think that right side would be a great area for a large bed of decomposed granite. I am actually not qualified to shape a bed design so don't take this too seriously. You might be able to plant some sun plants closer to the sidewalk. In order to be done right you must excavate about four or five inches of soil I think. It would provide a non muddy path to the side door when it rains. Use as many or as few plants as you like. Mulch would work too and you only have to excavate 3 inches I think. With you being in Texas I like the idea of the DG. Fall is planting time where I live. I've been doing a lot of nursery browsing. Did you know there are some Agaves that don't get huge? I have never wanted one because I don't have place for a big specimen but I am now reconsidering. I know I made that curve in the wrong direction. Just consider the idea.