My experience with drip irrigation like you are talking about is remote--I toured a setup in Arizona a number of years ago, and my next door neighbor converted his irrigation system to drip a couple years ago, which he kindly let me help with on occasion. So, take my comments as being from more of an observer. The drip systems are pretty much entirely plastic. There may be some metal, but it isn't common. These systems are rated for a useful life of 15-20 years, so the corrosion resistance of the plastic would give it an advantage over metal. I have been doing some surface drip on some trees for probably 7 years now with a used drip system. Each zone is controlled with a plastic ball valve and I have had no problems with these valves. The T tape that I have seen is buried from 8 to 16 inches deep as you don't want to water the surface of the soil except for germination. After that, you want to keep the surface dry to help control weed germination. In addition, the tape is buried deep enough that it won't be damaged by plowing or other field operations, and being deeper helps to hide it from moles and gophers which love to chew on the tape. If you do put it shallower, you could probably pick it up in the fall and store it inside when used on a small area such as a garden. I wouldn't think it would move in the soil, although if the lines get moved or kinked, when they get pressurized they will straighten out. I have also seen drip lines laid out on vegetable crops on bedded rows and covered with black plastic. Don't know if this was T tape, though. However, with the surface use, it appeared the plastic was removed and the tubes rolled up after the crop was off. Don't think there was anything used to hold the tubes in place, though. When it comes to the fall, my neighbor blows out the main lines and the drain line at the other end. He doesn't try to blow out the T tape itself as it has the emitters so has very little to no water in it when not running, and if ice does form it can expand inside the tubing without problem since the tubing is pretty well empty. Whether or not you use a quick connect for blowing the lines out depends on how much time you want to spend blowing the lines out in the fall. Since my neighbor is using settled and filtered ditch water, at the end of each daily water cycle on each zone, he opens the drain valve on the drain line and blows water out for a minute or two to help clear any sediment and protect the life of his investment. I have heard many times that the lines should receive some treatment periodically to prevent minerals from depositing in the emitters, and to control any bacteria that may be growing in the tubes to prevent them from forming gooey deposits that will accumulate sediment and plug the emitters. Usually, this is done by injecting sulphuric acid or phosphoric acid into the irrigation water one or more times during the year to achieve the desired pH of the water to remove the mineral deposits. The frequency of this will depend on the mineral content of the water, though. They also use phosphoric acid, which is a weaker acid, but also provides phosphate fertilizer to the plants. Sulphuric acid will also fertilize the soil with sulphur, if it is needed. If you don't treat the lines occasionally, you are likely to end up with deposits that will gradually plug the emitters and shorten the useful life of the tape. In a garden situation where the cost of what you are using is relatively small compared to a field situation, shortening the life of the tubes by a few years may not be a concern, but it will depend on the mineral content and other contaminants in your water. Good luck!

I just saw that I was mentioned re: metal roofs and yes I do try to talk my clients out of them because we had one on a house we bought. We hated it. If not carefully designed with proper snow guards and heating they can be a serious safety risk. Google "killed by falling snow". With my rant about metal roofs over it appears the design is with flat roofs. Metal roofing is not recommended for that application and would be a total waste of money since it wouldn't be visible. I love the look of the weathered IPE above. I also use a lot of Alura and Hardie. You have to be really close to either product to tell it's not painted wood. It's reasonable trade off since they're much more durable, require less maintenance and are fire resistant.

"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.