Hi Wodka, sounds like a really nice place. I'm thinking the azaleas are in partial shade, and bloom mostly in spring but again in fall? so you might want something that would bloom when they don't to fill in the bloom gaps. Also azaleas like acidic soil or acidic mulch like pine straw. I'm not sure how close the azaleas are planted and what could you fit in there. I am thinking canna lillies? They are so easy to grow, you can practically just throw a tuber back there and it would grow. And they are tall. I think they would be perennial in your zone. Not sure how much shade they take but they seem pretty adaptable. What about gingers? I'm not sure about there needs, but I grew them in 9b in some shade. Daylillies are pretty easy and adaptable, some flower stalks are pretty tall. Butterfly bushes? They bloom in summer and you can prune them to be tall and narrow. You would want to try to make sure the colors go well and don't clash. What about some pretty hostas if it's shady, they come up late in spring, maybe even after the azaleas bloom and the foliage is so pretty and they have the flower stalks too. Astilbe (shade), Lily of the nile (agapanthus?) they have nice foliage all year and the beautiful blue to purple flower stalks. You would have to do a bit of research on their cultural requirements as I'm just brainstorming here. Good luck. I'm sure you'll find the right plant.

Hello. we are in the process of building an outdoor kitchen. There will be a corner fireplace and along the outer edge we will have an outdoor cooking area/kitchen. We have purchased a 36" built in grill but I am wondering if I need to purchase an "outdoor" refrigerator. The area will be under roof and built within a stone island, but I think we may need to spend the extra $$$ for the fridge rather than the dorm size mini fridge. Any help is much appreciated. thank you.

I’m also planning to pull my current pool decking and replace with either travertine or porcelain tiles. I have not heard of issues with travertine (in Texas). On the contrary people rave about it not getting hot during the hot and sunny summer months. Freezing is typically not an frequent issue where I live in Texas which might be why it hasn’t come up as a potential concern. That said, we do go below 32 once and a while.

"Not practical for us" I just finished a similar for a family w/ five kids. A reno w/ add, that should have been a total tear down. They moved out, went three doors up the street to a dump of a rental, (ill maintained for decades ) in a beautiful neighborhood surrounded by golf courses. Only advantage was kids remained in same schools, same friends etc. Reno took months longer than a new build would have taken. Displaced to another location was annoying, and necessary and was barely tolerable nearing the end........which stillll isn't the end as we still have workers in and out of the new home. The point here? You can't even attempt to live in this through any reasonable reno. It will take 50% longer than you think, cost 50% more than you think. It will be 50% as beautiful, and 50% as functional as what would have been possible with a tear. Both situations, tear or reno need an architect. A start to finish plan for a new build needs minimum six months of planning. So bet me now ? You may come to find that a delay, a pared down wish list, a new build AND a place to go for 15 to 18 months makes a lot more sense - by a whole lot more than 50% : )