Thank you for the info.
You're right, still undecided on the final outcome of the courtyard, leave it uncluttered or fill it with a lush garden. The limit in size is dictated by the typical size homes in my area, and my potential budget & time since I'll have a big role building it.

You did give ...

Hello from Houston, Texas.

Some background info, living in an early 1900s concrete building, I loved the security of being in a hurricane-proof(ish) building. So decided in designing, and someday soon building, a concrete home.
Based it on a Roman villa/domus to make the design DIY-friendly ...

Hi!

I'm in the same process myself, although I'm still searching for the perfect piece of land.

I built my house using information based on drafting websites, to figure out what size each room is supposed to be. Started making rooms separately, and join them together as a puzzle. It will help you ...