Same here in Italy. Many houses in Milan kept their yards and they are just beautyfull. Most workyards have disappeared though, but looking closely you can still spot where they used to be. In particular in warm, dry climates the yards were often prefered to cellars or outhouses to store stuff, to work and even to sell.
Just one question regarding your Village Pack. Am I mistaken or do the buildings have TV antenna on the roof? If so, could you by any chance re-render the models without them? Would love to use them, but...