I agree i could make my life easier if i find a wood similar to the tile (pic1) for upstairs but it doesn't feel right for the bedroom... i kind of regret picking it but it's too late. just wondering if there's a way to make the light coloured wood work upstairs without too much disconnect between the stairs... I'll most likely shop for the same wood as seen in the tiles to make the flow smoother if what i want to do is too disjointed. is black treads still the best option now the kitchen panel is clearer? appreciate your advice! I'm kind of stressing about my dumb decisions thus far. Thanks in advance. my only concern is changing the treads to the same look as the tiles will be too challenging or expensive- that's why i considered painting. A few weeks ago i was trying to get the stairs company to use different wood that we select but they only use theirs and charge 3k more which i found excessive and their product range was awful. Have to use that stairs company because of the building contract:/

Llyfia -- I raised my kids in single level, split level and two-story homes and they all work. When your kids are babies, it's nice to have their bedrooms nearby but monitors provide similar surveillance when bedrooms are separated. Personally, I think it's a big advantage for parents to have some separation from the kids so they can be intimate or have an argument without explaining what's going on. I wouldn't worry too much about sneaky teens. Chances are you'll be asleep in bed hours before your teens are so it won't really matter. And if they're hellbent on sneaking out, they'll find a way to do it. Regardless of which style home you choose, one feature I strongly recommend is a second living area. It can be a play room when kids are little, and a hang-out room when they're older. It will save your sanity when they're noisy, boisterous teens who enjoy watching things blow up on TV with their friends eating you out of house and home. Sounds like you have a beautiful piece of property. Rather than start with the style of the house at the outset, why not let the land dictate the style? That will allow you to focus more on function, light, views, indoor/outdoor access, etc. I'm sure your architect/designer can help guide that process. Good luck on your project!

What do you mean by "digging out"? If you're actually talking about digging out a dirt floor cellar ... definitely rethink that. Do you have a garage or even a carport you could enclose or an unused bedroom you might remodel instead? Do you have room on your lot to build a screened porch now that could become an enclosed sun porch later?

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone. I believe cement look tile is the final choice. We will be adding more recessed lighting as well and we understood that the cement look tile we picked, provides a cooler tone which we were looking for. It seems like a big undertaking of renovating all these rooms at the same time but excited to see the final product. :)