Is this maybe a steel-framed house??? The clear spans you will have if those support posts are both removed look awfully long for traditional LVL joists. I can imagine maybe taking out the post next to the stairs but seriously, that other post looks like it HAS to be structural. Builders sometimes make mistakes. I would definitely insist that my builder put it in writing that that post is merely decorative and that he had checked with an engineer to verify that it is not structural and can be removed. Otherwise you'll be midway thru the build and he'll come back telling you "gee sorry, turns out I was wrong and those posts have to be there after all." And at that point your only option will be to let him put the posts in or have the second floor cave in on you. Trust me, I've been there, done that... and the span where I had to put in a totally unwanted support post is not nearly as wide as yours looks.

In our old house we had drywalled stairs save for the bottom 2-3 steps with a rail on one side. I always meant to have solar tubes put in but never got around to it. It was low priority since no one spends any time on the stairs, they are just a passthrough. But a bright stairwell is nice if you can do it. In our current home, it is also a drywalled stairwell, with a half, slanted wall at the first four steps on both sides...painted trim on top. We could probably open it up another 4-5 steps but it’s not worth it. Fortunately there is a big window just to the left of the stairwell at the top, so it is not dark like the last house. I agree that if you don’t need the wall space to keep it as open as possible.

Hard surfaces (like hardwood, drywall, glass, etc) allow noise to bounce around = echo. That irritating 'hum' that is there all the time even though there is no one around. Carpets and soft coverings (wall tapestries, heavy drapes, large upholstered furniture, etc) absorb the 'bounce' and reduce the echo. I liken noise to a jar of marbles being released onto a tile floor. It bounces and bounces and clatters and makes a racket. It rattles down pipes (plumbing and heating) and gets into everything. Until it meets carpet. Then it sticks and never bounces back up. You have a two story opening to a mezzanine area that opens into another area for bedrooms. There is nothing to stop the noise in the air (voices, TV, kitchen, footsteps, etc) from reaching the upper level - except the carpet. It is reducing your noise levels by 1/2. As soon as you add in hardwood (or anything that is solid) your home will get TWICE as noisy. As a cork flooring expert, I would suggest cork as a noise reducer. It works very much like carpet. But buyer beware. Cork is a finicky product to live with. It fades, it dimples (dents that pop out after a year or so) it scratches. All of this can be corrected (except the fading) with a little TLC. Cork is one of the few flooring choices on the market that do what carpet does = keep the noise levels down. Rubberized flooring (extremely expensive) is the other. Cork and rubber are the only products that mimic the noise reducing properties of carpet. If you are unsure as to go for hardwood or recarpet, you do yourself a favour by removing the carpet RIGHT NOW. Live on the bare subfloor (yes slippers will be needed) for several weeks (6 weeks should be enough time to figure this out). You will find that every flush of the toilette, every TV noise, every phone conversation will be clearly heard throughout the two levels. Compare that to what you have now. Only you can decide the level of noise that is livable. I'm someone with sensitive ears. I'll take a quiet floor covering (yes...even carpet) over the noise increase any day of the week. How quiet do you find your home right now? Is it acceptable to you? Can you handle it if it DOUBLES in noise?

Please help, we are in the middle of renos and ran out of budget for the stairs at this time. we decided to Refinish the stairs ourselves for now and in a few years replace then when we have the money. we were advised to sand down everything to stain the railings and spindles, but everywhere I’m looking online and in tutorials don’t use any sanding! im finding it near impossible to get in all the little groves of my spindles, but mostly everywhere else is sanded. if i use gel stain will it be really noticeable that the hard to sand areas still have a bit of varnish on them vs the sanded wood?