Todd, do you see much tornado danger where you plan to build? That would make a difference in my decision. Since you already own the lot, suggesting a side slope won't help you. That's what we have (& have had before) and it's one thing we still really like about this house. It provides us with direct access to a large level backyard from the kitchen/hearth room and living room. The lot slopes at one side and there are multiple french doors and a window in one end of the basement, and the windowless portion houses the home theater. While you're not concerned about resale in the near future, you might still want to talk to some RE agents about how basements are valued in your area. Here finished basements appraise for loans at about 1/2 the value of above grade space, even with comparable finishes. However, some RE agents told us that many of their buyers prefer unfinished basements for the extra storage and that our previous homes' basements would not add much to their resale value. If you intend to age-in-place, I'd suggest you keep the direct access from the main floor instead of building an elevated deck. You can always install an elevator inside, but you can't do much about those outside stairs if you or your spouse develop mobility problems.

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I like Sherman Williams Creamy, it’s the least yellow of the undertones. I’d patch test, depending on the color temperature of your lighting (likely around 2700K), they may end up looking more yellow.

The building industry for some time now in basements has been engaged in a haphazard "cross your fingers" approach to trying to insulate without creating mold/moisture/etc problems by using vapor barriers, liquid membranes, sealants, etc. It turns out it was mostly for naught. The research shows the best insulation configuration is to just simply let the dang vapor go where it wants. No plastic, no vapor barrier, nothing is best when it comes to the insulation, even in cold climates. Rock wool is actually a good product for basements, I'd leave it, but I'd peel that vapor barrier off. Then I'd get some mildew resistant sheet rock(the green stuff) and drywall over it. The green sheet rock is not in any way moisture or mold invincible, but it is slightly better than normal sheet rock. Make sure to keep the sheet rock up off your slab and 1/2" or so away from that corner you talked about. Also, in the corner, if that is an untreated stud, I'd pull it and put a new ground contact rated treated stud. They "technically" are not approved for inside use but you don't want untreated wood up against your foundation. You can seal between the new stud and the foundation with caned foam and put a piece of synthetic trim like PVC or whatever you want in to cover the gap between the drywall and stone.