There's a good chance the occasional water you see on your floor is coming from moisture trapped below impermeable floor tiles. If it's an unfinished basement, I wouldn't do anything more than scrape off what's there, level or patch damaged areas, then use an appropriate high quality basement floor paint. As for the missing risers, just screw or nail on 3/8"-1/2" plywood cut to size; strengthen the risers from the back with small blocks.

(Edited) Klara: Really nice terrace. Like your paver choice. You'll enjoy your new / newly enhanced outdoor living area more if it is both attractive and low maintenance. For decoration, you might consider short pillars made of the same stone as plant stands. Pillars could also be used for seating. If there is an area where you don't want people or pets to walk down the embankment either for safety sake or to protect the lawn from traffic that could cause erosion, you could create two (or more) pillars with treated boards between them as seating to "block" that path -- directing traffic to your new steps with a pillar on each side and, perhaps, a metal bird bath on one and a sun dial on the other. If the power goes out and the pump fails? If you're still putting outdoor steps in, you could have the steps/walkway fork at curb or knee wall height. A curb or knee wall to block that water would be a worthwhile investment to protect your new room -- or two new rooms. Another idea would be to enclose the area beneath that overhang and floor it a (waterproofed) step (or two) higher than the driveway to create a new downstairs entry -- large enough for a coat closet as well. You'd have a "sunken" living room downstairs -- step down from the new entry into the new family room. Another budget friendly idea or two: Consider making your new upstairs build (at least initially) a carport with a storage room on the far side of it and a covered breezeway between the parking space(s) and your home. You get the storage of the garage, shelter for your vehicle(s) -- at a lower cost so you may be able to shelter two vehicles) and shelter for you to walk from your vehicle(s) to your home -- without the expense of finishing the four side of a garage until your budget enables you to enclose it the way you want to do so As long as you have another living room upstairs: Since the downstairs has plumbing, the downstairs room could become an efficiency apartment you rent to seniors so you can increase your budget for other things quicker..

@ RL Relocation LLC - No problem. You are right, the orb pendant that I bought initially was entirely too big! It was 23" and made my stairs look VERY narrow. I thought it would look good... but was wrong. The stairs are not wide by any means, but they are not as narrow as they appeared with that photo. I still think when I stand at the top of the stairs and look down, it appears wider in person than it does in photos. I'm not able to get a good angle to make it look wider. Anyway, I've returned that orb and purchased a 12" lantern (saving about $300 also, I might add!) and just from holding it up, I think it will look great. The renderings I've posted are of other lanterns for sale on HOUZZ, and are not exactly to scale... but just to get a feel for what it will look like, I used that feature that allows you to "show in your room". This project has come to a pause with the holidays, but hopefully we can get the drywall, paint, and lighting finished up within a couple of weeks.

We restored our stairs in our 1920 Foursquare. Both the ones to the basement and the ones from the first to second floor. Lots of carpet and padding and tacks from the living space stairs and glued on carpet on each step to the basement. What a horrible job! It took qrts of denatured alcohol to get the glue off. Unfortunately that also melts the original shellac. My painter sanded everything and then applied 2 coats of Sikkens . They are all beautiful now!!! Would never cover them again. pictures in a minute. Before pic 1 st floor carpet off pad still on Before basement but after removing adhesives Risers painted to match walls in adjacent room Kalamata BM. Basement had a plywood piece at bottom so painted same as exterior of house.