I agreed with you mike. I’ve killed my humidifier and seen improvements but it’s still an issue at 48RH at 22c. My first attempt to fixing this issue will be changing the surface tension if the Buck, first by painting it as its pitted with rust from this issue, and secondly by applying a wax (RainX or something similar). I use this trick in the field on pipes using cold water in the summers. It stops the cold pipes gathering condensation by “repelling“ the moisture in the air. I’ll let you know If how it goes.

You only needed an egress window if there is a bedroom. If there is no bedroom you don't need one but some people make windows larger to get more light in... As the look goes if the foundation surface is exposed enough above ground it is easy to make a larger window, if the ground level comes up high you need to make a well in order to have a large window. They make nice wells now that come as kits, or you can create a masonry well with a drain connected to it, some wells come with sealed well covers that can be opened or permanently sealed depending on the preference and how much you will willing to spend. To give you an example, I'm designing a project right now for a customer, they did larger windows with a masonry well surround, but now they think to go for the whole "shebang" here is an example of before and after to give you an idea. Before After the window under the deck was also added it was a solid wall. This is in the design stage

Doesn't really matter. If the pavers are based on tight joints...maybe the pavers, but I have never seen it make a difference. The pavers aren't waterproof and the water table is going to be the results of other factors than the surfaces immediately adjacent to the home/window.

Code only talks about clear openings and the height that openings should be from the floor level. The code does not specify there should be a min floor clearance in front of the opening or any other obstruction. It is mainly for emergency rescue teams like a firefighter to be able to get through that opening with full gear including the oxygen tank. If you have an older person using a bedroom or this is a child's bedroom having anything in front or having nothing there, they will not be able to get out...But someone can get in and rescue them. No building inspector or fire marshal can tell you otherwise unless the code is changed and there is a clearance requirement something like you have for a fireplace clearance which clearly shows a diagram that specifies the area where there shouldn't be any combustible material and the distance in 4 different directions or like you have for the Electrical panel that shows the area to be kept clear for access. The ingress only specifies the sill height and the min opening size.