Home Foundation Types and How to Choose One, architecturaldigest.com
All About Strong House Foundations, Max at thisoldhouse.com
I grew up with wall to wall carpet, and I appreciate how soft it is. But maintenance is too much of a chore. I don't like ceramic because everything breaks when hitting the floor. So maybe some kind of wood flooring laid atop something not too rigid? Maybe carpeting is worth the effort considering the time and cost saved by not having to replace cell phones and laptops because your cat hates not getting attention.
I can build with stone and mortar more cheaply than brick as I can source stone locally. Big improvement over adobe which is the most common in the area.
How to Safely Move Heavy Stones Without Equipment, drystonejoe.com
Moving Heavy Stones, youtube.com
How to Move Boulders without Heavy Equipment, youtube.com
Loading Rocks onto a Truck or Trailer, houzz.com