Hi Curt nothing not to like it's so cutehttps://www.houzz.com/discussions/our-apartment-150m2-16m2-outdoor-living-dsvw-vd~985084

The tiles are 300x300mm and the glue takes a few hours to set this without the nails at bottom of every few tiles they just slip off the wall leaving a gluey mess.

Wood screening also looks good ,although I feel the black is more uniform , tidy and harmonious with overall look, could also be done with black aluminium screening , as low maintenance and longer lasting . Re screening of air con units, If done in this way , consider access to air con units , also ventilation around air con units. Enough spacing between panels for air flow.

Without knowing your location and local building regs split-level is a great concept but needs more clever design thinking at the early stages to get it right. The height and floor levels are crucial in the design concept but some architects/building designers struggle with resolving this third dimension well. Apart from your budget, and the amount of excavation required the relationship between the height of the building and setback from your side boundary will be the crucial element which will influence the design response. Leave it to the professionals ... Best of luck, Dr Retro of Dr Retro House Calls