Sheathing and decisions on the ceiling

So the house is coming along at full speed now with considerable changes day-by-day which is exciting. Today the sheathing started to go in which begins to give a real feel to the house. However, it has raised a few questions for us: notably, it's a bit dark on the main level (no side windows), so do we cover up the exposed joists to have white ceilings (and thus more light) or do we stick with the plan? There are pros and cons to each:

Advantages of covering the joists: light penetration throughout lower level, no need to take care to repair subfloor above (can be done cheaply), can insulate and soundproof the upper/lower levels, "cleaner" look.
Disadvantages of covering the joists: some extra drywall costs, less character and visual to the house

We would still have the parallam beams left exposed and I would aim to use some of the old boards in some other parts of the house, so we'd still have a bit of that history and exposed wood element. If we were to close it in, I'd also put in a solatube to add some extra light to the space.

So, that's what I'm leaning to at this point, but we'll see what Kris says when she walks around in the space.

Other info:
- Apparently part of the cribbing has sunk a small amount which has left us with a VERY small margin for error on the framing and lift/drop...but I think we're safe.
- Having a debate about the green wall from bynaturedesign which I'd really like to have. I think I can probably manage to install the system for about $1200 all in, which is reasonable. The debate on moisture issues with green walls seems to run the gamut. I've got some sites out there saying it's a major no-no and it will lead to huge indoor air quality/mould issues, etc.  I'm debating about talking to Green Over Grey - a local company here in Vancouver that does pretty amazing green walls throughout the world - to get their thoughts on it, but am  hoping I can get some input for free. We'll see...
- The City of Vancouver is starting in our our new sewer and water line on Monday, so by mid-week we should have a new sewer system. Apparently they have to dig down some 16', which is good news for us as the lower the piping, the less pumping we need to worry about.
- Still debating about kitchen designs, but will do a separate posting on that.

Here are some shots of what the place now looks like:

View from the front of the house looking at the new sheathing on the west wall

Inside the "kitchen"

West wall of the extension. Where the wall ends is where the rooftop patio will be.

View from the street.

COV Engineering setting up for next week.

Look out, construction down below!