concrete cheap, steel expensive.

basically in construction there are 2 type of cost involve. cost for temporary work and cost for permanent work. permanent work is like brickwall, concrete slab and etc. once the permanent work done, it remain there and will not be remove. temporary work is those cost spent on the work and will not be part of the building. example such as rental of machinery, scaffolding for support and etc. for basement the cost for temporary work will increase. so u pay for more to build a basement than to add 1 level on top.

the basement work is generally fine to do at Malaysia la. depend on location, the basement work difficulty is different also. like in golden triangle, the ground water level is high, so ur basement work is even tougher.

those "red brick" u see is better than cement-sand brick. cement-sand brick easily let water seep through. hence not advisable to do on external wall. but it could be done also.

glass wall is more on aesthetic. definitely glass wall is expensive, around 15 times expensive than brickwall

stopping by in a construction thread.
wanna see how a real house go through planning, design and construction? link is in my sig.
1. depends. concrete beam is cheaper, but in some situation it's just not feasible to erect a concrete beam and a steel beam is a better option.
2. water table. and maybe soil condition. if both is preferable, then it makes much sense to build underground.
3. we're heavily designing (and implementing) passive cooling in our build. windcatcher, wind stack effect, directed airflow, insulated roof, natural ventilation. even considering AAC bricks. maybe you could take some pointers from our build.
1. sorry can't help with that. i'm not QS.
2. prices for normal glass windows is around ~RM12 psft over here. including aluminium frame and installation. if i'm not mistaken.
3. cost for dual glazed, and tempered glass also depend on the frame quality. IINM it should be around RM50-70 psft depending on the thickness & type.
4. flat roofs constructed by concrete slabs will need asphalt treatment. not usually recommended for residential as it requires much more maintenance.
5. jkr spec need 1 year is the soil is new, not compacted. existing land after clearing usually don't need as long.
6. depending on area. and who you ask.
7. yeah. don't pick problematic ones. also higher priced doesn't mean better quality.

since this is not my thread, i'll refrain from giving more answer.
i reckon you could also learn quite a lot inside the home renovation and interior design subsection.