Debra Rains

I am absolutely blown away by your suggestions and ideas. I will address in more detail shortly, but in the meantime,I'm in the Ozarks of northern Arkansas,and will be staying put, barring unforeseen events..
Thanks so much!!

I'm finishing out a 10 x 24 shed for us to move into, and know what I want to do for the most part. It's double lofted, both of which will be my kids' rooms. I'm looking for suggestions and thoughts on an efficient means of either connecting them via a narrow, enclosed catwalk or will need 2 sets of stairs, which would both kill floor space and also be an extra expense. At the very least, I'd need a ladder on my 13 yo son's side. My daughter has physical conditions that require stairs.
Okay, so I'm wondering if any of you guys with experience in construction or at least construction in your own tiny homes, can advise as to the most practical approach. For the staircase I'm planning to build a narrow set of storage stairs. I'm planning to use as much recycled material as possible in every bit of this project and on an extremely tight budget.
I've considered different options for a catwalk, but those seem to me to be limited. Obviously, I want it as structurally sound as possible, and space saving as well. I've even gone so far outside the box as to wonder if some sort of suspension bridge, enclosed, might work, and even be cheaper or more expensive, as stable potentially, or not. I'm not a carpenter... ever... but am fixing to start and do all I can myself, single older mom and power tool- challenged or not.
Thanks in advance.

Cristobal, I really appreciate the information and opinion. I'm in the southern states but not the deep south, so while the summers are hot and muggy, the winters are usually chilly but not frequently extreme. I'm not educated sufficiently to really know much about how it all affects the different types of earthen structures. But I enjoy learning more about it.
All the information and ideas that have been shared here are appreciated and really a little bit amazing. I'll continue to study up on options and hopefully make the best choices.
Any further information is much appreciated. Thanks again!!
Debra

Jim, thank you. That's a lot of good information, and gives food for thought.
Earthen floors are absolutely beautiful; I'd be hard pressed to name anything I like better as far as appearance. I would love to experiment with this in our little shed/house.
Again, thanks so much.
Debra

Cristobal,  thanks so much. I am absolutely not a carpenter, but I've experienced some challenges recently that convince me I'm more capable than I used to think. I really like the idea of the southern wall. I'm not sure the most ideal method, but definitely not block. I've got to keep all the interior space I can, as it's so small to begin with.
I'd absolutely welcome any suggestions and practical advice.
Debra

Scott, thanks so much for your thoughts and input, I appreciate it.
Debra

Hi, Anne. Ty, appreciated. Any thoughts on which of the 2 plasters might be better?

Thank you!

Hi Sebastian. Thanks so much.
Could you elaborate a little on those reed mats? Is that a homemade item, or premanufactured??
In any case, that idea makes sense.
Thanks again.