RE: Area loss when reducing plans
I just remembered a solution that has been used on the Spitfire and others: Square off the wing tips if it turns out to have stall characteristic that are too abrupt for you. It will change the planform in such a way that you may get a slightly more gradual stall, i.e. slightly root-first.
If your plane is light enough, you probably will not need stall strips or modified tips or anything anyway.