how big is this area in sq ft? when building new...this is the time to get it right. IF you have a hvac co that understands zoning then make the master suite on a separate zone. size system for whole house manual J design & size ductwork man S&D install system & duct design correctly. now is the easiest time to do so. I'm not a fan of separate units for different floors. homeowner ends up paying for multiple units more cost upfront, more cost to operate. the one system per floor is hvac co's way of covering their butts...it isn't to your advantage at all. zoned systems work, when designs are incorporated and installed according to design. several zones per system. you could have each floor on a zone, and even break the floors down into seperate zones controlled by their own tstat. at night put less hvac in kitchen living section and more to bedrooms for example, zoned systems are to adjust to how you live in the house. shop hvac co's that understand & do zoned systems...one unit multiple tstats...not multiple systems. best of luck.

Thanks, hilltop. I do worry about security, but then somebody could just walk up and bash in any of the nine or so large windows that are easily accessible at the front of the house, already. I'm curious about how other have dealt with the combination of the need for security and the requirements for safe, code-compliant egress windows. On the view from the windows: The advantage of a second-floor room would be the view out over a wider area, but, as you note, this is an urban neighborhood with the yards very close together. The view would pretty much be the glaring alley light and the backs of neighbors' houses across the alley. My dream is (post-addition) to landscape the back yard so that the basement windows look out into greenery and the room feels as if it's surrounded by garden. Linked below is one inspiration picture I bookmarked of the kind of relationship I'd love to see between a below-grade room and the garden around it. Here is a link that might be useful: [Half-basement room with door to garden[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/solid-cherry-cabinets-marble-subway-tile-backsplash-stainless-steel-appliances-contemporary-kitchen-san-francisco-phvw-vp~57952)

B Carey, perhaps it's time for you to post your own plans? As others have said/alluded to, I think you're simply packing way too much in to your master. A sleeping/clothing storage/bathroom/mini-kitchen is simply not restful. For us- I moved the laundry to a separate room. Cool- it "hangs", adds interest to our home and no problems venting it all outside. Blown-in insulation, powerful fan and a very heavy solid core door. Soundless..l The hallway is also extra-insulated, for sound. I ditched the idea of a coffee bar, because 1) my husband and I work very different schedules and 2)...Unless I also put a dishwasher/another sink upstairs, I would be carrying everything down. Not great, for me. IMO, I think the days of the massive master suites is so very 80s. Better to design zones that are calm, ready to go. Calmness, in a bedroom, hardly happens when their laundry going, heat and dirty coffee cups.

I have a finished basement that is a family room and home office. It has two large windows and a slider. Basements are always the coldest spaces in a house. In the summer we close off the ducts because it doesn't need any A/C. It's still cold, and of course it's cold in the winter. So give some thought to the HVAC for this space while you're planning your remodel if this is going to lead to your spending more time downstairs. But you can't change the laws of thermodynamics (at least that's what my husband the retired engineer says). Cold air is going to sink the lowest part of the house. I think you can make a case for either floorplan. We only watch TV in the evening downstairs, so we wouldn't miss a window in this space. If you spend more time in the basement would you miss the window if you did the second option?