i have a tri-level with basement ... that a quad level ... if there is such a term ... cold air falls ... if its sent upstairs ... it will fall... until it hits the lowest level .. in my case.. the basement ends up 65 ... and the top floor... whatever i set the temp to ... i spend a lot of time with the FAN ONLY running.. i do not have two zones ... in the alternative.. a door on the higher level.. will trap and maintain the conditioned air upstairs ... [now this will be a decorating conundrum] my point being... who says its not working ... perhaps its just that the cold air isnt staying up there... and the hot air from the lower level is constantly going up there.. thats why the lower unit doesnt run as much ... try temporarily hanging a bed sheet across the stairway .. or whatever.. to trap the cool air up there.. and see if that makes a difference ... [to keep the basement... from going total arctic... i use an adjustable twist shower curtain rod with a heavy floor length drape as a air dam ...] if it does.. and the system then runs to specs.. the the problem is not the A/C ... its gravity ... good luck with that.. lol .. ken ps: in winter.. its just as bad .. the upstairs is 90.. with all the rising heat ... and the basement.. again.. is 65 ... crikey ... more running of the fan to even temps thru the spaces ... because warm heated air.. wont stay DOWN in the basement

Thank you all for the help! I'm really unsure how to move forward from this point. It sounds like I probably should have hired an architect from the beginning. Or, at a minimum contracted directly with the designer to prepare the plans instead of him being sub-contracted through the builder. The one time I was able to speak to the designer, he seemed knowledgeable, so I don't want this to sound judgmental towards him. I think we just got ourselves into a poor process from the start, where the builder is the middle man and there is probably lots lost in transmission. Would it be worth it at this point to consult with an architect? The foundation is poured, so there is only so much we can change. Plus, we already have financing, so there is definitely a limit to changes without blowing our budget. Windows should still be easy enough. Would an architect even want to touch this at this point? I'm not even sure what services I would need from him/her at this point? What I normally do... is to locate the egress window (only one is required per bedroom) ...on the sides.... So, if I understand this correctly, this wouldn't resolve the issue of needing to switch window types (double hung to casement/slider) to avoid the 18" sill height, but it will put the window on a less noticeable side of the house. My three windows were placed higher and ganged together and they were narrower. On the other wall I made the single window wider and then added a window seat below it. That sounds like a lovely way to disguise mismatched windows. Do you have a picture of the window seat/egress window? I tried searching through your older posts, but didn't see it. I'd suggest a traditional approach often used in 2- and 3-story traditional residences, i.e., the windows on the first floor were the largest; the windows on the second floor were visually smaller; and the windows on the third or any other upper level, such as dormers, were the smallest of all. Virgil, thank you for lesson. I've always felt something wasn't quite right with the elevation, but couldn't figure out what it was. Part of what is triggering this ordeal, is that the plans were drawn with 10' & 9' ceilings, but the budget was based on 9' & 8'. When I caught the discrepancy, the builder didn't want to change the plans. I insisted because there is no way you can take out 2 vertical feet and not need to reevaluate the elevation, right?? Loosing those extra feet really made the larger 2nd story windows look odd and when I requested smaller windows, I was told they didn't meet code...would need casement windows...blah, blah.

@decoenthusiaste Thanks so much for your input, I am leaning on agreeing with you at this point as I really don't want the room to appear any smaller than it is. @Cheryl Smith You are correct, the entry door is opposite the knee-wall door, but that run of wall before the dormer is not long enough for the bed, night stands and to still have access to the closet. After a lot of thought, the bed fits best and makes the most sense against the far wall with the window. @njmomma Thanks so much for the pictures, I had never thought about a blue door previously, but I kind of really like it!

Thanks for the clarification and if we decide to send everything to an architect I will be sure to upload. At this point the builder has told us we have to put down a $5,000 deposit on the lot and $5,000 deposit to send the rough sketches to an architect. With the market being crazy, we are trying to compare what we would be able to afford with a new build vs. what we've been seeing come (and go) on the market. So we are trying to get a general sketch/layout idea of our build to see if the estimated costs are going to work in our budget.