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I had a construction company build my new home. It went quickly smoothly and I was happy with the process.

There were just a couple of minor fixes to be done after closing (two months ago) which have since been completed. The builder now wants me to sign off on the post-closing letter stating that the two items have been done.

However, I have since found more items to take care of. E.g., the fridge does not dispense water and there is no gap between a bathroom toilet seat and the adjacent wall. The toilet tank is essentially pressed against the back wall. So if you move on the seat, the movement generates noise as the tank rubs against the drywall. The model home had this done correctly.

Are these newly discovered items something that should be followed up on with the warranty department of the company or should I hold off on signing the post-closing letter and essentially do not let the builder get off the hook?

EDIT 1: picture of the toilet seat

enter image description here

user02222022
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  • For the refrigerator, is the water line connected? Does ice work? If the water line is connected (and especially if the ice works), this is an appliance warranty issue, not a builder issue. On the other hand, if the water line does not work or even worse, if it isn't even connected, that is a builder issue. – manassehkatz-Moving 2 Codidact Jan 21 '21 at 16:28
  • I see what appears to be plenty of room around the seat. You may want to indicate more precisely what your concern is. – FreeMan Jan 21 '21 at 16:37
  • @FreeMan I should have clarified: The toilet tank is essentially pressed against the back wall. So if you move on the seat, the movement generates noise as the tank rubs against the drywall. – user02222022 Jan 21 '21 at 16:57
  • If it is not a issues with the seat you should edit the question to clarify – Kris Jan 21 '21 at 17:25
  • Selecting a different toilet with a different rough in dimension may get the tank off of the wall. – Kris Jan 21 '21 at 17:30
  • The tank should not move when you move on the seat. Is the toilet rocking? – Kris Jan 21 '21 at 17:31

3 Answers3

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It probably depends a lot on what your contract with them says.

If there was a "punch list" period during which you were to report issues and they were to fix them, and that time period has passed, then it's probably time to sign and let the warranty department handle it.

If there was no such period, then I'd contact them and very nicely indicate that there are a few new issues that you've discovered that you'd like to have squared away before signing off on an otherwise fantastic house. (i.e. be really nice about it, and they're likely to keep you high on the priority list, be angry about it and they'll drag their feet.)

FreeMan
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Your (2) recently discovered issues aren't unreasonable concerns. If you approach the contractor and request they be rectified before you sign-off there shouldn't be any difficulties.

This will only happen if there was a contract written and agreed upon that stated this would be part of the building process. Most contracts won't detail every phase of the job. It should mention that the work will be completed to "code standards" (or words to that effect).

Your contract is what will allow you the legal right to with hold any payment if work is sub-par, but it also ensures that a customer can't continue to squabble over minuscule irritations.

Regarding the toilet; in my area the toilet needs at least 15 inches of space on either side of the seat center.

ojait
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You don't sign off until you are happy. You already live in the house. Builder needs you to sign something. Being reasonable, you have no incentive to ever sign anything now that you live in house unless you are 100% happy. Note too that when you sign off builder may be done unless there is a glaringly big issue - which the 2 you noted aren't. Also note that warranty company may not cover pre-existing known issues. (pretty sure there is no chance they will)

DMoore
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