Update: I attempted to email the inspector with my questions and such but he did not respond. The builder had told me if I had questions, to ask the inspector, but upon calling an inspector myself to ask about fees and doing an inspection for me, he indicated that they are not supposed to talk to anyone about the issue that did not actually hire them. Since the builder hired them and I did not, then the inspector could only talk to the builder. Once I understood that, I got back with the builder to see where we would go with this issue. Thats when I found out that they had noticed another failure just like mine in a spec house that they did. Same sub did the work. They went in and discovered that the wood floor came back up easy so the planks could be reused, so they redid it using different glue. So now they are doing mine. As I suspected, all of the wood planks have come up very easy with no breakage. There are some spots where the dri tak had held that caused breakage of the planks, but lucky most all were in one confined area since I had previously told them to stop using the dri tak as it was not in my opinion the proper repair. They are using a glue called rocket 7000 i believe. It is a different glue than what he used before. When the planks are pulled up, there is squished glue on the plank and on the concrete, but it is tacky to the touch but does not come off unless you scrape it off, which then it does peel off to some degree. Maybe it is supposed to be that way. Not sure as I have not got into any deep discussion with the builder or the sub about it. I just stay out of their way and am glad they are doing this at no cost to me. Builder and sub have stepped up to the plate to correct this, but it did take some work on my part and some bull headedness on my part. Most of the planks are being reused with some being replaced with new since they can still get them. Any comments or advice?

Laurie, Thanks for the help, I'll look into renting something like that once I get the flooring up. When I'm finished, I will be replacing the flooring with Floating wood floor. I have used this in both my houses and I really like them. Very easy to install and I would think very easy to remove. You will hear a lot of people say it should hollow when walking on them but I haven't noticed that. When the room is fisrt done, it does have a hollow feeling when walking on it but after everything get put back on the floor it's fine. I would also spend the money on the more expensive stuff and not that stuff selling for under $1 SQFT. MY SOLUTION: I'm using a floor/wood chisel and 2.5 pound sledge hammer, floor is coming up but it's slow work. I'm about 1/3 done and I've got 3-4 hour into it so far. My room is about 12X15, maybe a little bigger.

As to 'do they have to level out the floor...' side of the question, the answer is 'yes'. It should have been part of the bid (ahem...*should doesn't mean they did...best check that). They must maintain the engineered floor's warranty. And that warranty REQUIRES a flat substrate. If they do NOT do the fill/sanding (whatever is necessary) then they have VOIDED your warranty due to 'improper installation' (ie. human error). And that's when the finger pointing starts...sigh...we see it DAILY. Check your contract. If it does NOT state 'Substrate' preparation which may include patching compound/sanding to reach a level of "3mm over 3m" flatness rating (or whatever the measurement is the engineered floor REQUIRES) then you did NOT pay for it and you are NOT going to get it.

You need to get the subfloor surface flat and smooth. Any imperfection will show through the cork flooring. Also, you will need to remove the finish on the fir floor to prevent bond breaking from the glue. I suggest removing the fir floor and installing plywood.