I'm in the process of building a home and have run into a number of quality issues with the builder and subcontractors, which have resulted in doubling the build timeframe. That said, I am okay with it taking longer, if it's done right.

The current ongoing issue is with the siding. The product is a fiber-cement panel with a stucco finish. When it was installed almost 3 months ago and the siding was installed so poorly that I hired an inspector to come out and give me their opinion. His exact words were, "it needs to be burned down." The installers used the wrong type of trim, panels were installed crooked, there were large gaps and overcuts around windows, big gaps between panels that were messily caulked up, nails that were overshot straight through the siding all the way to the subwall resulting in tons of fairly large holes. In short, it was a mess.

After a month negotiating with the builder, they agreed that the installation was a mess, fired their subcontractor, and agreed to remove all the siding, re-wrap the house in Tyvek, and install new siding. Wanting to avoid additional issues, I suggested that they consider installing lap siding instead as they have more experience with it. They declined and said they would bring in one of their teams from Houston with more experience with the fiber cement panel installation.

3 months later, the siding has been reinstalled. I went out to the job site the first 2 days they were installing and the work looked great--none of the problems I had experienced prior. Then I had to go out of town for a week for a business trip. When I returned, they had finished 95% of the installation, but there were now problems. The siding was installed straight, with the right trim, but the installation was extremely sloppy. Too many nail holes, over-drilled nails, nails drilled in at an angle with the nail heads sticking out, nails placed too close to the edge, which cracked/crushed the siding. There are also panels (on the front of the house no less) that have broken corners, damaged edges, etc.

I met my inspector at the site today, expecting him to once again be concerned about the installation issues, but he wasn't. He thought they did a great job and didn't seem at all concerned with looking at the details or any of the issues I brought up. This time he said, "They did a fantastic job installing the new siding" and that the concerns I was bringing up are not issues at all. That they just need to caulk the nail holes, caulk the joints where siding is damaged, and it won't be an issue after it is painted--neither aesthetic nor function.

It seemed very odd to me, as the installation, which started out great, became extremely sloppy as the work continued. It looks like the same poor quality work from the previous installation.

Based on all of that, I am considering hiring another inspector. But, before I do so, I was hoping there may be some professional builders, contractors, or inspectors on Houzz that may be able to weigh in with their informed and honest opinions. I am attaching pictures below.

And I'm not sure if it matters, but this is a half-million dollar house. In Austin, that is considered an expensive home. I realize that isn't true in places like California, but here it is high-end. I only bring this up, because I expect a certain level of attention to detail for this price tag.

Thank you in advance for reading my way too long explanation. I greatly appreciate your time and input. Thank you!