Not perfection. However. the biggest mistake I fear was your tile selection in combination with dark grout. The pillow/bevel was asking for an issue in that combination.. No wall, is perfectly flat...........most especially any new build these days. Your choice emphasized a possibly "less than super pro skill level" . I'd re select if you re do......... but I think you own 50 % of this particular install. Just the wrong materials.

I would not be pleased with the outcome as I see it in the photo. If you accept this you live with it and the consequences should you ever sell. Too much money not to be satisfied. The tile selection was not the best choice honestly. Best wishes!

It really doesn't look bad. I bet if you don't point it out to your guests they will never see it. Really, who brings a level and a tape measure to a dinner party?

Your close up pictures reveal nothing to me. Perhaps the only close up issue I see is the 2nd close up picture with the bottom of the cabinet and the minuscule gap. I never see this corner of my kitchen. Unless you are 4' tall or constantly ducking down to see the gap you would never know it's there. I would stop being so obsessive, it's likely causing unnecessary stress.

As Elsa states, "Let it go, let it go."

I wouldn't be happy with this job. The grouting looks messy and not smooth, the tiles are not level with each other and yes, the lighting accentuates everything. The small tile and darker grout make imperfections more noticeable . However, I believe a good tiler would have prepped the walls better to minimize these issues OR pointed out the problems and suggested an alternative tile choice would be a better option.

There’s a row about a foot up from the cooktop that stands out weirdly and would really bug me.

Thanks for all the comments so far. I will admit some of the remaining issues I may not have noticed much if the overall job had been better to start. However it was initially much worse- this is the improved version after the most obvious stuff has been fixed. So in all fairness there may be some of the whole, "once you notice it, it stands out more" scenario going on. That being said, given there are so many remaining little issues (below are a few more examples, but still not all) is why I'm still leaning towards asking for further repairs or a re-do. I'd welcome any further thoughts though. (I really do want to be reasonable.) Is it really unreasonable to want to be satisfied with something so "in your face every day" after spending hundreds of thousands though? Plus as London Staging and Design, LLC mentioned, the tile being an issue at re-sell is also a very real concern.

Oh, for those that mentioned the tile was a poor selection- we didn't pick the tile. The tile wasn't up, but was already selected by the builder by the time we put an offer on the house. Thanks again.

Bad selection by the builder , especially given the skill of his sub. Bet me its some leftover he had too :)

I think it looks bad in the very first picture you posted. It doesn't matter if it is a trick of the lighting, that is your lighting so the tile needs to look good with that lighting. I wouldn't be happy either, and I'm not a very picky person on stuff like this.

Thanks for the continued feedback. I don't mind people not agreeing with me (or I wouldn't have asked ☺), but it's nice to hear it's not just us. Makes me more willing to insist on it being fixed further. I think I'll also take some people's advice and request a different tile altogether if they redo it...feel free to offer any tile suggestions that will avoid a similar situation. Guess I'll start perusing the site in case we win the battle .

Curious .... Did you get it replaced?

Sorry, for late response... We're actually still following up with builder about the backsplash. We have gotten some other items addressed but still no resolution yet on backsplash

Just an idea, keep the backsplash throughout your kitchen and put a different tile in a picture frame in that spot under the hood. Hope you get it resolved!

There's no excuse for the electrical outlet standing out like that. It would take no more than a few minutes to do it properly (and legally). I suspect that neither the electrician or the tilers were professionals.