Well doesn't look like holding back is an option so if a few things we care about we may have to push closing up. I'm still waiting on a response from the builder. Usually I have an instant response so my guess is that he is looking into things to give us an idea. It is possible closing could be pushed up no matter what too. I'm not sure if sloppy is it either, but rather us visiting sooner than expected for a walk through. Actually there are several items on the list that I would expect the builder to want to collect together such as wanting the painter to come out only once so I can understand waiting and piling some items up. Same with electrical items, flooring people to finish and fix their screw-ups. I have no idea what the splatter is, but my guess is paint. It is white so seems like a reasonable thing. Could be drywall mud too at least in kitchen from patching drywall after granite install. The things that concerns me as far as closing are: 1, 12, 23, maybe 24-26 and possibly the exhaust fan. The reason for the first ones are the disruption to us especially if they are ripping the floor up to fix and having the light moved will create a mess. Same if they have to pull out the oven cabinet. My DH lifted the oven up some so it is possible if the bottom vent of the oven is large enough they can shim it up a little to cover the cut. The hood vent would be an issue if we'd be cooking immediately which we won't due to not fully moving in for a few weeks. Exhaust fan in bath by wet areas I'm not sure if we have a case or not as there is no code requiring one, but I put it on there anyways. We changed the appliances from Stainless to black and I was told I had to get the same oven except the color due to the cut already being done for that particular oven from the cabinet maker. I'm thinking somebody did a bobo messing up on the installation of the oven and why it is missing some of the pieces that attaches to it. Builder may already be on top of this one and hence install isn't finished. As for the trim guys, I don't think they are the ones that chipped the corner trim. I think it was the wood flooring installers when they installed the quarter round. I have a photo of that corner (just by chance) and it didn't have the corner chipped in the photo before the floors. Floors were just done last week so still possible builder knows about it and just trying to get them back to fix and finish. Seems the real sloppy ones so far are the wood flooring installers since there are several items related to them. The closet rods - I've never lived somewhere where they were not poly'd at least. I agree on paint, but so easy to get splinters without some kind of finish. That one is the least of my worries though and if it is common in other areas that may be so here too. We are 90 miles away from where we currently live so ...

Well, I'm not a carpenter or a cabinet maker, but if the cabinets are to be painted, can't they make doors without floating panels? I assume floating panels are the cheaper way to go because then you are not using big pieces of wood, but in my mind, doors with floating panels are not paint grade doors. I can't really tell what this picture is showing, but I am fairly familiar with the floating panels problem so I can tell you what I do about this. I caulk them. I know they float and they will move but not caulking them looks so bad, I think that some cracking caulk down the road isn't the worst thing in the world compared to the whole project looking bad. Where there are not floating panels in the frames of the cabinets, these gaps should be caulked for sure. Be sure to use a good caulk too. The better caulks will have more flex and may not crack as easily as the cheap caulks. Stay away from DAP Alex Plus, every carpenters favorite. DAP only makes one good caulk and it's called Dynaflex 230. I also like OSI H2U.

I've never had an oven whose exterior got too hot to touch during ordinary use (other than at the vents) - that sounds like a defect, and a serious safety issue. Maybe it's overheating - the Samsung's manual does say that during a self-cleaning cycle, when it reaches much higher temps than for cooking, the exterior will get too hot to touch. Sounds like your oven may be shooting right up into self-cleaning temps instead of stopping at 400! Maybe it's an issue of a bad sensor element, but for a brand new appliance I'd expect replacement, not repair.

Well shutters are a hard no. And I couldn’t agree more that your entire budget could be spent on landscaping and still not be enough. It really feels like a concrete jungle. Do you own the parking lot? I would be willing to give up paking spaces for islands of greenery. Definitely take the advice to hire a pro to design, install, and maintain. Along with hydrangea I love beach roses for their ease of maintenance, smell, and attractiveness to birds. I love Denise‘s ideas (hi Denise!) I was anti-paint until her photos. I could see a no-maintenance limewash working with navy accents and LOTS of greenery. If not, the doors, windows, and railings need to be painted/replaced to reduce the contrast with the brick. I don’t think colonial trim is going to do this place any favors. Glass railings would be a pricy but modern update if combined with new storm doors (honestly do you NEED storm doors? Are there even bugs at the shore any more? :/ ) and other modern updates.