I get the idea that you are expecting quality, but at the same time you can't micromanage. This seems petty to me - it's behind a toilet. That's just my opinion, you are the one paying them so it really matters what you think in the end. As a homeowner who has had both good and bad and mediocre contractors (some who came highly recommended!), I know enough to know that you will meet a highly diverse group of people from different walks of life and sometimes you have to shrug things off. I had an awesome carpenter, but he'd walk all over my plants in my yard and I'd think, what the heck?? I'd let the behind the toilet thing go, but I'd have a problem with wobbly toilets. Also, I read your post about them getting the toilet right three times -- I'd be concerned about the wax ring. If they are dropping and lifting, you risk that the wax ring is deformed and won't create a water tight seal - which is the bigger problem. Sometimes it's better to walk away, not micromanage and let them do their job, and inspect afterwards. I had a nosey neighbor who parked his chair in his driveway and micromanaged our roofers who were not happy with it. People perform differently when they know they are being micromanaged. If you think you aren't getting what you paid for, you should say something. But you have to balance being nitpicky vs. what's reasonable. I've worked with contractors and heard horror stories about the micromanaging homeowners who complain about every little thing. I prefer to treat my contractors like human beings instead of hired workers who don't live up to my expectations. Make them a batch of cookies, and sugar coat your complaints if you have to. It will make a huge difference, believe me.

I recently met one of your members while working at my job as a Lowes Plumbing Specialist. I did not dispute the claim and the member was kind enough to send me the link to read the thread about the toilet standing so far from the wall. I assured her we would gladly take back the toilet if she would "dry fit" it first (without the wax ring) to see if the problem occured on her installation. She said it seems there is no problem. If there had been, the remedy I would have offered would be to get her a 14" rough-in BOWL, but first I would want a measure of the bowl she got. It is possible the company accidentally put a 10" rough bowl in the box. I would like to invite you to take a copy of this email to your local Lowes with a request to make the install right. This does not mean Lowes should pay for an error made long ago by your builder or contractor. It's possible there was once a different wall treatment. You may have to pay for a 14" rough bowl because of an off-standard waste hole. This problem used to occur so often in rushed construction that vanity tops were extended over the toilet tank to conceal the gap. Another solution would be an offset toilet flange. If this is a problem of the Cadet 3 toilet, I would be grateful for another picture with a yardstick on the floor to show the actual measurement to the centerline of the bolt holes. Thank you, Dr. Doorlock Specialty plumbing resolutions for over 30 years.

update 09/25: Replaced the flapper which fixed the water leak from tank to toilet problem. Confirmed this by applying the red food coloring test. Not one drop of food coloring from tank to bowl. As for the "dripping" sound from behind wall, the behavior has changed. Now, after a flush I can hear a fast dripping sound (with and without my ear to the wall) for the first minute to two minutes, then it slows to about one drip per second up to about three or four minutes. After four to five minutes the dripping sound seems to have completely stopped (although sometimes I think I hear a drop afterwards but it could just be normal plumbing sounds). I actually timed the dripping sound with a stop watch over several flushes. So this is different than before I replaced the flapper. Before the flapper was replaced the dripping sound was constant and would never stop as long as the water was turned on to the toilet. Is it normal after a flush for water to drip from the bowl into the drain pipe for a few minutes afterwards? One side note is that it is possible I am hearing something which most people don't notice because I have extraordinary hearing ability in my left ear (my right ear is deaf and the left ear has over compensated over time. Audiologists love me because hearing tests for my left ear are literally off the charts, especially in high frequencies.) Having said that, I don't hear the "dripping" sound after a flush from the other two toilets in the house, one upstairs the other downstairs. At the moment I have the water turned off to that bathroom out of an abundance of caution. One question that I have is will the fact that the water is shut off to the upstairs bathroom cause unbalanced water pressure in the plumbing which could cause a pipe to leak or break? Especially when doing something like washing clothes in the upstairs washer?

The toilet is placed in a spot that gives you no room to move. I'm remodeling because it needs to be done big time. The photo doesn't do it justice for just how small it is