What did the builder say when you told them all this?

Is this a spec home or a custom built home?

So my builder is a portfolio builder not custom which I knew they were not. All I wanted was the floor to be done correctly, was I wrong to think that?

Is the builder a large national builder whose name states with an “L”? Because that builder is notorious for major build issues and poor resolution, most especially in the houses they build in the Southeast. There have been several lawsuits. Have you closed on the house yet? The fact that they can’t get it right after three tries indicates that the floor contractor your builder is using doesn’t have the skill set to do so either in general or with the specific product you’ve chosen. I’d try one last conversation with the builder for replacement to your satisfaction on his dime, but choosing a different floor guy of your choice. You might negotiate splitting the difference with the builder. I’d also start getting prepared to escalate.

Read your contract, see an attorney to have them look over the contract. There is usually some language in the contract that warrantees against labor/material/mechanical/structural defects. They should specify what actions are required by the homeowner to make a claim. If there is no guarantee you will need to see an attorney to determine what your rights are.

Your first step, before starting a thread on Houzz, is to talk to the builder.

Find out what the builder says and if still no satisfaction find a CONSTRUCTION lawyer to know what your rights are.

Are you prepared to walk away over this? Because the builder will likely allow you to. He can sell the house for more than you are paying for it, and pretty darn quickly too, even with defective everything. Inventory is that short.

I'd want to back up my feelings about the condition with professional evaluations. I'd contact the flooring manufacturer. Ask them to send a rep to makes recommendations. You can also bolster your claim with an independant evaluation by a flooring company. One that isn't employed by your builder. I'd consider having the work done correctly by an independant installer if you don't get satisfaction from your builder. You can deduct the cost when you settle at closing or in court. If you do have an independant installer complete the job, have him cover and protect his work. Don't count on your builder.

I am making a few assumptions here that will impact the answers you get:

1. You have closed and have moved in to the home

2. You have spoken to the builder

3. The builder had the professional cleaner steam clean the floors

4. The builder knows that the flooring manager is offering to change out "a few" boards.

Can you verify or provide more detail.

Thank you for many good points to follow up with. We closed on the house almost 30 days ago. last week we had a meeting with the project manager, builder, and flooring manager. The first step was the commercial floor cleaning, which took off the extra glue but the finish is also gone from it sitting on the floor for over two months. Also I have boards that are lifting and warping from the cleaning and installation. The flooring manager told me they fired the installer due to sloppy installation work. Right now I would say 50 percent of the floor needs to be changed or reglued. The issue is from discussions they don’t think it requires it. A very good point was brought up to speak with the flooring manufacturer which I will do and also a construction lawyer. This is just so upsetting this is supposed to be our dream home and it is turning into a night mare!

@bvicare What you have not told or shown us yet, is what type of flooring is this?

I am sorry I should of mentioned it is prefinished engineered wood flooring. The houses in my area are all built on slabs. This is just one area that has the(blue tape) finish off, lifting areas, and bubbling from poor installation.

What flooring is that?

FYI, for some wood floor finishes, blue tape is not recommended ... it will lift off the finish! You might be doing more damage to it.

We built this past year and the instructions on my engineered wood floors were very clear about NO blue tape. Believe me, it was hard to get the point across to the painters!

There are two options I can think of. Go through your contract and let an attorney read that too. If there’re warranties against such defects, you can get a claim. Besides, consult some reputed builders for solutions and quotes to select the best for your place. Be sure the warranty isn’t voided.