I would work with your building dept on this coinciding with what the builder is responsible for concerning any negatives.Unfortunately this might lead to a legal action if the builder claims that aspects of the build were signed off, when in fact they might not have been. Everything should be in your records on file with the building dept as far as those inspections go.There might be a fee from the dept for further inspections but they are usually miniscule charges.

Thanks, Sierraeast. The orig. city inspec. did get back to me and suggested a reinspection with the builder, or his rep., present. He was not happy to hear about items being checked off that were not in fact corrected. I have copies of faxes sent to the builder about those things, and even a few photos, in case someone tries to claim otherwise. However, what I really care about is making sure that all safety issues were really properly resolved. It hasn't helped that smoke alarms have been going off at odd hours for the last couple of days (and we did replace the batteries.) Thinking clearly is tougher when I'm sleep deprived.

I'm not sure where you live but in our area the local city/county inspectors are so busy they typically do not do a thorough analysis/inspection. Usually, if they know the builder/electrician/plumber/HVAC they walk in, do a quick cursory glance, sign off the permit, & leave. If it is a homeowner doing their own work they usually look a little closer but still not enough to guarantee everything is to code.

Keep in mind that the inspector that did sign off is most likely in a CYA mode as they don't want to be called out for missing things even though as mentioned above they typically don't do a thorough analysis.

In regard to the smoke alarm they typically look to make sure it is there but that is it. They don't usually take a ladder in to test each one out. The new code requires that if one smoke detector goes off that all the other ones alarm as well which requires an additional wire being ran between them. I believe most electrical inspectors would look for that during the rough-in electrical inspection since it is a relatively new requirement but they don't go around & make sure every stud has a nail stop plate where required or check every receptacle for correct operation/voltage.

Also, the local jurisdiction/city/county inspections department is not legally liable for things they miss. Now if an inspector is in cahoots w/ a builder there is most likely recourse if it can be proved.

The builder & whatever trades which are listed on the permit are the ones responsible for the work being done to code & working satisfactory.

You definitely did right by hiring an inspector.

Best of luck. It would be great if the builder had the same attitude towards safety that you have.Hope it all works out for the best!

I feel for you, I really do. But good for you going to the city inspector and requesting to see their file on your home. Most people wouldn't even think of doing that. Hopefully, you'll get your loose ends tied up to meet the safety concerns you have. I hope it works out in your favor.

I can tell you from my experience, dealing with a large builders' site super is a joke. Lie, lie, lie. We've built one home and our current home was new but an inventory. Both times we dealt with the supers. They couldn't believe the things we complained about. Like a ceiling that a seam running through the middle and one side was higher than the other. Or the bowed wall. There were many more. One went to far as to walk out of our final walk thru because we refused to sign off.

It would be helpful to others if you mention just what the disputes are so that others with the same problems could be helped as well instead of the arguments between the powers that be that don't help

Sorry, didn't look at the date. Would still like to have known what the issues were