Get an inspection. I would be very suspicious and leary that he discourages you from getting one. Do not close until everything is satisfactory, everything from the inspection fixed, the driveway completed and the lawn mowed.

I would suggest you make a post on the Building A House Forum also. There's many knowledgeable people actively participating with first-hand experience in similar situations.

Good Luck & enjoy your new home.

Tricia

I read a story about a guy who didn't have his new home inspected. When he took his first bath upstairs he found the drain pipes had never been hooked up. Yeah, you need an inspector. A good inspector can find building defects that you would not know about for years. Of course the builder doesn't want you to have one.

what does your signed contract have about this matter?

A home inspection is a performance inspection...until the house has been "used" in terms of electricity, plumbing, HVAC, etc there is not much that the HI can tell you....
.....which is why many state regs don't classify inspection of new construction as a home inspection.

As far as the drain pipes as mentioned above....the buyer can run the water everywhere for himself...fill the sinks and tubs...a drain pipe issue will be evident very quickly.

However, there will be no way for the HI to tell if the systems of the house work as they should, with no loads on them....even plumbing leaks don't always show up right away.

If you are expecting to find out only the most basic info...fine....and if any HI pretends he can tell you more than that...find another...as the findings, by virtue of the fact that the home has yet to be "used", can indeed have many defects that are not visible and yet to show evidence of a problem as they have not been put to the test as they have been with a resale home......and therefore won't manifest themselves until after you have lived in the home for a while.

Best wishes.

There is more to inspect than just the drains.
During the foundation construction, a structural inspection of the foundation, drains and sealing of the foundation are important (besides other things). During the framing, electrical, mechanical etc. installation, inspections can reveal problems before they get covered up by drywall.
A final inspection should identify any problems that were overlooked, like no outlet for the disposal or dishwasher (yes, I've seen that), or leaky drains.
An inspector with the right qualifications, like a P.E. (Professional Engineer) will save you money and agravation in the long run.
As logic said, some problems might not surface right away. But if some problems can be identified and corrected before closing, you might enjoy living in your new home without to many major problems.

I think its hard for your sort of "normal" $300.00 HI to find much in new inspection as logic said. A lot of things are in walls now and time will tell. Then again 300.00 or 400.00 isn't much if you have a good enough guy that can at least tell you, maybe you should have a really good structural guy look at this basement because of "X". Or there's something that doesn't look right in the attic with the trusses. Partly it depends on how good a home inspector you can find (pretty hard) and how much you trust your builder.
I had a good builder. But I felt I was shortchanged because he was distracted by being in the middle of constructing his own dream house on the other side of the city - so I wasn't sure his subs were getting his normal oversight. Still, since I trusted him I felt I had to trust his subs somewhat (although he really liked his electric guy and I thought was terrible!) . He was a small builder who normally only had a few houses going at a time, usually one starting, one nearing finish and one closing.
Do you trust this guy to take care of things for a year? Is he in danger of folding? This is a very iffy time for a lot of builders. If he's in danger of or does go under, he's going to be very reluctant to correct things. Builders often operate on a fairly slim margin and if anything in your house cost more than expected, this may be why he's balking at rocking the driveway.

A good builder should have no objections to a professional home inspection. Several years ago before we closed on our new custom home the inspector found insufficient insulation in the attic, attic pull down stairs that did not operate properly, outlets that were wired wrong a dishwasher that was not secured, doors without weatherstripping and a set of gas logs that were not hooked up at all. Get an inspection and do not close until everything is done. Our builder had $4000. left in an escrow account at closing as a guarantee that he would complete the odds and ends that were not done. The few that were completed by his crews were long and drawn out and required us to be at home durung their working hours. Some were never completed. Save yourself the hassle and get the inspection and save the closing until after all is done to your satisfaction. Our builder was very nice and well known for quality building...but he can't watch all the subs all the time.

I'd just tell the builder that you'd be more comfortable hiring a HI, at your own expense, of course. Tell him you won't close until this is arranged and done. If the driveway is in your contract, do not close on the house until it's graveled and any other major jobs are completed.

While Berniek is correct regarding new construction that is about to be built, it seems to be superfluous for the OP, as his post indictes the hosue has already been pretty much completed...

"I also want to note we saw the house go up. But did not see every single detail on it."

As carolinawren cited, and as I previously mentioned, an HI can indeed find some minor issues...however, if there are any major hidden issues, chances are slim that there will be visible evidence until the house has experienced loads.