Exactly as June states, even your contract more than likely says they can change anything just as long as it is "similar" to the model or drawings.

I think they screwed up and are trying to cover it. I get why you're annoyed - it will be more difficult to roll lawn equipment out, but not impossible. I don't know what you'll get even if they say they screwed up tho - do you want them to blast out the concrete to even it out? I'd probably use it as a bit of leverage for some other issue.

It doesn’t look like the bottom wood trim is structural in any way, can’t they just remove it?

The special steps in the contract are

1) Builder may/shall have the right to change spec home and selections if elevation varies with floor plan selected

2) Builder reserves the right to adjust the floor plan, specs, and elevation due to building codes site conditions.

I would be interested how they would argue site conditions to be a factor since the lot is flat, and all their other homes have level storage closets.

Kathryn Palm here is a better picture. Its poured concrete and is part of the foundation.

Without knowing more about the arrangement it is hard to comment on anything.

First, before I even start, is this really the hill you want to die on? If that is the biggest problem you have with your entire build, you might be the luckiest person on the planet. Seriously, play the lottery.

Next, let's suppose you are correct, what recourse does your contract allow? Most production builders will limit recourse to a refund. In other words the most you can get if he is in material breach is your money back, and I am not sure this is a material breach. Contractors are only required to build homes to standard tolerances. A garage storage closet 3" high as a material breach is a case I would not try to make.

Good luck

Thanks, bry911. I think we are more annoyed they lied about it. Its something I could live with, but its not ideal

You have a site issue that created a change.

Yeah. It’s called the “they screwed up” site issue.

Oh! Now I see it. I have been in this situation. We bought our house when it was two years old. Last summer I pulled out the plans because of a project we were about to start and found 5 things like this. it’s annoying but as bry911 says, you have to choose your battles in this situation.

You will likely have to let this go. We have a custom home, designed for us, and many times things came up that caught us by surprise. As a result we started coming by more, asking more questions, and making sure that anything that wasn't as we expected was told to us in advance and explained. We also picked what to hold them to vs what to let go of. Example, our vanity lights in the master are way higher than approved and way higher than the plan showed. The electrician conceded he didn't look at plan and put them where he thought best...face palm. It would have been a huge headache to change as we have a custom mirror with cut outs for the lights. So instead he installed all our exterior cameras for free and set up our nest system. And I know if was free because he did it after we moved in.

A S, thats how we feel with this situation too. I would be able to live with this mistake. I know it cant be corrected at this point, but i want the builder to admit it was a mistake and perhaps compensate us in some way.

Is this your home? Do you own the lot and are you paying for the build? Or have you paid a deposit and a builder owns it? Sadly you will have little say if it is builder owned in my experience. You need to figure out how to make nice, encourage them to share info with you, and still appreciate them. Builders are delicate lol.

It is builder owned and we just put a deposit down.

On the brighter side, the things stored in the storage room will stay cleaner and dryer than items in the garage because of the raised floor.

I was going to say the same thing as Mark. I'd actually prefer a raised floor - no worries of water issues in the closet.

It doesn’t look like it’s substantially different. Can they remove the trim and add a little bit of concrete so that it’s a slope to get there versus that step?