This morning, exactly one week before we are supposed to close on our new house, we had our "independent inspection" of the house-in-progress. "Independent" in this case means "represents the buyer", which is us, as opposed to all of the other inspections that are now, already have, or are about to be taking place on behalf of the builder.

Most of the potential problems that the inspector came up with were pretty clear cut ("there's a chip in the tub" or "the ceiling fan wobbles when it's turned on"). He tested a lot of things we would never think to, nor be able to, test ourselves: the water pressure for the house (it's fine), for example, or the presence of insulation in the attic (it's there) and the crawl space (it's missing). He also noted a couple of non-obvious things, like the missing light switch outside the master bedroom for the hall light. There are two other switches for that hall light, which is why it didn't occur to me that there would be a third switch outside of the master bedroom. But, as soon as he said it, I recalled seeing the box there for the switch before the drywall went up.

With the exception of the tub (which *may* be fixable, but it may have to be completely replaced), most of the items on the list seem pretty routine. Finishing the painting (both interior and exterior), caulking the millwork, and addressing the other items shouldn't require major effort to complete.

As you can see from the photo taken this morning, they've already installed the "fifth column" under the front eve (although they still need to put in the downspout that will run along that column) and have painted more of the trim below the eve. The shutters on the second floor still need attention (as does the front door, not pictured).

...and they still have five full working days to work on all of that stuff that remains. Not bad. Not bad at all. Especially given what they've managed to do in the 48 working days they've had thus far. My confidence is high that they'll take care of the issues that remain right on time.

The next major milestone is Monday, when we have our "new owner orientation" and have a last chance to note any items that remain to be addressed before we take possession. This 54-work day schedule is absolutely flying by.