House Building - Last Minute Crises

Inevitably as the house build nears completion, you will be eager to move in. Our compensation clause kicked in nearly 2 weeks ago and believe me we are anxious to take possession of our home and get settled at last.
However, if there are outstanding issues, it is really important that you don't pay that final payment and move in from desperation.
We have had carpet issues. The day after the carpet was laid, we raised the issues (very obvious joins, gaps around the walls, metal "naplock" strips lifting at the edges). Nothing but an offer of a guarantee on the carpet and it's installation was forthcoming. Now while that may have shown good faith, it did not take into account the upheaval we would face if we moved in and then had to have the whole carpet relaid.
It took some weeks, an opinion of a friend who happens to work in carpet, and steadfast refusal to take possession until things were sorted, before we saw some real action. This came in the form of another carpet layer trying to fix up the bad installation job we got the first time round.
The second carpet layer himself said it was not as good a result as we might have had starting from scratch. So further discussion took place. I called the carpet manufacturer and requested a professional opinion, and then discovered that the carpet we had chosen was a discontinued colour and there were no more stocks available anywhere in the country!
Meanwhile, we noticed that the ducting from our "down draft" extractor had numerous bends. After contacting the manufacturer and attaching pictures, they informed us that every bend resulted in a 1/3 reduction in performance of the fan. They also mentioned that the ducting looked a bit small. After measuring, we discovered that a 90mm pipe had been used instead of 150mm. Big problem for the fan motor apparently...
The building company agreed to sort these issues out and duly a concrete driller arrived and cut a new hole right through the concrete slab and out under it to the fresh air. The nine bends were reduced to 3 and the ducting was the correct size.
This perhaps illustrates the degree to which you, the owner, need to be vigilant when dealing with the "experts". Wherever you can, educate yourself. If something seems odd, check it out with the manufacturer (poor installation can void your warranty).
If at the end of the day, you decide you simply have to move in when some issues remain outstanding, at least get a written agreement on the resolving of these within a specified time frame. Generally there will be some kind of warranty or guarantee on your new home, there should also be warranties/guarantees on many of the fixtures and fittings in it. If you are in any doubt as to what is covered, check your paperwork thoroughly, and ask for a plain English explanation if it isn't clear.