House Building - Keep the Home Fires Burning

Having now lived in our new home for 2 1/2 months, it is certainly wonderful to be in! We are gradually noticing the flaws in paintwork and finishing as we see the walls in different lights. However, the carpet shows no signs of joins! We ended up with a carpet colour we liked better than the original and our builder brought us a lovely moving-in hamper. It didn't make up for the hassles and poor communication along the way, but we were impressed that even those we were most irritated with didn't take it personally or become difficult to deal with. We have yet to get the final touch-ups and finishing done, but don't anticipate any trouble there as we are quite sure the building company will be glad to get it all ticked off their list!
Our biggest post move-in issue has been the log burner. Since we moved in in the middle of winter we needed to use the fire almost daily, but at least once a week ended up with a roomful of smoke instead of heat. The plumber returned and showed us the correct location of the top-plate to prevent smoke blow-back, but we still had problems. After contacting the manufacturer, I received a somewhat condescending reply from the Sales Manager implying that there could not be anything wrong with the fire, it must be us. Not finding this very helpful, I messaged the MD of the company who took time to consider possible reasons for our problem. In the end it was suggested that using our extractor and keeping all the windows shut could be the cause, since modern homes are relatively airtight. Now wouldn't you think something as simple as that might have been pointed out in either the manufacturer's literature, or the builder's file of instructions? As it turns out, allowing some outside air in (through a partly open window) has alleviated our smoke problems. Sadly we still have a lot of soot to clean from blinds, etc. Next on the list is a fresh-air system so we don't have to keep opening windows! At least it has been a mild winter.
Remember if you are just starting to build, whatever difficulties you face along the way will be worth it once you have your own special place at last.
For us, this home is like a luxury retreat, but we don't have to go anywhere to enjoy it! No we don't have marble bathrooms and palatial rooms, but it is cosy, comfortable and inviting and it's all ours from design to decor. We have much to be thankful for!