I purchased a Kenmore Elite Oasis dryer at a Sears Outlet store this summer for my new house we are building. Upon moving in our appliances, my builder said that the dryer needed to have a side vent instead of a back vent due to the construction of the house. I looked online on Sears.com and the same dryer can be configured to have a side vent when purchased. My question is can my dryer with the back vent be modified by a repairman to have a side vent? The dryer does not have any holes on the sides that can be punched out for the side vent. I scheduled a Sears repairman to come for a $65 service call to see if they can do the work to change the vent, but the Sears scheduling person could not guarantee whether they would/could do the job.

Unless the side of your dryer has a "Knock out hole" in the side near the back of the dryer, I don't think it can be changed.

Is this construction situation a mistake on his part or were the plans drawn where only the side vent would work.If it is the builders fault for not leaving enough to open a door with the vent in the back it looks like it is their fault.

The dryer does not have the knock out hole on the side. The builder said that a beam used to support the house prevented the dryer vent from going to the back of the dryer. Therefore, the vent issue is not a mistake, but the builder didn't tell us that the dryer would need to have a side vent exhaust until the house was nearly completed. I didn't think of looking where the vent would need to be installed until the time when we started moving the appliances in the house. The Sears Outlet store has agreed for me to return the dryer purchase another dryer, but it would be virtually impossible to get the same dryer with a side vent since this option has to be configured for new dryer purchases only. The Sears Outlet store only sells remanufactured items or new items with cosmetic blemishes. I can get a Kenmore or Whirlpool (Duet) dryer that does not match my Kenmore washer but does have the knock out hole on the side. Or I could sell the dryer and purchase the matching dryer with the side vent pre-configured.