I thought you were in MA, not ME. The good news is that if it's the PT that shrank, it's done. The bad news is that if the soil is undergoing expansions and contraction cycles...it's unstable. I don't have a vast amount of experience working in clay, but I had a big bucks job in clay years ago. We actually set up something similar to a drip irrigation system around the perimeter of the foundation. The purpose was that the drip irrigation would keep the clay continually moist so it wouldn't undergo movement cycles as the clay dried and rewet. It'd essentially stay permanently wet and not move. Any excess moisture was removed by foundation perimeter and footing drains. Now, you wrote that the crawl space is sealed up... 1) For clarification, I'm assuming that there is a concrete foundation around the perimeter of this addition? Or is it built on piers? 2) If it's a poured foundation, was a rat slab (thin 2" poured slab) or a full slab poured in the crawl space? Or is the bottom of the subfloor open to soil on the ground? 3) With the clay, did your dad have any engineering analysis done with regards to soil movement or stabilization? As to "what now"...was this a Kerdi shower? Or did it have a topical membrane (HydroBan, RedGard, etc)? I remember your shower but forget the specifics of how it was built. If Kerdi, the cracks are sort of inconsequential when it comes to water penetrating into the walls. The cracks are more cosmetic unless they really open up. I'd get in touch with your installer regarding the details of the walls. Depending on how the walls were detailed/waterproofed might give you a warm fuzzy regarding letting things sit as they are while you see if movement has stabilized versus taking action (caulk the crack, etc) if water penetration may be a concern. I'd mark the ends of the cracks with blue tape and keep an eye to see if the cracks extend or if the movement has stopped or stabilized.

I've been contacted, not by phone, and it doesn't bother me a bit. I've become friendly enough with some women from other states over the years that we've visited at each other's homes. I've also met up with women here in the Chicago area and once on a trip to Utah. Confession: I did track down a woman from Rate My Space. She posted the most gorgeous garden with a view of Lake Michigan and mentioned she was in southern WI - I'm in IL, close to the WI border so I knew she couldn't be far. On a Sunday drive last fall with my husband I saw the garden from about 2 blocks away. As we drove up, I could see her working in her garden. We stopped, and as I walked over I introduced myself and told her how I recognized the garden. She laughed, knew right away who I was and told me when she's feeling frustrated about her garden she re-reads the comments I wrote at RMS to her!!! Yes, there are nut-jobs on the internet but my experiences have been 100% positive.

My kitchen work isn't finished, and there is one issue that rankles me. My GC told me I'd "love" puck lights under the cabs, as do all his clients. Before he started work I told him over the phone that I was considering fluorescents instead. He dismissively said they were more expensive and changed the subject. I guess I expected to revisit the type of UCL before they went in. Suddenly I had low-voltage wiring and 5 xenon puck lights. The pucks gave off harsh shadows, slightly heated the shelf where I keep my chocolate chips and when on resulted in horrible radio interference. After a few days, I told him I wanted them changed. He got pissy, then called me back to apologize and the wiring and lights were changed. I went out and bought new lights myself and he charged me extra to replace the wiring. My KD is furious about me paying extra. But I'm choosing to bide my time. There's still work that needs to be done that I want done right and not under a cloud of resentment. I still owe him money. When everything else is done to my satisfaction, we'll discuss the pucks. Depending on how I feel, I'm even prepared to let the $260 extra go by the wayside. While it irritates me, I need to put it into perspective.

Sometimes I have gotten good leads on contractors from friends who have had similar work done. When I need a building trades specialist and don't have a reliable lead, I've found that Angie's List is a good starting place as you can sort people by trade and by review ratings, and get detailed reviews by people who have had work done. I recently hired a tiling contractor that I had never heard of, but discovered by using Angie's List, and he turned out to be terrific. Whatever you do, get at least three bids and dig into reviews/references. Also, when you are getting serious about hiring someone, make sure that their license and insurance/bonding is current and see whether they have any complaints, all of which you can usually do by checking in with your State's department of Building and Industries. The Better Business Bureau web site is occasionally useful in seeing if there are any complaints against a contractor, although not all contractors are listed there.