You don't have to worry about the home cracking in half, but you should contact the responsible party for repairing the problem. Addressing it now may mitigate any further problems that might develop if left unchecked. I don't know how your contract reads to know who is responsible. If you hired the set-up company yourself, then perhaps it's up to you to contact them. If they were hired by your dealer, then it should be their responsibility to contact the set commpany, if indeed it is a set problem. I'd try the dealer as the first step. Even if they are not responsible for fixing the problems, they should at least be aware of it. If I were selling a product, I would like to know that the people who is installing it is doing their job properly, or at least addressing the occasional unforseen problem that may arise even with the most competent and conscientious company. Most dealers and set crews take pride in their work and should work with you to correct problems, particularly problems that my get worse if left unaddressed. Wayne

Robin, I doubt it's a moisture issue. Though if you have also made significant changes in the amount of moisture you generate (non-vented dryers, cooking, showers and plants are the usual suspects) without adding commensurate exhaust fan capacity it *might* be a factor. Tidewater Virginia is so naturally humid in the summer it's hard to see how anything could top that. Have you changed your heating system? Have you done any exterior grading or digging near the foundation? Have you changed the drainage patterns or blocked some previous drain channels, including perimeter or french drains? When you had the new windows installed, were they exact fits to the existing openings or did you change the sizes or locations? Are the new windows' walls associated with the cracking places? Have you added new door frames or removed any walls? Also, is the tile new? Perhaps it was installed as a cover-up over a problem? Are all the cracks on one side of the house or on adjacent or opposite sides? Do the cracks angle down in a consistent way over a wall? And if the cracks appear on adjacent walls are they mirror opposties in slope? Are the cracks on exterior or interior walls or both? Have you installed any heavy objects in the house: waterbeds, hot tubs, long runs of book cases, piano or giant cooking stove? Are there signs in the exterior of the brick cracking in the same patterns as the visible interior cracks? I live in a 160+ year old house and I have some cracks as deep as you described; they are somewhat seasonal. Often I will think I see a new crack, but it is just one I haven't noticed and started to worry about. (That's how I know to mark the cracks!) Actually, every single crack I've marked has magically stopped cracking - some of the cracks have had more than 20 years under marked observation. That tells me I don't have a big issue, except in my mind. Might be worth getting your home inspector back to take a look (he might do it for free since he did the inspection so recently ....) but for a thorough examination, you need a structural engineer, or an architect with a good structural engineering background - and probably an appreciation for older buildings. You might also see if you can hunt up your county engineer who might be aware of any local subsidence problems or faults. I wouldn't panic. Almost everything can be shored up, satisfactorily. One word of caution, though, I would want to work with an engineer or architect, not just a contractor in assessing the problem and devising a solution. Quick and easy is not what you want with structural issues. Correct and permanent are what you want - unfortunately, sometimes that can mean also mean not cheap. Since you are such new owners, and barring anything you created yourselves, you might want to review to see if the sellers were less than forthright. Did they live in the house prior to sale? Molly~

Oh - good idea about putting a line of caulk on before painting, never thought of that. Thanks. Altho in my bedroom the crown molding has caulking all along the top where it meets the ceiling, and in two years two sides of the room have separated. I thought maybe the caulk he used wasn't elastic enough, if there is such a thing,to give and take when the house settles now and then. I mentioned it to him one day and he said it should have been because it's a latex caulk. Yes, I know what you mean about old beadboard installations. My friend has a century home with wainscoting (same thing, right?) probably 5' up the walls around her kitchen. The white paint is old and slightly yellow (bet it was oil paint) but I see no separation. What is the secret, as you asked? We need to find out. Unless - the old wainscoting or beadboard was nailed on one single board at a time? Would that make a difference? As far as how the beadboard panels fit together, I'm not positive but I think there was just a straight edge, no lip or groove for the next panel to slide onto. But I'll ask John the next time I see him. He used a glue before he nailed them together. Did he miss gluing this particular panel?

Although correlation is not causation, the odds of this not being related to his work are very slim. I got a call from a customer several weeks after I replaced her sink, saying her dishwasher drain line had failed. I told her to call a plumber and that if her plumber said the failure had anything to do with me, I'd pay his bill. That was a month or so ago and I've heard nothing. Maybe you could make a similar arrangement.