Thanks moonshadow, and bud. . . I went by around noon yesterday, just to run in and pick up some beach towels quickly, and there was alot of activity - the kitchen was completely sealed off with heavy plastic sheeting, floor to ceiling, even taped securely to the floor, with a zipper entry (it was zipped up at the time - and I saw no vendors but heard alot of activity from behind the sheeting). A tube, maybe a foot and a half across, made of the same heavy sheeting, was running from the sealed-off area out through the sliding glass door - venting whatever it was to the outside (most likely through a filter first). I had read online about the need for negative pressure environments in cases of toxic mold and the sheeting was definitely being drawn in toward the area, so that was good. Also they had unloaded the cabinets that were directly beneath the hole in the ceiling and brought the contents into the living room - meaning maybe they took out that whole bank of cabinets to look behind the drywall there as well. I took some pictures and left. Around 4pm I checked back - the vendor's truck was gone and I wanted to be sure everything was locked up (also a bit curious for sure) - this time the vent tube was gone, the whole area was still completely sealed up, and now there were motors running from behind the sheeting (dehumidifier or fans or both). Even the electric cord, which was running through a really small hole in the sheeting, was surrounded by tape, and the small hole was also surrounded by tape. I said all of this to indicate it does seem like they are being super careful. I took more pictures and will go by again this morning (Tuesday) to see what's up. I appreciate your replies and I agree that at this point the complex does seem to be doing everything right. I know they are concerned about long-term damage and making sure everything is ok for the future - it's their investment and who knows where we will be in a year - but they are absolutely taking good care of us with all of this and I really don't think they could've handled it any nicer than they have (so far). I will be really curious to know what they found - do they always test in cases like this or just assume the worst and take all the precautions and that way they are covered for sure? I need to read about air testing or whatever but it seems reasonable to expect that if it was repaired under those negative pressure/sealed conditions and if we (as the residents) didn't uncover the sealed area or stir anything up over the weekend before they started work on Monday (we had moved out on Friday afternoon) - - everything else inside should be ok, right? We did consider asking about another unit - our complex has a program where you can change to another apartment with no penalty - we will see what happens over the next several days. And, we will see how everything shakes out with the whole situation before involving anyone who isn't already involved.

If you are replacing the siding and windows then adding at least 1" of continuous rigid foam on the outside is very worthwhile. The continuous layer stops thermal bridging across the framing (up to 20% of the wall area), and if taped properly eliminates air transfer. On the old part of our house we did 2" of rigid foam outside and blown in cellulose in the 2x4 walls. It made a remarkable difference in comfort and energy use. Spray foam would have been even better, but a lot more expensive. In new England houses getting a deep energy retrofit commonly add 4" of rigid foam on the exterior, that requires a carpenter with some skill and patience to attach the exterior sheathing to the studs. Our addition has 4" of closed cell spray foam in 2x6 walls with 1" of exterior rigid foam. It makes it very quiet inside!

"What I read was that it can also cause the mud to shrink and crack and it does appear that it did shrink a bit. Pre-mixed drywall mud hardens by drying out, and shrinkage occurs. There is no way to really stop shrinkage cracking except by adding another (hopefully thinner) layer. The shrinkage cracks get smaller and smaller as the mud coats get thinner and thinner. Setting compounds (like EasySand) harden by chemical reaction (like plain plaster). If they are mixed with as little water as needed to get a workable thickness the shrinkage can be essentially zero, even for large and thick patches. I have had to fill in plaster ground gaps in remodeling work, and a layer of Easysand 1-2 inches wide and an inch thick barely shrinks a few thousandths of an inch in width when setting. The Easaysand should be about the consistency of peanut butter for minimal shrinkage.

Spot bonding (and wrong waterproofing) was used on my project a couple years ago. When I asked the contractor about it, they quit. Had to rip out and rebuild with a new contractor. Sorry this is happening to you. Here's what I recommend: Tell contractor to stop work, and that you know spot binding is not allowed by industry standards. Then ask them to come for a meeting on a certain date. Before that date, hire a certified tile professional to come and do an inspection and give you a written report detailing everything that was done wrong and what it will cost to fix it. (Ask them to do a flood test and anything else they need to do to evaluate the waterproofing). Here are 2 organizations with search tools on their websites. www.tile-assn.com Click on “find a contractor” and enter your zip code. Let the miles radius be fairly large, like 50 miles or so. The excellent tile pro that built all my bathrooms was on that site in my area, but about 40 miles away bc he was near downtown and I’m in a suburb. www.ceramictilefoundation.org This site has lots of good information on it. I didn’t find my contractor on this site, but a lot of people have told me that they had luck with it. Here’s where you click to find a contractor: www.ceramictilefoundation.org/find-certified-tile-installers Also, if you are a nerd like me and you like to read, you could download a digital version of the TCNA handbook. It’s less than $40. It’s over 600 pages, but you don’t have to read the whole thing. Read the introduction (about 50 pages) and then read the shower chapters. You can skip all the other chapters such as swimming pools, etc. Reading this helped me to learn about the process and industry standards for water proofing and tile installation; it helped me to ask more informed questions, and helped a lot in my meeting with the contractor who messed up my shower. www.tcnatile.com/products-and-services/publications.html After the pro you hire for the inspection gives you his written report of all the things done wrong, have the business meeting with the contractor at the worksite and discuss all the problems. If it needs to be completely redone, ask them to do that, at their expense. They will either agree, in which case you give them a chance to redo it, or they will refuse, in which case they are effectively quitting. Confirm with them that if they don’t attempt to redo it, they are basically quitting; get them to acknowledge that fact. After the meeting follow up with an email documenting that conversation, and asking for acknowledgement, so that in the future they can’t claim that you illegally fired them. In that email, say something like “We were so disappointed that you decided to quit the project rather than fix the [ list of problems ]. Because we have to have the shower rebuilt, we are requesting a refund in the amount of [$$$] in order for us to hire a new contractor and for the purchase of replacement materials.” They will probably respond to that email to refuse you the refund, but at least then you have an electronic paper trail that shows that you did not fire them illegally, that they quit instead. You can then go to small claims or district court to sue them if you want, but that’s a real PITA. In the scenario where they agree to redo it, give them a chance. Take pictures of the demo process so you can see, and post here, the layers under the tile. If the waterproofing was also done wrong, you’ll need to getbthem to agree to do it right this time. Post here for advice about that discussion and amendment to your contract. Also take pictures twice a day (at lunch break, and in the evening) of every step of the rebuild, including all the supplies and tools. Post them here. When/if they mess it up again (and maybe have the inspector come out a second time), then you can legally fire them in most states. That’s how it is in TX where I am. If you want to know for sure you can look up your states statues online and read the construction laws. If you aren't sure and you don't want to read the laws, just assume that you have to give them a chance to fix first before firing them. After you fire them, ask for a refund and hire a real pro to start over. Consider hiring the person you hired to inspect. Sorry this is happening to you. It happened to me. It's far too common.