homebild, thank you very much for your reply. I appreciate your response and answer. It makes a lot of sense and the noise lasted only 2 days in the a.m. hours. I lost some sleep over it but thankfully it's over... for now. I just noticed cracks and separations (no air coming in) at one window and we are 2 months away from our whole house warranty expiring. Is this something to be alarmed about, or is this usual wear and tear and to be expected? Should I expect to be making these types of repairs annually/seasonally? Thank you very much for your help. Much appreciation for your advice. =)