The beauty of a good quality caulk is it's ability to move with expansion and contraction, I say caulk I don't see the need to wait a year.

+1

If a good caulking isn't enough to cover the gap...the house is moving too much.

This post was edited by windowsonwashington on Sun, Aug 18, 13 at 9:50

If your house is settling you need to consult a structural engineer to find out why and if it will continue. If it is frame shrinkage you need to verify that green or undried lumber was not used.

Why would filling interior cracks affect heating or cooling?

Why would any of this work not be the responsibility of the builder?

Use a good elastomeric caulk, not the cheap painter's caulk which will crack with movement.

I would wait until humidity is about mid point between the high and lows of your home. That way, when the moldings expand and contract with the seasons, the amount of movement the caulk it must manage successfully will fall somewhere in the middle and hopefully within its performance range, not the full span, not too much or too little applied. (Hard to describe!)

This post was edited by snookums2 on Tue, Aug 20, 13 at 0:10