On Friday, February 1, 2019 at 11:10:38 AM UTC-5, Davej wrote:
On Thursday, January 31, 2019 at 8:27:06 PM UTC-6, trader_4 wrote:
On Thursday, January 31, 2019 at 7:10:19 PM UTC-5, Davej wrote:

I have now cut a roughly 3ft x 4ft hole in the ceiling above my
front door. The water pipes do stay well away from the exterior
wall (19"). The primary problem seems to be that the bats of pink
insulation that were shoved in there 19 years ago have shifted
somewhat and are out of position, however another discovery is
that the brick facade gap is also right in there. Apparently
there is a slight overhang of the upper floor right there, so the
upper wall is out farther, and I can see the top of the bricks.
I'm not sure how brick facade is normally vented. I guess it needs
to be able to vent and I don't mind that, however I think maybe it
ought to be topped with aluminum screen or something as a vermin
trap when it will actually lead into the house? I don't see any
damaged water pipe yet. I think I will also cut another hole
upstairs in the bathroom wall.

I would have waited for Spring.

More bug activity then. As it was I had a little spider jump out and
make a run for it. Doing it now also lets me know if the pipes are
cracked and perhaps leaking into the cellulose wall insulation.

Yes, I know, I was just joking, as in just ignore it and wait for it
to thaw. But sounds like the builder hosed this up, left an open air
passage from outside to the attic maybe?, that runs past this pipe.
So many of these things are just terminally stupid, but they still do it.
You'd think people in the construction trade would spot this in the process
and correct it.