No wonder there's a draft

Today I got off a conference call to find Michael eager to show me something.

Come stand on this chair and look at that wall and tell me what you see.

Up I climbed, turned to the wall, and froze in shock. "Daylight. I see daylight."

Cracks of daylight, to be precise. Running right in between every board in the wood paneling.

We've known since the first chill of autumn in 2011 that this corner of the house was drafty. As I pieced together the series of additions that resulted in the current house, I had decided that this particular area had clearly originated as a lean-to, and that it was inadequately insulated when it was incorporated into the main living space.

Inadequately insulated is one thing. No insulation is another. And from the cracks of daylight, it is clear that wall has no insulation.

We live in northern New England. It was -1 last Thursday at 1:00 in the afternoon. ("Fahrenheit?" My co-worker in California asked me. Yes, Fahrenheit.)

And I can see daylight through the wall.

This leaves us with three questions:

1. How did we not not notice this before now?

2. How did our home inspector not notice this?

And finally.

3. What on earth were they thinking?!