Comment on attic vents

To the real estate editor: Recalling a drowned ''go-to-church'' hairdo one subzero Sunday morning prompts this note.

You often recommend louvers and fans for attic ventilation to prevent damaging icicles and other humidity-caused problems. Do you know how truly intense cold can penetrate interior attic walls?

I have a Cape Cod, and that Saturday night the minus-10-degree F. air penetrated the insulating blanket and froze the pipes in my unused upstairs bathroom. When I opened the cellar door to investigate the leak which I noticed coming through, the ceiling tiles gave way - and so did my hairdo.

We wrapped the repaired pipes with lots of fiber glass and then repaired the wall insulation.

By the way, we had louvers and under-gutter vents installed the previous summer. Joan Brown Niles, Mich.

If you have a question on designing, improving, or maintaining your home, send it to the real-estate editor, The Christian Science Monitor, One Norway Street, Boston, Mass. 02115. Mr. Holly is a long-time West Coast builder, now living in southern Arizona.