Don't accuse the mason of incompetence; that forces you to set standards for the work after the fact and the contractors will simply disagree. Instead, ask the General Contractor what cold weather brick construction standard he has asked his masonry sub to use. If none, ask him to find out what standard the mason did use. The standard referenced by the IRC and the IBC is "TMS 602/ACI 530.1/ASCE 6, Article 1.8 C" and is written by the Masonry Standards Joint Committee (The Masonry Society, the American Concrete Institute, and the American Society of Civil Engineers). This standard requires that new brickwork be covered in the conditions you describe. There are reference standards but they usually based on the above standard so the requirements are essentially the same. A typical architect/engineer written specification would establish TMS 602/ACI 530.1/ASCE 6 as the standard for all brickwork and often it will include a requirement that when the air temperature is expected to go below 40 degrees, before laying brick, the contractor must submit for approval a written description of the precautions to be taken. Even though TMS 602/ACI 530.1/ASCE 6 is the industry consensus and building code standard, I doubt your GC owns a copy of it since it costs $100 but for the masonry contractor it should be his bible. Why owners let home builders write contracts that omit virtually all standards and owner protections is a mystery to me.

You might consider sheet metal that has been painted black matte finish using a powder coating technique. If done right, it would resemble black cast iron which is often used in fireplace surrounds, but is probably more costly than you want to spend. You would need to hire someone to fabricate it for you. I think the black gives a distinctive look that blends nicely with almost any decor.

Drill at each corner, then drill 1/4 inch holes about 3/4 of an inch apart were you want the edges of the hole. A plugging chisel will clean out mortar from between the bricks were the hole will be. With no mortar the bricks will easily crack along the drilled rows of hole. On thing that is all but impassable is to create a hole in the middle of a brick that does not go all the way through (an 'inside corner') the height of the brick, so try to position the box to take advantage if the layout of the bricks. The box can be attached to the sheathing with screws through the back.

The foundation below-grade remains 10"; there's no structural reason for it to be 10" above grade or Codes across North America and structural engineers would specify that. Of course, if you want, you can use face-brick, stone or whatever up to the roof. In that case, you will have to ensure proper detailing to prevent moisture problems. Better yet, if rigid strength is your aim, you could have poured the entire home in concrete--ICF. Though even with ICF, you will note the concrete wall is typically reduced in thickness above-grade.Insulated Concrete Form (ICF) wall forms.