So I just spent ~2 hours reading through your whole blog!
What an amazing project! It's too bad you won't get a chance to live in it, after all your hard work.
My aunt bought a cheap house (in her city, that was ~$80,000), that was a 530 sq ft 2 bed 1 bath. It had original lath and plaster walls, and a very creepy basement (there was a shower head plumbed in the middle of the floor, above the drain) and the whole thing reminded me of that old house in The Blair Witch Project, with the hanging lightbulbs.
Anyway, after about 6 months worth of work, she got it all rehabbed, and is now renting it out. I went out there one weekend (with my Dad and sister) and we sanded the wood siding (it was painted blue, and even with a mask on, my sister looked like a smurf by the end), tore out the wall between the kitchen and the living room (so a modern sized couch would fit in there), and some other tasks. The house had original hardwood floors,and a clawfoot tub, both which were saved.
I'd love to do a project like this, once I'm not working anymore. Good job!