In reply to Furious_E:
I hope there's something about the house you really love, man. Because as someone that's already in over my head on home renovations this is all I can think of:
My next place is either going to be boring, character- less, and brand spanking new, or a huge warehouse with industrial utilities and a small apartment somewhere in the building.
I can't see all your pics but from your description so far I recommend you pass on it, you seem to be glossing over the fact that there is a LOT of water damage/ soft floors. How bad can it be? Very very bad, if there's enough moisture to cause rot
I think I'm probably vastly overstating things in my previous two posts. Trying to be very critical, but perhaps too much so.
If I am giving the impression there is LOTS of water damage, that isnt the case at all. The issue with the brick at the front of the house is the only spot where water is actively getting in and also the only spot that appears to have been more than a drip. Absolutely no rot visible throughout the structure of the main portion of the house and no signs of major leakage that would indicate hidden areas of rot. Aforementioned spots on ceiling of the mudroom would indicate minor drips, they're very small, just mentioned them for the fact of describing the janky silicone caulk fix.
When I'm saying soft spots in the floor, I mean you step and it flexes just a bit. No worse than any other house of this age that I've been in, including some very nicely restored ones. The area in the addition that I mention is the only legit concern of rot that I have, as that's a bit more than normal old house flexy floors. That's about an 8x10 ft section.
I'll try to fix the pics, tried posting them from work and our firewall never seems to let me see pics GRM.
I saw in your profile that you're 26, and you said you and the missus are looking to make this your first house.
I'm not much older and wiser, but a little bit, at 32 and house #3. I strongly, strongly, recommend passing. Moisture spots that are clearly visible and floors that only flex "a little" are huge red flags, not minor issues. You and swmbo should have dinner and have a serious hypothetical about how much fun life will be if ALL your free time and money are going into an old house. Because they will.
At 26, buy a newish house in suburbia in great shape and with good schools, buy a jeep wrangler or other fun convertible, and blow money on fun adventures every weekend. It will be cheaper and much more enjoyable. Plus you'll be able to sell the house instantly when you want something else.
Just passing on advice I wish I would have taken :).
In reply to Flynlow:
Well she's got us covered on the Jeep already 
Seriously though, I appreciate the advice and the brutal honesty. I woke up today feeling a bit more apprehensive about the whole thing, so I think we're gonna try to take a step back for a few days and think about things while trying to gather some hard cost estimates. See where it goes from there. Still haven't gotten the septic report back either, which could very quickly sink the whole thing anyways if we have issues there.
And hey look at that, I'm a dork now!
Well I'm officially a homeowner!
It looks like I last updated this thread right about at the point we were both starting to get cold feet on the deal. We spent a lot of time talking things over with family and amongst ourselves, and had a mason out to evaluate the brick repair needed on the front. In the end, we concluded that we're getting a good house and that feeling has not changed in the weeks since. Sure it's going to take some money and a lot of sweat equity to achieve our ultimate vision for the place, but we're going into it with our eyes wide open and it's truly the type of place we both envision ourselves in. Definitely getting a deal too, I think we would have a very hard time losing money in the long run.
So many projects ahead I don't even know where to start! I'm sure I'll be tapping into the collective GRM knowledge pool plenty as I edjumucate myself on the finer points of home improvement.
Welcome to the 1800's-built homeowners club. It's rewarding, and every day that I come home to mine I get that feeling of historical nostalgia and pride.
It's maddening at times, because old homes come with their own very unique set of issues/gremlins/annoyances. But it's worth it to me. We own an 1880 built farmhouse with barn, and the character within it was just too much to pass on, despite some obvious work needing to be done with it.
I think you'll ultimately not regret your purchase, but just know that old houses are like vintage British cars- Beautiful, prone to electrical issues, complete exuberance when they're running right, and completely frustrating when they aren't, haha.
Because this thread is worthless without pics...
View from the front. Landscaping definitely needs attention and missing shutters are in the shed.
From the rear, addition in the foreground (built in '62 or '63 apparently), garage is to the left out of shot. That's a grapevine growing on the trellis above the patio, the grapes are delicious!
3 car detached garage! The lighting is great, it's got epoxy coated floors, lots of pegboard on the back wall, came with a workbench, and it's wired with 220v. It's definitely been as car guy's garage.
Interior is a bit of a mess right now due to unpacking, so I'll skip the pics of that. Project for today is getting the one cabinet properly attached to the wall. Gotta make a home depot run to find some adequate anchors for the plaster and lathe board wall.
In reply to Furious_E:
Congrats! With a garage like that who gives a berkeley about the house!!! 
Congrats! That has potential to be a really beautiful and unique place.
Be sure to take some pictures when you ultimately beat back all of that overgrowth, haha. The difference will be night and day.
That is a gorgeous house and property!! No wonder you couldn't say no. I love it. Words do not do it justice. I even love the addition, and those are hard to do right. How much land does it come with?
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