When the previous owners abandoned the house sometime in spring of 2008, it was closed up completely. With the hot summers we have here, the water in the toilets and traps slowly evaporated, condensed on the walls, and proceeded to encourage a cornucopia of molds and fungi.
In August the power company cut service due to non-payment - fine for the summer, less so as winter came around. They (or the bank that owned the mortgage) called a plumber eventually but most of the pipes already had ice in them. Amazingly the well pressure tank and the furnace had only a few small issues, but the cold and hot water supply suffered badly because of the tortuous route the pipes have to take to get to all of the fixtures. The water sits in these dips and when it freezes it pushes joints off and splits connections. 
I had to pull down a wall or two to get to the pipes to resolder new elbows and tees. But we did end the day with cold water pressure. Three of the taps seem to have failed and don't work, there are still pinhole leaks everywhere, but we do have flushing toilets now. Consequently, Eva is awarded with one brown star for leaving the first deposit in the new septic tank. Yay Eva.
On duty: Maurice, Kirsty, Daphne, and me
Man hours of work: 15 hours
Cumulative hours: 26 hours
Cost of parts/labor: $215
Cumulative cost since purchase: $215
