I bought the building in June and will be looking to do a cash out refinance as soon as I can  to extract the ~45k I put into it and dump it into another project.I got a MassSave (energy savings program in Mass) audit done, and they quoted around ~10k for insulation.

Assuming that you’re not in the more rural parts of the county,  you are likely to be met with quite a bit of opposition if you attempt to erect a wind turbine large enough to supply energy for the whole home.As for the self-sustaining generator -I am no physicist, so I may be wrong, but it is my understanding that a completely self sustaining generator is theoretically impossible under the current laws of physics. 

I feel like I dodged a bullet here, and I am wondering if we shouldn't have seen the first floor before making the offer, or before I contacted the lawyer and had her draw up a contract?

Unfortunately, the Sutton Power station ash ponds are significantly (5x to 6x) larger than the Dan River ash ponds according to NC DEQ Inventory of Duke Energy Coal Ash Ponds and Wilmington is significantly more populated than Eden NC, the site of the Dan River breach. 

We also have all high efficiency mechanicals, so the energy usage isn't much.The reason I asked about a garden is because invariably, green-minded tenants love to garden.

All this vigorous energy oozing out of my essence and there I was; splattering it around everything like a three year old kid frolicking around in a muddy rain puddle!

You should also do everything you can up front to "bullet proof" the property.

The 10% that tend to take up most of the landlords energy and efforts are the 10% that test people's stomachs to see if they are cut out for this business. 

To start your tought process read the file I have linked off my profile 1st paragraph:  How to buy a bullet proof portfolio.Next search for discussions on turnkeys in Memphis.   

If you can't get in touch with the existing tenant, you may be wasting your time and energy.