Lastly, I would try and manage yourself if the coa takes care of everything outside, this will allow you a cushion in case something goes wrong.

Your CPA is both right and wrong.

We found more and more issues wrong with the property like the plumbing and state guidelines.

Maybe they operate in multiple states and are applying the wrong statutes to your property?

We even went against the lessons this approach gave on one property and that property failed as a MTR (I was right, my wife was wrong on that one).

They are the source and any other source, here for example, is not adequate, not accurate and highly likely wrong..

I could be wrong though. 

With all due respect I think you have missed my point entirely and are looking at the telescope through the wrong end.The idea is not to spend $100k on a kitchen and wall it off, the idea is to have it be a separate room so there is no need to spend anything close to $100k on it in the first place and put that money towards a better use.To each there own, but I would never waste such sums on the kitchen, which even with that kind of money spent on it will still look less than appealing if it is actually well used.

As indicated if there is high appreciation, my decision will have been the wrong one but I still win because there was high appreciation.  

@J Case  those fees sound wrong.