also need to get you out here on the West coast were the trout are measured in pounds not inch's  :)  

Half inch plywood.It's nearly reasonable to assume that if the sliding glass door is broken, the entire frame is coming out.

I just start inching it back up with each new lease, where I need it to be.  

If you give an inch, they'll take a mile.

Landlording is tough...tenants are always trying to get over...if you give an inch they take a yard.

This should include: Pictures of every square inch of the property (I recommend uploading them to dropbox and sharing the link) you should have 50-70 pics.Accurate and updated comps of the property and an ARV (after repair value).

In those years, I had tenants doing an adequate job, to ones where they don't get to mow till it's over 6 to 8 inches long and neighbors complain and threaten to call the town.I found tenants who take their mowing seriously are blue collar family types.

Again, all this is going to be about finding the right guy who knows how to handle a 4-inch scraper on a roller pole.

Most of the models that I have looked at are 17 inches tall. 

I actually started telling people that when one tenants boyfriend during the lease signing was asking me to relocate shelving 2 inches higher and other such ridiculous requests.