Make sure you and your contractor get the right permits but all you have to do is add temporarily walls to where you want to section off.

Thanks @Jaron Walling. 

It's oftentimes the small details that get overlooked - light switches, lighting, trims, closet doors, and if applicable fireplace mantel...Also don't forget about picking a harmonious color palette!

For instance, one property seems to have an extra bathroom that is not listed in the county records.I plan to make some modifications, including removing a closet wall to expand a bathroom and taking out a kitchen island that contains electrical outlets and a switch.

I've never seen so many grease stains on walls and so wasn't sure what to think.

For example, you want to add a wall to create a bedroom.

Outside the walls of my home, in the general public, I can't think of a single instance in my half century on the planet where having a firearm would have changed a situation or where I found myself in a situation that I could not walk/run away from to avoid conflict altogether.

Also, per the images, a crack develops in the kitchen, on the other side of the house where the wall meets the ceiling. 

And then you will purchase a new investment property and all of the gain is tax deferred indefinitely as @Jaron Walling said.The way to combine and get both advantages would be to move out and turn that property into an investment property for a year. 

& different parts of the asset can be depreciated on different schedules.To find out the useful lifespan of each component, you do a cost segregation study to analyze all of the parts.The raw land can't be depreciated so you start by giving that a value first.But other items can be depreciated on a quicker timeline.A roof, road, sidewalk, fencing, walls, gates, doors, latches, flooring, air conditioners, pavers, curbing, landscaping, etc.The IRS has a depreciation schedule for each type.Some parts are 5 yrs.