Hoping i can just leave a beam and pillar and open it up as much as possible.

Hey Rick,I often break it down into the "four pillars" of protecting your assets.

Luc,What we typically see in the syndication market is 3 pillars:1) Acquisition fee (1-3% of the sale price for all the work to find, analyzie, acquire, and due diligence which costs money).2) Asset mgt fee (1-3% for managing the property manager and executing the business plan)3) Profits from the saleSplits are 70/30 (LP/GP split) range for experienced GPs.  

Generally though, I break it down into the "five pillars" of protecting your assets.The first pillar is avoiding unnecessary and risky activities (don't drink and drive, insurance generally won’t cover your poor decisions) and take good care of your investments(maintain your property, etc) - these simple steps will help you prevent lawsuits before they even occur.

@Peter Risko i'm  not sure if it will let me link here yet as i'm a newbie to BP but the one I use in helping estimate my REO rehabs is through Pillar to Post Inspections.

In this great pillar forum of Capitalism it is quite expected to use a fictional name from Ayn Rand's novel...

There's also some interesting stuff you can also do with barrel ceilings, pillars, and archways (which are easier to curve and get creative with when they're plaster as opposed to drywall).

That, with a foundational pillar of the economic engine gone, that is a "crash".

A quick search reveals The Valencia Group, VistaHost, Pillar and Dalwadi in the Houston area (those are just the top four that popped up).

More expensive route: (doesn't look like it would be a fit for the area) New windows, new awning with a pie top (flat on either side but triangle at front when looking straight at it), replace the cedar with a composite version, paint the siding if salvageable, and do a stone veneer up to the bottom of the windows and at the bottom of both 4x4 pillars (boxed out to 12x12").