However, the cost such as plumbing, ductwork, electrical, and lumber have to be capitalized and added to the basis of your house unless you meet any of these: 1)  The total cost is less than 2500. ( not just plumbing or electrical- total ) De minimis safe harborThe safe harbor applies to amounts paid during the tax year to acquire or produce what the regs call a “unit of property” (UOP), you must meet these requirements: (1) at the beginning of the tax year, the taxpayer has written accounting procedures treating as an expense for non-tax purposes amounts paid for property costing less than a specified dollar amount (which will be 2500 for you), or with an economic useful life of 12 months or less;.(2) the taxpayer treats the amount paid for the property as an expense on its books and records in accordance with its accounting procedures. ( do this on your bookkeeping software or whatever you utilize)(3) the amount paid for the UOP doesn't exceed $2,500. as substantiated by invoiceNote: The cost for the Unit of Property includes l additional costs (for example, delivery fees, installation services, or similar costs) if these additional costs are included on the same invoice with the tangible property. 

These days, when I install hot water tanks, room air conditioners, my CPA would expense them.

I'll be ripping up all the flooring regardless and installing lifeproof plank in the kitchens/bathrooms at a minimum. 

@Mark Futalan We have Arlo cameras installed at our own residence, they are outdoor WiFi surveilance cameras. 

It should only take a week between the template and the fabrication/install.

The way the Washington State Fire Code is written it sounds like we need to install a smoke detector and a CO detector in all bedrooms that have a heat vent from the furnace.

Will the sale be recognized by the IRS as a short-term capital gain in 2017, or will it automatically be considered an installment sale because the 1031 won't officially fail until April 16, 2018? 

It sounds like you have a lot of gaps in your understanding of taxes, and continuing on your DIY trip may backfire.

I expect whoever wants to DIY would read them and figure out if they were appropriate. 

My house can burn down and I would be back in action immediately after I had Quicken installed on a new machine.