The law is pretty clear about 24 months.But if the move-out was unexpected and satisfies certain criteria, there may be an exception that allows you to prorate 21/24ths of the gain.So what required you to stop occupying? 

I'm talking new roof, new HVAC and duct work, new electrical panel, new paint, new PVC & PEX piping throughout the house, new doors, some new windows, landscaping and gravel is all fresh, new plastic in the crawl space, new outlets and switches throughout ... new garage door, roof, and paint on the single detached garage which matches the house. 

This starts from day 1 when you get the house)4. include at least 10% for scope change (unexpected reno)5. if you are selling after reno, include RE agent fees, legal, closing, and holding cost until it sellsIf you message me, I can put you in touch with a full time RE investor/flipper in Hamilton. 

Unexpected repairs, turnovers, vacancy or renters not paying.   

You need to have money set aside before starting to cover unexpected expenses. 

Also, I have had issues in the past where the company I sold for shut down unexpectedly and had bad tech support for email servers, so that's a no go.

Love the xeriscape idea, just make sure you keep your maintenance costs down as they can be an unexpected monthly cost when renting a single family home.

Each electric range is ~ $400 dollars and I haven't even priced out the cost of the install for two 240v outlets.

New counters, can lighting, new trim, outlets, fixtures, flooring, heat registers, etc. etc.

However, if the heat is electric it is far easier to add an outlet for the stove and swap out the water heater to electric so everything is electric and you can cut out an entire utility...