So now I'm trying to find a delicate balance of trying to maintain the cost down, and not spend an exorbitant amount in renovating it.

I thought it was a fairly decent deal considering he had maintained it well, it has always historically had a great net cashflow, and it was something I thought would be a good first investment.

Professional and dependable contractors are more difficult to come by so it requires more direct involvement and poses a greater risk, and you can't be sure about time on market for resale (to @Ann Bellamy's point) so it requires holding long-term as a viable potential exit strategy (one should never rely solely on resale).

Either way, I vowed once I got through the project, I would compile my costs and pose the question and try to get some discussion on it.

You could try to roller brush them with a small roller (ultra smooth), but you would have to be careful of maintaining perfection along the grooved edges.

The way I understand cap improvement/expense is as follow:Cap Improvement = Making improvements where needed e.g renovation on poorly managed properties that improves financial performance.Cap Expense = Ongoing operating repairs and expenses to maintain financial performance. 

Does your lease clearly spell out the total scope of yard maintainance expected from the tenant? 

Hi everyone, I've maintained a somewhat quiet profile on BiggerPockets for about a year now, but figured I would re-introduce myself.

Cleaning up is part of doing business, just as maintaining a safe work site is a part of doing business.  

If the project stays on schedule, pay according to the payment applications with retainage (note that the payment applications should state trades completed- ensure to maintain retainage for each trade for punchlist completion).