This should be a staging post or one on rehabbing.  I couldn't resist putting the after shots up for those who followed my vacancy from an 18 year chain smoking tenant. 

Row 1:  I'm thrilled this unit is done.  Note the bathroom is fresh, clean (sorry the toilet seat is up), and newly painted in the tenant's choice of color.  New toilet (the old one was running and new guts didn't solve the problem) and vinyl floor make a huge difference. The smudge under the toilet paper holder in the left picture is not a shadow.  It was body oils from 18 years of use! The popcorn ceiling is GONE!!!!! and replaced by beautiful smooth kitchen and bath gloss paint which is mildew resistant.  The corners have been retaped on the three sides where the joints had split.

Row 2:  Remember the old screen that had 18 years of dust and smoke on it?  We couldn't see through it because of the dirt.  The picture on the right is the same window.  We can now see as clearly through the lower part of the window which has a clean screen in it as through the top!  The tenants had started to move in already before I got the after pictures.  Note the new dining area light and no more popcorn on the ceiling!  Our only glitch in the ceiling was that the primer application sometimes peeled off as we were rolling.  We guess it was because the ceiling had not been primed before the texture application and it probably should have been washed to remove the "dust" from the scraping before we painted.  I was too tired at that point to care.  Repairs in this room included removal of the textured ceiling, light replacement, retaping of the ceiling and wall joints that had split on 3 sides, new carpet, wall hole repair, and paint.  Lots and lots of paint.   But what a reward to have sparkling clean and freshly painted ceiling, walls, woodwork and windows.

Row 3:  Old smoky cobwebs were evicted with a dry Swiffer and vacuum and replaced with freshly painted ceiling and walls.  The light had been hung upside down for some reason and had wiggled loose as a result.  Turning it around stabilized the light and the fresh paint brightened the stairway.

This unit is complete.  I'm pleased to have removed the texture from the kitchen soffits, kitchen ceiling, living room, and bathroom ceilings.  All those ceilings needed taping seam repair which would have been difficult with the texture present.  Cabinets washed down with TSP.  Baseboard heat vents didn't look nearly so gruesome once they were washed.  The smoke smell is GONE and replaced by new carpet and paint smell!  Only one month lost rent which isn't too bad.

The caretaker is moving up to this unit.  He's also a long term tenant so we allowed him some color choices:  mint green bedrooms and lavendar bath.  The unit he's leaving behind will also need to be painted.  Much to my dismay, the popcorn texture ceilings there have been painted over with gloss paint.  I'm guessing they will have to remain.  It's just as well since I don't really have the energy to start that project again!  However, the bathroom ceiling was not painted and will be removed to be replaced with kitchen and bath paint also.  Once his old unit is painted the one bedroom tenant will be moving to this 2 bedroom unit and that will leave a one bedroom vacancy.  One bedroom rent loss is less hurtful than the two and spring is just around the corner!