I am in the process of rehabbing a house that I plan to resell. I am not sure which items I can include in the cost of improvements, which will affect the cost basis. There are a lot of items that I am using that improve the value of the house, but don't necessarily stay with the house. Can I include items such as saw blades, disposable gloves, disposable ear plugs, trash bags, disposal fees, rental porta-potty, rental dump trailer, rental tools, drill bits, temporary electrical power? I am inclined to think these items would be included, bcause if I hired someone to make the improvements, they would pass on those expenses to me.
To clarify, was this house a rental or just an investment property?
This is an investment property. I have an LLC and am working rather slowly on rehab properties. I deducted business expenses such as professional fees, insurance, tools, and mileage, etc.