Improvements are only eligible for Section 179 if they are Qualified Improvement Property. To be QIP, they must be non-residential.
Certain furnishings, etc in rentals are 179 eligible, but improvements do not appear to be.
Which brings up a bigger point: are you sure they're improvements?
Not to be dramatic, but real-estate depreciation gets complicated pretty quickly.
Furthermore, you can only take 179 deductions up to the amount of profit. If you just let it run through depreciation, it could create a loss and potentially offset other income on your return. If you let the 179 roll forward, it will only release in a year where you show profit.