As you’ve already heard, we’ve bought another house (see Buying another house). It’s actually smaller than our current house, but should allow for a little more flexibility, and easier for us to content with the arrival of our firstborn in a few months (see Be Afraid. Very Afraid.).

Yesterday was the close on our “new” house. (We had a conditional sale on our current house on Thursday.) We didn’t actually get into it until today. The previous owner asked for a little leeway as it was taking longer to move than he’d planned. We were in no rush, so what the hey…

The house was in surprisingly good shape. Overall, I was very impressed with the manner in which the house was left. My last two homes were bits of surprises when I came to find garbage everywhere. Our current house even had a sectional couch left in the basement.

Although, I should point out that the previous owner did leave behind his pool table. Yes, pool table. A big one. Who the heck leaves behind a POOL TABLE? (BTW - Anyone want it? It’s free for the taking, but you gotta come and get it.)

We went in to take pictures, tour the house and remember what we liked and what we’re going to change. And we’re going to change a lot. Especially in the basement. As you can see, I’ve added a new category — Renovations — because this is gonna be a long-lasting thread, folks. This house is going to have a lot done to it.

To kick things off, I’m providing the “starting” state in pictures. See what’s here. Because when we’re done, this won’t look anything the same (I hope). Wish us luck…

Looking across the backyardBack of the house, complete with deck and firepit-like thingThe firepit-like thingThe deck even has a natural gas outlet for a barbecue!!Looking to the backdoorThe front of the house. Note the carport, horrible paint colour, and original 1950s windows.The front door has been replaced (thankfully), but there is a weird wood wall between that and the living room.The living room isn\'t a bad size, although it has the old four-prong phone jacks still in place!The weird wood wall in the living room that blocks the front doorAn actual wood-burning fireplace with actual butt-ugly stoneThis is the butt-ugly stone, upclose. My cousin Darren needs to tell me what the heck this is...The small bedroom. The bottom of those windows come to my chin. I have no idea why they are so high up.The large bathroom has a low-flow toilet, which is about the only saving grace, I think.The hallway. Note the ORIGINAL 1950s light in the ceiling.The master bedroom. Note the really ugly light in the ceiling.The closet it tiny. The door is fake dark oak with tinted mirrors. [Shudder]The ensuite. This is one of several projects. Ensuites should always have at least a shower.Looking into the kitchenThe kitchen has a horrid daylight ceiling. It\'s not too bad, all things considered. But it needs a reno, too. This is the stairway into the basement, with a landing for the backdoor. A total waste of space in the house, and some pretty ugly wallpaper.It is really hard to make ugly look attractive. Black and white helps. A little.Okay, the coolest feature of the house is this fridge, which must be a 50s original. Good condition.The sad part is the wood panelling that was cut to fit the fridge. Someone actually though this looked good.The bar. Someone left some weird Hawaiian liquer and a bottle of Grenadine, too.Behind the wall with the fireplace is this storage area, with the sump that empties outside. This needs to be dealt with.A workspace next to the hot water heater, original furnace, a crapload of ducting, and the built-in vacuum. Oh, and the stack is in the middle of freaking floor!The space under the stairs. Apparently, there\'s a hole just off the frame at the bottom.Water softener, old washer and dryer (being replaced soon), the stack, and furnace. The wall on the right is the back of the bar.The electrical panel. The inspections date back to November 1954.This is to certify that your plumbing is ancient and in serious need of replacement.The copper pipe is corroding (witness the green), and a lot of the electrical is original cotton-wrapped stuff. Craig, feel like a trip to Calgary? Our furnace is original. This is the logo on the front. Admittedly, it is pretty cool-looking.A view across the backyard. The right side will eventually sport a garage, with luck.The view of the basement. The stairs are on the left, the wall at the back has a gas fireplace that vents through the house (can you say \"code violation\"?), and the pool table was left behind. Ugh.The room, from the end with the fireplace.