A couple’s dream of renovating their first home turned into a scene straight out of a ‘horror movie’ when they stumbled upon a secret room beneath their concrete floor.
The husband shared their eerie experience on Reddit, detailing how the discovery was made while converting their garage, which had been previously transformed into a bedroom around 50 years ago.
He said: “We did research at the county office and there are no previous records for any permits expedited for this property besides a water heater 30 years ago.”
During the renovation, he was looking to add a bathroom when he encountered a suspicious patch in the concrete, along with a small PVC pipe protruding with cut electrical wires. After breaking through the iron and concrete, he uncovered a staircase leading down to a hidden basement.
He said: “Apparently there is nothing there but I think there’s something behind the wall, do I call the cops for something like this? Is this going to cost me money? I hate drama and horror movies, what do I do?”
He then went into the basement with a torch to have a look around. “Do I call the cops?”
One viewer remarked: “Call the police on the person in charge of the camera work. But, really, it looks like a pretty basic cellar. There’s even marks on the wall from where there were likely shelves for food and canning storage. Having a root cellar was pretty normal in 50’s era constructions, depending on the area and water table.”
Another pitched in: “Don’t need to call the cops for dick. If you have a strict building dept in your town/city, they might charge you with violations for illegal work, regardless if it was already there. Don’t tell anyone, look into the building records and history of alterations for your home. Then decide if you’ll cover it back up or use it. Looks like it would make a good safe room or wine cellar. But really just clean it up and do whatever you want. Congrats on the find.”
A third contributed: “I would not call the police, nor inform or ask any government offices. That might open up a can of worms for permits that didn’t get pulled with the basement or the garage to bedroom conversion. I would see if you can locate the blueprints.
“The county building department may have them, but you’re just a curious homeowner. You definitely did not find a secret basement. The auditor’s office may also have a dwelling sketch that will show the footprint of your home blocked into sections. What has a basement, crawlspace, or just slab, if it is a one or two-story frame.”