A Woman Discovered a Secret Apartment Under Her Stairs
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As people who love renovations and spine-tingling viral moments in equal measure, we've seen a lot of spooky surprises hidden in homes. (Creepy crawl spaces? Secret messages? Entire ancient cities? The list goes on.) That said, TikToker Erin Cloudy found herself in the most polarizing predicament we've seen yet.
It had all started innocently enough: Cloudy purchased a 200-year-old flat in the United Kingdom and wanted to add some storage under her home's flight of stairs. However, this homeowner was in for a major surprise when she began the demo process and discovered her empty crawl space wasn't just an empty crawl space... Upon further investigation, Cloudy learned that the area underneath her staircase led to another staircase and a door, which revealed a space the TikToker says is "just as large as my flat." Oh, and did we mention that the spare apartment also leads to a maze of tunnels?
As we know well, more space means more design potential. Some extra square footage can be just what you need to make an in-law suite...or a home office...or a really, really cool entertaining area. "This is a dream come true," one commenter said. "Expensive, but SO worth it."
But, if the rest of TikTok has any say in the matter, this secret space is a red flag. "I'm concerned that there are other access points and somebody could use it to get inside your house," a viewer wrote. "If something is sealed by cement wood and you keep going and it sealed again, it may need to stay sealed," another noted. In fact, many followers drew a striking comparison between Cloudy's situation and the horror movie Barbarian.
Maybe it's not as bad as it seems. Another follower asked, "Do you think they closed it off because of mold or some other toxic substance like asbestos?" (Side note: If you ever discover a secret, closed-off area hidden in your home, you should always get it inspected by a professional.) It looks like we'll just have to wait and see how Cloudy's renovation turns out. Whether she's renovating her newfound space or running for the hills, we'll be sure to share updates.
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