If I had a nickle for every time Ariel found a secret room in the house, I would have two nickels. Which isn't a lot, but weird that it happened twice.
Fabulous find! I am a Nova Scotian archaeologist with a specialty in heritage buildings and I can say with 95% confidence that your smaller "bump" was likely the location one of the two internal chimneys that your house originally had, since your house is an 1860s Classic Revival / Maritime Vernacular house just like mine. Would love to chat about it further if you're interested Ariel, just drop me a line!
Really, Nova Scotian arcaeologist?? I'm in Maine, US, and I own an 1856 building with the closets alongside the chimneys, but intact. There are so many houses like this, but they normally aren't boarded over, to my knowledge.
@@SirenaSpades there’s lots of overlap between our local houses and those in New England, for sure! I’ve seen this happen in a couple of NS houses, where the chimney was framed in and covered over normally, only exposed where the fireplace or stovepipe thimble came out, and then the brick was removed later to leave a hollow space. Sometimes this happens if the house is lifted up to redo the basement in concrete, or moved to a new location (like mine was), or to make room in the basement for a furnace. There’s actually one example of a house wth a sealed-up empty chimney space 2km down the road from me right now!
It can be a good idea to get a local engineer to look over the room just to be sure if any adjustments can have unintended consequences and/or advise if anything else should be fixed while you have the access. It doesn’t cost all that much.
It’s probably been suggested already but old houses were often built with spaces to add laundry chutes and dumbwaiters later after the family got wealthier and could afford to do the upgrades. Thanks for sharing!
@@AutoReport1 it could be used by first owner to spy on bathroom, but after its done it was sealed off, and probably the entrance not from bathroom but on the other side
Wow! Such a fun discovery. I’m an interior designer and here are a few thoughts I had. One thing to think about is the view of the bathroom upon entering. It’s nice to see something beautiful when you first walk in. That could be achieved by having a large vanity to the left of the window. Then, you could put the shower in the new space that you gained. Sometimes having too large of a space makes the showering experience feel cold even while standing under hot water (ask me how I know). Then, for the sloping area, you could still have the built ins and have a ton of storage. And as for the toilet, it could be nice to build a pony wall just a few feet to the left of the door upon walking in (maybe make it look nice with a piece of wood on top, not just drywall). The nice thing about the pony wall is then you don’t see the toilet when you first walk in, one feels a bit more secure when on the toilet, and there could even be shallow, open storage on the toilet side of the wall to hold items like extra toilet paper, a toilet scrub brush, etc. Looking forward to seeing what you decide to do!
I agree that she has the option for more storage with the first plan then she would with the wet room plan. With the wet room on the sloped side there would be a lot of dead floor space under the slope that is essentially wasted. I also second your comment about a door on the shower - it is very nice in an old drafty house to have the shower fully enclosed!!
I love this idea, the vanity on the window wall is nice for natural lighting while getting ready too! Totally agree about the cosy enclosed shower and making the loo less exposed too ❤👌👏 Ariel could really make a beautiful feature of the vanity wall. Also highly recommend putting a bench in the shower and recessed shelves since it's nice and long there would be plenty of room.
It’s about time that there was a secret room in that house! I really hope you add a bookcase in the big bedroom that has a secret room behind it. Just sayin’.
TIP: Make a measured floor plan of the house and look for places where the dimensions don't add up. There are bonus spaces and maybe even hidden rooms in there. My dad opened out two enclosed spaces in a laundry room and got enough extra for a pantry. In a 1960s house! It was "contractor convenience" to use prefab cupboards and there was leftover space between walls and the cupboards on the other side.
This is the first one I’ve been able to watch since my grandmother passed, we watched it together as she went thru her chemo. I think she would be amazing by this
The thing to consider with wet rooms is that not all buildings are made for it. If you've got a wood framed old building that expands, contracts, breathes and moves, the sealant is more likely to fail and end up leaking.
you can have a wet room in a wooden building, how would all of Scandinavia survive otherwise? the issue however is that the membranes are made to last only about 20 years and then have to be changed.
@@diandrad1414 A very good point! I'm not saying wooden per-se, I'm saying houses that move a lot. Where I am we have old houses that really move during the weather and the year. Wet rooms are less recommended for this.
@@robinanna5531 I live in a wooden house from 1842 and it's bathrooms are not approved after today's standard.. (a new bathroom in Norway costs 15-30k $, so we have to save), but we have not had any issues with it in the winter/summer. Our biggest issue are the doors that fit/don't fit depending on the season.
@@diandrad1414 Interesting! I'm in an old timber frame house (not exactly sure of year) that moves throughout the year and we're recommended either tanking, membrane significantly above floor level, or shower tray. 🤷 We also have sticky doors. 😅
As a german its always so funny to see how yall can remove whole walls so easily (even tho I saw it so often in different kind of reno or diy videos :D)
@@ita104none of those walls are load-bearing, you could the same for most of the interior walls in masonry homes too, there's just more trash to get rid off 😄
@@keke5577 basically most of the houses in Europe have brick, concrete or other solid material internal walls even built to this day. Now they just use aerater concrete, silicate (pressurized sand or calcium) or some other kind of ceramic or concrete blocks. Even reinforced concrete is very common.
Check with a plumber and see the logistics (and expense) of moving the drains and toilet. When we added a bathroom to our house, everything ended up where the plumber thought it was the most feasible. Good thing I didn’t make plans and have to change them! Also, if you do the wet room idea, you will lose that built-in storage you mentioned. Maybe a tub/shower combo would work since you have the space for a tub.
Yeah, I was thinking put a bathtub with a shower in the new end so added storage. Usually any house built before the 50s has limited storage. One of my friends was complaining about how small her closets where in her 1922 house. "You can only fit about 3 suits in there!" and I pointed out that that was probably about what her grandfather had per season.
@@kitefan1 My house was built in 1900 from sears and robucks and brought in on a train. The house has been remolded a number of times. We have 3 rooms upstairs. One the master, office/living room and a spare room. We have a half bath that is in a closet. When we bought this house we ripped out everything that we did not want which included all of the closets. We gained 2 large areas under the roof ( 2 domers. One domer is the office and part of the master and spare room, 2nd domer is on the other side which includes the stairs.) because the master and spare room are massive we have split the room in to 2 which has a full walk in closet with part under the roof and part with a window. it does look odd yet works and squares up the rooms much better. To be honest I hate houses with domers because they are considered wasted space and an over complex design where it should not have been. Nothing original is left in the house, just a lot of poor remodels. It wont be long before this house is torn down. I am hoping in 5 years to have a new house built.
@@kameljoe21 Before you tear it down you might see if it's movable and someone wants to buy it. Those Sears kit houses can be quite the collectors item.
The wet room idea is nice if you need a bath tub. However, you lose out on a lot of storage and have to do a lot of plumbing work to move toilet. I think the first plan would be most straightforward, saves a lot of time/money and storage space. Only cons I can think of are 1) no tub (fine for some people) and 2) toilet right across from mirror at vanity could be a little awkward haha (and might want to check clearance space between the two).
I like the first plan better too because the wet room seems so airy that it might be a chilly experience, I feel like sometimes it's good to have a smaller tub/shower space to keep in the warmth.
This is totally just a aesthetic suggestion but if you put the shower in the new space, it’d be so nice to switch the toilet to the other wall so when you walk in you don’t see it/see the pretty vanity and mirror! obviously moving the toilet just for that is a bit silly but…
As for the fake vent, my parents created one in our house when I was kid. They used it as a hiding spot for important documents and other valuables. I had totally forgotten about that until I saw yours!
To me one of the craziest parts was the fake vent! Who goes through all the effort of building a wall and installing a sink while leaving a fake vent?!
Looking at the hole in the floor beneath it, it probably was functional at some point. When it became obsolete, it was cheaper and easier to just leave it in place instead of redoing the wall. And 5 owners later, nobody's left who knows that vent is a remnant.
I used to own a house built in 2003 that had a vent in the bathroom floor. When I replaced the flooring and pulled up the vent cover I found the base of the thing was covered in duct tape. So I went under the house; no duct had ever been connected to that vent. I don't know if the builder simply forgot to attach it or just installed it for the aesthetics. The house was always cold and drafty so I never noticed that heat never came out of the vent. It was a badly built money pit.
They probably needed a vent to pass inspection, so they just faked one. Bathrooms have to have some kind of ventilation, maybe they didn't know how to do it so they just put a fake one in?
First, I'm so glad that I found your page. Most of my adult life, I've been remodeling older houses and loved every minute. Second, those "not beams" are called studs. You have great vision with your plans, but when you start moving things around in a bathroom there's going to be headaches. I truly wish you luck and also wish that I could be there to help...lol.
Im personally not a huge fan of the wet room, it'll be in the slanted wall section and seems dangerous having a wet floor while having to crouch. I think full height shower is the way to go, then you have the whole other side of the room for storage!
Having a full height, not load bearing, secret room in your house is just the stuff of dreams. So exciting! I vote for the 1st plan, having the shower in the main full height area feels much better to me, and having the slanted part of the room as a big built in storage area
FYI this is the video that brought me to your channel! It was featured on my home page as I was scrolling one night, the thumbnail peaked my interest so I clicked. I'm so in love with your presentation energy and thought process as you work on things, that I've subscribed. In the past 24 hours I've pretty much watched every one of your home renovation videos. Thank you so much for your creative and entertaining content!
I think I'd consult a bathroom planner/decorator as to the best placement of fixtures and the kinds of surfaces and fixtures available. They can mock up some plans for you and show the various configurations possible. They may have some fresh ideas, being in the industry and suggest something you hadn't even though of that would work brilliantly. Congratulations on the new space!!!
One of her recent videos was actually THREE different designs done by bathroom planners. To be honest,they were a bit underwhelming as far as practicality and utilizing the space. (The comment section had more interesting ideas.)
I like the first of your two ideas! I think having the shower in that new space is comfortable and makes sense with the full ceiling, and having a larger vanity is luxurious, plus you can still use the remaining sloped space for more storage. I also read another comment about how it's harder to move a toilet. I look forward to what you do!
My first thought was to make the "unknown void" into a large shower. There is room for a shower bench to make leg shaving easier and safer. Just don't put the plumbing on the outside wall. Keeping the plumbing on an inside wall keeps the pipes from freezing during the winter. I am planning on remodeling my kitchen and bathroom, and I plan on putting floor drains in both rooms. In this way, should I have an overflow, (dishwasher, sink, toilet, busted pipe) then the rest of the house is safe from water damage. Kitchens are the most likely room for a really messy spill, (Yes, I have dropped an entire dozen of eggs.) and the mishap could be washed down the drain instead of trying to wipe the disaster up with a roll of paper towels.
your laugh after your finding is one of the most genuine things I've heard. somehow I think in Italy these findings are almost impossible because all house planimetries are registered. can't wait to see how your renovation will evolve 😍
Im a residential architect that works specifically on historic and landmarked homes. Notes! 1. You probably cant move the toilet unless you do a lot of work both in this room, and the rooms below and above (including the roof). 2. it is easier to move water and drain lines for showers and sinks - but know that if you have a beam below (not just joists) - it is harder. 3. A shower or wet room needs a sloped floor to the drain. You either have to build up with a step into the space, or carve into the joists (probably not recommended unless you are connected with a really good structural engineer) It is about 1/2" per foot of slope (depending on your local codes) This is easy to do in a shower and we a used to walking into a 2"" shower stall. If you do a wet room you are might be talking a 5" or more step to your shower. 4. Wet rooms are great, but they are harder to feel warm in a cold climate. A typical shower is easy to heat up with steam and hot water behind a curtain or glass, but the bigger the spaces is - the harder it is for it to feel warm and not drafty. 5. Cool house!
Also architect here: the entire bathroom is a wet room and should be treated as such. You’ll want the prep the entire space with waterproofing: full height in and around a shower or tub, the full floor, and at least 8” up the walls everywhere else. Check out laticrete. You’ll also want to make sure anything you use to build out that space mitigates moisture from entering the vertical shaft or you’ll have a very serious mold problem against structural elements very quickly. And I don’t just mean sealant/caulk, which should be your first line of defense (not your only!). Seconding my fellow Archie re relocating items, especially in an older house and on a smaller budget these may be prohibitive. Third, I’d recommend actually installing a vent in this room. Again this will help with mitigating moisture problems. Bonus points if it’s mechanically done but there are ways to passively promote a well-ventilated space. I don’t recall what the space is directly adjacent to the bathroom but you could also consider relocating the door, which should be fairly easy as long as the room/hall adjacent allows for it.
UK shower engineers daughter.... (family dinners full of bathroom renovation talk), wet rooms are a lot of work, and if you have a leak its hard to find and to fix. but also if you put a bath tub in don't forget to reinforce the floor, water weighs a lot. my surjection would be to install a tub in the new area with a shower above it with a glass screen. the shower head should be above the taps and drain. you have to re due the floor and walls in this area anyway.
So there's a secret attic space and now a secret room behind the bathroom. So now we need a secret tunnel. I can't wait to see how your secret rooms turn out! (I'm so excited for the attic one!)
I like the first design idea putting the shower in the new space, leaving toilet, relocating the sink and THEN--making a built in unit at the low point of the room for towels, washcloths, toiletries and supplies. If you need a tub just do a tub/shower combination.
Historically speaking, if the house is built Pre 1890 it would sometimes have a 'escape chimney'. They were accessible from each floor of the house to either get to the top floor or down to the basement to escape in the event that the house was attacked. Many of them were accessible through closets. So that area where you can look up into the attic and down to the first floor could possibly be one.
I'm moving into a 170+ year-old house in about a month, and I completely expect to find weird things like this. In fact, I already know there's a whole damn attic with no access point. Old houses are the weirdest, most wonderful things!
Your house is a gift! i love that you went in to do a little paint job and your house said "Oh you were worried about the room size? Here you go" 😂 Looking forward to future bathroom project!
Love option number 2 but a possible option 3: vintage tub/shower combo in the mystery closet area. Your vanity and sink on one wall with mirror. Toilet on other. Storage in the slated area for toiletries and towels. Just throwing the idea out there. Either way, plumbing would need relocated anyways and the whole space is utilized. At the end of the day, it just makes me happy to see now you've got more to work with. It was truly a miracle this happened and all us viewers, including me, are so happy for you.
I think the slanted part of the room where you can't put much else would be great for built in custom cabinetry to utilize the weird roof line. Bathtub across from it beside the toilet, then the sink and shower in the newly discovered space
The house I grew up in was originally built in 1914. As the years went on it was remodeled, added on to, and expanded. When my parents bought it in the 80’s and gutted the house. There were secret rooms everywhere and every upstairs room had a secret access to the attic. You only found the access if you went through the attic. We realized of course the attic was just a giant crawl space, but my sister did get a bigger bathroom from her secret room….by the way, welcome to your own money pit. Even though the house was finally completed, it always needed something fixed. They finally put the last light in the hallway 2 months before they sold it. The light was brilliant.
I love the enthusiasm you bring to your project. Props to you for drawing out your floor plan. It helps so much to see the room from above. You might want to draw it to scale if you haven't already. Then you will have a better idea of what space you have to work with and what will fit where. Take your time and enjoy the planning. You can draw all the various ideas you have for your room and choose the one you like best before pound a single nail. Best wishes in all your endeavors.
I vote for option 1!! From watching home renovation shows I’m under the impression that moving the toilet could be a hassle and even potentially cause issues to the ceiling of the floor below depending on clearance space between levels. Also, as cool as the wet room sounds, that is a LOT of tiles for the floor and walls which could get super expensive and then you also have to worry about your old house and how it might settle and cause seal issues. With option 1 you can still do a tub/shower combo and also still have tons of storage in the back corner like you originally planned. More storage is always good! Of course that’s just my thoughts and I don’t know what will truly work best for you and your family, but I’m super excited to see what you decide and how it all turns out!
@@DeborahThird-og1uo Some friends rented a big house in a community near where we had gone to college. There were five or six of them, freshly graduated and just starting their careers, so cheap rent was important. One friend that wanted to be a writer even lived in a shed on the property. It was a disheveled old house with a big overgrown yard, built in the 20s or 30s. It was at the top of a hill and would have had nice views if anyone had trimmed the trees.The story was that it was built by a chief of police. Anyway, the friend who had found the house started fixing up the basement so they could squeeze in another roommate and make everyone’s rent cheaper. He ripped out some paneling and found a secret door, and the door led to a secret room. It was spooky, but not in a haunted sense. There were ring bolts anchored to the concrete walls. And there was a drain in the center of the floor. We called it "the torture room". My friend gave up the idea of remodeling the basement, and it became "part of the tour" for visitors that hadn't previously visited the house. I suspect it was used by the original owner to "interrogate" suspects. But it might have been a S&M dungeon. There was also a theory that maybe a previous owner was a serial killer, but there was no evidence to support that theory. I'll tell you, though. It was the drain that i found the most troubling, more than the eyebolts that could have been used to chain people to the wall. Why was there a drain? For blood? For hosing down the room? It's easy to imagine the worst.
I like the green plan better than the orange one. Makes sense to utilize the shorter ceiling height for linen and toiletry storage.This would massively reduce your tile and glass costs, as well as prevent you from having to relocate the toilet septic situation. Would also allow for a bigger counter space which I know you're after
I agree. It is my understanding (which admittedly is limited when it comes to construction) that it is far more costly to relocate pluming like that. I would try to keep the toilet in the same spot.
8:53 You can even see the outline of the old closet door in the baseboards! You could also look into wetroom shower kits to help make sure everything is angled the right way with your new plan ideas.
I love this! You just popped up in my feed. I have a lot of catching up to do. In my younger years, I bought, remodeled and or restored older homes. I never found a secret room but have added a few in the past. So exciting to “see” history.
I have reaccuring dreams that I bought a house in which I keep finding new secret rooms and spaces. You have been living in my dreams. I utterly adore you and the work you do.
I don't understand how you wouldn't notice that the bathroom wall isn't backed against the next room... or that the floor plan doesn't line up! Or do other people not draw a floor plan of their house when they move in.... Now that I think about it that might be a my-mum's-an-architect thing haha
My family lived in an 1890s house where there was a walled over room. From the opening where we could look in we could make out an old sowing machine in the middle of the room. We never got to remove anything to get in there cuz it was a rental and the land lord didn’t want to open it up becuz it was an area where the root was slanted lower but it was still pretty cool!
So, in Korea and a lot of other places, the entire bathroom is usually a “wet” room where we can wash down everything, toilet included. Trust me, it’s AMAZING to be able to just spray down your entire toilet. It makes cleaning it so much easier. I’d suggest you look at examples of Korean bathrooms and see what I mean! It’s great that you found exactly what you needed for this space which is more room! I’m excited to see how it turns out! ❤
I have been in many Korean wet bathrooms and as a westerner I hate them. Everything is always wet and moldy. When i have to go back into the bathroom after a shower it’s wet for hours. Toilet paper is damp from the moisture. No thank you!
@@whateverislovely8654 Yeah some older buildings/bathrooms that don’t have good ventilation end up like that, but I live in a newer apartment with good ventilation and we keep it clean, so it’s not really an issue. Our toilet paper is also protected in a little hole and covering so it stays totally dry. Just depends on how the bathroom is designed/maintained. It’s not an issue of wet bathrooms as a whole.
I loved the wet bathroom in China but you absolutely have to plan carefully. Good ventilation, protected spaces for toilet paper or other necessities, ability to squeegee under cabinets or around fixtures. Definitely look into examples
my concern for the wetroom idea is cold. having grown up in Wisconsin I know how cold it gets in the winter and that was a modern house! I wouldn' t want you to build this lavish dream bathroom and then shiver through your showers 9 months of the year.
A wet room sounds cold and also you'd lose space for storage 😅 your first idea was exactly what I had in mind, but with the whole slanted area as a bigger closet than you had imagined back when the room was smaller.
I think the sloped wall could be used very efficiently for a vanity area. The lower portion could have a custom vanity that allows deeper storage, with portions on wheels that slide out. The part above the counter could have a sort of "appliance garage" behind the plane of the mirror. Shallower storage going toward the top. Sliding mirror doors to allow access to everything and / or some open storage. Vanity light hanging or mounted from the highest part of the slope, over the mirror.
the wet room idea is so cool!! its so awesome how you randomly found all of this extra space after you were stressing out about how you wanted to plan the bathroom!!! i hope you find an idea you fall in love w (and that isn't too difficult to pull off!)
What you need to do is inspect the space under and around the new space to see what option is feasible. We can dream up a bathroom but sometimes because of certain structures it won’t work, ie the toilet placement and running new plumbing. So probably should have a plumber come see if either of your ideas would be doable.
Yeah as an architect, toilet placement is the hardest to change around, obviously not impossible. Notice how in most houses, the toilets are lined up between floors. If you are going to move it, know that it will need to go straight down through the house to connect to the sewer. It it (generally) much easier to run new water and drain lines for sinks.
@@rebeccab2446 you are correct, ive seen some people cheat and run the waste pipe for toilet changes to the exterior of the house and down the outside wall but to me as a plumber it looks really cheesy and im sure its probably not allowed in some jurisdictions. depending on how much of the wood she is willing to expose and the current type of drain pipe used in that house, there are options to move a toilet though
What a stroke of luck!! You COULD always leave everything where it is (including the new sink where it was going to be, but at the SIDE of it, you could have a door into the "secret room", and THAT could be the shower (you'd have to tile/waterproof it of course) - that way, you can keep a bath (which is always handy for bathing babies/dogs/washing blankets) but also have a shower for everyday washing. And since the hot and cold water are already plumbed into that area for the sink, having the shower behind it would save on plumbing costs too. Whatever you do, I'm sure it will be great though. I love seeing the house coming along! kindest regards, k
oo I love this actually! It would have so much character and uniqueness, and also be reflective of what a neat process this renovation has been. Like a secret shower. It might look weird, but I can picture leaving each side panel open on each side of the sink, having like a "glass window" sort of effect maybe. You'd be foregoing on the large vanity idea, but there's so many compact vanities with lots of drawer space available (thinking of Ikea) plus another medicine cabinet that is not recessed. And then still having the beauty of a claw foot tub where the tub has previously been... and it's not like "dang, you have a huge tub and huge shower in here" visually... and most European homes seem to make use of the vaulted ceiling space with very useful cabinetry. So many opportunities for ideas, can't wait to see what happens!
In Australia, almost all of their bathrooms are wet rooms and it’s honestly changed by life since moving here. Easier to clean, easier to keep dry and wet separate, looks pretty etc.
I would not say all our bathrooms are wet rooms! It’s popular in new homes to have the tub and shower in one area but lots of homes have them separate. Do you mean that basically all bathrooms have a tiled floor and tiles going at least some way up the walls?
I live in Europe, and I'm sure there are non wetroom bathrooms here too, but tbh I discovered last month that wetrooms are not a universal phenomenon... I was so confused at home renovations that put WALLPAPER in their bathrooms 😂🙈
@@elephantastics I'm kinda confused on what wetrooms are exactly. If it's bathrooms that are tiled, then I'd say they're pretty prominent in Europe, at least tiled floors with partially tiled walls. If it's tiled bathrooms + freestanding showers with no shower-base, I'd say they're newer thing at least in my country.
I'm in the US, and, yes, what IS a wet room? I understood it to be a creepy no wall shower room, with a drain somewhere out in the floor. I always think they'd be so much harder to clean - 'cause you have to scrub EVERYWHERE, not just in the shower stall.
I love the idea of turning the new space into a shower ❤ How awesome to find that much unused space! My biggest question is Why? Why did they block off the closet instead of using it? So weird
omg!! obsessed with this discovery! Ever since you did the last video on the space and I read several comments on wet rooms, I have been HOPING you would go that route. My vote is that you leave the toilet where it is, enclose it in the wet room, keep your tub & the shower, maybe build some wet room appropriate built ins/shelving, then use your new found space for your beautiful, large vanity and more storage! or you could even do a powder room type vibe outside of the wet room and have a little settee or something like that in there!
You pulling the mirror out reminded me of that scene in Candyman, where everyone's bathrooms in an apartment complex (I think it was called Colleen Green?) was connected by a random hallway. They were also suspiciously big enough for the reporter lady to get in.
Cabrini green. First thing I thought of too! That part was based on a real life with the way certain apartments were built. This is the much less horrifying version lol
Something you could do is go with idea 1, but instead of just a shower, maybe get a nice shower-tub combo. Plus, if you feel like you still need a lot of storage, do the built-in storage along that back wall and connect it to the sink storage in a sort of little L shape.
As some others have hinted, you can discover tons of information on your home and its construction and improvements in some interesting ways. I’m a retired researcher who has created biographies for almost all of the homes I’ve lived in. Here are some tips for resources: 1. Pull plat maps and permits: Beginning with the oldest and working forward, follow the rabbit trail for your home’s construction and/or any improvements made over the years/decades. Often, even if your home is two hundred+ years old, those records are still available. Back in the day, I would physically haul myself down to the local historical society, the library, and the permit office, etc. to pour over microfishe, but nowadays, tons of that information is freely available with a library card. (Don’t forget to ask the most obvious question: Is there an architect or firm attached to the build?) 2. I don’t know if they have these in Canada, but I find it’s helpful to pull Sanborn maps as well. Sanborn maps are plot maps that were commissioned by fire insurance companies. They are fantastic for checking for changes in utilities and services as well as seeing any external house changes. If there was an addition or a pull down, you’ll find it here faster than tracking a permit which-let’s be honest-weren’t always applied for. Use that information to date any hardware-even nails-that you uncover. 3. Census records, deeds, tax records, and newspaper ads*: Look for personal notice’s such as obituaries, job listings, requests for builders, business opportunities, arrests, convictions, and other legal notices, etc. Basically, anything with your address listed. With that information in-hand, you can track previous owners and contact surviving relatives to ask if they have internal and/or external photos of your home. Or even if they have any family stories/lore that could hint to any changes made. When I was doing this research in Washington DC, for example, I was able to track when homes were used as boarding houses or broken up into apartments during wartime when demand for housing around the seat of government was at an all-time high. In those instances, you’ll be able to surmise why rooms might have been altered or blocked off the way they were which in turn can provide a ton of information about structural integrity as well as design ideas moving forward. Was your town ever the location for a munitions factory or any other wartime industry? If so, check veterans records for people who may have boarded offline (ie not on official rolls). 4. Library of Congress: Even though you’re Canadian, check the Library of Congress in the U.S. It doesn’t just archive American history. 5. Lastly, a good resource for land records is Indian Affairs. Reading them is heartbreaking,but it does reveal a tone of detail. In my case-with my current home-newspaper employment ads for the development of the railroad opened up a massive amount of information. My house was built in the late 1840s to house a mass influx of Irish famine refugees brought over to work on the railroad. It was the FEMA trailer of its day and never meant to survive all that long. But, poor people being the ingenious economic warriors that they are led to the house still being here 173 years later. The mystery for me was the ghost sign on the original exterior of my house-currently my interior living room wall-that was painted on the first floor. It didn’t make sense for an advertisement to be on the first floor so I hit the newspapers and found that an Irishman whose passage was paid for by the B&O Railroad bartered his way into homeownership by offering his bricklayer services for free in exchange for one of the houses. The house began as a simple two-level brick shelter with one shared potbelly stove and an outhouse in the yard. There weren’t any rooms per se; it was just an up-and-down boarding house. Within twenty years, the bricklayer turned it into a single family home upstairs and a saloon downstairs. Twenty years after that, an addition was added to the back to hold boxing matches in which fighters were brought down from Boston and New York. It was so successful that 20 kegs a week rolled through the joint even though there were saloons approximately every five blocks or so…and the square footage of the entire downstairs is only 300ish-sq-ft. The ghost sign was painted on the first floor wall in order to be at eye-level of the patrons watching the boxing matches. Even so, its most successful era by far though was as a speakeasy. 😅 Good luck! *Don’t be swayed by the cost of subscribing to newspapers.com in your research. Libraries in the U.S. have subscriptions to the service so one can access their records for free. Check if Canadian libraries do that too.
Wow, now you discovered the other secret room that goes upstairs. You can add a door from the hall, use the closet space for the restroom and close that extra other space again. Once the door is added from the hall, you can add spiral stairs to the attic and hopefully the attic is big enough for an additional room or loft.
Last idea is great, but have in mind that toilets are very difficult to relocate. Especially so far away from the original position you'd have to also move the waste pipes. They might be able to do something with the old sink track, as it's close and theoretically can be re-purposed (the waste pipe is much larger in diameter, though, so there would be a bunch of floor removal and such). Fingers crossed.
Option 1 was what I was thinking as soon as you revealed the size of the space. It’s pretty perfectly “large but not too large shower” size. And it seems more practical and easier to execute. I’m so happy you will get a shower with a full height ceiling!!
This was so fascinating, old houses have such incredible hidden stories and it's so fun to see you uncover the mysteries of your house. I can't wait to see how you utilize your newfound space, looking forward to seeing more!
I think you should make a small 3D scale mockup of the space and all the components, so you visualize everything more completely with the strange roofline situation. Moving those components around and looking at the mockup will help you think about how you'll move through that space more fully than a flat drawing, I think.
„There was no secret, unfortunately“ -Ariel 3 years ago in „I bought an old house without seeing it!!“ while opening the mirror above the sink!! Couldn’t have been any more wrong!! 😂
Wow! Ok, this is the first video pf yours that found me. I went and watched a bunch of the other reno videos and I AM INVESTED! I can not wait to see this bathroom in it’s finished glory!!!
This is so exciting! I figured that the bathroom had just been the smallest bedroom and with the slanted room, the owners in the past made that the bathroom rather than someone's bedroom. Makes sense. Happened in a lot of houses like yours. I had just assumed the window go cut off because someone put an insulated wall in, not a secret closet! It'd be a lot of fun if you had designers take another pass at designing a bathroom, because the comparisons would be so interesting in light of the new discovery. (Also, shoutout to all the others born in 1992, the same year as your new mugs!)
I like the first new idea; it seems like it will make better use of the space and the idea of having a wetroom where the wall is slanted just sounds awkward. But it is your space so hopefully whichever layout you choose makes you happy. You seemed stressed about this bathroom layout last video, but so much more relaxed now that you have more space to plan. Hope you have a lovely day Ariel!😊
Switching the sink and shower should be fairly easy since the plumbing is already there. You could do a tub, shower combo or just a shower. And you would still have room for storage along the slanted wall. Moving the toilet would require more plumbing work and can get costly in an older house.
ooo there is a lot of plumbing permits you'll need to move all that around, do get a structural inspection and cost estimates for your project, there are vents etc for the toilet and drains. very important. drains.
This truly feels like your house gave you an early Christmas present! :D When it comes to floor plan, I think my natural instinct is to use a great amount of space under the slanted ceiling/eave for storage as you wouldn't be able to use it for much else anyway. So I'd do a decently deep (like 70-80 cm) built-in storage unit along the the low wall and have it reach all the way until the eave, perfect for storing towels and extra toiletries. The rest I'd plan out as option 1, cos the shower would naturally go into the newly discovered space as you'd need full height for it and there's no real benefit to moving the toilet.
I love the new room. I think you should put a shower in that alcove and put the sink/vanity where the bathtub currently is. eta: I commented before I saw your plans at the end of the video so let me explain why. This has advantages--you can leave the plumbing for toilet where it is, and connect the water lines/drain from the existing bathtub to the new vanity. Then all you need to do is change the plumbing for the shower area--and that can go into part of that void you exposed that looks like it would be a chimney. Basically, you'd spend a heck of a lot less on plumbing costs and would need to do the least tear-out of floors. And speaking as someone who's remodeled several houses, that's worth a LOT.
I cannot wait to see this room completed. Such a great find. When you first bought this house and showed us I truly thought you were nuts (I was new to your channel and did not *know* you. Now I think you can handle anything this house has to throw at you!
I love the wet room idea! But I'd like to add some notes. If you're dealing with clearance issues from low ceilings that is where I would put the toilet if possible- as you don't need as much headroom to sit. I would partition the "gross" toilet space away from the rest of the bathroom, and would then make a combined shower+bath wet area in an L shape using a half-partition. It might sound awkward at first but if you put the tub area specifically underneath the window you'll likely sit low enough when going for a soak that you won't feel exposed. If that is still too awkward you can put a vanity under the window and use the area to do things like makeup+grooming using the natural lighting. I hope this helps!
The same thing happened to me in my 1805 house! There was a weird little half bath downstairs. I noticed what I thought was a crack in the wall. When I investigated, I realized there was a whole room behind it. I ended up enlarging the bathroom and adding a laundry room.
I vote for the wetroom idea. Having both a shower and a tub is great for options. and i feel like the first option has the shower way too close to the window. i would also recommend having a glass door to the wetroom or walk-in shower because open showers can get really cold.
Omg, im glad your channel pop up. You look so fun to watch. Its your happy personality. I will enjoy going back and up date. I love coffee, watching remodels and of course secret spaces.
If I had a nickle for every time Ariel found a secret room in the house, I would have two nickels. Which isn't a lot, but weird that it happened twice.
Lol, is that meant to be a Phineas and Ferb reference. That made my day either way❤
This comment made me snort laugh and that is very appreciated. Thank you!
I love this reference!
I understood that reference! :)
she also found a room in the secret spooky room video, you've got 3 nickles!! :)
Fabulous find!
I am a Nova Scotian archaeologist with a specialty in heritage buildings and I can say with 95% confidence that your smaller "bump" was likely the location one of the two internal chimneys that your house originally had, since your house is an 1860s Classic Revival / Maritime Vernacular house just like mine. Would love to chat about it further if you're interested Ariel, just drop me a line!
You are just guessing without seeing the basement layout.
@@hartstudebakerkid bruh, that's the point of the statement "95% confidence" it's an educated guess.
Really, Nova Scotian arcaeologist?? I'm in Maine, US, and I own an 1856 building with the closets alongside the chimneys, but intact. There are so many houses like this, but they normally aren't boarded over, to my knowledge.
@@SirenaSpades there’s lots of overlap between our local houses and those in New England, for sure! I’ve seen this happen in a couple of NS houses, where the chimney was framed in and covered over normally, only exposed where the fireplace or stovepipe thimble came out, and then the brick was removed later to leave a hollow space. Sometimes this happens if the house is lifted up to redo the basement in concrete, or moved to a new location (like mine was), or to make room in the basement for a furnace.
There’s actually one example of a house wth a sealed-up empty chimney space 2km down the road from me right now!
@@lauradeboer6303 I live in a 1 bedroom apartment built in 1956. But I'm in southern nevada. That's it.
Displaying the sponsor's products in the void of the secret room is hilarious
the sponsor must have been very happy when the video became more interesting
It can be a good idea to get a local engineer to look over the room just to be sure if any adjustments can have unintended consequences and/or advise if anything else should be fixed while you have the access. It doesn’t cost all that much.
It’s probably been suggested already but old houses were often built with spaces to add laundry chutes and dumbwaiters later after the family got wealthier and could afford to do the upgrades. Thanks for sharing!
This theory makes the most sense to me!
Is it a one way mirror?
@@AutoReport1 it could be used by first owner to spy on bathroom, but after its done it was sealed off, and probably the entrance not from bathroom but on the other side
@@billykulim5202 Not impossible but extremely unlikely. Was probably just had a deep medicine cabinet at first ao just cut through the whole wall
Wow! Such a fun discovery. I’m an interior designer and here are a few thoughts I had. One thing to think about is the view of the bathroom upon entering. It’s nice to see something beautiful when you first walk in. That could be achieved by having a large vanity to the left of the window. Then, you could put the shower in the new space that you gained. Sometimes having too large of a space makes the showering experience feel cold even while standing under hot water (ask me how I know). Then, for the sloping area, you could still have the built ins and have a ton of storage. And as for the toilet, it could be nice to build a pony wall just a few feet to the left of the door upon walking in (maybe make it look nice with a piece of wood on top, not just drywall). The nice thing about the pony wall is then you don’t see the toilet when you first walk in, one feels a bit more secure when on the toilet, and there could even be shallow, open storage on the toilet side of the wall to hold items like extra toilet paper, a toilet scrub brush, etc. Looking forward to seeing what you decide to do!
Love your ideas!!
Yea I agree it’s nice not to open the door directly to the toilet if you don’t have to
I agree that she has the option for more storage with the first plan then she would with the wet room plan. With the wet room on the sloped side there would be a lot of dead floor space under the slope that is essentially wasted.
I also second your comment about a door on the shower - it is very nice in an old drafty house to have the shower fully enclosed!!
I love this idea, the vanity on the window wall is nice for natural lighting while getting ready too! Totally agree about the cosy enclosed shower and making the loo less exposed too ❤👌👏 Ariel could really make a beautiful feature of the vanity wall. Also highly recommend putting a bench in the shower and recessed shelves since it's nice and long there would be plenty of room.
Best idea here! 💜
It’s about time that there was a secret room in that house! I really hope you add a bookcase in the big bedroom that has a secret room behind it. Just sayin’.
Oh, you just said that! I am replying too early in the video. 😊
I thought she'd already had one before a secret room I mean anyway doesn't matter, just as satisfying love it !
I love how most people’s first reaction was this would make a great video 😂
They’ve lived with me for too long hahahha
@@ArielBissett And that`s how you release a ghost/poltergeist.... 🤣🤣
@kylereese4822 my first thought 😂
TIP: Make a measured floor plan of the house and look for places where the dimensions don't add up. There are bonus spaces and maybe even hidden rooms in there.
My dad opened out two enclosed spaces in a laundry room and got enough extra for a pantry. In a 1960s house! It was "contractor convenience" to use prefab cupboards and there was leftover space between walls and the cupboards on the other side.
Ariel in her original house buying video regarding the bathroom cabinet: "I tried opening this. There was no secrets unfortunately". What a twist!
I feel like Ariel has a particular "well that was unexpected" laugh when she is working on the house and I love it.
same!
This is the first one I’ve been able to watch since my grandmother passed, we watched it together as she went thru her chemo. I think she would be amazing by this
❤
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I am sorry for your loss.
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Sorry for your loss. I miss my grandma everyday.
The thing to consider with wet rooms is that not all buildings are made for it. If you've got a wood framed old building that expands, contracts, breathes and moves, the sealant is more likely to fail and end up leaking.
you can have a wet room in a wooden building, how would all of Scandinavia survive otherwise? the issue however is that the membranes are made to last only about 20 years and then have to be changed.
@@diandrad1414 A very good point! I'm not saying wooden per-se, I'm saying houses that move a lot.
Where I am we have old houses that really move during the weather and the year. Wet rooms are less recommended for this.
@@robinanna5531 I live in a wooden house from 1842 and it's bathrooms are not approved after today's standard.. (a new bathroom in Norway costs 15-30k $, so we have to save), but we have not had any issues with it in the winter/summer. Our biggest issue are the doors that fit/don't fit depending on the season.
@@diandrad1414 Interesting! I'm in an old timber frame house (not exactly sure of year) that moves throughout the year and we're recommended either tanking, membrane significantly above floor level, or shower tray. 🤷
We also have sticky doors. 😅
Yep!!!
As a german its always so funny to see how yall can remove whole walls so easily (even tho I saw it so often in different kind of reno or diy videos :D)
I'm in an old masonry and plaster house. Same!
@@ita104none of those walls are load-bearing, you could the same for most of the interior walls in masonry homes too, there's just more trash to get rid off 😄
@@rfldss89 A few pieces of wood versus solid stone and cement is the same? Yeah, I don't think so.
Even the internal walls are brick/stone? Is it because the houses are old, or are new houses also constructed that way?
@@keke5577 basically most of the houses in Europe have brick, concrete or other solid material internal walls even built to this day. Now they just use aerater concrete, silicate (pressurized sand or calcium) or some other kind of ceramic or concrete blocks. Even reinforced concrete is very common.
Check with a plumber and see the logistics (and expense) of moving the drains and toilet. When we added a bathroom to our house, everything ended up where the plumber thought it was the most feasible. Good thing I didn’t make plans and have to change them! Also, if you do the wet room idea, you will lose that built-in storage you mentioned. Maybe a tub/shower combo would work since you have the space for a tub.
Yeah, I was thinking put a bathtub with a shower in the new end so added storage. Usually any house built before the 50s has limited storage. One of my friends was complaining about how small her closets where in her 1922 house. "You can only fit about 3 suits in there!" and I pointed out that that was probably about what her grandfather had per season.
As a plumber who does lots of historic homes, I can say this is an extremely easy job for any competent plumber
@@kitefan1 My house was built in 1900 from sears and robucks and brought in on a train. The house has been remolded a number of times. We have 3 rooms upstairs. One the master, office/living room and a spare room. We have a half bath that is in a closet. When we bought this house we ripped out everything that we did not want which included all of the closets. We gained 2 large areas under the roof ( 2 domers. One domer is the office and part of the master and spare room, 2nd domer is on the other side which includes the stairs.) because the master and spare room are massive we have split the room in to 2 which has a full walk in closet with part under the roof and part with a window. it does look odd yet works and squares up the rooms much better. To be honest I hate houses with domers because they are considered wasted space and an over complex design where it should not have been. Nothing original is left in the house, just a lot of poor remodels. It wont be long before this house is torn down. I am hoping in 5 years to have a new house built.
@@kameljoe21 Before you tear it down you might see if it's movable and someone wants to buy it. Those Sears kit houses can be quite the collectors item.
The wet room idea is nice if you need a bath tub. However, you lose out on a lot of storage and have to do a lot of plumbing work to move toilet. I think the first plan would be most straightforward, saves a lot of time/money and storage space. Only cons I can think of are 1) no tub (fine for some people) and 2) toilet right across from mirror at vanity could be a little awkward haha (and might want to check clearance space between the two).
Toilet directly across from the vanity mirror is horrifying. We've got that in our downstairs bathroom and I cannot poop in there.
I like the first plan better too because the wet room seems so airy that it might be a chilly experience, I feel like sometimes it's good to have a smaller tub/shower space to keep in the warmth.
She can keep the tub that's already there by adding the shower in the new found space. Agree fully on the expense of adding new sewer lines!
Best to keep the tub for future proofing imo. I.e. kids and health conditions that might require it. Also a bath is just nice every one and a while
It's nice to have the toilet BEHIND the door, for those rare, but inevitable, neglect-to-lock moments.
You can then stop the action with your foot!
This is totally just a aesthetic suggestion but if you put the shower in the new space, it’d be so nice to switch the toilet to the other wall so when you walk in you don’t see it/see the pretty vanity and mirror! obviously moving the toilet just for that is a bit silly but…
Agree!🎉
I agree, better having the vanity on the wall with the window bc of natural light
great idea! besides that - the mirror with the window light from behind will not be good
Thats what I was thinking too!
Also came here to suggest this!
As for the fake vent, my parents created one in our house when I was kid. They used it as a hiding spot for important documents and other valuables. I had totally forgotten about that until I saw yours!
Wow that's crazy 😮😮😮
To me one of the craziest parts was the fake vent! Who goes through all the effort of building a wall and installing a sink while leaving a fake vent?!
I'm just impressed there was venting, we just have vent plates plastered here and there.
Looking at the hole in the floor beneath it, it probably was functional at some point. When it became obsolete, it was cheaper and easier to just leave it in place instead of redoing the wall. And 5 owners later, nobody's left who knows that vent is a remnant.
Right! And then the vents are how the furncace takes the heat to the rooms, so was the bathroom never properly heated all this time? So wild
I used to own a house built in 2003 that had a vent in the bathroom floor. When I replaced the flooring and pulled up the vent cover I found the base of the thing was covered in duct tape. So I went under the house; no duct had ever been connected to that vent. I don't know if the builder simply forgot to attach it or just installed it for the aesthetics. The house was always cold and drafty so I never noticed that heat never came out of the vent. It was a badly built money pit.
They probably needed a vent to pass inspection, so they just faked one. Bathrooms have to have some kind of ventilation, maybe they didn't know how to do it so they just put a fake one in?
First, I'm so glad that I found your page. Most of my adult life, I've been remodeling older houses and loved every minute. Second, those "not beams" are called studs. You have great vision with your plans, but when you start moving things around in a bathroom there's going to be headaches. I truly wish you luck and also wish that I could be there to help...lol.
Im personally not a huge fan of the wet room, it'll be in the slanted wall section and seems dangerous having a wet floor while having to crouch. I think full height shower is the way to go, then you have the whole other side of the room for storage!
The new graphic for the series is adorable 😍
Thank you 🙈 it took me a long time hahahha
Having a full height, not load bearing, secret room in your house is just the stuff of dreams. So exciting! I vote for the 1st plan, having the shower in the main full height area feels much better to me, and having the slanted part of the room as a big built in storage area
FYI this is the video that brought me to your channel! It was featured on my home page as I was scrolling one night, the thumbnail peaked my interest so I clicked. I'm so in love with your presentation energy and thought process as you work on things, that I've subscribed. In the past 24 hours I've pretty much watched every one of your home renovation videos. Thank you so much for your creative and entertaining content!
I am sooo excited to see the process of the hidden room turning into a big bathroom. Congrats on this discovery! 😊
Also had a secret room. Mine was used to make hooch to sell during Prohibition! It also had a secret tunnel to the lake for a Great Escape!
I think I'd consult a bathroom planner/decorator as to the best placement of fixtures and the kinds of surfaces and fixtures available.
They can mock up some plans for you and show the various configurations possible.
They may have some fresh ideas, being in the industry and suggest something you hadn't even though of that would work brilliantly. Congratulations on the new space!!!
One of her recent videos was actually THREE different designs done by bathroom planners. To be honest,they were a bit underwhelming as far as practicality and utilizing the space. (The comment section had more interesting ideas.)
I like the first of your two ideas! I think having the shower in that new space is comfortable and makes sense with the full ceiling, and having a larger vanity is luxurious, plus you can still use the remaining sloped space for more storage. I also read another comment about how it's harder to move a toilet. I look forward to what you do!
My first thought was to make the "unknown void" into a large shower. There is room for a shower bench to make leg shaving easier and safer. Just don't put the plumbing on the outside wall. Keeping the plumbing on an inside wall keeps the pipes from freezing during the winter.
I am planning on remodeling my kitchen and bathroom, and I plan on putting floor drains in both rooms. In this way, should I have an overflow, (dishwasher, sink, toilet, busted pipe) then the rest of the house is safe from water damage. Kitchens are the most likely room for a really messy spill, (Yes, I have dropped an entire dozen of eggs.) and the mishap could be washed down the drain instead of trying to wipe the disaster up with a roll of paper towels.
your laugh after your finding is one of the most genuine things I've heard.
somehow I think in Italy these findings are almost impossible because all house planimetries are registered. can't wait to see how your renovation will evolve 😍
Im a residential architect that works specifically on historic and landmarked homes. Notes!
1. You probably cant move the toilet unless you do a lot of work both in this room, and the rooms below and above (including the roof).
2. it is easier to move water and drain lines for showers and sinks - but know that if you have a beam below (not just joists) - it is harder.
3. A shower or wet room needs a sloped floor to the drain. You either have to build up with a step into the space, or carve into the joists (probably not recommended unless you are connected with a really good structural engineer) It is about 1/2" per foot of slope (depending on your local codes) This is easy to do in a shower and we a used to walking into a 2"" shower stall. If you do a wet room you are might be talking a 5" or more step to your shower.
4. Wet rooms are great, but they are harder to feel warm in a cold climate. A typical shower is easy to heat up with steam and hot water behind a curtain or glass, but the bigger the spaces is - the harder it is for it to feel warm and not drafty.
5. Cool house!
Also architect here: the entire bathroom is a wet room and should be treated as such. You’ll want the prep the entire space with waterproofing: full height in and around a shower or tub, the full floor, and at least 8” up the walls everywhere else. Check out laticrete. You’ll also want to make sure anything you use to build out that space mitigates moisture from entering the vertical shaft or you’ll have a very serious mold problem against structural elements very quickly. And I don’t just mean sealant/caulk, which should be your first line of defense (not your only!).
Seconding my fellow Archie re relocating items, especially in an older house and on a smaller budget these may be prohibitive.
Third, I’d recommend actually installing a vent in this room. Again this will help with mitigating moisture problems. Bonus points if it’s mechanically done but there are ways to passively promote a well-ventilated space.
I don’t recall what the space is directly adjacent to the bathroom but you could also consider relocating the door, which should be fairly easy as long as the room/hall adjacent allows for it.
How kind of you to give input as a trained professional! I'm sure you saved Ariel a lot of research and perhaps some heartache down the road.
UK shower engineers daughter.... (family dinners full of bathroom renovation talk), wet rooms are a lot of work, and if you have a leak its hard to find and to fix. but also if you put a bath tub in don't forget to reinforce the floor, water weighs a lot. my surjection would be to install a tub in the new area with a shower above it with a glass screen. the shower head should be above the taps and drain. you have to re due the floor and walls in this area anyway.
Any person that does remodels or renovations knows all of that. You're stating the obvious.
@@kmarch6630I didn’t
So there's a secret attic space and now a secret room behind the bathroom. So now we need a secret tunnel. I can't wait to see how your secret rooms turn out! (I'm so excited for the attic one!)
Is the secret attic space the one she refers to as the scary room??
SECRET TUNNEL THROUGH THE MOUNTAIN SECRET SECRET SECRET SECRET TUNNEL
@@dianepereira1860 Yes!!
And the secret staircase up to the secret attic!! A tunnel is definitely next 😊
If the house was in the USA I would look for more hidden spaces it could have been part of the under ground railroad
I like the first design idea putting the shower in the new space, leaving toilet, relocating the sink and THEN--making a built in unit at the low point of the room for towels, washcloths, toiletries and supplies. If you need a tub just do a tub/shower combination.
Historically speaking, if the house is built Pre 1890 it would sometimes have a 'escape chimney'. They were accessible from each floor of the house to either get to the top floor or down to the basement to escape in the event that the house was attacked. Many of them were accessible through closets. So that area where you can look up into the attic and down to the first floor could possibly be one.
I'm moving into a 170+ year-old house in about a month, and I completely expect to find weird things like this. In fact, I already know there's a whole damn attic with no access point. Old houses are the weirdest, most wonderful things!
How does a house pass inspection if they can't access the attic to check it out? (Not asking that in a belligerent way, I'm just wondering☺️)
Your house is a gift! i love that you went in to do a little paint job and your house said "Oh you were worried about the room size? Here you go" 😂 Looking forward to future bathroom project!
Love option number 2 but a possible option 3: vintage tub/shower combo in the mystery closet area. Your vanity and sink on one wall with mirror. Toilet on other. Storage in the slated area for toiletries and towels. Just throwing the idea out there. Either way, plumbing would need relocated anyways and the whole space is utilized. At the end of the day, it just makes me happy to see now you've got more to work with. It was truly a miracle this happened and all us viewers, including me, are so happy for you.
I think the slanted part of the room where you can't put much else would be great for built in custom cabinetry to utilize the weird roof line. Bathtub across from it beside the toilet, then the sink and shower in the newly discovered space
The house I grew up in was originally built in 1914. As the years went on it was remodeled, added on to, and expanded. When my parents bought it in the 80’s and gutted the house. There were secret rooms everywhere and every upstairs room had a secret access to the attic. You only found the access if you went through the attic. We realized of course the attic was just a giant crawl space, but my sister did get a bigger bathroom from her secret room….by the way, welcome to your own money pit. Even though the house was finally completed, it always needed something fixed. They finally put the last light in the hallway 2 months before they sold it. The light was brilliant.
I love the enthusiasm you bring to your project. Props to you for drawing out your floor plan. It helps so much to see the room from above. You might want to draw it to scale if you haven't already. Then you will have a better idea of what space you have to work with and what will fit where. Take your time and enjoy the planning. You can draw all the various ideas you have for your room and choose the one you like best before pound a single nail. Best wishes in all your endeavors.
I vote for option 1!! From watching home renovation shows I’m under the impression that moving the toilet could be a hassle and even potentially cause issues to the ceiling of the floor below depending on clearance space between levels. Also, as cool as the wet room sounds, that is a LOT of tiles for the floor and walls which could get super expensive and then you also have to worry about your old house and how it might settle and cause seal issues. With option 1 you can still do a tub/shower combo and also still have tons of storage in the back corner like you originally planned. More storage is always good! Of course that’s just my thoughts and I don’t know what will truly work best for you and your family, but I’m super excited to see what you decide and how it all turns out!
The fact that you're not finding literal skeletons in these secrets rooms of your house, is a miracle... Option 1, btw.
She hasn’t got to the basement yet….. muahaha! 🤣
@@DeborahThird-og1uo Some friends rented a big house in a community near where we had gone to college. There were five or six of them, freshly graduated and just starting their careers, so cheap rent was important. One friend that wanted to be a writer even lived in a shed on the property.
It was a disheveled old house with a big overgrown yard, built in the 20s or 30s. It was at the top of a hill and would have had nice views if anyone had trimmed the trees.The story was that it was built by a chief of police.
Anyway, the friend who had found the house started fixing up the basement so they could squeeze in another roommate and make everyone’s rent cheaper. He ripped out some paneling and found a secret door, and the door led to a secret room. It was spooky, but not in a haunted sense. There were ring bolts anchored to the concrete walls. And there was a drain in the center of the floor.
We called it "the torture room". My friend gave up the idea of remodeling the basement, and it became "part of the tour" for visitors that hadn't previously visited the house.
I suspect it was used by the original owner to "interrogate" suspects. But it might have been a S&M dungeon. There was also a theory that maybe a previous owner was a serial killer, but there was no evidence to support that theory. I'll tell you, though. It was the drain that i found the most troubling, more than the eyebolts that could have been used to chain people to the wall. Why was there a drain? For blood? For hosing down the room? It's easy to imagine the worst.
@@DeborahThird-og1uo😂😂😂😂😂😂
Pffft I remember that clip. Clean fake skeleton including fully clothed and a note tucked in the pocket.
I like the green plan better than the orange one. Makes sense to utilize the shorter ceiling height for linen and toiletry storage.This would massively reduce your tile and glass costs, as well as prevent you from having to relocate the toilet septic situation. Would also allow for a bigger counter space which I know you're after
I agree. It is my understanding (which admittedly is limited when it comes to construction) that it is far more costly to relocate pluming like that. I would try to keep the toilet in the same spot.
Also with the orange you have zero storage space
I like the first option. As far as the toilet spot being across from the door, maybe you could reconfigure where the door is located?
@@jenniferross882 is this sarcasm? Lol
Also I can imagine the shower situation in the first plan and the natural lighting will be just 👌
8:53 You can even see the outline of the old closet door in the baseboards! You could also look into wetroom shower kits to help make sure everything is angled the right way with your new plan ideas.
I love this! You just popped up in my feed. I have a lot of catching up to do. In my younger years, I bought, remodeled and or restored older homes. I never found a secret room but have added a few in the past. So exciting to “see” history.
I have reaccuring dreams that I bought a house in which I keep finding new secret rooms and spaces. You have been living in my dreams. I utterly adore you and the work you do.
I have the exact same dream, often.
@@alexanderlee-medland9225 Me too, reoccurring through my entire life!
I wonder how many other secret rooms are hidden now that this has been discovered
Exactly!! I for one can not wait till the upstairs is redone!!!
I am not surprised she keeps finding empty, closed down spaces. There are probably more. That is the way those ancient houses were constructed.
I don't understand how you wouldn't notice that the bathroom wall isn't backed against the next room... or that the floor plan doesn't line up! Or do other people not draw a floor plan of their house when they move in.... Now that I think about it that might be a my-mum's-an-architect thing haha
I really like the wet room idea. A separate shower and tub is just so luxury.
It would be more difficult to clean with the slanted ceiling.
I’m obsessed with everyone immediately thinking about the content the secret room creates lol
My family lived in an 1890s house where there was a walled over room. From the opening where we could look in we could make out an old sowing machine in the middle of the room. We never got to remove anything to get in there cuz it was a rental and the land lord didn’t want to open it up becuz it was an area where the root was slanted lower but it was still pretty cool!
So, in Korea and a lot of other places, the entire bathroom is usually a “wet” room where we can wash down everything, toilet included. Trust me, it’s AMAZING to be able to just spray down your entire toilet. It makes cleaning it so much easier. I’d suggest you look at examples of Korean bathrooms and see what I mean!
It’s great that you found exactly what you needed for this space which is more room! I’m excited to see how it turns out! ❤
I have been in many Korean wet bathrooms and as a westerner I hate them. Everything is always wet and moldy. When i have to go back into the bathroom after a shower it’s wet for hours. Toilet paper is damp from the moisture. No thank you!
@@whateverislovely8654 Yeah some older buildings/bathrooms that don’t have good ventilation end up like that, but I live in a newer apartment with good ventilation and we keep it clean, so it’s not really an issue. Our toilet paper is also protected in a little hole and covering so it stays totally dry. Just depends on how the bathroom is designed/maintained. It’s not an issue of wet bathrooms as a whole.
Japanese bathrooms might be worth looking into too
I loved the wet bathroom in China but you absolutely have to plan carefully. Good ventilation, protected spaces for toilet paper or other necessities, ability to squeegee under cabinets or around fixtures. Definitely look into examples
my concern for the wetroom idea is cold. having grown up in Wisconsin I know how cold it gets in the winter and that was a modern house! I wouldn' t want you to build this lavish dream bathroom and then shiver through your showers 9 months of the year.
A wet room sounds cold and also you'd lose space for storage 😅 your first idea was exactly what I had in mind, but with the whole slanted area as a bigger closet than you had imagined back when the room was smaller.
Your interactions with your busband are so wholesome ❤ also go with the wetroom idea, so classy, and the floor draining is great.
I think the sloped wall could be used very efficiently for a vanity area. The lower portion could have a custom vanity that allows deeper storage, with portions on wheels that slide out. The part above the counter could have a sort of "appliance garage" behind the plane of the mirror. Shallower storage going toward the top. Sliding mirror doors to allow access to everything and / or some open storage. Vanity light hanging or mounted from the highest part of the slope, over the mirror.
the wet room idea is so cool!!
its so awesome how you randomly found all of this extra space after you were stressing out about how you wanted to plan the bathroom!!! i hope you find an idea you fall in love w (and that isn't too difficult to pull off!)
What you need to do is inspect the space under and around the new space to see what option is feasible. We can dream up a bathroom but sometimes because of certain structures it won’t work, ie the toilet placement and running new plumbing. So probably should have a plumber come see if either of your ideas would be doable.
Yeah as an architect, toilet placement is the hardest to change around, obviously not impossible. Notice how in most houses, the toilets are lined up between floors. If you are going to move it, know that it will need to go straight down through the house to connect to the sewer. It it (generally) much easier to run new water and drain lines for sinks.
@@rebeccab2446maybe with the shaft that goes straight down the 2nd option with the toilet near the shaft would work well.
@@rebeccab2446 you are correct, ive seen some people cheat and run the waste pipe for toilet changes to the exterior of the house and down the outside wall but to me as a plumber it looks really cheesy and im sure its probably not allowed in some jurisdictions. depending on how much of the wood she is willing to expose and the current type of drain pipe used in that house, there are options to move a toilet though
What a stroke of luck!! You COULD always leave everything where it is (including the new sink where it was going to be, but at the SIDE of it, you could have a door into the "secret room", and THAT could be the shower (you'd have to tile/waterproof it of course) - that way, you can keep a bath (which is always handy for bathing babies/dogs/washing blankets) but also have a shower for everyday washing. And since the hot and cold water are already plumbed into that area for the sink, having the shower behind it would save on plumbing costs too. Whatever you do, I'm sure it will be great though. I love seeing the house coming along! kindest regards, k
I like this idea!
oo I love this actually! It would have so much character and uniqueness, and also be reflective of what a neat process this renovation has been. Like a secret shower. It might look weird, but I can picture leaving each side panel open on each side of the sink, having like a "glass window" sort of effect maybe. You'd be foregoing on the large vanity idea, but there's so many compact vanities with lots of drawer space available (thinking of Ikea) plus another medicine cabinet that is not recessed. And then still having the beauty of a claw foot tub where the tub has previously been... and it's not like "dang, you have a huge tub and huge shower in here" visually... and most European homes seem to make use of the vaulted ceiling space with very useful cabinetry. So many opportunities for ideas, can't wait to see what happens!
I am Canadian and in BC. I love your renovations! Another empty space!
What a great find! I would have the bath in the middle of the room using the plumbing from where the sink currently is.
Love the concern in Connor's voice when you first call him, so sweet
In Australia, almost all of their bathrooms are wet rooms and it’s honestly changed by life since moving here. Easier to clean, easier to keep dry and wet separate, looks pretty etc.
I would not say all our bathrooms are wet rooms! It’s popular in new homes to have the tub and shower in one area but lots of homes have them separate. Do you mean that basically all bathrooms have a tiled floor and tiles going at least some way up the walls?
I live in Europe, and I'm sure there are non wetroom bathrooms here too, but tbh I discovered last month that wetrooms are not a universal phenomenon... I was so confused at home renovations that put WALLPAPER in their bathrooms 😂🙈
Here in Iran(Tehren), we have all bathrooms as wetroom. I wonder how the other ones out there, deal with the dry ones! Sooo weird!😅
@@elephantastics I'm kinda confused on what wetrooms are exactly. If it's bathrooms that are tiled, then I'd say they're pretty prominent in Europe, at least tiled floors with partially tiled walls. If it's tiled bathrooms + freestanding showers with no shower-base, I'd say they're newer thing at least in my country.
I'm in the US, and, yes, what IS a wet room? I understood it to be a creepy no wall shower room, with a drain somewhere out in the floor. I always think they'd be so much harder to clean - 'cause you have to scrub EVERYWHERE, not just in the shower stall.
Your house is the gift that keeps on giving. Loving this series
I love the idea of turning the new space into a shower ❤ How awesome to find that much unused space! My biggest question is Why? Why did they block off the closet instead of using it? So weird
Probably because it was where they could plumb the sink with the least amount of destruction to the house. But I could be wrong about that.
omg!! obsessed with this discovery! Ever since you did the last video on the space and I read several comments on wet rooms, I have been HOPING you would go that route. My vote is that you leave the toilet where it is, enclose it in the wet room, keep your tub & the shower, maybe build some wet room appropriate built ins/shelving, then use your new found space for your beautiful, large vanity and more storage! or you could even do a powder room type vibe outside of the wet room and have a little settee or something like that in there!
You pulling the mirror out reminded me of that scene in Candyman, where everyone's bathrooms in an apartment complex (I think it was called Colleen Green?) was connected by a random hallway. They were also suspiciously big enough for the reporter lady to get in.
LOL>>>YES!!!
Cabrini green. First thing I thought of too! That part was based on a real life with the way certain apartments were built. This is the much less horrifying version lol
When you started hammering I imagined your family hearing it and going: "Oh that's just Ariel removing a wall to a secret room as per usual"
Something you could do is go with idea 1, but instead of just a shower, maybe get a nice shower-tub combo. Plus, if you feel like you still need a lot of storage, do the built-in storage along that back wall and connect it to the sink storage in a sort of little L shape.
This is exactly what I was thinking!
Came here to write exactly this!
As some others have hinted, you can discover tons of information on your home and its construction and improvements in some interesting ways.
I’m a retired researcher who has created biographies for almost all of the homes I’ve lived in. Here are some tips for resources:
1. Pull plat maps and permits: Beginning with the oldest and working forward, follow the rabbit trail for your home’s construction and/or any improvements made over the years/decades. Often, even if your home is two hundred+ years old, those records are still available. Back in the day, I would physically haul myself down to the local historical society, the library, and the permit office, etc. to pour over microfishe, but nowadays, tons of that information is freely available with a library card. (Don’t forget to ask the most obvious question: Is there an architect or firm attached to the build?)
2. I don’t know if they have these in Canada, but I find it’s helpful to pull Sanborn maps as well. Sanborn maps are plot maps that were commissioned by fire insurance companies. They are fantastic for checking for changes in utilities and services as well as seeing any external house changes. If there was an addition or a pull down, you’ll find it here faster than tracking a permit which-let’s be honest-weren’t always applied for. Use that information to date any hardware-even nails-that you uncover.
3. Census records, deeds, tax records, and newspaper ads*: Look for personal notice’s such as obituaries, job listings, requests for builders, business opportunities, arrests, convictions, and other legal notices, etc. Basically, anything with your address listed. With that information in-hand, you can track previous owners and contact surviving relatives to ask if they have internal and/or external photos of your home. Or even if they have any family stories/lore that could hint to any changes made. When I was doing this research in Washington DC, for example, I was able to track when homes were used as boarding houses or broken up into apartments during wartime when demand for housing around the seat of government was at an all-time high. In those instances, you’ll be able to surmise why rooms might have been altered or blocked off the way they were which in turn can provide a ton of information about structural integrity as well as design ideas moving forward. Was your town ever the location for a munitions factory or any other wartime industry? If so, check veterans records for people who may have boarded offline (ie not on official rolls).
4. Library of Congress: Even though you’re Canadian, check the Library of Congress in the U.S. It doesn’t just archive American history.
5. Lastly, a good resource for land records is Indian Affairs. Reading them is heartbreaking,but it does reveal a tone of detail.
In my case-with my current home-newspaper employment ads for the development of the railroad opened up a massive amount of information. My house was built in the late 1840s to house a mass influx of Irish famine refugees brought over to work on the railroad. It was the FEMA trailer of its day and never meant to survive all that long. But, poor people being the ingenious economic warriors that they are led to the house still being here 173 years later.
The mystery for me was the ghost sign on the original exterior of my house-currently my interior living room wall-that was painted on the first floor. It didn’t make sense for an advertisement to be on the first floor so I hit the newspapers and found that an Irishman whose passage was paid for by the B&O Railroad bartered his way into homeownership by offering his bricklayer services for free in exchange for one of the houses. The house began as a simple two-level brick shelter with one shared potbelly stove and an outhouse in the yard. There weren’t any rooms per se; it was just an up-and-down boarding house. Within twenty years, the bricklayer turned it into a single family home upstairs and a saloon downstairs. Twenty years after that, an addition was added to the back to hold boxing matches in which fighters were brought down from Boston and New York. It was so successful that 20 kegs a week rolled through the joint even though there were saloons approximately every five blocks or so…and the square footage of the entire downstairs is only 300ish-sq-ft. The ghost sign was painted on the first floor wall in order to be at eye-level of the patrons watching the boxing matches. Even so, its most successful era by far though was as a speakeasy. 😅
Good luck!
*Don’t be swayed by the cost of subscribing to newspapers.com in your research. Libraries in the U.S. have subscriptions to the service so one can access their records for free. Check if Canadian libraries do that too.
Fascinating!!!
Wow, now you discovered the other secret room that goes upstairs. You can add a door from the hall, use the closet space for the restroom and close that extra other space again. Once the door is added from the hall, you can add spiral stairs to the attic and hopefully the attic is big enough for an additional room or loft.
Last idea is great, but have in mind that toilets are very difficult to relocate. Especially so far away from the original position you'd have to also move the waste pipes. They might be able to do something with the old sink track, as it's close and theoretically can be re-purposed (the waste pipe is much larger in diameter, though, so there would be a bunch of floor removal and such). Fingers crossed.
Option 1 was what I was thinking as soon as you revealed the size of the space. It’s pretty perfectly “large but not too large shower” size. And it seems more practical and easier to execute. I’m so happy you will get a shower with a full height ceiling!!
This was so fascinating, old houses have such incredible hidden stories and it's so fun to see you uncover the mysteries of your house. I can't wait to see how you utilize your newfound space, looking forward to seeing more!
I'm overwhelmed just watching this, I can't imagine what you're going to do with this project! This ain't just a lick of paint here!
omg i thought the hole behind my medicine cabinet was bad!!!! THIS IS AMAZING
I think you should make a small 3D scale mockup of the space and all the components, so you visualize everything more completely with the strange roofline situation. Moving those components around and looking at the mockup will help you think about how you'll move through that space more fully than a flat drawing, I think.
A very good suggestion! Mockups/modeling out a design eally can make a huge difference.
„There was no secret, unfortunately“ -Ariel 3 years ago in „I bought an old house without seeing it!!“ while opening the mirror above the sink!! Couldn’t have been any more wrong!! 😂
Oh my GOD! Right?! If only she tried looking BEHIND it. Hahaha amazing!!
So funny to have watched this video first then gone back to see her casually dismissing the idea of any surprises in the bathroom haha
you using the hole to set your sponsored items on made me laugh omg.
another great video!
I just had to 🙈
Wow! Ok, this is the first video pf yours that found me. I went and watched a bunch of the other reno videos and I AM INVESTED! I can not wait to see this bathroom in it’s finished glory!!!
I’ve never heard of Wild products. Looking forward to checking them out.
This is so exciting! I figured that the bathroom had just been the smallest bedroom and with the slanted room, the owners in the past made that the bathroom rather than someone's bedroom. Makes sense. Happened in a lot of houses like yours. I had just assumed the window go cut off because someone put an insulated wall in, not a secret closet! It'd be a lot of fun if you had designers take another pass at designing a bathroom, because the comparisons would be so interesting in light of the new discovery. (Also, shoutout to all the others born in 1992, the same year as your new mugs!)
Skip the designers and get a contractor in there to draw up a realistic plan with the footprint you have, plumbing wise.
I like the first new idea; it seems like it will make better use of the space and the idea of having a wetroom where the wall is slanted just sounds awkward. But it is your space so hopefully whichever layout you choose makes you happy. You seemed stressed about this bathroom layout last video, but so much more relaxed now that you have more space to plan. Hope you have a lovely day Ariel!😊
Switching the sink and shower should be fairly easy since the plumbing is already there. You could do a tub, shower combo or just a shower. And you would still have room for storage along the slanted wall. Moving the toilet would require more plumbing work and can get costly in an older house.
ooo there is a lot of plumbing permits you'll need to move all that around, do get a structural inspection and cost estimates for your project, there are vents etc for the toilet and drains. very important. drains.
Looks like the perfect place to put a shower and the other side of the room a free standing tub. What a great amount of space!
I am shocked and amazed! but also I feel like this is not the last secret space in this house. she's full of mysteries
I love that your mom made you cover the hole with the Christmas painting 😆 I would definitely have to cover the ominous hole as well 🕳️🖼️🚰
This truly feels like your house gave you an early Christmas present! :D
When it comes to floor plan, I think my natural instinct is to use a great amount of space under the slanted ceiling/eave for storage as you wouldn't be able to use it for much else anyway. So I'd do a decently deep (like 70-80 cm) built-in storage unit along the the low wall and have it reach all the way until the eave, perfect for storing towels and extra toiletries. The rest I'd plan out as option 1, cos the shower would naturally go into the newly discovered space as you'd need full height for it and there's no real benefit to moving the toilet.
I love listening to your delight in finding extra space! Thank you for sharing 🥰
11:57 My heart hurts everytime you hammer those beautiful antique pine boards :( ... They should be salvaged. They are very valuable!
I love the new room.
I think you should put a shower in that alcove and put the sink/vanity where the bathtub currently is.
eta: I commented before I saw your plans at the end of the video so let me explain why. This has advantages--you can leave the plumbing for toilet where it is, and connect the water lines/drain from the existing bathtub to the new vanity. Then all you need to do is change the plumbing for the shower area--and that can go into part of that void you exposed that looks like it would be a chimney.
Basically, you'd spend a heck of a lot less on plumbing costs and would need to do the least tear-out of floors. And speaking as someone who's remodeled several houses, that's worth a LOT.
I LOVE that you're still finding secrets the house has been hiding this far into your renovation. Ariel's old house constantly keeps us guessing.
I cannot wait to see this room completed. Such a great find. When you first bought this house and showed us I truly thought you were nuts (I was new to your channel and did not *know* you. Now I think you can handle anything this house has to throw at you!
That is an awesome find that makes a large bathroom. I would definitely add a tub. Can't wait to see what you do.
I love the wet room idea! But I'd like to add some notes.
If you're dealing with clearance issues from low ceilings that is where I would put the toilet if possible- as you don't need as much headroom to sit.
I would partition the "gross" toilet space away from the rest of the bathroom, and would then make a combined shower+bath wet area in an L shape using a half-partition.
It might sound awkward at first but if you put the tub area specifically underneath the window you'll likely sit low enough when going for a soak that you won't feel exposed. If that is still too awkward you can put a vanity under the window and use the area to do things like makeup+grooming using the natural lighting.
I hope this helps!
The same thing happened to me in my 1805 house! There was a weird little half bath downstairs. I noticed what I thought was a crack in the wall. When I investigated, I realized there was a whole room behind it. I ended up enlarging the bathroom and adding a laundry room.
Do you know what the original space was?
I love that your mom had to cover it up, that’s so funny.
I vote for the wetroom idea. Having both a shower and a tub is great for options. and i feel like the first option has the shower way too close to the window. i would also recommend having a glass door to the wetroom or walk-in shower because open showers can get really cold.
Omg, im glad your channel pop up. You look so fun to watch. Its your happy personality. I will enjoy going back and up date. I love coffee, watching remodels and of course secret spaces.
I was so exited for the next bathroom content that I came back to watch the old one.
PLEASE UPDATE US ❤
WOAH!! This house is full of lovely surprises 😄