I made a ‘gold dust’ discovery under the doormat in my first home – even my estate agent didn’t know about it
A COUPLE has revealed that they made a “gold dust” discovery under the door mat in their first home, that not even his estate agent knew about.
Josh and Liv viewed their new home multiple times before purchasing it but were still completely unaware of the buildings huge secret.
Excited to share their discovery, the couple shared a video to their Youtube channel @joshandliv, which they often use to share insights into their home renovation journey.
“People always tell you to expect the unexpected, and you know what they are right”, Josh said.
He then pulled up the mat next to the front door, revealing a square plank of wood underdeath.
Under the plank, was a large whole, which led to an enormous basement, covering the entire width of the house.
“We cannot believe that our estate agent didn’t even know that we had a basement, or even that the sellers did not think to tell us about this huge space underneath our house“, Josh said.
“We cannot even express how shocked we were when we found that we had an entire other house beneath us.”
The couple’s basement is incredibly dirty and dusty and Josh said that the pipe work and electrics aren’t in great condition.
However, he added that they will be able to replace them pretty easily.
Josh and Liv are keen to renovate their newfound basement, along with the rest of their house, however, they have not yet said what they plan to do with it.
They could turn it into a home gym, or perhaps even rent it out as an Airbnb.
The couple’s video has likely left many people open-mouthed, as it has racked up over 2.3 million views on the video-sharing platform.
YouTube users raved to the video’s comments section to share their thoughts, but many shared a warning to the couple.
In the basement, there are many large holes in the walls, where it has been knocked through by previous tenants.
Home upgrades that add the most value to a house
The best renovation to add value totally depends on your property, the local market and your potential buyers.
Zoopla shared a list of upgrades that will instantly add value to your home.
- Loft conversion – increase of 15%
- Off-street parking – adds £50,000 to property price
- New kitchen – increase of 15%
- Garage conversion – increase of 15%
- Cellar or basement conversion – increase of 10-15%
- Open plan living space – increase of 3-5%
- New bathroom – increase of 3-5%
Commenting on this, one person said: “Builder here, sorry to tell you mate but those walls are totally unsound and not fit for purpose.
“It looks to me like those “walls” didn’t always have”doorways” in them and someone smashed them through.”
However, he added: “The good news is that with an investment, a bit of time and sweat, and of course a staircase you could put upwards of 50% on the price of the house!”
Another person commented: “[The estate agents] didn’t tell you because that crawlspace/basement is effed up.
“I would totally have an inspection/survey done.
“It looks someone smashed the walls open. If the house is supported by those walls you have a major problem.”
A third person added: “I don’t think I’d feel very confident about the integrity of that house until it has been through a serious inspection.
All that brick looks like it will collapse at any minute.”
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