Odd area in my basement

Submitted by NoMuffinForYou t3_ya4etn in DIY

This might be an odd one. I have a weird area in my basement that I have no idea what it is.

Moved into the house a few months ago, and the basement is mostly finished.
The floorplan has an area of the basement just blacked out.
That area is drywalled off and looks like just a big finished block, It's about 4'x8' around and floor to ceiling.
I have no idea what this is and I kinda want to know.

There are no outlets or plumbing or switches on it.
The house has steel support beams and a concrete foundation, aside from a few stone areas (fireplaces mostly) it's standard wood/drywall construction, I can't imagine it needed a 4'x8' foundation block in the middle of the basement but that's my best guess.

Immediately above it is a wet bar with some stone finish and above that is a 2nd story fireplace w/brick chimney, so there is a substantial amount of weight above it which is why my guess is just BIG concrete block. But the lack of other clear support between it and the fireplace makes me doubt that.

Other guesses have been an unwanted old fireplace and a pit leading to the void.

Any other ideas are welcome.
Thank you!

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son_e_jim t1_it9bzim wrote

Old Indian burial ground

16

2BadSorryNotSorry t1_it9ibuq wrote

Bricks and stones are heavy. They need to be supported all the way to the ground. The answer is it's simply supporting the weight above it.

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NoMuffinForYou OP t1_it9ku6n wrote

That's super boring though. Probably correct but super boring.

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Faruhoinguh t1_it977df wrote

We are going to need pictures....

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NoMuffinForYou OP t1_it98yjp wrote

Here it is in the floorplan:
https://imgur.com/a/ZltDbbI

Pictures of the area itself will just be drywall painted gray floor to ceiling

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ButMoreToThePoint t1_it9cy1s wrote

Might be a support column on the middle of the house.

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NoMuffinForYou OP t1_it9h1q7 wrote

That's my best guess but 4'x8' just seemed REALLY big.

I honestly don't know what else it could be aside from a fireplace

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WizardOfIF t1_it9j6oq wrote

Can you poke a hole in the drywall somewhere conspicuous and see if a tool hits something solid?

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NoMuffinForYou OP t1_it9koed wrote

I've checked with a studfinder and I know it has wood framing with unusual chest height lateral framing all around as well. That's been my best investigation thus far.

I'd kinda like drill a hole and just peek inside with a tiny camera but I also hate patching drywall....

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BeeExpert t1_it9tkft wrote

The more dry wall you patch more you like it. Now go

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U_oOkay-Buddy t1_itatans wrote

Just cut a 1ftx1ft square out. Then save the piece if you end up patching it back in. The stud finder can’t really tell you what it is. It could be some sort of old fire place that just has wood furring strips added around the outside to support the drywall.

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imnotsoho t1_itaviap wrote

Either use a utility knife to cut in middle of studs and drywall saw to cut the horizontals or use the drywall saw to cut a 1x1 foot hole with a bevel so the cut out piece is easily replaced. Bevel it so the saw tip point towards center of square, put a screw in the center first so you don't lose the whole thing inside the wall.

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riomarde t1_itb5fmr wrote

If I ever finish my basement, in my house that would be the walled off area hiding support columns and toilet drain pipes. I have a fancy idea of keeping it big enough to do storage, but it is pretty small so doing it in a way that is useful and looks good is unlikely. I do suspect it will contain some kind of access panel. This is all assuming I ever do more to my basement.

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Syndicofberyl t1_ita0rb3 wrote

That's where you get to hide the bodies

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Painting_Agency t1_ita9r9g wrote

You misspelled "hide Halloween candy from your kids".

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Slider_0f_Elay t1_itamb60 wrote

Oh shit, you reminded me I have Halloween candy and no kids every come to my place. I'm going to go eat some.

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sfdragonboy t1_it94u23 wrote

Maybe the prior owner just walled it off for a dry storage space. Nothing more... nothing less.

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Helgafjell4Me t1_itc0quj wrote

Sounds like they forgot to add a door to the storage space... if that was the case.

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sfdragonboy t1_itcyjwx wrote

No, not necessarily... I am a home owner and I could use a cubby room type of space for just organizing various gardening stuff or whatever. Some people like a little bit of structure to what otherwise is a useless air pocket.

0

Helgafjell4Me t1_itd0s2f wrote

OP said this space is inaccessible, so how would anyone store anything in it? I mean, if it's empty space, then sure that could be done, but I doubt it's empty, that's what OP is trying to figure out.

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dykeag t1_ita6w80 wrote

Maybe when they dug the foundation they ran into a giant boulder that was easier to build around than break up?

Because 4x8x8 is a ridiculous amount of concrete.

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NoMuffinForYou OP t1_itabx3b wrote

That's also a decent thought, the neighborhood was built on what used to be a quarry so huge ass rock is probably not only possible but even likely

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Painting_Agency t1_ita9yt4 wrote

Our house has brick pillars holding up the main beam going through the center of the basement ceiling. I assume it's just something like that.

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brightlights55 t1_itah0if wrote

Get a list of previous owners/tenants and do a cross check against known serial killers.

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haloedjoker197066 t1_it95541 wrote

Is it a drywalled room or a solid concrete slab?

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NoMuffinForYou OP t1_it985kf wrote

Drywalled room, some unfinished areas but nothing adjacent to the mystery void

Edit, also concrete slab floor under carpet and tile

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Pizza_Whale t1_it95ult wrote

How old is the house? Wonder if it could be an old well room. In my area it was common to have well rooms with pump equipment, even for houses built in the 50s. When houses went to city water, mostly they just removed everything and cemented over the well pipe. But it seems plausible that someone just sealed the whole room up if that for some reason seemed easier. The house I grew up in had some kind of well room machinery that had to be removed in the early nineties and I recall it being a big to-do (though I was a kid) based on the size/weight and room dimensions.

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NoMuffinForYou OP t1_it988qq wrote

House was built in the mid 80's, great thought, but probably not that.

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OldBob10 t1_itaoz75 wrote

Based on the construction date, I suppose it *could* be a personal-sized disco which was sealed off. DO NOT GO IN THERE FOR ANY REASON, LEST THIS ANCIENT EVIL BE RELEASED!!! 💃🕺🪩💀

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5kyl3r t1_it9bi6h wrote

possibly fireplace chimney void? I have a 1st floor fireplace but I have a void that goes down to the basement foundation and up to the roof. like big enough to fit a few people inside

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NoMuffinForYou OP t1_it9h6r9 wrote

That's my second-best guess. There is a fireplace on the second floor above it and maybe they share a chimney? Don't know why they'd drywall over it though

2

ntyperteasy t1_itaiq07 wrote

Almost certainly the support for the chimney and fireplace. Weird to have it in the middle of the basement, but guess they wanted the fireplace to be in the middle of the first floor...

How old is the house? Older houses - where they actually expected you to heat with the fireplace - sometimes have an ash chute under the fireplace that went into the basement to make collecting ash easier. That might have been abandoned and closed off over the years...

https://www.flickr.com/photos/merek007/5117934235/

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torgleblorgle t1_itaw8yd wrote

My 1920s house had so much freaking ash in that chute I started worrying it might be structural removing it.

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12kdaysinthefire t1_itaueuu wrote

Our basement has the same thing except it’s not covered up. It’s the bottom of the chimney, right in the middle of the basement. The fireplace is on the first floor behind drywall inside a dividing wall that was added between our dining room and kitchen at some point.

There’s a second smaller fireplace behind drywall on the second floor as well inside a dividing wall between our loft and another room.

The bottom of the chimney has ventilation holes and other random holes that are covered up on it.

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OsirizSmash t1_it9fkxa wrote

Old cistern?

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NoMuffinForYou OP t1_it9h906 wrote

Not impossible but I don't think the house is old enough for that (80's construction).

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CrazyLlama71 t1_itaw73e wrote

It’s where it puts the lotion in the basket.

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malthar76 t1_itbhqlj wrote

There’s definitely a cask of Amontillado back there with at least one skeleton.

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Maplelongjohn t1_itbxqmc wrote

I'd say it's the foundation of the chimney.

Likely the original mechanicals vented up through it, and if you strip the drywall you'll be left with a large chimney.

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Moice t1_itc13as wrote

If the house is old enough and originally had a coal fired furnace, it might be a blocked off coal bin behind the walls.

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OldBob10 t1_itaockl wrote

It’s the *real* Area 51.

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ThinkingOz t1_itasplm wrote

That’s where the Blair Witch Project suddenly finished. Stay out.

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ThurstonHowell3rd t1_itatrdw wrote

Invite Geraldo over with a camera crew and crack that baby open. Sounds like a good project for Halloween.

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nycsingletrack t1_itblhno wrote

How old is the house? Possibly there’s an old furnace or water tank with asbestos insulation, and encapsulating it was cheaper than abatement. In some places this is legal (but not disclosing it when you bought might be illegal depending on state).

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Govspyman72 t1_itcidv9 wrote

My guess is just like everyone else’s. It’s a support column and water, sewage hidden. With that rec room you could open up part of it and recess a tv.

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