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A discovery underneath a family home's floorboards has left the owners shocked after having no idea it was there.
Ben Mann and wife Kimberley Jane uncovered a secret room under their pre-1900s home, which could only be accessed from a hidden stairwell.
And it was only uncovered after Mr Mann attempted to remove old, rotting floorboards.
The 39-year-old, however, quickly discovered that the new – or old – cellar was flooded and filled with rubble.
The brick-walled room has a seating area and archway, and looks like it was previously used as a wine storage area.
He told The Mirror: “There was some issues with rotten floorboards and the person I bought the house from wouldn't let me explore any further until we had moved in.
“I had an inkling something was hidden underneath after noticing a lot of the houses on our street had cellars and steps leading down.
“I took a gamble and guessed where the stairwell would be and managed to cut the hatch out and found a flooded cellar.
“It was in terrible condition; there was a foot of water and rubble. It was rotting the floorboards and joists so I had to replace all of them. I saw it as an exciting bonus despite the fact it needed a lot of work.”
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Having renovated the rest of the house first, the decided to spend around £4,500 on turning the derelict room into a home cinema and playroom for their one-year-old daughter, Bella.
It now houses a custom made sofa, projector and bar area – the latter is not for the daughter, just to be clear.
The non-toddler part of the room has been nicknamed the “Mann Cave”.
Mr Mann continued: “I shopped around and used a lot of second-hand materials.
“I made my own system to pump out the water so I've managed to save a lot of money by doing the work myself.
“The work started in October 2020 but was only recently finished as it was an ongoing project.
“There's a large l-shaped lounger, shelving racks, popcorn machine, sweet vending machine, a mini fridge, a projector, and a bar area.
“It's around 12 square metres and a fully functioning room which we're happy we discovered.”
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