Woman gets surprise of life after knocking down wall in house and making find

Home renovations can lead to wild discoveries (stock image) (Image: Getty)

A woman has been left gobsmacked after knocking down a wall in her 1915s home only to discover a secret staircase on the other side.

Interested, the woman knew she needed to explore it further and decided to open it up fully.

She explained how she bought her house in Washington State, US, at the end of last year - but didn't know too much about its history before moving in.

She said on Reddit: "Allegedly the first home on the lake (no longer has waterfront, but has acreage). We assumed the first big remodel was in the 1950s, then again in the late 80s, early 90s."

After setting about renovating the property, she came across an entire staircase hidden behind a linen cabinet wall in the hallway, leading to a room closed off to the world for decades.

She added: "Well, there was a linen cabinet in the hallway Today, there is a staircase in the hallway. Originally, we were going to make a walk-in linen closet.

"Walking up those stairs and seeing into the second attic space we can see where ceilings have been lowered, light fixtures in old spaces, and even wallpaper from old room.

"We've thought about continuing the stairs and finishing the second attic space above it. So, what it'll become is still up in the air."

While the room was mostly empty, she did come across a crumpled newspaper clipping from around the time of the first remodel in the 1950s.

She added: "[There was a] newspaper I found crumpled up in the attic spaces, which is neat because I think it was left to dating and we assumed the first remodel was in the 50s."

Dated October 8, 1950, the Seattle Post Intelligencer article is advertising a 'Historical Society to Hear Lecture', inviting locals to meet up and discuss their city's historical events.

Expanding on her discovery, she added: "We found that the space this opens up to can be accessed from our master suite through second attic access.

"We also might just raise our ceilings on the first floor. It's been kind of a trip going up there and trying to wrap our brains around the original design of the house.

"The owner before the owner we bought the house from, they allegedly 'picked up the master bedroom and moved it to the other side of the house' (second floor suite).

"That doesn't really make sense, though, because that addition had to have been built in the 80s. These stairs are original, and there is wallpaper up there, but a very low ceiling. So, who the heck knows. But, we are debating on a lot of different options."

They added: "This isn't a home like a 'craftsman' or a 'colonial' or anything. It was a cabin at one point. Very odd way to make an addition and leave this staircase, etc."

People were equally shocked by the discovery and took to the comments section to share their thoughts and suggestions.

Commenting on her post, one user said: "I would make a secret door in the back of the linen cabinet, and use it to store valuables. that is a pretty big space."

Another user added: "Omg! Finding a secret space like this is my dream, but my house is too small for there to be anything hiding. So many options for what to do with this!"

Meanwhile, a third user said: "You have the perfect chance to make a secret passage."