A first-time buyer in South London got more than she bargained for when she lifted up her floorboards and made an unexpected discovery.
Ella Sims, 24, moved into her new home on September 15. Just a week later, while inspecting the flooring, she stumbled upon something she never could have predicted—a pool of water beneath the floor at the front door.
“At first I wasn’t too worried because I’d bought the property knowing there were damp issues from the survey, and I’d actually got money off because of it,” Sims told Newsweek. “But when the flies started coming up from below, I started to panic a little. I was mildly concerned there could be a crime scene or dead animal under my stairs.”
In a video on TikTok with more than 600,000 views, Sims shared the moment they pulled back the decaying flooring to expose a dark water pool beneath. In the text overlay she joked: “Wait until you see my swimming pool.”
“When the flies started coming up from below I started to panic a little—I was mildly concerned there could be a crime scene or dead animal under my stairs,” she said.
“My reaction was to laugh, as I didn’t really know what else to do. About 10 minutes later the reality set in and I started googling what it could be.”
While some social media users have speculated that the cavity could be an old coal vault or redundant cellar space, its exact origin remains unclear.
Heritage experts commented that many Victorian and Edwardian houses were once built with underground coal chutes and storage areas, which, if blocked off and forgotten, can later flood.
Internet Reacts
As the video of the discovery gained more attention on TikTok, people shared their reactions and theories in the comments.
“Just put the carpet back down. It’s a tomorrow problem,” said one commenter.
Another wrote: “Oh my god yay a pool.”
“So you got a hole into the abyss,” said another viewer. While some even suggested Sims move out of the house rather than deal with the unexpected problem.
Despite the surprise discovery, Sims is keen to make the most of the situation.
“My absolute priority is getting rid of the flies, because there’s genuinely hundreds,” she said. “With this house it’s kind of not my first priority, though—I also need to replace ceilings and get rid of roaches.
“I won’t be leaving like some people have suggested.”
Amazingly, this isn’t the first time a homeowner has found something unexpected underneath their floor. Earlier this year a North Carolina family were stunned to discovery a swimming pool underneath their living room. While last year another U.K.-based homeowner uncovered the coal chute in their basement, unveiling a 7-foot-high and 30-foot-long space.
