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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Comments

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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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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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Faruhoinguh t1_it977df wrote

We are going to need pictures....

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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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son_e_jim t1_it9bzim wrote

Old Indian burial ground

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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_it9koed wrote

Replying to WizardOfIF (#171,836)

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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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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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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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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OldBob10 t1_itaockl wrote

It’s the *real* Area 51.

1

OldBob10 t1_itaoz75 wrote

Replying to NoMuffinForYou (#171,049)

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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ThinkingOz t1_itasplm wrote

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

1

U_oOkay-Buddy t1_itatans wrote

Replying to NoMuffinForYou (#171,940)

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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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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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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imnotsoho t1_itaviap wrote

Replying to U_oOkay-Buddy (#175,383)

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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CrazyLlama71 t1_itaw73e wrote

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

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riomarde t1_itb5fmr wrote

Replying to NoMuffinForYou (#171,684)

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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malthar76 t1_itbhqlj wrote

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

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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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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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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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sfdragonboy t1_itcyjwx wrote

Replying to Helgafjell4Me (#178,138)

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.

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Helgafjell4Me t1_itd0s2f wrote

Replying to sfdragonboy (#180,541)

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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