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A woman shared her excitement in a now-viral video after she said she discovered a room she did not know existed in her apartment, and she shared with Newsweek what she intended to do with the found space.
Caroline Wimberly posted the first of several videos to her TikTok account @carolinewimberly where it was viewed more than 175,000 times.
She explained that a board of plywood was installed in the ceiling to cover the entrance to the space, but she was under the impression that it was a small and unfinished crawlspace. Wimberly also theorized that the space was likely boarded up because it may not have met the appropriate building codes.
According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), building codes are the requirements that ensure a safe structure.
"Building codes protect you from a wide range of hazards—whether it is by implementing safe wiring, fire prevention, or stronger structural integrity," the piece published by FEMA said.
In her first video about the newly-discovered area, Wimberly said she discovered a "secret room." She proceeded to pan around the space to give viewers a chance to see what the room looked like.
"There's a skylight, and hardwood floors and electrical outlets," she said excitedly. "This is a whole-a** room, you guys."
Many viewers appeared to share Wimberly's excitement for the additional space, some offering suggestions about what she can do with the room in the comments section on all of her videos about it.
'So Much Room For Activities'
"So much room for activities," a viewer said.
"Perfect tiny library," another wrote. "I'd be in heaven."
"This would make the cutest art studio," a comment read.
"Turn it into a reading nook/hang out spot," a viewer said. "Get a white little ladder to go up and down. Get a plant."
One viewer said there was a possibility that there was a good chance people could fall through the opening, which would make insurance for the apartment more expensive.
"Probably why it was closed off," they wrote. "Still a cool find!"
Wimberly told Newsweek in an email she plans to use the space as a movie and reading room.
"Maybe one day I'll turn it into an office but I love the idea of having a cozy place to watch movies," she said. "I want it to feel like a grown-up version of the secret clubhouse we all dreamt of having as kids."
The Updates
Wimberly proceeded to share a series of videos about the space, including one video about how she found it.
She said a piece of plywood covered the entrance and it was locked with a deadbolt, though the screws were on the outside of the plywood.
"I just unscrewed the screws and took the lock off," Wimberly said.
In a third video, she addressed some viewers who said the space was simply an attic space.
"The point is, it was boarded up and locked the past three years, and I was too scared to go up there because I thought there were demons or the bride of Chucky or something scary living up there," Wimberly said.
She continued and said the reason she removed the door to the space was to see if it had enough room to hold some suitcases.
"Yeah, I definitely can store suitcases up there now—a lot of them," Wimberly said with a laugh.
While the room was new to Wimberly, she said in another video that she told her neighbor about it, who already knew of its existence.
Her neighbor told Wimberly that a former tenant used the loft area as a guest room, but she is unsure of how they were able to get up and down.
"I suspect the reason why it was closed and locked is because there's no proper 'up to code' way to get up there," Wimberly said.
In a comment, she said she planned to request an inspection of the space.
Subsequent videos she shared about the space showed Wimberly getting paint and supplies as she got to work renovating the room.
Since starting the renovation process, she said things have been running smoothly. Wimberly said she enjoys interior design and home projects, and renovating the room sparked a new interest in woodworking.
"I've already built my first custom storage cabin for the loft and next I plan to build a library ladder to get up there more easily," she said. "It's been really fun to discover a new hobby that I might have otherwise not gotten into."
Wimberly said she was happy to find that her excitement upon finding the room was shared by TikTok viewers.
"It all just feels very sweet and wholesome. It's lovely," she said. "I wish I could have everyone over for cookies up there once it's done!"
More Secret Rooms
Others have previously learned that their dwelling space has a secret room, and they've shared their discovery on TikTok.
A man said he found a room that was boarded up in his pantry, while another video showed a mother's reaction to finding a passageway leading from her son's closet to another room.
One man removed a wooden panel that was behind a door and found a new room.
Update: 09/12/22 2:29 p.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from Caroline Wimberly.
About the writer
Catherine Ferris is a Newsweek reporter based in New York. Her focus is reporting for the U.S. Trends Team. She ... Read more