Discovered a strange void under my 100-year-old home's basement slab [clay pipe, trash, and... Easter grass?]
Hey all, I live in a 100-year-old house in Minnesota, and recently stumbled onto something bizarre in my unfinished basement while replacing a rotted 2x4. The 2x4 was sitting directly on the concrete basement floor, and when I pulled it up, I found a rectangular hole underneath, about the size of a 2x4, going straight down through the slab to the dirt below (essentially the 2x4 was floating and not supporting anything). I stuck my hand in to see how large the hole was and realized there was a much larger space than I expected, so I grabbed my phone, stuck it in, and recorded some video. What I saw surprised me: The entire slab appears to be floating, with a gap between the concrete floor and the soil. The dirt is moist but not muddy, and the void looks like it extends pretty far, possibly deeper in some areas. I spotted what looked like a piece of old broken red clay pipe, possibly from an old drainage or plumbing system. Then I used a bore scope to look further, and it got even weirder. Despite visibility being rough (dirt kept getting on the lens), I managed to make out: More red-colored debris, including what looked like part of a torn magazine page (I could clearly read the faded word “beautiful”). What I initially thought was green grass, but when I pulled some out, it turned out to be some sort of synthetic plasticy material that kind of resembles Easter basket grass or maybe shredded rope. Now I have no idea what I’m looking at. Trash pit? Old crawlspace? Weirdly intentional gap? Just bad fill? My questions: Was this kind of space ever part of old building practices? Has anyone ever seen or heard of something like this before? What kind of contractor would be best to call first? structural, foundation, plumber? Is this potentially dangerous or just a weird historic leftover? I’ve uploaded some video footage and an image of the plastic material for reference. Would really appreciate any ideas or shared experiences. Thanks in advance! Video 1 Video 2 Video 3 Plastic Material submitted by /u/Poontickler [link] [comments]
Hey all,
I live in a 100-year-old house in Minnesota, and recently stumbled onto something bizarre in my unfinished basement while replacing a rotted 2x4.
The 2x4 was sitting directly on the concrete basement floor, and when I pulled it up, I found a rectangular hole underneath, about the size of a 2x4, going straight down through the slab to the dirt below (essentially the 2x4 was floating and not supporting anything).
I stuck my hand in to see how large the hole was and realized there was a much larger space than I expected, so I grabbed my phone, stuck it in, and recorded some video.
What I saw surprised me:
- The entire slab appears to be floating, with a gap between the concrete floor and the soil.
- The dirt is moist but not muddy, and the void looks like it extends pretty far, possibly deeper in some areas.
- I spotted what looked like a piece of old broken red clay pipe, possibly from an old drainage or plumbing system.
Then I used a bore scope to look further, and it got even weirder. Despite visibility being rough (dirt kept getting on the lens), I managed to make out:
- More red-colored debris, including what looked like part of a torn magazine page (I could clearly read the faded word “beautiful”).
- What I initially thought was green grass, but when I pulled some out, it turned out to be some sort of synthetic plasticy material that kind of resembles Easter basket grass or maybe shredded rope.
Now I have no idea what I’m looking at. Trash pit? Old crawlspace? Weirdly intentional gap? Just bad fill?
My questions:
- Was this kind of space ever part of old building practices?
- Has anyone ever seen or heard of something like this before?
- What kind of contractor would be best to call first? structural, foundation, plumber?
- Is this potentially dangerous or just a weird historic leftover?
I’ve uploaded some video footage and an image of the plastic material for reference. Would really appreciate any ideas or shared experiences. Thanks in advance!
[link] [comments]
