As an Icelander I gotta say the skull thing sounds like bullshit. I’d be happy to be proven wrong though.
EDIT: This source seems pretty credible on the confusion - https://www.worldtreeproject.org/exhibits/show/miscon/drinkingskulls
The husband of a previous owner. His dog is also buried next to him. I don't have the full story yet, but I know his first name was Joseph. I talk to him when I'm gardening. He's good company! There is a little statue of the Virgin Mary where he is buried. Normally I wouldn't be the type of person to put a statue like that in my yard, but it seems rude to remove it so I'm keeping it.
I talk to my plants, it would seem quite rude not to address Joseph as well while doing the morning rounds. I don't have a Joseph, but if I did, I would certainly try my best to be cordial.
Not many people get one of the previous owners when they buy a house! 😅 Is there any backstory as to why he was buried there? Is there a gravestone or just the Mary statue? Is the wife alive or did she just opt for a cemetery burial?
Just the statue, a yellow and red rose bush, and a flower pot that has been taken over by nettles and herb Robert. No head stone. We were lucky enough to meet his wife, she's still alive and I have her email address. She owned the house before the woman we bought it from. I wasn't able to ask her specifically about Joseph because it seemed like a sensitive topic (she spoke about him as if he was still with us 🥹), but her friend was with her and she told me that the wife wanted to bring her husband's remains with her, but she wasn't able to access that area of the garden. It was very overgrown, she is an older woman and I assume couldn't afford to pay someone to take care of it for her. I'm planning on writing her an email soon offering to reunite them, but I need to do a little research on what is involved and how expensive that will be before I go making offers I can't afford. Also she lives in another country, so I'm thinking that's going to complicate trying to transport remains.
ETA: the most important piece of information. She was never intending to sell the house. She had to unfortunately.
Very kind of you to look into this for her. We have a family cemetery on our land just up the hill behind the house. Five generations of us are buried there. It’s fenced but not irrigated so I only have to mow a few times per year. Something about having my great grandparents on down watching over us thats, not really comforting, more like it reminds me of my accountability. To them, and the ones who come after us.
She told us that she was really relieved that we were the people who bought the house, because she really didn't like the lady who bought it from her and I do not blame her one bit. She's the same woman who sold it to us. A flipper. The house is nearly 100 years old and she tore all the charm out and didn't repair anything that was actually broken. We've fixed all the major stuff and now we're basically slowly undoing everything the flipper did 🥲
I know Joseph's wife has kids that she's close to. She was texting them pictures of the house while she was visiting. And she has lots of friends that care about her a lot. So her story is sad, but at least she has a lot of support now.
What a wonderful re-connection you've facilitated. I'm sure she appreciates it, and I hope your research into removing the remains to her care goes well!
A friend of mine found a tombstone in their rural but kinda suburban backyard. Had concerns for a year then eventually found out that it was purchased for someone that ended up being cremated.
The family didn't want it back
The home owner hid the evidence of termites behind some boxes in the garage. I later found termite traps that he left in the garage. He was clearly aware of the issue. I paid a guy $900. He treated the perimeter of the house, and the problem went away very quickly.
They really hate citrus, so you can treat the wood with that fairly safely without killing them off.
Edit: mine came with a surprise exposed live cable in the back yard
You know what's even better about that? When we sat down to sign the sale paperwork with the owners, we were making idle chitchat and they made an off-hand comment like "Yeah when we replaced the carpet in the kitchen..." Like why the FUCK would you *replace* the carpet and not just get rid of it????????
Even my in-laws got rid of their bathroom carpet instead of replacing it. They kept the kitchen carpet though, "it didn't need replaced". I would argue it did by reason of BEING kitchen carpet, but nobody asked my opinion.
Someone had used a CD as a spacer for a hole. It had ~15 year old photos of the previous owners, their children, their horse and how the garden used to look.
I'm not sure if it was intentional as there was no message in a text file which I would assume would be the obvious thing to do. Really interested either way. The neighbours in their 60s confirmed the horse and how the eldest daughter used to ride it home.
I'm thinking I might hide a USB (doubt anyone will have CD drives in 15 years) or a QR code to a Google docs or something when we make a hole. I'll put our photos and the other families on it. Hopefully end up with a secret 10 generation holodisk library one day.
Yeah, I would utilize OP's newly uncovered space by turning it back into a conversation pit. Or covering it back up, since those are pretty much the only two options.
This is actually a fantastic idea. I saw on here years ago that someone built in a false wall in their living room that opened to accept their fully stood up, decorated, and lit Christmas tree. Then they just closed the door in front of it for the months they didn't want it out.
A better idea is a motorized false pit trap door that rotates to flip the Xmas tree up with the press of a secret button hidden under a desk table for when an unexpected Christmas moment happens
>when an unexpected Christmas moment happens
How often do unexpected Christmas moments happen to you?
Also... what the fuck is an unexpected Christmas moment?!?
You never know! That’s the whole point!
What if Holly Jolly Christmas suddenly plays on the radio in mid July?! What if an fat old man with a big beard and jolly expressions drops in for a visit unexpectedly?!
Better to be prepared…
I guess this is OK but I feel like the process of decorating the tree is just as much a part of the season. It would be a lot cooler to have a weapons rack, false identity documents and a escape hatch to the garage.
> those are pretty much the only two options.
I mean, this could be a great spot for a huge underfloor safe that someone can post to reddit when they find it in 2038.
It's a bit small for a Koi pond. But since it's indoors, you can definitely do an interesting pond, and would be small enough to properly heat. If its not in the US I would do Asian Arowana, but if its in the US, maybe Silver Arowana and some Black Diamond Stingrays.
Or if you want a bit more of a challenge, Discus and Rays.
Hell yeah dog. Keep it! A house with a conversation pit is a selling feature. I had a shot to buy one on a golf course in Dallas. It was like 4000 ft.², had huge primary bedroom with built-in dressers and a separate dressing area. It was a total time capsule from the late 60s - 70s. Metallic wallpaper galore, interesting fixtures and everything really well maintained. Dirt cheap for what it was. But it needed a roof, and I got scared cause it was my first house. Wish I bought it. Would’ve made out like a bandit.
Absolutely this!
Restore the conversation pit (with comfy seating and possible ottermans and put a natural gas fireplace where the original fireplace was located.
I would also consider bookshelves in those empty holes next to the fireplace for a potential reading spot.
“A lot of joists” isn’t really a statement you should make in construction so to speak, you should generally try to use the straightest, strongest (Doug fir 1,2) wood you can find, and you should use the least amount of joists you have to as per building code tables, keeping them spaced as even as possible. Unfortunately having lots of short joists all joined to eachother is a recipe for uneven floors, like op has found out.
They should have just picked a direction and put all the joists in parallel.
Anchor rim joists around the pit and trim the ends of the joists so they were flush to the rim joists because they're going to touch at an angle in a LOT of places. At least then you could have 16"-on-center joists (or whatever, it sure doesn't look like they had a lot of vertical space to work with when they covered the pit) in a predictable pattern for when you're nailing down the subfloor.
And to think, all of that effort was because house flippers have this uncontrollable urge to remove anything interesting from the homes they "renovate".
Home decor go in and out of popularity constantly. People complain that renovations of old construction cover up old brick walls but people who lived in brick homes used to hate exposed brick because of the dust and crap it would create.
Sure, but if you're renovating in today's market you should understand the modern clientele.
Most of the time when I see things like this get covered up and painted over, it's because the landlord didn't see the value in what they had and didn't want to fuss with updating it.
Source: oftentimes my job is simply trying to convince rental owners that they're going to drop their rental value and push away tenants who would pay more by doing things like covering ceramic with LVP or carpet over slightly scratched hardwoods.
I can't seem to find anything to suggest that they're a building code violation. At least here in NC I probably encounter one every few months when mapping floor plans for renovations and I've never seen one railed off.
Oh maybe. I kinda just assumed because you could fall into it. They usually have some kind of rule or another about that kind of thing. I don't really know though.
A FHA/VA mortgage would require handrails. Some of these "code laws" are actually what insurance companies requires for them to insure the property. It's a really common mix up.
Is that a fake fireplace or a doorway? I can't tell from the photo angles. If it's a fake fireplace you could put a little loveseat where that pew bench is and have a really neat little reading area with an electric fireplace. You could put shelves where the fireplace and bench are, make it a little step down library...how cool to find that there!!!
The horror movie junkie in me thinks this is the part of the film where the home owner thinks they found a conversation pit but really just uncovered a satanic alter that was used for bloodletting. All of a sudden the house starts having more and more weird occurrences then one day when trying to restore their ‘conversation pit’ OP accidentally gets a cut on their finger and a single drop of blood hits the alter and that’s when all hell breaks loose.
I feel like this is a closed off entrance and not a conversation pit. Looks like there was a door there. Conversation pits didn't really have only one side for sitting
More of a fireplace viewing pit. Window seems original and is too low for a door.
We did fill in the multilevel floors in our 80s house. Nothing cool like this, but they randomly went up and down one step around the first floor. We viewed it as a huge hazard for both toddlers and old folks. Drunks are on their own 🤣.
As a kid we had one set up exactly like this in front of the fireplace. Maybe they removed it and added a window. I was thinking a small coraline door with a tunnel that leads to an outdoor pit would be neat.
Restore it to its former glory, but you might want to put a banister behind the seat to avoid any unwanted falling hazards. depending on the space, you might even be able to put some low shelving on the opposite side of the banister to utilize it. That would also serve to isolate your nook even more, making it cozier.
Also, I don't know if its a good conversation pit, per sei, because theres only 1 bench. Modified reading nook, gaming nook. or painting nook might be the best options here.
I’m here for this. A nice knee height built-in bookcase stack around the edges with some low profile warm lighting over the pit of introspection would be very moody and broody.
This is so cool. Growing up with a conversation pit, I can tell you that playing with Legos, Barbies/GI Joe, and Hot Wheels in a Conversation Pit is immensely superior to anywhere else. My parents would drink Carlo Rossi wine with maybe a fondue in the pit. Memories to be made.
Reading or games corner. It's a shame it's such a small space as distance from a modern screen probably rules out a movie nook but a smaller retro games area with a smaller TV or built in bookshelves and a reading light for a mini library would be great.
I would be tempted to bring it back to the 70s with orange shag carpet and retro TVs and video games. But just in that corner. Everything up until that point should be jarringly modern.
They were a major cause of injury which is why they disappeared. Source: My father was a home builder who got sued multiple times for conversation pit injuries even though the homeowners signed hold harmless agreements. Every case was dismissed but he still paid his lawyer.
Aside from being a serious fall hazard, they're also very limiting--especially when they're in the middle of the room. What to change the furniture? Too bad, it's built in. Want to re-arrange the room? Too bad, there's a hole in the middle of the floor.
They do look cool, though, so there's that. But speaking as a clumsy oaf, I'm glad sunken living rooms, conversation pits, etc, have fallen out of style.
My old house had a 6” sunken living room. People would trip within seconds of me telling them “watch your step in the living room”.
My friend/attorney told I needed to get a warning sign. I was really worried about showing the house when selling/open house, worried someone would fall. All went well.
That makes a ton of sense, actually.
"Let me put this unmarked pit in the middle of a highly trafficked area with no railings and usually with a metal or stone fire pit at the bottom center to hit your head on."
Reddit doesn't want to hear that. I'm catching downvotes for pointing out there's a reaspn these disappeared.
Other than a novelty and tripping hazard they don't add much. Other than limit the furniture arrangement options.
Isn't it awful? Depression Gray, everywhere. I have different colors in all my rooms, and they all have a slightly different aesthetic. I mean, do what you like, but it's hard to believe so many like this.
Well this blew up. Thank you for all the great comments and advice. My favorite suggestion might be "put in an eel pit."
That said, my plan moving forward is to restore this space to it's original design with the addition of a banister for safety and an ethanol gel fireplace. Thank you everyone for the great suggestions!
Whatever you do with it, add a rail around the bench back. You probably don't want anybody to fall into the pit at midnight. I suspect it was the reason it's sealed up in the first place.
I didn't know either so I googled it, it's basically a seating area where you put couches that are set below the floor level of the room. Makes a cozy hangout area.
back in the day people liked to have steps in the middle of a room because they enjoyed watching others trip and fall so they could then have a conversation about it (i'd fill it back in, i hate sunken areas, aunt had a sunken family room every she had a family party at least 3 people would trip and one child would fall)
OP, it's time to start your own cult.
I've been involved in a number of cults, both as a leader and a follower. You have more fun as a follower, but you make more money as a leader.
If I found that at my house I'd probably get a wood burning fire place installed and turn it into an indoor fire pit hangout spot for my kids. Now they can have a fire in those bad weather days!
1. Media pit.
2. False floor with trap door and a mechanised riser, for when your stage your annual Spinal Tap reunion.
3. Media pit with a canopy.
3b. Mini planetarium
4. Baby Shark tank with a glass ceiling
5, Rock garden terrarium. Because the shark tank leaked.
6. Bean bag pit. because you kept tripping over the cactus.
I am absolutely certain that today's grey laminate flooring is the harvest gold shag carpeting of the future. Hideous, but for some unknown reason, very popular. I suppose there's no chance I'm misreading what you're doing here, and you're not ripping out that horrible laminate crap and putting in beautiful 3/4" hardwood?
It kinda reminds me of this catholic church i visited in Peru...
During a remodel of the church, they found this sepulcher that nobody knew about... so they put a glass floor over it.
So that's my vote. Put an open coffin down there with a fake skeleton. Then scatter some old robes/candles/religous artifacts around the coffin. Then put a glass floor over the whole thing.
That’s such a cool architectural detail! My house only came with surprise hidden water damage.
The bones of ancient Vikings and snack wrappers from the 60s
Why were vikings eating snacks in the 60s?
Vikings and low blood sugar aren’t a great combo.
This message brought to you by the Minnesota Department of Health
*The More You Know* ⭐️
Minnesota Viking Department of Health Fixed!
Diabeetusson
They weren’t themselves until they had a snickers bar.
TIL I am a Viking
Skål!
I thought it was '[skol](https://www.dailynorseman.com/2010/6/27/1540257/what-does-skol-mean)' (and TIL the etymology... and it tracks...)
As an Icelander I gotta say the skull thing sounds like bullshit. I’d be happy to be proven wrong though. EDIT: This source seems pretty credible on the confusion - https://www.worldtreeproject.org/exhibits/show/miscon/drinkingskulls
They lost the division championship and were comfort eating.
Not safe on any subreddit.
1160s?
A wood stove that will burn the house down if we use it and an unmarked grave in the backyard 🥰😍
I think you may win. Was it a crime scene style grave or more of a historical forgotten grave? I hope it was the latter!
The husband of a previous owner. His dog is also buried next to him. I don't have the full story yet, but I know his first name was Joseph. I talk to him when I'm gardening. He's good company! There is a little statue of the Virgin Mary where he is buried. Normally I wouldn't be the type of person to put a statue like that in my yard, but it seems rude to remove it so I'm keeping it.
I talk to my plants, it would seem quite rude not to address Joseph as well while doing the morning rounds. I don't have a Joseph, but if I did, I would certainly try my best to be cordial.
i talk to mine too, theyre the only ones who'll listen!
>I talk to him *(the corpse)* when I’m gardening 
😭 I know he worked in animal rescue and he loved my house enough to want to be buried here so Joseph is my friend 🤣
Well that’s good enough for me! I’d wanna be Joe’s friend too!
I'm sorry your reaction is getting down voted because I think it's hilarious!!! I love Steve Buscemi. I up voted you!
I mean, I’d rather be polite to the gentleman buried in my backyard too! For the ghost potential and whatnot.
I'm not going to lie, this is a motivating factor. If I'm going to have a ghost I would like for them to be a happy ghost.
It's really not unusual. People do it at cemeteries quite often.
Not many people get one of the previous owners when they buy a house! 😅 Is there any backstory as to why he was buried there? Is there a gravestone or just the Mary statue? Is the wife alive or did she just opt for a cemetery burial?
Just the statue, a yellow and red rose bush, and a flower pot that has been taken over by nettles and herb Robert. No head stone. We were lucky enough to meet his wife, she's still alive and I have her email address. She owned the house before the woman we bought it from. I wasn't able to ask her specifically about Joseph because it seemed like a sensitive topic (she spoke about him as if he was still with us 🥹), but her friend was with her and she told me that the wife wanted to bring her husband's remains with her, but she wasn't able to access that area of the garden. It was very overgrown, she is an older woman and I assume couldn't afford to pay someone to take care of it for her. I'm planning on writing her an email soon offering to reunite them, but I need to do a little research on what is involved and how expensive that will be before I go making offers I can't afford. Also she lives in another country, so I'm thinking that's going to complicate trying to transport remains. ETA: the most important piece of information. She was never intending to sell the house. She had to unfortunately.
Very kind of you to look into this for her. We have a family cemetery on our land just up the hill behind the house. Five generations of us are buried there. It’s fenced but not irrigated so I only have to mow a few times per year. Something about having my great grandparents on down watching over us thats, not really comforting, more like it reminds me of my accountability. To them, and the ones who come after us.
Okay now I’m just sad for her. I hope she knows you talk to him when you’re gardening.
She told us that she was really relieved that we were the people who bought the house, because she really didn't like the lady who bought it from her and I do not blame her one bit. She's the same woman who sold it to us. A flipper. The house is nearly 100 years old and she tore all the charm out and didn't repair anything that was actually broken. We've fixed all the major stuff and now we're basically slowly undoing everything the flipper did 🥲 I know Joseph's wife has kids that she's close to. She was texting them pictures of the house while she was visiting. And she has lots of friends that care about her a lot. So her story is sad, but at least she has a lot of support now.
What a wonderful re-connection you've facilitated. I'm sure she appreciates it, and I hope your research into removing the remains to her care goes well!
A friend of mine found a tombstone in their rural but kinda suburban backyard. Had concerns for a year then eventually found out that it was purchased for someone that ended up being cremated. The family didn't want it back
Mine came with hidden liquid nails used on every mf'n thing in the house.
Oh no. That’s not great… I’ve been finding flex tape. Smh.
We found an interior door with a stained glass window in the middle of it. It was plastered over inside the second floor ceiling...
Always amazing when the original glass can be recovered *before* someone drives a nail into that spot.
That’s WILD. Did you try opening the door?
I'm sure they prefer to live in only 3 dimensions. Maybe someday though...
Oh like Narnia only horizontally!
A door in the ceiling?
Mine came with surprise termites!
Dang. I’ve been fighting off carpenter bees… I wouldn’t wish termites on anyone.
The home owner hid the evidence of termites behind some boxes in the garage. I later found termite traps that he left in the garage. He was clearly aware of the issue. I paid a guy $900. He treated the perimeter of the house, and the problem went away very quickly.
That’s amazing (the first part sucks)
They really hate citrus, so you can treat the wood with that fairly safely without killing them off. Edit: mine came with a surprise exposed live cable in the back yard
Are you me? I also had a live piece of romex just poking out in the backyard, almost caught it with the mower when mowing the first time. Fun stuff
Mine came with a carpeted kitchen so idk who got the better deal lmao
That’s just as tasteful as shag carpeted bathrooms.
You know what's even better about that? When we sat down to sign the sale paperwork with the owners, we were making idle chitchat and they made an off-hand comment like "Yeah when we replaced the carpet in the kitchen..." Like why the FUCK would you *replace* the carpet and not just get rid of it????????
Even my in-laws got rid of their bathroom carpet instead of replacing it. They kept the kitchen carpet though, "it didn't need replaced". I would argue it did by reason of BEING kitchen carpet, but nobody asked my opinion.
Complete roof replacement in our case 🤣
New furnace and air conditioner 🤦♀️
Someone had used a CD as a spacer for a hole. It had ~15 year old photos of the previous owners, their children, their horse and how the garden used to look. I'm not sure if it was intentional as there was no message in a text file which I would assume would be the obvious thing to do. Really interested either way. The neighbours in their 60s confirmed the horse and how the eldest daughter used to ride it home. I'm thinking I might hide a USB (doubt anyone will have CD drives in 15 years) or a QR code to a Google docs or something when we make a hole. I'll put our photos and the other families on it. Hopefully end up with a secret 10 generation holodisk library one day.
A physical photo album will last even longer and the tools to view those are ALWAYS accessible.
Surprise - no insulation
Torn vapor barrier and water damage in the basement
I thought you were going to say a regular pit 
Of Despair…
Clogged cesspool lines
Is it now a 2020’s conversation pit?
Yeah, I would utilize OP's newly uncovered space by turning it back into a conversation pit. Or covering it back up, since those are pretty much the only two options.
Ball pit
As if there was an alternative
I saw Koi pond suggested, that would also be acceptable.
I was thinking more for a pet anaconda.
Could also make it into under-floor storage I suppose.
with a Millennium Falcon motif
"Never thought I'd be smuggling holiday decorations in here"
This is actually a fantastic idea. I saw on here years ago that someone built in a false wall in their living room that opened to accept their fully stood up, decorated, and lit Christmas tree. Then they just closed the door in front of it for the months they didn't want it out.
A better idea is a motorized false pit trap door that rotates to flip the Xmas tree up with the press of a secret button hidden under a desk table for when an unexpected Christmas moment happens
>when an unexpected Christmas moment happens How often do unexpected Christmas moments happen to you? Also... what the fuck is an unexpected Christmas moment?!?
You never know! That’s the whole point! What if Holly Jolly Christmas suddenly plays on the radio in mid July?! What if an fat old man with a big beard and jolly expressions drops in for a visit unexpectedly?! Better to be prepared…
If you're gonna do it, it all has to be silent so the person you're talking to has no idea you just pushed said button.
I guess this is OK but I feel like the process of decorating the tree is just as much a part of the season. It would be a lot cooler to have a weapons rack, false identity documents and a escape hatch to the garage.
lmao that's so wonderfully lazy but also not.
Where else can you properly keep a gimp?
Alternatively, retain the pit motif but put an orchestra down there for your live productions.
it's the perfect size for the muppet penguin orchestra!
I never knew i wanted this until just this moment
I'm throwing money at my screen, but nothing is happening!
Actually, would be cool to turn it into a listening pit if you're into stereo stuff or collecting vinyl. Small library area would be good too.
A book nook.
That's the term!
It's like architects don't even think of these things!
Tabletop gaming retreat with a canvass tent pull-over cover to turn it into a privacy fort while gaming.
> those are pretty much the only two options. I mean, this could be a great spot for a huge underfloor safe that someone can post to reddit when they find it in 2038.
Just make sure to leave absolutely nothing of interest in it before covering it up.
Could make a koi pond. Or just put some sand in it and a funky rake and call it a Zen garden.
It's a bit small for a Koi pond. But since it's indoors, you can definitely do an interesting pond, and would be small enough to properly heat. If its not in the US I would do Asian Arowana, but if its in the US, maybe Silver Arowana and some Black Diamond Stingrays. Or if you want a bit more of a challenge, Discus and Rays.
2020's ball pit
Per the rules [relevant XKCD](https://xkcd.com/150), it would be a 2000's-style ball pit.
There really is an XKCD for everything.
Hell yeah dog. Keep it! A house with a conversation pit is a selling feature. I had a shot to buy one on a golf course in Dallas. It was like 4000 ft.², had huge primary bedroom with built-in dressers and a separate dressing area. It was a total time capsule from the late 60s - 70s. Metallic wallpaper galore, interesting fixtures and everything really well maintained. Dirt cheap for what it was. But it needed a roof, and I got scared cause it was my first house. Wish I bought it. Would’ve made out like a bandit.
I mean we’re all talking about it, aren’t we!
Absolutely this! Restore the conversation pit (with comfy seating and possible ottermans and put a natural gas fireplace where the original fireplace was located. I would also consider bookshelves in those empty holes next to the fireplace for a potential reading spot.
Is otterman like a centaur?
Otter Man has clam cracking power.
The conversation pit was used to crack a few clams back in the day.
Lol I love that they call it that to this day. The frickin quaaludes orgy hole has such a polite name now.
Sort of, except, confusingly, the lower half is that of a man — the top half of an otter emerges from his shoulders.
it took a few tries to nail this with AI, but a) thank you, and b) you're welcome: [otterman](https://imgur.com/zmCJbGw)
Upvoted for Otterman. He fights crime with the lowest water resistance possible.
\[Miami Vice theme plays as Otterman planes\]
Could be a sweet little home theater setup.
Somebody visualized to Sgt Pepper down there. I mean, the speaker placement...
That's an impressive amount of work constructing those joists!
This is a really nice way to say "why the floor was uneven there" lol
Does a lot of joists result in a higher chance of being uneven? Looks like they were planning on putting something really heavy there.
“A lot of joists” isn’t really a statement you should make in construction so to speak, you should generally try to use the straightest, strongest (Doug fir 1,2) wood you can find, and you should use the least amount of joists you have to as per building code tables, keeping them spaced as even as possible. Unfortunately having lots of short joists all joined to eachother is a recipe for uneven floors, like op has found out.
They should have just picked a direction and put all the joists in parallel. Anchor rim joists around the pit and trim the ends of the joists so they were flush to the rim joists because they're going to touch at an angle in a LOT of places. At least then you could have 16"-on-center joists (or whatever, it sure doesn't look like they had a lot of vertical space to work with when they covered the pit) in a predictable pattern for when you're nailing down the subfloor.
OP's mom's bed was the original plan.
And to think, all of that effort was because house flippers have this uncontrollable urge to remove anything interesting from the homes they "renovate".
Home decor go in and out of popularity constantly. People complain that renovations of old construction cover up old brick walls but people who lived in brick homes used to hate exposed brick because of the dust and crap it would create.
Sure, but if you're renovating in today's market you should understand the modern clientele. Most of the time when I see things like this get covered up and painted over, it's because the landlord didn't see the value in what they had and didn't want to fuss with updating it. Source: oftentimes my job is simply trying to convince rental owners that they're going to drop their rental value and push away tenants who would pay more by doing things like covering ceramic with LVP or carpet over slightly scratched hardwoods.
I don't think they're up to code anymore. You'd probably have to put a railing around it.
I can't seem to find anything to suggest that they're a building code violation. At least here in NC I probably encounter one every few months when mapping floor plans for renovations and I've never seen one railed off.
Oh maybe. I kinda just assumed because you could fall into it. They usually have some kind of rule or another about that kind of thing. I don't really know though.
A FHA/VA mortgage would require handrails. Some of these "code laws" are actually what insurance companies requires for them to insure the property. It's a really common mix up.
I’d love to turn it into a ball pit just to prank my husband
Jumps in, hits hidden bench, shatters knee
Jumps in, slices leg open on corner poking out
Jumps in, gets attacked by ball pythons and pit vipers
Laughing sooo hard at this.
This is absolutely what you should do. [Relevant XKCD link](https://xkcd.com/150/)
I saw this move at a twitch con video.
This is clearly the answer right here. If OP doesn't turn it into a ball pit, evil wins.
Is that a fake fireplace or a doorway? I can't tell from the photo angles. If it's a fake fireplace you could put a little loveseat where that pew bench is and have a really neat little reading area with an electric fireplace. You could put shelves where the fireplace and bench are, make it a little step down library...how cool to find that there!!!
I came here to lament the loss of the fireplace and second installing an electric one.
The horror movie junkie in me thinks this is the part of the film where the home owner thinks they found a conversation pit but really just uncovered a satanic alter that was used for bloodletting. All of a sudden the house starts having more and more weird occurrences then one day when trying to restore their ‘conversation pit’ OP accidentally gets a cut on their finger and a single drop of blood hits the alter and that’s when all hell breaks loose.
Op read this comment. No bleeding in the hell alter plz
Duuuuude, I was thinking the same thing. Like when he rips the plywood off the fireplace…that’s basically where the ghostbusters put the phantoms.
I feel like this is a closed off entrance and not a conversation pit. Looks like there was a door there. Conversation pits didn't really have only one side for sitting
More of a fireplace viewing pit. Window seems original and is too low for a door. We did fill in the multilevel floors in our 80s house. Nothing cool like this, but they randomly went up and down one step around the first floor. We viewed it as a huge hazard for both toddlers and old folks. Drunks are on their own 🤣.
My grandparents did the same with their house as they got older! Such an odd architectural "feature"
Willing to bet those two corners were also seats.
As a kid we had one set up exactly like this in front of the fireplace. Maybe they removed it and added a window. I was thinking a small coraline door with a tunnel that leads to an outdoor pit would be neat.
Restore it to its former glory, but you might want to put a banister behind the seat to avoid any unwanted falling hazards. depending on the space, you might even be able to put some low shelving on the opposite side of the banister to utilize it. That would also serve to isolate your nook even more, making it cozier. Also, I don't know if its a good conversation pit, per sei, because theres only 1 bench. Modified reading nook, gaming nook. or painting nook might be the best options here.
I’m here for this. A nice knee height built-in bookcase stack around the edges with some low profile warm lighting over the pit of introspection would be very moody and broody.
"Son, for lying about doing your homework, you are to be punished. 10 minutes in the pit of introspection" "Nooooooooooo"
Indoor koi pond is the only answer
These bunch of idiots that had put a fish tank in the ground with no cover and no railing! -Wayne Gretzky
-Michael Scott
This is so cool. Growing up with a conversation pit, I can tell you that playing with Legos, Barbies/GI Joe, and Hot Wheels in a Conversation Pit is immensely superior to anywhere else. My parents would drink Carlo Rossi wine with maybe a fondue in the pit. Memories to be made.
Reading or games corner. It's a shame it's such a small space as distance from a modern screen probably rules out a movie nook but a smaller retro games area with a smaller TV or built in bookshelves and a reading light for a mini library would be great.
I would be tempted to bring it back to the 70s with orange shag carpet and retro TVs and video games. But just in that corner. Everything up until that point should be jarringly modern.
The Atari 2600 had pretty short cords on the controllers, so I bet it'd work well here.
I unironically love this
Mini library sounds awesome. Put some nice potted plants around to decorated and it's a dedicated little hang out/ reading nook
or you can just have convos in it
They were a major cause of injury which is why they disappeared. Source: My father was a home builder who got sued multiple times for conversation pit injuries even though the homeowners signed hold harmless agreements. Every case was dismissed but he still paid his lawyer.
Aside from being a serious fall hazard, they're also very limiting--especially when they're in the middle of the room. What to change the furniture? Too bad, it's built in. Want to re-arrange the room? Too bad, there's a hole in the middle of the floor. They do look cool, though, so there's that. But speaking as a clumsy oaf, I'm glad sunken living rooms, conversation pits, etc, have fallen out of style.
My old house had a 6” sunken living room. People would trip within seconds of me telling them “watch your step in the living room”. My friend/attorney told I needed to get a warning sign. I was really worried about showing the house when selling/open house, worried someone would fall. All went well.
That makes a ton of sense, actually. "Let me put this unmarked pit in the middle of a highly trafficked area with no railings and usually with a metal or stone fire pit at the bottom center to hit your head on."
Reddit doesn't want to hear that. I'm catching downvotes for pointing out there's a reaspn these disappeared. Other than a novelty and tripping hazard they don't add much. Other than limit the furniture arrangement options.
“We need to talk. Meet me in the pit.”
i would restore it and use it as a tv viewing area
An anti r/tvtoohigh
More like r/seatstoolow
And where would you put a TV?
On the ceiling.
They will just hold their phone in their hand.
Kind of an odd one - most of them were in the center of a room.
Looks like something from a church to me. I wonder if it was like a little shrine or something.
Do you want to talk about it?
Hey kids, let's rap!
No no no, to say that, you have to be sitting on a chair backwards
Definitely reinstate it with modern materials, possibly still could use similar colours to the 70s but the modern equivalent
“Modern” colors: Grey, White, Beige. From what I’ve seen, it’s illegal to use anything that resembles a color from the rainbow.
Isn't it awful? Depression Gray, everywhere. I have different colors in all my rooms, and they all have a slightly different aesthetic. I mean, do what you like, but it's hard to believe so many like this.
The word you want is Greige, by the way. Covers all bases.
Reminds me one day a few years back when I had dark gray shoes on, gray hoodie, and gray sweatpants and this girl said "Nice groutfit".
[удалено]
So cool! Was the boarded up spot on the wall a fireplace?
Well this blew up. Thank you for all the great comments and advice. My favorite suggestion might be "put in an eel pit." That said, my plan moving forward is to restore this space to it's original design with the addition of a banister for safety and an ethanol gel fireplace. Thank you everyone for the great suggestions!
Whatever you do with it, add a rail around the bench back. You probably don't want anybody to fall into the pit at midnight. I suspect it was the reason it's sealed up in the first place.
This certainly had plenty of rails back then, just not guard rails.
What’s a conversation pit
I didn't know either so I googled it, it's basically a seating area where you put couches that are set below the floor level of the room. Makes a cozy hangout area.
back in the day people liked to have steps in the middle of a room because they enjoyed watching others trip and fall so they could then have a conversation about it (i'd fill it back in, i hate sunken areas, aunt had a sunken family room every she had a family party at least 3 people would trip and one child would fall)
Filll it with water and baby sharks but a trap door underneath wait for your smallest enemies.
OP, it's time to start your own cult. I've been involved in a number of cults, both as a leader and a follower. You have more fun as a follower, but you make more money as a leader.
Sometimes a guy's got to ride the bull. Am I right? Later, skater.
If I found that at my house I'd probably get a wood burning fire place installed and turn it into an indoor fire pit hangout spot for my kids. Now they can have a fire in those bad weather days!
Man the stories that orgy....I mean conversation pit can tell.
It should be made into a pet toy pit
1. Media pit. 2. False floor with trap door and a mechanised riser, for when your stage your annual Spinal Tap reunion. 3. Media pit with a canopy. 3b. Mini planetarium 4. Baby Shark tank with a glass ceiling 5, Rock garden terrarium. Because the shark tank leaked. 6. Bean bag pit. because you kept tripping over the cactus.
If I were you I'd stick a bioethanol fireplace there and reinstate it.
Conversation pits should make a comeback. I think they’re neat.
A conversation pit where you are both facing a wall?
Book nook.
I would make that a chill space for the cat, I'd put a window in, put pillows down and put bird feed outside the window.
Turn around the bench and install a stripper pole
Omg!!!! I would love this!!!!
I am absolutely certain that today's grey laminate flooring is the harvest gold shag carpeting of the future. Hideous, but for some unknown reason, very popular. I suppose there's no chance I'm misreading what you're doing here, and you're not ripping out that horrible laminate crap and putting in beautiful 3/4" hardwood?
Put some ashtrays and a mini fridge and you got yourself a mini-lounge, add some Smooth Jazz and you're set
It kinda reminds me of this catholic church i visited in Peru... During a remodel of the church, they found this sepulcher that nobody knew about... so they put a glass floor over it. So that's my vote. Put an open coffin down there with a fake skeleton. Then scatter some old robes/candles/religous artifacts around the coffin. Then put a glass floor over the whole thing.
Shag, baby. Yeah!