We’ve all seen the movies. The ones where a family moves into a really old house, and at some point, someone stumbles upon the entrance a secret passage.
Where it leads is different, depending on the plot of the movie.
Maybe you live in an old house and have always wondered if it holds some secrets. And you want to know if it’s possible to detect secret doors in the home. Maybe. But first, a word of warning.
Why Homes Have Secret Doors
While secret rooms are becoming more popular all the time, they haven’t always been. In fact, if an old house has secret compartments — there are a couple common reasons.
- The owner was….eccentric: Maybe the owner had some interesting interests that were embarrassing to show company.
- Illegal activity: Gambling, alcohol (during prohibition) and other activities were deemed illegal. People still drank and bet. Sometimes they did them in secret rooms in older homes.
Don’t believe us? They find secret rooms all the time.
How to Detect Secret Doors
Note: It’s unlikely that you have a secret room. That said, you can be sure if you do or don’t.
Step One: Sketch Out the Home
Think about how your home is laid out, taking into account dead space. Older homes, while they likely don’t have a secret room, there may be dead space that has been walled in.
For instance, a house was originally heated by a chimney updated to HVAC. Instead of removing the broken chimney, a wall was built around it. Depending on the age and condition of the home, you’ll have some spaces.
But is it a secret space?
Step Two: Take a Look at Dead Spaces
Once you’ve found the dead space, it’s time to take a look (if you want). Warning: This likely involves poking a couple of holes in your wall.
If you’re sure the space isn’t part of the accessible home, drill two holes about half an inch in diameter. Take a powerful flashlight, shine it in one and look through the other. See anything interesting?
You can either remove the wall (forsaking your search for the door). Or search for the door and find the way in!
Step Three: Check All the Fixtures and Trim
Still looking for the door? Good call.
The door can be a piece of furniture, like a bookcase. Or it could be the wall itself. Check everything by:
- Moving any furniture
- Removing all items from the shelves
- Pushing trim and spots on the wall
If this doesn’t work and you’re sure the space has something, the wall may need to come down.
Don’t Have a Secret Door to Find? Build One!
Check out all of our great content for building secret rooms, passages and compartments. That way, you can be sure that your home has one!
FAQs
Quick answer: Go into a room that you suspect of having hidden doors or traps. For doors and traps, begin jumping up and down, alternately running full tilt, between jumps, into one of the walls. If you find a door behind the wallpaper, it will open and you'll fall out.
How do you find a hidden door? ›
Quick answer: Go into a room that you suspect of having hidden doors or traps. For doors and traps, begin jumping up and down, alternately running full tilt, between jumps, into one of the walls. If you find a door behind the wallpaper, it will open and you'll fall out.
Where is the secret rooms in doors? ›
The Rooms, (unlike other floors), can only be accessed via a secret passage at or close to Door 60 in The Hotel. At around Door 60, players will encounter a disheveled room with multiple bookshelves and a single closet, with soft tranquil music emanating faintly from the walls.
How to find secret room isaac? ›
Locating the Secret Room
The room is normally unmarked on the map, although the Treasure Map will show it automatically. The player must bomb the wall of an adjacent room (in the middle, where a door would be) to gain access. X-Ray Vision will automatically reveal entrances, thus foregoing the need to bomb.
How do I tell if there is a secret room in my house? ›
That said, you can be sure if you do or don't.
- Step One: Sketch Out the Home. Think about how your home is laid out, taking into account dead space. ...
- Step Two: Take a Look at Dead Spaces. Once you've found the dead space, it's time to take a look (if you want). ...
- Step Three: Check All the Fixtures and Trim.
The door is hanging and sliding on the wall, and the sliding rail is concealed. That means the door panel is floating from the left side to the right side on the wall surface when sliding the door, and seeing nothing moving together but the door sash. That is the reason why someone calls it the ghost door.
Where is the best place to put a secret room? ›
In your basem*nt: If your home has a basem*nt that is not frequented by guests and visitors, it may be an ideal location for your secret room. Using a basem*nt for a secret room opens up numerous possibilities, especially if you have plenty of open and available space.
Do all houses have secret rooms? ›
Now, if your home was recently built or lacks a fair bit of history, the chances of a secret space are slim. But, if your home has distinct century-old architecture, heavy wooden doors, or a lack of closet space, there may be a hidden room waiting to be found after all.
What is a secret room in a house called? ›
Hidden rooms – often concealed behind hidden doors – are sometimes called secret rooms, panic rooms or safe rooms. From an interior design perspective, these rooms can provide a tucked-away spot for a room you may not want prominently featured in your home.
Do secret doors exist? ›
It's no secret that hidden doors are gaining popularity. There are countless clever ways to create a passageway to a secret room, but achieving a truly discreet portal requires meticulous craftsmanship and effort.
Description. Troll is a large white entity that has a 1/880 chance of spawning in every room. Troll is based on the popular meme, Troll Face. Troll gets its name because of its unexpected 2nd attack after it's 1st attack.
Where do super secret rooms spawn? ›
Because Shops are the third type of room generated, super secret rooms are also likely to spawn near the shop, and are likely to spawn in between the shop and the Boss Room.
Where do I get the secret room key? ›
The key is obtained from a Common Chest located in a hidden room under the north-western cliffs of The Narrows. This room can be accessed by solving a Triangular Mechanism puzzle while in Whitenight.
How do you find hidden pocket doors? ›
If you are curious about the existence of pocket doors, look for walls or door jambs that are wider than others. It is not uncommon to find the actual pocket doors in the walls with a thin piece of door stop to cover the pocket door opening. Traditionally, homes had dedicated dining rooms apart from kitchens.
What is the difference between a secret door and a concealed door? ›
Secret / hidden doors are sometimes called concealed doors or flush doors, all these terms basically refer to a door system that does not use door jambs or architraves to create a more simple contemporary feeling.
What if one day you found a secret door in your house? ›
Answer: If one day I were to discover a secret hidden door in my home, I am confident that it would lead to a small, unoccupied room that is located underground and underwater and is kept from everyone else in the house. If I were to come across such a location, I would keep it a secret from everyone.
