25 Homes that are Hiding Secrets
Updated: Feb. 08, 2023Every home has a unique feature but these homes have something extra special. Can you guess what secrets these homes are hiding?
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The House on the Rock
The House on the Rock, located an hour west of Madison, Wisconsin, is many things but the first look at it doesn’t give you much to go on. It is built on a rock but you can’t tell that from the entrance.
Learn the secret cleaning tips of the pros.
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Inside the House on the Rock
Once inside you can revel in the world of kitsch that Alex Jordan created. The house opened in 1960 and among the rooms it features is a carousel room that includes 269 carousel animals, 182 chandeliers, 20,000 lights and no horses. Other rooms include the infinity room, which walks out from the rock for a spectacular view.
Discover the best hiding places in your house.
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Casa Brutale
The big secret with this house is that it has yet to be built. The internet went crazy about it two years when Open Platform for Architecture unveiled its plans for Casa Brutale, an homage to Brutalist architecture. There is, however, a plan to build the cliff home in Beirut, Lebanon. What it would be like to stand on the edge of a cliff every day is tough to say and whether it gets built could be the ultimate cliffhanger.
Cleaning the windows on a place like this might be a little tricky but learn how to clean windows in your home.
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Zinc House
You’ll never guess what this house looked like before. Some ambitious people took a Nissen hut in Essex, England and converted it into a home that features five bedrooms.
Learn the secret problems a house might be hiding.
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Zinc House Before
The structure formally housed soldiers during World War I and served as a bomb shelter.
Find out how to plan a successful remodeling project if you're looking to upgrade things around the house.
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Robnett Residence
Retired Air Force Col. E.V. Robnett Jr. lived in this beautiful house outside of Austin, Texas until his death in 1984 and as a former military man, he prepared well.
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Robnett Residence on the Ready
Robnett constructed a fallout shelter at his home and stocked it with enough food to last at least two weeks, the anticipated time it would take before it'd be safe to step outside again. He kept a map of Texas inside with the anticipated trajectory of the drift winds, which actually ran counter to the prevailing winds in the area. On top of that he kept gas masks, a shortwave radio, a Geiger counter to test radiation levels and a dosimeter to test the radiation on a person. The shelter remained untouched until a new owner brought electricity to it and cleaned it up. The items in the picture are largely original.
Learn how to build a bump-out addition in your home, if you're not ready to go full-on fallout shelter.
Photo: Courtesy of Ellen Lampl/Flickr
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Check the Address
The pool possibility looks real neat but where’s it located. This home sits below ground in Las Vegas and is one of two underground houses on a 1.7-acre lot. The site does have an above-ground home for those accustomed to living on street level.
Learn how to finish a basement at home.
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Secrets in the Suburbs
Maybe the suburbs aren’t as boring as you thought. This home in Oregon is a real bore from the curb but once inside it’s quite regal, including its 17th Century stained glass windows. See how to add to a home's curb appeal. Plus: 50 extremely remote castles you need to see.
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Royal Treatment
Stained glass windows from the 1700s and knights in armor are all around the house and the home contains several pieces of art like this. Wall art doesn't need to be as striking as this, but learn how to create DIY wall art for your home.
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The Last Home You'll Ever Need
This looks like a nice sitting room with a few TVs but it's actually inside an old missile silo in upstate New York. The listing mentions it stays around 50-55 degrees all year and is "relatively" dry. To pull off mid-century modern decor in your home, you need these 14 iconic elements. Learn affordable ways to keep a basement dry.
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The Yard's Not Bad Either
Another selling point: it's the only silo, which has functional main blast doors. Semi-functional blast doors won't cut it for today's missile silo buyer who wants protection against all kinds of nuclear attack. Add a floating shelf with a super-secret hiding spot to your living space. Get some ideas on how to finish a basement.
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Happy House Hunting
Be vewy, vewy qwiet, we're house hunting. This house might just pop out at you like a wascally wabbit.
Learn what to avoid when house hunting.
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Modern Masterpiece
Architecturally this house is interesting from the curb but it doesn't jump out.
Discover painting ideas that can add to a home's curb appeal.
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Minimalism Looks Big
Just take a peak inside. The modernist minimalist look achieves big things inside.
Find out how to downsize to make a home look bigger.
Plus, there are also ways to embrace warm minimalism.
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Small House with Lots of Light
This home designed by ALTS Design office came up with a 768-square foot home that basks in natural light, courtesy of some clerestory windows.
Find out how to install a window.
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Let the Light in
The light pours through this home with windows on either side, utilizing natural light for brightness and warmth.
Learn some tips on how to make a room feel bigger.
Photo: Courtesy of Small House Bliss
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Awesome Art
This home out in Marfa, Texas is just 1,200-square feet but it's got some of the coolest pop art prints, including a print reproduction of Andy Warhol's "Double Elvis" portrait.
Check out other amazing homes on the tiny side.
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Art Gallery Feel
The 15-foot ceiling gives it all room to breathe and the white interior make it feel like a gallery.
Find out what recessed lighting can do for a home in creating a dramatic look.
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Palatial Patio
When this home in Massachusetts got built it needed to be above flood level along the coast.
Find out how to build a stone patio on your own.
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Open Air Seating
To do so, architect William Ruhl and his associate raised the height of the main floor by extending the concrete piers. What was left below got turned into a big open air porch.
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Cute but Wait
It looks like a cute little cottage from the curb. But wait.
Find the best tiny homes for after retirement.
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Priceless View
Check. Out. The. View. This house in Dalkey, Ireland, is pretty pricey but a view like that will be priceless.
Find out how to install a bow window.
Photo: Courtesy of My Home
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Fun-filled Secrets
Another house in Dublin appears unassuming from the street but once inside it has some charm.
Learn DIY projects you can do to add curb appeal to your home.
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Pick Your Game
Whether your game is pool or table tennis, the sporting interior of this home provides a delightful secret.
Check out some awesome ideas for game rooms.
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Choose Your Own Adventure
Just a two-car garage? Think again.
Check out these tips to get a garage organized.
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Spend a Night on the Moon
Orlando Theme Homes has a five-bedroom rental house that has mammoth amenities. Each bedroom has a different theme from castaway for the king master bedroom to the moon bedroom, which is space-themed. Also, the house has its own "drive-in" theater.
Get some inspiration for your man cave with these man cave ideas.
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Don’t Let the Door Fool You
This is a nearly $3 million house in New Orleans. No, really, it is.
Find out how to replace an exterior door.
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Now You See
Oh, maybe that’s why it's so valuable.
Discover inexpensive kitchen remodeling projects that will make a kitchen shine.
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Looks Good but What’s Inside
It doesn't look big but this house in New Orleans has nine, yes, nine bedrooms and nine baths.
With that many bathrooms, find out how to clean bathrooms faster.
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Amazing Interior
There's also a six-person sauna and a wine room. Check out the amazing décor and chandelier.
Learn how to hang a light fixture at home.
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American Home
Down in Missouri this home looks like a pretty typical American home. Nearby schools include Mark Twain Elementary and there aren't many people more American than Twain.
Find out what to do to prep a home for painting.
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Behind Door No. 1
Take a step to the back yard and look at that door. That door leads to a fallout shelter a few feet below and it looks like it was stocked with some items.
If bomb shelters aren't your thing, try something that might produce more relaxing thoughts like a DIY water fountain.
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Part of the Landscape
The Iso Syöte Hotel in Finland has a cabin for guests that allows them to stay close to nature, maybe a little too close for some.
Check out these amazing DIY cabin projects.
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Nature's Touch
The remnants of a tree sprawl across the cabin and the natural wood work stands out.
If you like the rustic look of wood, check out how to build a rustic barn door.
Photo: Courtesy of Beautiful Life
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Take Me to the Bar
This rural home in upstate New York looks like it's in a pretty quiet place but underground it might be home to one of the coolest speakeasies.
Check out 15 of the coolest home bar ideas.
Photo: Courtesy of Realtor.com
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Bomb of a Bar
At one time the owner of the home built a bomb shelter and then later down the road it turned into a bar filled with items from about the time the bunker would've been built.
Learn how to build a bar of your own.
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Look Before you Leap
Out in Colorado, home of NORAD, there is a home that's prepared for a bomb strike with an underground bunker. The house sits on 10 acres with a riding arena for horses and a horse barn. No word on whether the bunker can hold the horses.
Learn some DIY shed-building tips if you need a space to store equipment for animals.
Photo: Courtesy of Realtor.com
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Poolside Convenience
This pleasant looking home with a three-car carport seems pretty nonchalant in California.
Add more garage space with a bump-out addition.
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Mundane but Prepared
The outside of this California home doesn't scream excitement until you reach the backyard.
Find out how to clean brick, if you've got a brick exterior.
Photo: Courtesy of Realtor.com
Originally Published: November 19, 2018