When inspecting homes, common doors can surprise. Some doors lead to rooms, some doors lead to a dark void, and some doors are curiously closed. Sometimes you get all three.
I was inspecting a large vacation home north of Cashiers, North Carolina, on a fast-running creek. It was full of boulders, twists and turns and waterfalls. The path to the house was narrow and steep and led to a heavy gate. The remote the agent gave me worked, and the doors slowly slid open on whining hinges.
The house was beautifully built into the side of the granite mantels, with impressive floor-to-ceiling windows. Although the house was small in size, perhaps 1500 square feet, two stories towered upward, taking advantage of the very steep terrain. The house had been executed and was now empty.
The first part of the inspection on the first floor revealed no anomalies. I started up the stairs to go up and noticed a closet door with a deadbolt lock. When you see something like this, the owners are generally trying to protect something. Normally I note in the report that I could not access the closet or the room, but in this case the bank was the owner and I doubted they knew anything about this closed door.
I quickly phoned the real estate agent.
“I’ll call the bank,” he said.
Three minutes later the phone rang.
“Nobody has a key to that door. If we did, I’d say go in and report what you find. Can you get it?”
“I’m not a locksmith. No problem, I’ll put it in my report,” I said and hung up.
But I was curious.
I ran my hand along the top of the edge of the door, which is where I “hide” a key. My fingers found a velcroed object stuck to the edge. A key! I put the key in the lock and tried to turn it. It worked! Leaving the key in the glass, I turned the knob and opened the door.
A black void.
I took out my flashlight and aimed at the area. A circular black metal staircase came into view. Now I felt like Nancy Drew. I started slowly down the narrow stairs and began to hear the sound of water. When I reached the bottom, my feet were on an uneven stone floor and I was in a room about two by two meters with two more doors in the walls. I looked around for a switch. I found it on the opposite wall. I flipped the switch and light filled the room. I was surprised to see that the walls were carved out of the cliff.
A closet was a tiny space with an electrical box. The other door was bolted like the one above.
“Oh! I left the key up,” I said to myself. “Shoot, I’ll have to go back up and look for it.”
I went back up the circular staircase to retrieve it. I went downstairs to the closed door. The key worked and I opened the door. He was in a very narrow passageway. The walls were solid rock and I could see the grooves where detonators had been used. I was feeling a bit claustrophobic. I must go ahead?
The sound of the water grew louder as he slowly made his way down the cavern path. After traveling 12 feet, he was suddenly outside! The waterfall that was visible from inside the house was directly in front of me.
What a surprise! Never underestimate what could be behind a closed door.