Woman Renovates Fixer-Upper House—Then Realizes What Was in the Floor
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
When Kathleen Martin of New Jersey moved into her new home, what started as a fixer-upper resulted in a mystery that has gained viral attention on Instagram.
While documenting the home renovation, Martin captured the moment they found a baffling stain in the center of the living room's hardwood floor.
"We noticed the stain when we first toured the house. The hardwood was in rough shape overall so we knew it would need to be refinished," Martin told Newsweek.
Pictures of the mysterious stain on the floor that has sparked multiple theories online.
Pictures of the mysterious stain on the floor that has sparked multiple theories online.
@createacolorfullife/Instagram
They brought in a professional hardwood specialist who, after some initial sanding, delivered a blunt verdict.
"Yep, that's urine," he said. And after the full sand, things were no better as the smell continued. After a closer look at the stain, it became clear that it would need more to fix.
"It was a few thousand dollars to patch the stained area, sand, and refinish the rest of the downstairs," Martin said.
Despite fixing the floor, the mystery of the cause of the stain remained. "There are theories it may have been a cat or another animal," Martin said. "But it had to have happened over a long period. I know the previous owner's health was declining, so he might not have been able to care for an animal—or himself—properly."
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Mom lived in house "for years'—Discovers what was in kitchen the whole time
Mom lived in house "for years'—Discovers what was in kitchen the whole time
The story took a further twist when a new neighbor admired the fresh floors and casually mentioned that the previous owner never had a dog. "I just said 'the old owner's dog peed a lot on the floor so we had to redo them,' and he said he didn't have a dog," Martin explained in the video.
On Instagram, the video has been viewed over 340,000 times and has more than 25,000 likes. The mystery prompted lots of reaction and comments.
Shared earlier this week, the caption said: "This was a curveball I wasn't expecting.
"The home had been completely emptied when they did the showings so besides the stains we had no indication of who lived there previously.
"A few months later we learned that the previous owner was not doing well health wise. We can't be sure where those stains came from but it broke my heart to think of him living in those conditions."
"That's terrifying," viewer Deeplymadlymodern commented on the video. While Instagram user Jonathanandjennahome wrote: "The plot twist of all time."
First they sanded the floors, then realized they had to be removed.
First they sanded the floors, then realized they had to be removed.
@createacolorfullife/Instagram
"You know those three line horror stories?" said Instagram user Jennny_sama. "This is one of them."
While viewer Bunnmakesstuff said: "I hate to tell you that isn't dog pee.. it's human pee."
While the floor story prompted entertainment online, Martin said she hopes the story will also tell an important story.
"I do know that the previous owner's health was failing so he may not have been able to care for an animal or himself properly," she said. "It's a good reminder to check in our aging relatives and neighbors."
This isn't the first time a renovation has gained viral attention. Earlier this week a couple shared how their fixer-upper ended up with more than they bargained for when they realized whole sections of the house had been built using WWII ammo shell crates—stacked and nailed together as walls. While another couple found that their new home had a hidden building when they started to cut away bushes.
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