20 'ordinary' homes with incredible secret rooms

Clever covert spaces hidden from view

All is not what it seems with these rather ordinary-looking homes.

From a Kentucky mansion harbouring a 2,000-square-foot nuclear fallout shelter to a basic bookcase that slides back to reveal a vintage arcade, these elusive spaces are tucked away from prying eyes. Click or scroll to see what these unusual homes are hiding inside their unassuming walls...

Kentucky mansion designed for a prepper

This sprawling mansion in Richmond, Kentucky, was definitely designed for a prepper. Nestled on 200 acres of land, it offers nine bedrooms, nine bathrooms, lavish living spaces, a swimming pool – oh, and a 2,000-square-foot nuclear fallout shelter, that cost a staggering £2.4 million ($3m) to build.

Kentucky mansion designed for a prepper

The secret space features a 39-inch solid concrete ceiling and 15-inch walls. Fitted out with an air filtration system and two escape tunnels, the brilliant bunker can withstand a magnitude 12 earthquake, as well as nuclear, biological and chemical attacks. It also has plenty of spaces for hiding out and a huge food storage area, so you'd never go hungry, even if you were locked away for weeks.

Michigan home with a hidden vintage arcade

This property in the city of Holland, Michigan, is bright and modern, with three bedrooms, three bathrooms, a kitchen, a family room and even a swimming pool. Yet there's one additional extra that you would never even know about and it lies behind the seemingly ordinary bookcase at the end of this corridor...

Michigan home with a hidden vintage arcade

Push the bookcase and it will slide back to create a small entryway, leading into this amazing games room. You might be able to spot the rails on which the door is fitted, enabling it to move back and forth. The ultra-cool hideout comes kitted out with recliner chairs, vintage arcade machines and a big-screen TV. 

A family home designed with kids in mind

This family home in Ocean Grove, a seaside town in Victoria, Australia is light, spacious and modern. With six bedrooms, three bathrooms, an open-plan living room and a kitchen, the property is fit for a large family. In fact, it has one special added feature that's sure to win over youngsters and big kids alike and, if you look closely, you might just be able to spot it in this lofted living space...

A family home designed with kids in mind

That's right, built into the bookcase of the mezzanine lounge is a bold, winding slide that will take any lucky children downstairs to a cosy den. The space comes complete with homework stations and a couch for relaxing after all your extracurricular work is finished. The house once belonged to Australian infant sleep specialist, author and Save Our Sleep founder Tizzie Hall, AKA the ‘baby whisperer', which might explain why the house comes with such a cool and surprising feature.

Modern home with hidden Harry Potter rooms

Over in Reunion, Florida, you'll find a gorgeous modern home that packs a punch in terms of design, space and luxurious features. The 8,712-square-foot mansion was completed in 2018 and lies minutes from Orlando's world-renowned attractions, which is perhaps why it comes with some of the coolest secret spaces we've ever seen – all of which are Harry Potter-themed.

Modern home with hidden Harry Potter rooms

Laying behind an inconspicuous door, the secret rooms are decorated to look like Platform 9¾ at King's Cross station, where a life-size replica of the Hogwarts Express train can be found.

Harry and Dobby await any lucky visitors, while the train itself comes complete with a luxurious sleeping car, decked out with bunk beds. There's also a room decorated with a huge dragon and the Whomping Willow.

A secret playroom under the stairs

In March 2021, TV host, actor, singer and director Jimmy Fallon listed his family home for £11.8 million ($15m). Located in New York's Gramercy Park, the house was jam-packed with unusual features including bright artwork, a quirky pantry and a Wild West-themed entertaining space, just to name a few. However, the biggest secret was hiding under the stairs...

A secret playroom under the stairs

Beneath the beautiful custom staircase sits a fantastical playroom. Hidden behind the bookcases, which display old wooden toys, the space is fitted out with monkey beams, a toy kitchen, secret hatch doors and a fun chalkboard for children to scribble on. There's even a 'jailhouse intercom' system that connects to the upstairs playroom. 

Californian crib with an ultra-safe space

Last sold for £14.2 million ($18m), this glamourous Californian home is full of every amenity you could imagine, plus a secret space. The custom home was built in 2005, measured 15,700 square feet and had five bedrooms, eight bathrooms, a guesthouse, a movie theatre, a giant cellar and a makeup room, just to name a few.

Californian crib with an ultra-safe space

Hidden behind an impenetrable steel door in one of the many rooms of the house is an amazing private bunker. The ultra-secure space is designed to keep the residents safe from any threat or home intrusion in the lap of luxury.

English estate with disappearing ballroom

This six-bedroom mansion in Surrey, England has all the trappings you'd expect in a luxury home and then some. Once on the market for £17.4 million ($22m), it features a supercar turntable and a spa, among other things. However, it's the ballroom that's the real highlight.

English estate with disappearing ballroom

At the mere touch of a button, the ballroom floor turns into a fabulous swimming pool, taking just six minutes to complete the transformation. The floor can even be adjusted to different depths, making it ideal for less experienced swimmers or young children.

Family home with a fireplace safe room

Made from cherry wood, this traditional fireplace is a beautiful addition to any room. A stylish focal point, this design installed by Creative Home Engineering also hides a concealed space behind it that you would never know is there. 

Family home with a fireplace safe room

With the touch of a secret switch, the fireplace opens up to reveal an amazing panic room. Accessed with a magnet that touches a button hidden on the mantel, it conceals a passage with a heavy-duty steel door backer and an electromagnetic locking system.

Florida mansion with a miniature village

This spectacular mansion on Florida's Gold Coast sold in 2019 for a cool £7.9 million ($10m). The nine-bedroom, 13-bathroom mega-mansion has a dazzling array of exceptional features, from a water park to an ornate cinema room, plus some more unusual additions...

Florida mansion with a miniature village

Unbelievably, the sprawling mansion also hides a charming miniature village within its walls. The theme park-style entertainment wing contains a whimsical ice cream shop, a book store that doubles up as the property's library and a vintage movie house façade that leads into the cinema room. If that wasn't enough, there's also a poker room and a loft-style music lounge.

Modern castle with a concealed treasure trove

Hard Luck Castle in Nevada, USA was constructed over 12 years by craftsman Randy Johnson, who splurged a total of £2.4 million ($3m) on the secluded property. The remote four-bedroom, three-bathroom retreat is completely off-grid and has many unique features, including a pair of 1920s pipe organs and a glass planetarium. However, the best part of the house is hiding underground... 

Modern castle with a concealed treasure trove

Located beneath the castle, the home's best-hidden and most alluring feature has to be the real-life gold mine, complete with a 160-foot mine shaft. According to Johnson, the mine has significant reserves of the precious metal and is still productive, though it hasn't been used for some time.

Mock-Georgian mansion with private games room

This mock Georgian mansion in the heart of the Surrey countryside in England was on the market for £30 million ($38m) back in 2020. It has all the trappings of a statement country house and then some! There's even a luxurious sprawling games room with a stainless steel vaulted ceiling – surely the ultimate wow-factor social space.

Mock-Georgian mansion with private games room

But that's not all. In addition to the opulent amenities you'd expect from a property of this stature, including a library and custom kitchen, the mansion also has a hidden full-sized bowling alley. The soundproofed room is perfect for entertaining and hosting top-secret parties.

Swiss chalet with an indoor beach

This picture-perfect wooden chalet was picked up and moved from Switzerland in 1882 to the banks of the River Thames in Surrey, England, not far from Hampton Court Palace. The four-bedroom, four-bathroom riverside property is a bona fide party pad with extravagant décor and a secret hiding on the lower floor.

Swiss chalet with an indoor beach

Tucked away downstairs is the party mansion's pièce de résistance – a sensational indoor beach. Complete with underfloor heating, it contains 40 tonnes of sand, a pool table, a tropical fish tank and a secret home theatre room.

Kansas mansion with subterranean surprise

This fantastical mega-mansion in the city of Lake Quivira, Kansas was inspired by the Legend of King Arthur. Previously on the market for as much as £8.6 million ($10.9m), the seven-bedroom, seven-bathroom property has a multitude of magical details, from handcrafted dragon doors to a pulpit taken from a church in Salem, Massachusetts. 

Kansas mansion with subterranean surprise

The most intriguing aspect of this home, however, lies underground. The free-flowing house has a network of hidden subterranean scuba-diving tunnels located beneath the mega-mansion that connects to the outdoor pool. Accessed by a number of pop-up holes and grottos, the tunnels are filled with sunken treasures, faux fossils and exotic fish. 

New Jersey manor with hidden entertainment

Known as Alton Manor, this six-bedroom, 15,500-square-foot French Colonial mansion in New Jersey has no end of wow-factor amenities. Offering a 42-seater party area and a state-of-the-art soundproof movie theatre, there's another fun secret lurking underground. 

New Jersey manor with hidden entertainment

The spacious home is hiding a miniature entertainment complex complete with slot machines and a cinema ticket booth staffed by a creepy-looking mechanical usher. Delving deeper below the property, you'll also find a 150-foot secret underground tunnel that's strong enough to withstand a bomb blast. 

Spanish Colonial home with soundproofed secret

Nestled among 17 acres in the desert just outside Scottsdale, Arizona, this palatial Spanish Colonial-style property offers eight bedrooms, 10 bathrooms and a whole lot more besides. Sold for £19 million ($24m) in October 2020, it has a luxe home cinema, a full-sized basketball court and a yoga studio, as well as a secret hiding in the basement.

Spanish Colonial home with soundproofed secret

Sitting below ground level is the home's spy-worthy range for archery and target practice. The space has been clad in a tough textured metal and is completely soundproof – perfect for a budding 007 to hone their craft.

A house within a house

The ultimate ultra-discreet bolthole, the exterior of this incredible property in Las Vegas resembles a run-of-the-mill home that you wouldn't look twice at. Yet the Sin City house, which is on the market for a hefty £4.7 million ($5.9m), is harbouring a jaw-dropping secret. The above-ground home has a lift and staircase leading 26 feet below the earth to an amazing underground bunker, spanning 15,000 square feet.

A house within a house

The perfect space to hole up in, it was built in 1979 for former owner Jerry Henderson, a hardcore prepper. The concrete and steel-reinforced subterranean space contains a cosy two-bedroom, two-bathroom house kitted out with all mod cons, as well as a snug guesthouse and even a swimming pool with a waterfall. 

Modern home with secret escape route

This property in the posh Brisbane suburb of Ascot was completed in 2009 to an extremely high spec. The contemporary seven-bedroom, six-bathroom home has more than its fair share of premium amenities, in addition to an awesome spy-worthy feature...

Modern home with secret escape route

Trumping all the other luxe amenities is the home's clandestine tunnel. Ideal for making a convert entrance or quick undetected getaway, the 164-foot-long enclosed subway connects to an underground bunker-like garage with space for up to 10 vehicles. Perfect for storing an Aston Martin, no doubt.

The 'safest home in America'

Inspired by the Acropolis of Athens, this 36,000-square-foot Greek Revival mansion in the suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia has a total of eight bedrooms and nine-and-a-half bathrooms. It boasts everything from a home cinema and bowling alley to an infinity pool and infrared sauna. The property also has state-of-the-art security features and is located within a gated community that's patrolled 24 hours a day. 

The 'safest home in America'

Dubbed 'the safest home in America', it includes concealed entries and exits along with a secret 100-foot tunnel that connects to a subterranean bank vault room, a shooting range, a large car vault and an underground bunker stretching over 15,000 square feet. The bunker even has a military-style command centre as well as remote-controlled ballistic walls and doors that are strong enough to protect against even a missile strike.

Tudor Revival property with hidden hideouts

This remarkable Tudor Revival property, which is charmingly named the Goodkind Residence, is a Minnesota icon and has several secret spaces concealed inside. The storybook house has nine bedrooms and six-and-a-half bathrooms framed by wonderful wood-panelled walls and beamed ceilings. However, there are a few less regal spaces you might not notice at first glance...

Tudor Revival property with hidden hideouts

Several hidden rooms are accessed through moving bookcases, offering the perfect place to hide out in the event of an emergency. There's also a safe built into the wall panels, as well as a genuine 1950s fortified bomb shelter hidden under the property.

Tennessee residence with a hidden game space

Lovers of classic card games will be envious of this property in Franklin, Tennessee. The 3,775-square-foot residence has all the usual suspects room-wise, but comes with one added feature that makes it truly unique – a hidden poker lounge!

Tennessee residence with a hidden game space

Secured behind a living room bookcase is this super-cool space – the ultimate man cave or games area for playing a few hands. The house sold in May 2022 for around £1 million ($1.3m). We wonder what the new owner has done with their new, clandestine room.

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