A couple has gone viral after showing how they discovered an extra building hidden in the backyard of their new home.
Married couple Rebecca and Ben, who live in North Cornwall in the U.K., moved into their house in July. A month later, they posted a video on Instagram that has since received more than 5 million views.
In the clip, the couple can be seen discovering the hidden building as they tidied up their yard.
The couple told Newsweek: "We'd seen the plans for the house in our structural survey, but it didn't seem to show that this little building existed. When we moved in, we noticed that the dogs kept disappearing under this overgrown hedge, and we didn't know what they were up to or where it led to.
"We assumed it was just a retaining wall or fence but wanted to make sure it was secure so that the dogs couldn't escape, and that there were no hidden hazards. So we thought it should be one of the first jobs we would tackle—we have a lot to do as the house has been unoccupied for nearly two years."
In the viral clip, Ben can be seen using a hedge trimmer to remove an overgrown bush. Rebecca can be heard saying, "Is that a whole extra little room?" as they look into the newly exposed space, which contained scrap wood and a ladder, that had been covered by the bushes.
The couple said: "Once we cut more back, it revealed an old outbuilding filled with junk and the roof covered in years' worth of ivy growing over and into it.
"It turns out the little building is attached to the back of the garage and has a little door, a brick built toilet and toilet roll holder still in place. It is piped into the main sewage pipe, but I can't say we've tested it out as yet, and there's no cistern to flush it anyway."
"[We're] not sure yet if we'll make it into storage for the garden, a new outdoor toilet or shower, or someone even suggested we stick it on Airbnb," the couple continued.
In recent years, the purchase of existing homes has far outweighed that of new builds. Statista estimated that more than 4.6 million existing homes were sold in the U.S. in 2024, compared to fewer than 1 million newly built homes.
In the video's comments section, viewers expressed amazement at the couple's discovery, with one user writing: "What a find! Beautiful stone wall and a small outhouse, joy!"
"Good on you for unveiling such an interesting space! Can't wait to see what you're going to do with it," another added.
"The stone wall is gorgeous! That would thrill me to no end. Overgrown yards are my pet peeve. If I drive by one I immediately envision how I would cut everything back," a commenter said.
Other commenters expressed concern that birds might have been nesting in the bushes the couple cut away, but the homeowners assured viewers that they checked for nests before they began.
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