So, we had the pest exterminator out the other day for the termite inspection. To do this properly he needs to get under the house- it is a low set house with maybe three feet of clearance between the floor boards and the ground underneath. I have never accessed this part of the house- the only access is a small opening normally covered by a concrete slab at the side of the house.
The house was built about 1969.
Now the rat guy is pretty wirey- he gets into overalls and gets a huge torch and disappears. I think he enjoys getting into these sort of confined spaces. As we were pulling the slab away there is agiant mummified mouse just beyond it. I feel like puking but control myself.
Anyway he returns and says the inspection was fine etc. He also says that underneath the house, near where the kitchen stands, there is a pink piggy bank. He didn’t bother retrieving it.
Now, no kids have ever lived at this house AFAIK. Why would a money box be under the house unless you were hiding money? My thoughts were that this could be full of $100 notes or something.
However it is dark and shitty under the house and there coud be dugites. Plus I hate confined spaces.
So do I let sense prevail and ignore the moneybox, or do I brace myself and dare the vermin and go and retrieve the wretched thing?
I think I’d wait until the next underhouse inspection is due and then tell the guy “Oh, by the way, while you’re in there…”
It doesn’t sound like a well-traveled place so no one’s going to nick it and what’s the worst that could happen to the money, it’ll be even a little older?
I would. Get some of those super-bright light sticks and scatter a few around - multiple light sources should mean not too many very deep shadows, kit up with thick wellington boots and heavy gloves and go exploring. If you don’t creep about, snakes will probably avoid you.
I’d definitely go. My curiosity would get the better of me. Sure, it may be empty…but then again, it may not be.
Where’s your sense of adventure?
You have to figure: For it to get down there, SOMEONE had to have put it there purposefully. Someone went through the effort of going down that deep, under the house, to put it in a place they didn’t think many people would go. I can’t think of a way it could have dropped down there accidentally, after all.
Even if it doesn’t have any money inside, there could be something else that was held dear to someone, if not anything of value to you, maybe something very interesting, at least.
I’d say go for it and then report back what you found (of course).
ETA: In fact, I’d daresay you have to go now. Because now you’ll have so many dopers wondering and curious and wanting some closure too.
No kids have lived in that house, but it might belong to a neighbor kid. Leave it alone. You could be breaking a nine year old heart for a few pennies.
But I was talking it over with my partner who has lived in the house a lot longer than I have.
The rat guy did the inspection two years ago. We have a small access point in the small eating room beside the kitchen. He used this the last time he did the inspection.
Because we have had the kitchen renovated, the floors were polished and sealed and that access point could not be opened. The polish had sealed the floor and he didn’t want to wreck the look of the floor. So I took him round the side of the house and he got in through there.
But now… we were talking about how it was found “under the kitchen”. We had to move the fridge from the kitchen during the renovation. There was a floor board missing (we always knew of this) and had placed some covering of aluminium over it. The fridge had sat on this. We had always assumed this was just faulty work.
During the renovation, this was fixed and new wood placed on top.
However, would it not be a good place to hide money- a stash beneath the floor with the fridge placed on top?
I’m afraid you have no choice but to get it. It’s like a big, red button. It’s an itch that will have to be scratched. I know it’s probably empty, You know it’s probably empty, but that little, evil voice in the back of your mind (the one that tells you to push the button) will keep asking, “What’s in the piggy bank?” until you get it and open it up.
Are you kidding that’s a great place to hide money. Particularly if you’re talking about a stash of emergency cash that you don’t want convenient access to.
