# What should we do with our secret room? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 5, 2018, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-do-with-our-secret-room/820781 "2018-09-05T04:31:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2018, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-do-with-our-secret-room/820781/81 "2018-09-12T06:10:52Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Sex dungeon anyone? Check post #4 ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2018, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-do-with-our-secret-room/820781/82 "2018-09-12T13:17:31Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Sex dungeon anyone? > [@snfaulkner](#): > > Check post #4 Check post #1: > [@commasense](#): > > …TV room is out. And since we’re in the neighborhood of 60, so is “adult entertainment center.” (Which would be a bit awkward to explain if the grandkids happened to find it.) If/when we feel like getting up to that stuff, our bedroom is much more convenient and comfortable than trooping down to the basement. In the end, although the idea was fun, we just couldn’t come up with a compelling idea that would be worth spending an extra few thousand bucks on, so we’re going to have it finished normally, and if we come up with a good idea we’ll do it later. Thanks, everyone. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2018, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-do-with-our-secret-room/820781/83 "2018-09-12T15:07:50Z")
> [@Alpha\_Twit](#): > > Simple store room is the obvious, easy choice. When the grand kids come around, stash some snacks and toys in there and tell them that it’s a secret space that’s just between you and them and that your SO doesn’t know about. “We played in Grandpa’s secret room that Grandma doesn’t know about.” is a story that could have the kindergarten teacher filing all sorts of inconvenient reports. . . :eek: > [@commasense](#): > > . . . > One interesting idea is **Fiendish Astronaut** ’s link to the attic spaceship (nice user name/post connection). Since I like open-wheel racing, my take on it might be a racing gaming station or two that I could build up over time. > . . . > > The best idea so far seems to the the infrared sauna. I had not heard about them before. It could fit in the space, and it is something we could do on a regular basis, like a hot tub, that we couldn’t do elsewhere in the house. > . . . What about a safe padded room for [VR gaming](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AaRWAzNVL2A)? With a chair for racing games etc. There are also programs for exploring world historic sites, or deep sea diving, just all sorts of great stuff. The games are developing fast and I’m sure the G’kids would love it as well. We had a sauna in the house growing up. It was mainly just a thing my Dad thought would be cool and increase the home value, so he bought a kit and he and his buddy built it onto the basement bathroom. The neighborhood kids would pile in there (clothes on, of course) after a long afternoon of sledding or snow fights. Other than that it didn’t get much use. A good sweat is actually good for you, and has [been proven to lower cortisol](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5376102/) levels. But sweating along with gentle exercise is much better for you. > [@Inigo\_Montoya](#): > > That’s what I’ve nicknamed my kitchen. Because of the stove & oven, not because I’m usually stoned when I’m in there. Got nothing to do with that. You and I have very different definitions of a hotbox. Mine comes from Vietnam vets, who don’t like to talk about them. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2018, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-do-with-our-secret-room/820781/84 "2018-09-12T22:23:32Z")
If you have a secret room, and you tell everyone about it, as **commasense** has done, it’s no longer a secret room! ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2018, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-do-with-our-secret-room/820781/85 "2018-09-13T00:11:56Z")
You could go for historical accuracy and [make sure that there’s soundproofing and a gas line or two](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Devil_in_the_White_City) in the space. You know. For “guests”… :eek::eek::eek: Seriously? A wine rack nook. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2018, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-do-with-our-secret-room/820781/86 "2018-09-13T00:35:19Z")
Get a card table, four folding chairs, and four (fake) skeletons from a medical supply company, the kind doctors have hanging in the corner. Arrange the skeletons around the table with a poker hand dealt, piles of chips, some glasses, etc. Then brick it up somewhat haphazardly, so it’s obvious there’s a space back there. Little surprise for the next owners. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2018, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-do-with-our-secret-room/820781/87 "2018-09-13T00:41:32Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > Get a card table, four folding chairs, and four (fake) skeletons from a medical supply company, the kind doctors have hanging in the corner. Arrange the skeletons around the table with a poker hand dealt, piles of chips, some glasses, etc. > > Then brick it up somewhat haphazardly, so it’s obvious there’s a space back there. Little surprise for the next owners. Naw, screw the table and chairs. If you’re gonna have skeletons, have the clutching their throats and clawing at the door. ---
**Author:** ![Aquadementia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aquadementia/32/555_2.png) [@Aquadementia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aquadementia)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2018, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-do-with-our-secret-room/820781/88 "2018-09-13T01:22:11Z")
Infinity room I’ve sometimes wonder what it would be like to have a small room where all the walls, ceiling and floor are covered in mirrors. Maybe polished metal for the floor. It would be interesting to experiment with extra panels or modifications. Perhaps spending time in it would allow the occupant to obtain a new level of consciousness, known as madness. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2018, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-do-with-our-secret-room/820781/89 "2018-09-13T12:14:29Z")
> [@Aquadementia](#): > > Infinity room > I’ve sometimes wonder what it would be like to have a small room where all the walls, ceiling and floor are covered in mirrors. Maybe polished metal for the floor. It would be interesting to experiment with extra panels or modifications. Perhaps spending time in it would allow the occupant to obtain a new level of consciousness, known as madness. And add a smaller version of [this sculpture](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_Gate)in the middle of the room. Not just infinity, but _twisted_ infinity. That sculpture really is mind-blowing, and I gather the artist really disliked the name most call it (“The Bean”) but eventually he got over it. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2018, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-do-with-our-secret-room/820781/90 "2018-09-13T13:18:36Z")
Reading room/mini library ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2018, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-do-with-our-secret-room/820781/91 "2018-09-14T05:24:01Z")
> [@snfaulkner](#): > > Check post #4 That whole post is chock full of goodness! ---
**Author:** ![The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_wind_of_my_soul)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2018, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-do-with-our-secret-room/820781/92 "2018-09-14T13:49:02Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > I have a hidden attic entrance which we refer to as a secret room. Definitely go with storage. Start collecting battered trunks and cool things you’d find in a hidden attic/storage space. Check out your second hand store for some appropriate objects to add to the ambiance. There is no reason it can’t be storage/cool and intriguing AND a ‘secret’ hidey hole for kids to occassionalky enjoy. Just a a couple of mismatched chairs and an old rickety table. In my experience it’s way more fun for kids if it’s all jumbled up and THEY have to sort it a titch to made a cool hangout. > > Good Luck! I know this thread has been all played out and the OP decided to leave it alone for now. But I really love this post, so I want to say so. It reminds me of everything wonderful about being a kid and about being around kids. You don’t need lots of fancy decorations and toys, just a good imagination. And most kids have excellent imaginations. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2018, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-do-with-our-secret-room/820781/93 "2018-09-14T15:02:03Z")
> [@Aquadementia](#): > > Infinity room > I’ve sometimes wonder what it would be like to have a small room where all the walls, ceiling and floor are covered in mirrors. Maybe polished metal for the floor. It would be interesting to experiment with extra panels or modifications. Perhaps spending time in it would allow the occupant to obtain a new level of consciousness, known as madness. This is the best idea yet, and I spent more than an hour yesterday researching how much it would cost to cover all six surfaces in glass or plastic mirrors. (A room 6x8x8 feet has 320 square feet of surface area.) Initial estimates of material costs are $2,500 for acrylic mirrors. Unfortunately, buyers of the 4x8-foot acrylic mirror sheets complain that they tend to bend and distort the image too easily, even when mounted. The price of glass with safety backing that holds it together if the glass is cracked is about $5,000. Then there’s the question of how much installation would cost; more for glass than plastic, no doubt. And I haven’t found out whether it’s feasible to mount glass on the floor and ceiling. I suspect with either material you’d have to cover the floor with sacrificial sheets of clear Plexiglas to protect the mirrors underneath. So conservatively estimating installation to equal the material cost (which might be way too low in the case of glass), the room would cost $10,000 in glass, which would obviously create the best effect. Add the cost of the secret door and matching bookcases we were considering ($5,000) and there’s almost half our budget for the whole basement gone. Not gonna happen. Dammit! I wonder if a much cheaper alternative, like mylar film, which would obviously be much less optically perfect, would nevertheless create an effect that was interesting enough to be worth the effort. I suppose some experimentation wouldn’t be too hard. Any other thoughts? > [@elbows](#): > > I have a hidden attic entrance which we refer to as a secret room. Definitely go with storage. Start collecting battered trunks and cool things you’d find in a hidden attic/storage space. Check out your second hand store for some appropriate objects to add to the ambiance. There is no reason it can’t be storage/cool and intriguing AND a ‘secret’ hidey hole for kids to occassionalky enjoy. Just a a couple of mismatched chairs and an old rickety table. In my experience it’s way more fun for kids if it’s all jumbled up and THEY have to sort it a titch to made a cool hangout. > > Good Luck! > [@The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](#): > > I know this thread has been all played out and the OP decided to leave it alone for now. But I really love this post, so I want to say so. It reminds me of everything wonderful about being a kid and about being around kids. You don’t need lots of fancy decorations and toys, just a good imagination. And most kids have excellent imaginations. These are good ideas. We haven’t gotten back any quotes for the whole basement project from our contractors yet, and if we can find an extra five grand or so somewhere (yeah, right!) for the bookshelves and secret door, we might consider something along these lines. At the very least, we will probably prepare the space for the possibility of turning it into a secret room at a later date. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2018, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-do-with-our-secret-room/820781/94 "2018-09-14T15:12:47Z")
Too late to edit: A [100-foot roll of mirrored mylar](https://www.amazon.com/VIVOSUN-Horticulture-Highly-Reflective-Mylar/dp/B018VI75CS/) four feet wide – enough to cover the whole room – is only $26! Highly worth considering! Just have to figure out how to mount it with minimal optical distortion. ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2018, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-do-with-our-secret-room/820781/95 "2018-09-14T15:31:03Z")
Buy 1" thick 4x8 foam core boards. Stretch the mylar onto and around to the back, a la stretching a canvas. Instead of staples you’ll use sturdy tape. Takes a it of teamwork. At least two people. But you can indeed attach the sheets so they are taut. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2018, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-do-with-our-secret-room/820781/96 "2018-09-14T18:39:56Z")
My first thought was to use it to smoke your own hams. Second thought: sex room. ---
**Author:** ![buckgully](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eb9ed0/32.png) [@buckgully](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buckgully)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2018, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-do-with-our-secret-room/820781/97 "2018-09-14T19:10:48Z")
I like the infinity room idea. When I was a kid they had one at the Milwaukee Art Museum. You had to take off your shoes and wear little felt booties to not scratch up the floor. It was very cool. When I worked with radio equipment we had an anechoic chamber for testing gear (it was also a Faraday cage, but I don’t think that’s important here). I used to love going in there and just enjoying the silence. It was like instant meditation. I’ve always wanted to make one for myself but have never had the room to do it. > **[Anechoic chamber](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anechoic_chamber)** > > An anechoic chamber (an-echoic meaning "non-reflective") is a room designed to stop reflections of either sound or electromagnetic waves. They are also often isolated from energy entering from their surroundings. This combination means that a person or detector exclusively hears direct sounds (no reflected sounds), in effect simulating being outside in a free field. > Anechoic chambers, a term coined by American acoustics expert Leo Beranek, were initially exclusively used to refer to acoustic ... The foam wedges are kind of crazy expensive, though. If you’re not trying to get FCC approval you could probably come up with a cheaper DIY approach. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2018, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-do-with-our-secret-room/820781/98 "2018-09-14T20:16:44Z")
> [@The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](#): > > I know this thread has been all played out and the OP decided to leave it alone for now. But I really love this post, so I want to say so. It reminds me of everything wonderful about being a kid and about being around kids. You don’t need lots of fancy decorations and toys, just a good imagination. And most kids have excellent imaginations. Ah, a kindred spirit. This is why I was the favoured Auntie when the kids were young. I filled an old trunk with oddball things from yard sales, dustbins and second hand stores. Just old stuff that looks cool. (There’s tons of stuff kids today haven’t seen still lying around!) Plopped it in the attic let it get dusty and cobweb covered and pretty much forgot about it. The attic was mostly just camping gear, sports equipment, old lamps, Y’know, the usual stuff. But then this trunk with stuff piled on top. When the kids were the right age some adult would say, ‘I think there’s a secret room in this house, maybe ask Auntie!’ They’d look about then want hints. Find the attic, and be gone for ages poking around. And then, they’d be back asking for a key to the trunk, what was in it? I’d make much of being too lazy to look around for the key, so they’d run about looking here and there until they got it. I’d claim I couldn’t remember where the trunk came from, etc. Oh the joy when the key was located! (I’d actually have to constrain the parents to let the kids go it alone with the old lock and key!) The adults could talk for hours and it was a bitch to get the kids to come down for dinner. But those kids still talk about it as grown adults! I’m pretty sure it was just as much fun for the adults, to be honest. It was a ton of fun and cost very little money or effort! ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2018, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-do-with-our-secret-room/820781/99 "2018-09-14T20:42:46Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > This is the best idea yet, and I spent more than an hour yesterday researching how much it would cost to cover all six surfaces in glass or plastic mirrors. (A room 6x8x8 feet has 320 square feet of surface area.) > > Initial estimates of material costs are $2,500 for acrylic mirrors. Unfortunately, buyers of the 4x8-foot acrylic mirror sheets complain that they tend to bend and distort the image too easily, even when mounted. The price of glass with safety backing that holds it together if the glass is cracked is about $5,000. > > Then there’s the question of how much installation would cost; more for glass than plastic, no doubt. And I haven’t found out whether it’s feasible to mount glass on the floor and ceiling. I suspect with either material you’d have to cover the floor with sacrificial sheets of clear Plexiglas to protect the mirrors underneath. > > So conservatively estimating installation to equal the material cost (which might be way too low in the case of glass), the room would cost $10,000 in glass, which would obviously create the best effect. Add the cost of the secret door and matching bookcases we were considering ($5,000) and there’s almost half our budget for the whole basement gone. > > Not gonna happen. Dammit! That room would be about perfect for a storm shelter. All that glass would be hazardous to your health should you need to shelter from a tornado. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2018, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-do-with-our-secret-room/820781/100 "2018-09-14T20:48:53Z")
One of those acoustically dead rooms they have in some science centers. Walk in and all you hear is your blood rushing in your head. Very weird sensation. Useful for meditation or going crazy. Related: put in a sensory deprivation tank. Again, useful for meditation or going crazy. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-do-with-our-secret-room/820781.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-do-with-our-secret-room/820781.md?page=6)