Couple Bought A New House And Discovered A Roman Bath Hidden Underneath The Floor
Interview With Owner
Mark and Jenny Ronsman, both 39, from Wisconsin, US, bought their house three and a half years ago. They were told that there was a hidden hot tub under the home office. However, they’d never had the time to set about getting it up and running until lockdown happened and they had more time on their hands. Scroll down for Bored Panda’s interview with the couple!
More info: Facebook
Image credits: Mark Ronsman
Image credits: Mark Ronsman
The previous homeowner, an elderly lady, had spoken about the secret tub that was covered years ago due to lack of use. She said that as they got older, they stopped using it and decided to convert it into an office. She even showed an old photo of it filled with water and people, but it didn’t give a good view of how the hot tub itself looked. “I was truly shocked and overjoyed that something so beautiful was IN our house! I was also truly grateful to discover the previous owners took such great care that what they did could be reversed!” remembers Mark.
Image credits: Mark Ronsman
Image credits: Mark Ronsman
When Mark and Jenny moved into their new house, one of the first things that they did was to tear away the carpet above the hidden treasure. Mark was really surprised that the tile in the hot tub looked beautiful and was deep. “Thankfully, the tub was in really great shape. The tile is absolutely beautiful. After tearing off the cover, I then had to chip away all of the leveling material they used around the edges of the tub. Next, I put a new coat of sealant on the stone floors. After that, we spent hours upon hours getting all of the grout whitened and the tub sanitized. We also had to put weather stripping on all the doorways to better seal in the air. Finally, we added a security system so that an alarm will go off if someone enters the room without deactivating it. We have a small child and never wanted to have to worry about her falling in unsupervised,” he explains.
Image credits: Mark Ronsman
Image credits: Mark Ronsman
Now they finally have the time to fix it up to run again. “While it was always our intention to fix up the hot tub, it really didn’t reach the top of our ‘need’ list until the lockdown, so that’s when we kicked it up a gear in terms of restoration efforts,” says Mark. “We got a second opinion from a hot tub professional, and now we do plan to replace at least one of the water pumps for energy efficiency reasons. Due to the power consumption differences between the old and new pump, the new pump will actually pay for itself in less than a year. So hopefully we can get that work done as soon as possible!”
Image credits: Mark Ronsman
Image credits: Mark Ronsman
“I’m an IT systems engineer and my wife Jenny is a college professor. We have an amazing 5-year-old daughter. The dear old woman who sold this house sold it to us because she said it was important for her that the house goes to a nice family. Our in-laws live across our backyard, the street over, and the former owner just loved that, and how close it would make our family.”
Image credits: Mark Ronsman
Image credits: Mark Ronsman
Image credits: Mark Ronsman
Image credits: Mark Ronsman
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Why is the phrase "Roman bath" in the headline? I'm pretty sure Spartacus wasn't around in 1972.
Exactly. I thought they bought a house in Europe and found an ancient bath in their basement. I feel misled.
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My first thought seeing this was...when did the Romans conquer Wisconsin?
They’re still trying. Their ships march up and down the coast like a tiger in a cage.
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Clickbait! I thought it was an actual ancient bath when I read the headline. Then I see it's in the US and just an old tub.
Anyone else disappointed they didn't show a pic of it filled with water?
The headline is double click bait. "Hidden Roman Bath" implies they found something from ancient Rome. First, it's a hot tub, not a "Roman Bath". Second, they didn't "find" a hidden anything, they were told it was there when they bought the house.
It's gorgeous! And what a perfect room! You are going to get so much enjoyment out of it.
The headlines were, as usual, misleading, but how I'd love to find that in MY house!!! I'm quite sure they weren't expecting this to be soooo beautiful! B ut ---- the photos are a bit misleading too - as they often are - it looks a lot bigger than it actually is in the first photos. Don't care - would love to have it :-)
It's a cool item and maybe the title is a little off but who cares? Get over yourselves.
What a jackpot find. Looks like it was originally outdoors, hence the wooden walls?
I would doubt it. I would guess they were going for a sauna look and feel.
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Yes it would be a lovely surprise but it definitely is not Roman nor does it even look Roman, but lovely in itself
Dear Family Rossman, It seems clear to me that this is a Mikve, a Jewish ritual bath, which some Jewish families afford themselves to build in their own house! Maybe contact your local (orthodox) Rabbi to find out more!!! Seems pretty interesting!!! Feel free to contact me if you need further advise. Rabbi Schlomo from Vienna (Austria) rabbinat@ikg-wien.at
But they didn’t discover it. They previous home owner told them it was there. They just chose to leave it covered.
I have to say that I, too, was led to click so I could see the fascinating “ancient Roman bath” unearthed in a centuries-old house in old Italy or Greece...but what I see here is a hot tub set into a floor. Granted, they are lucky to find it in such wonderful condition ~ and I admit to being a little jealous lol ~ but this is certainly NOT what I expected to find when I read the headline.
I've only seen a similar hot tub once before: photos of a high-roller suite in Vegas. So glad it's in great shape. They need to get a motorized pool cover to prevent their daughter from falling in -- an alarm will only indicate that she's probably already in the room and in the water.
It may not be a ‘Roman’ Roman bath but it is beautiful. Anyone can have a home office, not many have a fabulous bath under their floor.
Put some water in that thing and post an update! Want to see water!! It is beautiful and what a great quarantine project!
I, for one, have had dreams about finding hidden spaces in my house. This would have been a delight!
It was very pretty, but a Roman bath it wasn't. Looks like they'll have a lot of enjoyment out of that!
I would have liked to see it filled. I bet it's beautiful with the tile and the water going.
Incredible discovery, wonder what people covered it up, quite beautiful !!!
I would either cover it in plexiglass to walk over, or get it in working condition!!
Lucky people! that is lovely. It is a Roman-STYLE bath and awesome!
This is so good! I'm really happy these people bought the house as they are preserving a piece of very special history. That bath is so beautiful! I hope they showed the old lady the pics? ;)
This is a fabulous find! Imagine finding something like that in your house. It probably sold as a Roman bath and is a good replica on a smaller scale.
I wouldn't have that uncovered with a 5 year old in the house, it's like leaving a loaded gun around. I'd be worried about falling in myself. With no water in it, you'd break your neck if you fell in.
I guess you missed the part where he said that the door has a special lock on it so their child can't get in.
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I don't care about the click bait. It's still a stunning rare treasure to be found in modern today...
Make the headline sound more interesting then it is to get more views. Click bait at it finest. But seriously they did a great job and the hot tub is so beautiful.
Why is the phrase "Roman bath" in the headline? I'm pretty sure Spartacus wasn't around in 1972.
Exactly. I thought they bought a house in Europe and found an ancient bath in their basement. I feel misled.
Load More Replies... My first thought seeing this was...when did the Romans conquer Wisconsin?
They’re still trying. Their ships march up and down the coast like a tiger in a cage.
Load More Replies... Clickbait! I thought it was an actual ancient bath when I read the headline. Then I see it's in the US and just an old tub.
Anyone else disappointed they didn't show a pic of it filled with water?
The headline is double click bait. "Hidden Roman Bath" implies they found something from ancient Rome. First, it's a hot tub, not a "Roman Bath". Second, they didn't "find" a hidden anything, they were told it was there when they bought the house.
It's gorgeous! And what a perfect room! You are going to get so much enjoyment out of it.
The headlines were, as usual, misleading, but how I'd love to find that in MY house!!! I'm quite sure they weren't expecting this to be soooo beautiful! B ut ---- the photos are a bit misleading too - as they often are - it looks a lot bigger than it actually is in the first photos. Don't care - would love to have it :-)
It's a cool item and maybe the title is a little off but who cares? Get over yourselves.
What a jackpot find. Looks like it was originally outdoors, hence the wooden walls?
I would doubt it. I would guess they were going for a sauna look and feel.
Load More Replies... Yes it would be a lovely surprise but it definitely is not Roman nor does it even look Roman, but lovely in itself
Dear Family Rossman, It seems clear to me that this is a Mikve, a Jewish ritual bath, which some Jewish families afford themselves to build in their own house! Maybe contact your local (orthodox) Rabbi to find out more!!! Seems pretty interesting!!! Feel free to contact me if you need further advise. Rabbi Schlomo from Vienna (Austria) rabbinat@ikg-wien.at
But they didn’t discover it. They previous home owner told them it was there. They just chose to leave it covered.
I have to say that I, too, was led to click so I could see the fascinating “ancient Roman bath” unearthed in a centuries-old house in old Italy or Greece...but what I see here is a hot tub set into a floor. Granted, they are lucky to find it in such wonderful condition ~ and I admit to being a little jealous lol ~ but this is certainly NOT what I expected to find when I read the headline.
I've only seen a similar hot tub once before: photos of a high-roller suite in Vegas. So glad it's in great shape. They need to get a motorized pool cover to prevent their daughter from falling in -- an alarm will only indicate that she's probably already in the room and in the water.
It may not be a ‘Roman’ Roman bath but it is beautiful. Anyone can have a home office, not many have a fabulous bath under their floor.
Put some water in that thing and post an update! Want to see water!! It is beautiful and what a great quarantine project!
I, for one, have had dreams about finding hidden spaces in my house. This would have been a delight!
It was very pretty, but a Roman bath it wasn't. Looks like they'll have a lot of enjoyment out of that!
I would have liked to see it filled. I bet it's beautiful with the tile and the water going.
Incredible discovery, wonder what people covered it up, quite beautiful !!!
I would either cover it in plexiglass to walk over, or get it in working condition!!
Lucky people! that is lovely. It is a Roman-STYLE bath and awesome!
This is so good! I'm really happy these people bought the house as they are preserving a piece of very special history. That bath is so beautiful! I hope they showed the old lady the pics? ;)
This is a fabulous find! Imagine finding something like that in your house. It probably sold as a Roman bath and is a good replica on a smaller scale.
I wouldn't have that uncovered with a 5 year old in the house, it's like leaving a loaded gun around. I'd be worried about falling in myself. With no water in it, you'd break your neck if you fell in.
I guess you missed the part where he said that the door has a special lock on it so their child can't get in.
Load More Replies... I don't care about the click bait. It's still a stunning rare treasure to be found in modern today...
Make the headline sound more interesting then it is to get more views. Click bait at it finest. But seriously they did a great job and the hot tub is so beautiful.
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