My son has just bought a house. It’s in a terrible state but he got it at a good price for the area as it’s in sooper dooper ultra trendy Didsbury. He’s now got all the information about this house and it turns out it was bought new in the 1930s and has never changed hands. The old lady who apparently lived there alone was the daughter of the original buyers.
We sometimes use a handyman who has been a godsend as hubs can’t do anything so he’s done a lot of general repairs for us and some decorating. Anyway for the last couple of days he’s been round at the house pulling up carpets and stripping walls and dealing with some of the overgrown garden.
The carpets were in a disgusting state especially the one in the dining room which was black and sticky. Anyway he’s just pulled that carpet up and it turns out all that black stickiness is dried blood. He’s lifted all the carpet and underlay and he says all that’s left is a stain on the floorboards that’s still a bit red.
If it was me Id prefer it if I didn’t know so I’ve told G to keep it from OS. What do you think?
He also found loads of newspapers which had been used as underlay. The headlines are about Hitler and how the war is going.
I personally wouldn't say anything, neither would I want to be told if it was a house I was buying. I guess it depends on how sensitive your son is, but I would probably have that thought in my head every time I went into the dining room . Not suggesting it was anything sinister, an elderly person could have had a bad fall or something resulting in a heavy bleed, but all the same, once visualized in your head, hard to shift.
Very happy that your son has his first place and it's close to home, it's a really exciting time for him so should only be surrounded by nice thoughts
There is a lot to be said for being part of a group, and the support and friendship that is gained from this.
I doubt it was anything sinister. In fact that thought never crossed my mind. It’s horrible to think though that someone must have found her and goodness knows how long she might have been there.
It’s possible that one day one of the neighbours might tell him but I hope not.
Agree with the others that there's nothing to be gained by telling him - he might not mind, but it might make him feel uncomfortable and so best to stay mum in my opinion.
Maggzz, if it was me...I really, really would want to know...first of all to make sure that every bit of flooring was cleaned and treated, and secondly because it would mean that I could inspect every single surface in the property thoroughly to ensure nothing else was lurking, and if there was, maybe get specialist cleaners in the whole house.
I agree, more than likely it is not anything sinister, but it does indicate to me that the property has not been particularly well looked after and it would make me feel so much better knowing and being able to deal with it properly.
On this, I have to say, I wouldn't say anything. It does depend on the nature of your children Magggzzz, but certainly my daughter would freak out !
Your son is extremely lucky to bag a property in that area, as it is certainly an expensive trendy spot and to have a place still with original character from the beginning is a rareity.
Think they will increase the value of the property merely tidying it up and giving everywhere a lick of paint.
Wow, hope you have kept the newspaper , given it was stain free. That’s amazing! But keep the other stuff to yourself. Hope your son is very happy in his new home.
We went round there yesterday and we met a few of the neighbours. They told us that the house had been empty for a few years as the old lady had been taken into a home. So that means whatever it was that happened was not her lying there dead.
I’ve seen the stain and it does look like blood to me but luckily OS didn’t really take much notice. There’s so many stains and stuck down rubber tiles on that particular floor it didn’t really stand out.
I don’t know exactly what he’s going to do with the house but it involves extensions and walls being knocked down so there’s a good chance that bit of floor will end up being replaced anyway.