Television program ‘A Place in the Sun’ has bright young English girl, Amanda Lamb, showing a middle-aged man around Fuerteventura. No, it’s not an expose about an overseas escort service, it’s the latest chance to see a punter being dragged around some quickly thrown up, overpriced, Spanish holiday homes before politely declining the opportunity to renovate an abandoned piggery.
They are looking for a house with at least two bedrooms and are puzzled when offered a one bedroom apartment, until Amanda reveals that the builders have constructed a ‘hidden’ second bedroom for all the properties in the complex to avoid tricky local building regulations. The door is bricked up but you can knock it through, just as most of the existing residents have done.
It’s a clever solution to get around the law, a bit like when you take something from a shop without paying for it because you forgot your purse, or when you drive at 120 mph because you’re late for an important business meeting. It’s like the law doesn’t matter in those circumstances because its for other people, you know – criminals.
Fascinated by this idea I decided to check out my own house for hidden rooms. By pacing along the outside of the walls of the building, I calculated the floor area that should be available inside and imagine my surprise when these calculations did indeed expose the existence of a secret room!
After that it was only a matter of time until I found the entrance and made my way into the gloomy interior – only to discover that my dear wife was already there!
