A new homeowner discovered a 12-foot-deep pool underneath her rotting floorboards and transformed it into an indoor oasis — but not everyone is loving it

• A new homeowner said she found a pool underneath the "wavy" floorboards of her custom-built house.
• She said in a TikTok that she would turn the room into an atrium, but viewers didn't like the idea.

A woman who said she discovered an indoor pool and a hot tub underneath the rotting floorboards of her newly purchased home in Arkansas has opted to transform the room into an "atrium" with ponds, plants, and a waterfall.

Emily Henry, a glass artist on TikTok, received 12.1 million views when she shared the discovery of the pool in August 2022. Subsequent videos about the renovations have garnered millions of views, but commenters were initially upset with her decision not to restore the pool. Some also said she should turn it into a conversation pit.

But now that she has revealed progress on the atrium, viewers seem to be warming to the project.

Henry, who said she purchased the custom-built '80s home in roughly July 2022, said she was told there had been a pool inside but assumed it had been filled in. She said inspectors acknowledged the floorboards were "wavy" but figured she'd deal with it upon moving in.

"So we started ripping up that floor, and then suddenly we looked down, and we were standing on top of a 12-foot-deep hole," she said, adding that she wasn't "financially prepared for an indoor swimming pool."

In a later TikTok, Henry said the floor had been sagging because of "rotting and crumbling" floorboards from termites and moisture damage.

Henry said the internet 'wildly disliked' her for deciding not to keep the pool

After ripping up the sub-flooring and beams, Henry said she initially had difficulty finding a contractor to help her with renovations. She said this became increasingly troubling because she kept finding tiny snakes in the hollowed-out vermiculite structure that was "crumbling."

In January, however, she finally outlined her plans to transform the room into an atrium. She said that commenters overwhelmingly wanted to see the pool restored but that it didn't make sense because they were "outdoorsy people" who were already "surrounded by these crystal-clear lakes." Instead, she said she wanted a room with lots of plants and an indoor koi pond.

"No idea why but this made me sad," one commenter wrote. "The atrium idea is super cool," another added, "but I'd be lying if I didn't say it hurt watching those stones hit the pool."

In February, Henry made a TikTok to address the backlash she'd received from disappointed commenters. "When you fill the indoor pool in your house & now the internet wildly dislikes you," she captioned a post.

She posted a TikTok in April that showed most of the pool had been filled in. And in her most recent update, from May, she showed heaps of dirt surrounding a stone pathway and a waterfall sending a stream of water into a larger pond where the pool used to be.

"We are officially ready for plants," she said while showcasing an area of a would-be "living wall" across from a seating area where she planned to have a desk and hammock chairs hanging from the ceiling.

While some users had misgivings about moisture buildup, which Henry assuaged by saying that a dehumidifier was on the way, others cheered the updates.

"I would never leave this room. This is going to be incredible," one commenter wrote. "I havent seen this in a while and was so bummed about you not keeping the pool," another added, "but this is AMAZING!!!!!"

Henry did not respond to a request for comment.

Correction: August 11, 2023 — An earlier version of this story misstated the device that Emily Henry suggested might alleviate moisture building in the atrium. It's a dehumidifier, not a humidifier.