I started building a secret den below my parents’ house aged 14… now it’s a one-bed home with WiFi & a kitchen

AN ANGRY teen built his own underground home in the garden after a fallout with his parents. Andres Canto was 14-years-old when his parents refused to let him wear a tracksuit to school so he decided to escape them by living in a hole. Andrew Canto hard at work at his eight year project to build an underground house under his parents gardenRealPress /@andresiko_16 RealPress / andresiko_16The lair is not kitted out with drinks, WiFi, speakers and a kitchen[/caption] RealPress / andresiko_16Andres’ plans keep growing for his den[/caption] It wasn’t a typical response to a family argument, but Andres took a pick-axe to his garden in La Romana, Spain and hacked away at his parents lawn. Fast-forward eight years and he has turned his hole into a home 16.5ft below the surface, with his own living room, bedroom structure and staircase. The now 22-year-old has kitted out his underground den with some luxuries including WiFi, speakers and even a stove – but his eyes are set on even bigger plans. Andres told the Mirror: “In the last two years, I have extended the main room by lowering the ground level by another half metre. “I also started to dig a new tunnel 0.5 metres deeper to start a new room.” Andres currently lives in Murcia, where he studies acting – but he is still focused on his secret home’s renovation. “During the pandemic, I made great strides in the cave, but now I have less time to spend on it. I only dedicate four hours a week to dig the cave,” he said. Footage inside his underground lair shows some beautiful DIY craftmanship. Shelves and cubby holes have been carved to store homely objects like a mirror, plants, and a drink collection to keep him refreshed. I have found my own motivation to keep on digging everyday. Andres Canto “All my family and friends are used to the cave, some of them even like to help out by digging up some dirt,” he explained. When he was younger, the frustrated teen used its as a chill-out zone away from the rest of reality. He worked on the excavation by hand in all of his free time as a kind of therapeutic ritual. The construction moved quicker when his friend brought in a drill and together they set up digging almost an almost 10ft hole in the garden – presumably to the delight of his parents. He said that various obstacles in his backyard hindered the project, including large stones and other features in the garden. However, he developed his own pulley-system to get the rubble out, which helped make work go much faster. As he dug deeper, Andres then began to fortify his rooms using arched entrances and vaulted ceilings so they wouldn’t collapse. And yet, he pointed out it’s not all plain sailing living down that deep – his den faces the threats of flash floods and insects who fancy making it their own home. Word clearly spread about his hidden home and he had a visit from Spanish planning authorities who visited to check it was legal. Yet, they were unable to classify the unique structure as an extension or basement and agreed Andres could continue. Remarkably, Andres’ parents are apparently fine with their uprooted garden that is also filled with tools and equipment. “It’s great,” said Andres, “I have everything I need. It can be tiring to work here as it is wet and there is not much air going around, but I have found my own motivation to keep on digging every day.” “I have always liked to build little huts. I live in the countryside and often when I found abandoned wood there, I would build a nice house. “I was a kid with a lot of imagination,” he added. Have you got an odd, fun story like this? We pay! Email: iona.cleave@the-sun.co.uk or worldnews@the-sun.co.uk Andres still finds the time to work on his childhood project alongside his studiesRealPress /@andresiko_16 RealPress / andresiko_16He might have wrecked his parents garden but he said they are fine with it[/caption] The bedroom quarters don’t look particularly comfyRealPress /@andresiko_16