New Homeowner Finds 'Jackpot' of Valuable Vintage Tiles After Flood Forces Her to Rip Up Floors

Mar. 15, 2025

Anne Alcott’s hallway before and after.Photo:Anne Alcott

Anne Alcott

New homeowner Anne Alcott was devastated when her sewer pipe burst just three days after she moved into her house — but delighted to find a gorgeous surprise underneath her damaged floors.Alcott tells PEOPLE that she bought the house in May, and “within the same week, the pipe broke.“As the home’s entryway was newly carpeted, the water damage required ripping up the carpet so it wouldn’t lead to mildew and mold.But to 36-year-old Alcott’s surprise, what was hiding beneath the carpet was even better: red and white terrazzo tile with a black-and-white checkered detail.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Terrazzo is an often pricey material made up of chips of materials like “marble, granite, quartz, glass, shell,” according toTerrazzco.com. It’s also exceptionally durable.In a series of photos shared to TikTok, Alcott recounted how she discovered the stunning floors in her Haarlem, Netherlands, home.“POV: you buy your dream house and three days later the sewer pipe bursts and floods your hallway but it’s all good because you rip out that old stinky carpet and hit the JACKPOT,” she wrote on TikTok.After ripping up the damaged carpet, she decided to take a gamble and continue pulling it up in the very front of the house. To her delight, she found more terrazzo.Flooding in Anne Alcott’s home.Anne Alcott"It was in a state,” she noted on TikTok, adding that “with some elbow grease” (and some epoxy to repair a crack), it now looks much better.“A bit of polish and tadaaaa,” she added.Speaking to PEOPLE, Alcott says that she had “planned to get rid of the carpet at some point,” but not right away, due to moving costs. Of course, once the pipe burst, she didn’t have a choice — and was ultimately grateful for the minor headache.As commenters have noted on TikTok, Alcott was among the lucky few to have house damage reveal something beautiful.“My flood revealed asbestos tiles,” wrote commenter.Another wrote: “my house turns 145 and i just found lead pipes.“Anne Alcott’s terrazzo floors.Anne AlcottAnd while the refurbished floors offered a dramatic before-and-after, Alcott is now looking ahead to other projects.“We also plan to skim coat the walls, take off plastic covering that’s hiding the lovely green floor tiles in the entrance, and we know of double stained glass sliding doors hiding in the arches of the house,” she says. “The previous owners covered them up.“She continues: “We like to restore the old charm of the house so we’re excited to dig further and see what’s hiding.”

New homeowner Anne Alcott was devastated when her sewer pipe burst just three days after she moved into her house — but delighted to find a gorgeous surprise underneath her damaged floors.

Alcott tells PEOPLE that she bought the house in May, and “within the same week, the pipe broke.”

As the home’s entryway was newly carpeted, the water damage required ripping up the carpet so it wouldn’t lead to mildew and mold.

But to 36-year-old Alcott’s surprise, what was hiding beneath the carpet was even better: red and white terrazzo tile with a black-and-white checkered detail.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Terrazzo is an often pricey material made up of chips of materials like “marble, granite, quartz, glass, shell,” according toTerrazzco.com. It’s also exceptionally durable.

In a series of photos shared to TikTok, Alcott recounted how she discovered the stunning floors in her Haarlem, Netherlands, home.

“POV: you buy your dream house and three days later the sewer pipe bursts and floods your hallway but it’s all good because you rip out that old stinky carpet and hit the JACKPOT,” she wrote on TikTok.

After ripping up the damaged carpet, she decided to take a gamble and continue pulling it up in the very front of the house. To her delight, she found more terrazzo.

Flooding in Anne Alcott’s home.Anne Alcott

“It was in a state,” she noted on TikTok, adding that “with some elbow grease” (and some epoxy to repair a crack), it now looks much better.

“A bit of polish and tadaaaa,” she added.

Speaking to PEOPLE, Alcott says that she had “planned to get rid of the carpet at some point,” but not right away, due to moving costs. Of course, once the pipe burst, she didn’t have a choice — and was ultimately grateful for the minor headache.

As commenters have noted on TikTok, Alcott was among the lucky few to have house damage reveal something beautiful.

“My flood revealed asbestos tiles,” wrote commenter.

Another wrote: “my house turns 145 and i just found lead pipes.”

Anne Alcott’s terrazzo floors.Anne Alcott

And while the refurbished floors offered a dramatic before-and-after, Alcott is now looking ahead to other projects.

“We also plan to skim coat the walls, take off plastic covering that’s hiding the lovely green floor tiles in the entrance, and we know of double stained glass sliding doors hiding in the arches of the house,” she says. “The previous owners covered them up.”

She continues: “We like to restore the old charm of the house so we’re excited to dig further and see what’s hiding.”

source: people.com