Man digs cave under family home for 10 years after a fight with parents

Canto, 24, lives in La Romana Village, Alicante Province, Spain. In 2015, he got into an argument with his parents who forbade him from going out in a tracksuit, according to Business Insider.

He then stayed home and vented his frustration by striking the ground in the backyard with his grandfather’s pickaxe. What began as a way to relieve stress gradually became a routine he used to unwind after school.

“I was an angry teenager with a pick axe.

“After I started digging, I came back every afternoon for three years to continue digging that hole,” he said.

He worked several days a week to expand the underground space. At first, he removed the soil by hand using buckets. As the tunnel deepened, Canto built a pulley system to move soil and reinforced the ceiling and walls with pillars and arches to prevent collapse.

Progress accelerated when his close friend Andreu brought a pneumatic drill to help, and the pair spent up to 14 hours a week excavating. The pit gradually developed into a tunnel system about 3-5 m deep.

“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,” he said.

Canto worked through damp conditions, poor air circulation and frequent insects.

After 10 years, his cave now includes a living room and a bedroom. The rooms are fitted with a heating system, audio devices and Wi-Fi, using a mobile phone placed at the entrance to relay the signal. Canto said he spent a total of nearly US$55, mainly for building materials.

Local authorities inspected the cave in 2021. As it was not classified as a basement or storage space under building regulations, he was not penalized. His family has also expressed support for the project.

“All my family and friends are used to the cave, some of them even like to help out by digging up some dirt,” he told UK newspaper Mirror.

Canto is currently studying acting at the Higher School of Dramatic Art ESAD in Murcia. Although he now lives away from home, he returns to La Romana on weekends to continue improving and expanding the underground structure.