San Antonio – Denise Schubert glows when she talks about the discovery of her backyard cave.
She gave KSAT 12 an exclusive, detailed tour of the property on Friday.
Schubert and her husband discovered a small opening on the property after they purchased it in 2004.
“My husband noticed that there was just a little bitty hole ... and there was air coming out of the hole, and the weeds were just blowing,” she recalled.
With the help of area archeologists and students, they dug away and discovered several layers of rocks and chambers underneath.
“We have an Edwards Aquifer cave, and the rooms get bigger as you go down. There are vertical rooms,” Schubert said. “[The archeologist] said that the room below our big room is probably two to three times the size of the room, our biggest room, which is about 28 by 30.”
The family has put a lot of love into the cave, but they’ve decided to put the property on the market. Realtor Lori Largen with JB Goodman put out the listing.
“My listing, you know, I started off, ‘Do you like Natural Bridge Caverns? If you do, how about having your own in your own backyard?’” she said.
It’s been on the market for a while, but since it started to get media attention this week, she says the calls have been nonstop.
“My phone has been inundated with calls every day since then. Emails, people wanting to see the house,” Largen said. “That’s a unique piece of property. It’s, as I describe it, live-in-your-own-park-like setting. And then the cave is just phenomenal.”
Schubert loves giving tours of the cave and share everything she’s learned. She hopes the next owner treasures it as much as she does.
“I have a gorgeous property. I’ve put a lot of time and effort into it. But the cave is just -- you can hardly put a price on what that cave is worth,” she said.
The sale is currently pending.